One Day More...: May 2014

Saturday, May 31, 2014

Water

Here on the farm everything growing needs water, especially the little trees.

In some situations this means hauling water to them. After the chickens are taken care of, the next early morning job is watering.

The garden watering is simple since I rigged up a couple of sprinklers on steel posts.

I'm sticking to the pattern of going out at 5:30 in the morning to do the odd jobs while it is cool outside. After about five hours or so it starts to get hot and humid, so I head indoors.

Everything is nice and green, but it won't be long until the July and August heat slows it down. We won't be mowing as often, however the watering will be even more important then. That's life on the farm.

Just one day more...

Friday, May 30, 2014

Little Buggers

I see in the news where the troll Dick Cheney is badmouthing Obama again with his lies. I was going to comment about that, however there are other nicer things going on besides that war criminal.

The robin eggs in the evergreen tree have hatched.

Here for your viewing pleasure are the four little buggers.

And that's the news worth posting.

Just one day more...

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Fixed

The brakes on the farm truck, aka "the dog", are working again. Turns out it was the master cylinder.

My two friends, bachelor brothers, were over on Monday and after a few beers one of them said, "let's get that cylinder on." Seems like after a few beers we are always ready to take on a job. This is the same two friends who sawed down a tree after a few beers when I mentioned it was in the way (previous post).

Now that the truck is running again I went to town and picked up 5 tons of road gravel. It's always handy to have some gravel on the farm.

The last couple of days I've been putting some of the gravel around the buildings to keep water from seeping in. I go out early in the morning when it is cool and shady. It's a process of putting up the hoist to get some gravel at the back of the truck bed and backing the UTV under. Then it is just a matter of scooping some in the UTV. No sense in making it harder than it has to be.

It's easy dumping the gravel out of the UTV where needed. Sure beats shoveling from a pile into a wheelbarrow and pushing a loaded wheelbarrow around.

Once it starts warming up by mid-morning I quit and find a less strenuous job. Having the truck fixed helps get the work done here on the farm. It also helps to have friends who will take on any job after a few beers.

Just one day more...

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Dumbasses

[I]n recent months groups such as Open Carry Texas have conducted provocative demonstrations in which armed men exercise their right under state law to carry semi-automatic rifles in public. No fewer than five national food and beverage chains have now told them to get rid of their guns or get lost, including Starbucks, Wendy’s, Applebees, Jack in the Box, and Chipotle.

And now Chili's and Sonic have effectively joined the list: Two videos posted on YouTube on May 19 by the San Antonio chapter of Open Carry Texas—since removed from public view but obtained by Mother Jones—show its armed members being refused service at both restaurants.

From the nervous and angry reactions of some patrons to comments from some of the gun activists themselves, it's not difficult to see why these spectacles haven't been winning many people over.

When a young woman approaches the group in Chili's and expresses her dismay, a guy with an assault rifle strapped across his back offers her a flyer. "Um actually, there's children here," she replies, "and you're a dumbass." As she walks away one member of the group comments mockingly, "Yes, I'm a dumbass," and then says of her, "must be Moms Demand Action," referring to the national gun reform group. "I just wish I had my kids in there when that one dumb chick come up and started rattin' her mouth," said one of the gun activists. (Mother Jones)

What an idiotic way to make a point. Dumbasses is right.

Just one day more...

Monday, May 26, 2014

Not One More

After promising a "day of retribution" on YouTube, a heavily armed, mentally disturbed 22-year-old went on a killing spree [Friday] in a California college town, authorities said.

In total, there were 12 crime scenes,13 people injured and seven people killed, including Rogers himself, who either shot himself or was killed during a shoot-out with local law enforcement.

The father of Chris Martinez gave an emotional and damning speech at a press conference Saturday.

“Our son Christopher and six others are dead,” Richard Martinez said. “You don't think it'll happen to your child until it does.” (CNN)

No comments I can make would be as strong as the video of Richard Martinez. Watch the video.

How many more have to die before we have realistic gun regulations from Congress? Not one thing has come from this dysfunctional Congress since Sandy Hook. And yet another father pleads for Congress to act. But they will not, since the grip of the NRA is stronger than a grieving parent. In the words of Richard Martinez, “Not one more.”

Just one day more...

Sunday, May 25, 2014

They're Goners

On April 13th I commented how we returned from our winter trip to find two rows of 45 trees we planted five years ago in bad shape. They've had plenty of time to recover, but it was obvious that the past winter cold was too much for them. So, the decision was made to take them out with the chainsaw.

After five years of watering and pampering them it was a very sad feeling cutting them down, but it was time to move on. (Dejected photo)

We live 50 miles from the Bluebird Nursery and were able to find some hedges to replace the row of trees. When we lived in town we had Cheyenne Privet hedges and they were indestructible. They could be sawed to the ground and would come back completely. The Privet replaced one row of the dead trees.

A replacement for the other row is a hedge called Cotoneaster Lucidus, which is hopefully as durable as the Privet.

It was a tough decision to cut down the trees we had worked so hard on, but the fact is that they were goners. Hopefully the hedges will fair better.

Just one day more...

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

It's Always Something - Again

The old dog let me down.

We have an old dump truck here on the farm, affectionately known as "The Dog."

We use it to haul rock from the local cement plant. There's always some place on the farm that needs rock, mainly driveways and the yard. So, every year about this time I take the old dog out of the shed and use it for about a week. And it only has to go about 80 miles total on a couple round trips to town. Then back into the shed it goes, where it sits idle for another year.

It's always been dependable, with the exception of last year when I put in a new starter.

Well, this morning after I got the odd jobs done I decided to put the battery in the old dog and get it ready to haul some rock. It fired up right away and as I got it out of the shed no brakes. The brake pedal went all the way to the floor. Adding brake fluid didn't solve the problem, so maybe it is the master cylinder.

Once again, in the words of Roseanna Roseanadana, "it's always something."

Just one day more...

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Best Time Of The Day

Here on the farm the best time of the day is sunrise - around 5:30 AM. Things are quiet and peaceful, except for the birds chirping.

When I was in my 20's my goal in life was to make sure I didn't have to get up before 9 AM. Then came jobs that required being up early. As I got older I got used to it. Now, waking up at 5 AM or even 4 AM is common.

Other than getting food and water to the chickens, nothing much is happening so early in the morning. On the other hand, whatever is happening is worth it. Sunrise on the farm is the best time of the day.

Just one day more...

Monday, May 19, 2014

Still Tinkering

Last week I commented on how tinkering on old stem winder clocks has gotten out of hand. It still is. Finished another one.

Some would say I have way too much time on my hands.

Just one day more...

Sunday, May 18, 2014

It's Always Something

Part of the mowing experience is maintenance and with three mowers it can't be ignored. We mowed yesterday and that included checking the mechanicals: greasing, cleaning decks and sharpening blades.

All went well, until after mowing I was greasing the main mower and discovered a big gouge in one of the drive belts.

I put off removing the belt until this morning, not sure of what kind of a project that would be. There are two drive belts and, as luck would have it, the belt with the damage was below the other one. That meant that both belts would have to be removed to get to the bottom belt. Both snake around a labyrinth of pulleys and tensioners. After an hour of work the damaged belt - all 60 inches of it - was removed.

Tomorrow we will make the 20 mile drive to town to find a new belt. Hopefully it is common enough it will be in stock. In the words of Gilda Radner, "it's always something."

Just one day more...

Saturday, May 17, 2014

60 Years Ago Today

Brown v. Board of Education

decided May 17, 1954

"We conclude that the doctrine of 'separate but equal' has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." —Chief Justice Earl Warren

In Topeka, Kansas in the 1950s, schools were segregated by race. Each day, Linda Brown and her sister had to walk through a dangerous railroad switchyard to get to the bus stop for the ride to their all-black elementary school. There was a school closer to the Brown's house, but it was only for white students. Linda Brown and her family believed that the segregated school system violated the Fourteenth Amendment and took their case to court. Federal district court decided that segregation in public education was harmful to black children, but because all-black schools and all-white schools had similar buildings, transportation, curricula, and teachers, the segregation was legal. The Browns appealed their case to Supreme Court stating that even if the facilities were similar, segregated schools could never be equal to one another. The Court decided that state laws requiring separate but equal schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. (The Supreme Court Historical Society)

Are schools equal today or still "separate, but equal?"

Just one day more...

Friday, May 16, 2014

Chow Line

The chicks are swiftly becoming chickens and are basically eating machines. Anytime I go into the coop to feed them they line up waiting for food. A regular chow line.

Now that the weather is nice they spend the day outside. Once outside they devour the feed and go about the day pecking away at anything on the ground. It didn't take them long to learn going in and out the little coop door. At night they are locked in the coop to keep critters from making a meal of them, especially the raccoons.

While working in the yard I noticed something in one of the evergreen trees. A robin has made in nest and I was surprised it was in such a small tree so close to the ground. Hopefully a nest robber won't find it and steal the eggs.

Tomorrow we mow our four acres and I'll have to be careful not to disturb the robin's nest. We never get in a hurry, so that shouldn't be a problem. Nothing exciting and a slow pace, but that is how we like it on the farm.

Just one day more...