The Old Folks Home

[bruceha2000]

We have a case of the corona crud about 12 miles from where our farm is. Naturally it's in Kirksville and my doctor's office is overseeing the patient's care....gods I hate breaking in a new doctor. I swear if one of them ups and dies.......

Hopefully your doctors will not contract the virus. Of course if they do, they'll be quite safe for you to visit after they recover

BTW, if you're a senior, instead of senior hours at the grocery store, try their at-store pickup service.

Hannaford has suspended their at store pickup for the rest of the month. The people that have been doing the shopping are being reassigned to stock shelves. Such a sad situation, people don't need any more stuff on a given day from the grocery store than they did a month ago when the "in store shoppers" were doing their thing. I'd think that service would be even more used now.

Sunday afternoon during really nice weather but only if it's not mud, dust or ruts and oh, they just bought a new Prius and don't want to chip the paint with those nasty rocks we drive on every day.

I drive my Prius on a dirt road every time I leave the house or return. We have lots of potholes, they return within a day or two of the grader coming through. Of course the car isn't new anymore, I've had it 13 months. 10K miles the first 7 months, only 2K since then. Multiple trips to New Brunswick including one to PEI kinda add up the miles.

 

[bruceha2000]

High of 22°F yesterday. Water running down the "track" up into the woods where the 2 trees are hung up. No tractoring up there. Also standing water in the sun at the low spot between the pond and wetland 160' to its north. No tractoring through there either. 10°F this morning at 7 AM. Went out at 9 AM with the tractor when it was up to 15°F to collect the logs I had stored at the NW corner of the field last fall. Firm "enough" crossing the low area.

I cut the logs to 8' lengths then took the saw up the track, some ice in the track but definitely still too wet for the tractor. I was able to cut the tree that was leaning across the track to 16' and the trunk fell into the track. The 2 "branch trunks" dropped at the butt ends, tops still hung up in the trees. Then went to the other leaner, it was one of 3 trunks coming off a single base but while the other 2 had dropped, this one got hung up sitting on the stump. I managed to cut it such that the butt end is off the stump but it didn't drop the top down at all. I guess I'm going to have to get the come-alongs and pull the butt up toward a big tree so the top will fall, not sure how I'm going to get those 2 trees out of the woods since it won't dry for months if ever.

Having finished messing with those trees I went back to the tractor and took the 8' logs up to the pile by the barn in 2 loads. Sure would be nice to have a grapple for that instead of forks but they worked well enough.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Been busy there Bruce.. We bought a cord of wood buy like 4 a year
bought a log splitter even I can run it sure make like easy

 

[tigger19687]

Got a Long rope where you can attach to tree and tractor (tractor up on solid land) ? And then back the tractor up enough to pull the trees off of the stuck part?
Dear Lord did that make any sense? lol

 

[perchie.girl]

Hi everyone... took a road trip today got a lot of things done

Plan was to turn the power on and turn a faucet that was leaking off.

On the way out we stopped in to the sheriffs office and reported the shot gun stolen. Got his card and as soon as I can find the paperwork will send him the serial number.

Went to the house and noticed the border patrol helicopter circling . They swung by and looked at us with the camera while Dean went in to flip the switch in the pump house. then they followed us up to the house while he went in and turned the water off to the hose bib.

We then went down the driveway... The dumpster was delivered in front of the horse corral not the house. but then the driveway was all overgrown. Oh the telephone lines are missing... Nother job for the Electric repairs list.

A big black dog ran infront of us on the way out I stopped to make sure he had gone by. And heard the cheers of a group of people on thier front porch. I pulled in to my neighbors house. He came out to say Hi. And I said to him I don't know if you remember me but I am your neighbor form up the road. He kind of did.

I told him I had been away for a bout twelve years and that I was moving back. And asked him if he was the one who was grading the roads around here. His eyes lit up and he said I sure am. I asked him how much he would charge to do my drive way. He wouldn't take any money at all. He said hed do it this after noon.

I was so thrilled I am trying to think of a way to pay him. So I may Can up some good stuff and bring it to him when I get settled.

On the way out I passed by the border patrol stopped and chatted him up. Told him about me moving back and he gave me contact numbers to speak with their head office. To let them know that the house wont look abandoned any more and that I would be living there alone.

Ticked more than two items off my checklist... Yay.

deb

deb

 

[microchick]

@bruceha2000 my husband said that trees that are too dangerous to be under,we wail away at them with whatever rifle ammo we can get our hands on and then wait for a good strong wind to put them on the ground.

In all seriousness, while the ground is frozen can you get a loop of tow rope around the one that the trunk is hung up on the stump and then attach the tow rope to chains to get you a safe distance away from the trees? Use your tractor then to pull the one tree trunk off the stump. We've used up to 60 feet between tree and tractor using tow ropes and logging chains.

Yesterday we cut down a 25 foot red cedar that was in the way of one of our radio antennas. They are considered scrub trees here so we weren't too upset. Silly tree it turns out was thicker on the side that was facing the antenna wire.....and wanted to fall that way in spite of DH notching it in the opposite direction. You know how it goes. We walked around that tree, mumbling and grumbling along with a few expletive deleteds before trudging back to the house for the tractor. I volunteered to get the tow strap around the tree...DH thought it was funny that I was talking to it like it was a horse....easy big guy, easy, you don't want to fall on me and hurt me...yeah, I know we are killing you but please don't hold a grudge...easy...

We got the tow strap in place, two logging chains, hooked it to the tractor, easy peasy. Tree immediately shifted and fell in the right direction.

As for the Prius....you should hear some of the excuses our city friends make for not wanting to chip up their new cars on our pathetic,crushed rock country roads. Every county side road in Missouri is unpaved. County roads are paved but side roads aren't. Limits the driving possibilities if you want to pamper your new steel baby.

 

[dsqard]

@microchick I slipped while hiking and made the mistake of bracing my fall with my hands. Broke both the ulna and radius but thankfully did not require surgery. A little more than two weeks to go and I should be done with the cast.

@Mtn Margie there is a Google doc floating around in the internet with locations looking for the masks. PA isn't asking yet but I have a feeling they will. NY, WA and CA all have locations on the list.

 

[Perris]

people don't need any more stuff on a given day from the grocery store than they did a month ago

here they do: since the restaurants, pubs, cafes etc closed, people used to eating out are getting back into their kitchens and the grocery stores. So currently we have the ridiculous situation of milk shortages in the shop aisles while dairies that serve the hospitality sector are telling their suppliers (the dairy farmers) that their product is not wanted!!! Hopefully someone from the Dept of Agriculture will knock their stupid heads together soon

 

[Mtn Margie]

Morning All and thanks, dsqard.

 

[sourland]

Good morning all - stay safe.