I’ve been thinking recently about how many different uses there are for an excavator and I’m more convinced than ever that everyone needs one. I’m not sure I’m up to 101 yet but I’m well on my way. I’ll have to see how many diffecent uses I’ve done so far and what documentation I have for them. Stay tuned
Well it has been a long dearth of posting here and while I have been negligent with both this post and the house, we have made a lot of progress around the farm. I’ll detail out more of what has been going on in subsequent posts, but I thought I’d give you a glimpse at some of the activities over the last week. For the most part all of the outdoor work during the week is all after 3 or 3:30 in the afternoon although some of the work Sally and the kids have been doing has been earlier after they are out of school.Saturday: I spread 9,400 lbs. of Dolomite Lime on the North fields to enhance the PH and help the grass to grow better next year, burned one of the brush piles that accumulated in the last couple of weeks which was primarily blackberries and scotchbroom with some miscellaneous rotting wood, etc., transferred 100 gallons of Diesel fuel from a friends house for the farm equipment, repaired the fuel transfer pump that started smoking and melted the inline circuit breaker, setup the Christmas tree, re-arranged furniture and went to friends for games and coffee. I was a little shocked when I actually calculated the total load on the trailer of Lime when I brought it home since the F150 is rated for ~8,000 lbs towing and I had ~11,200 behind it. At least is wasn’t as far over as when I had the rebar in it, although I did go farther. I’m starting to feel sorry for it.
Sunday: Computer and server maintenance both for home and church.
Monday: Transferred ~10 yards of manure from the barn yard to the garden and greenhouse with the dozer and partially tilled in the garden until one of the retaining bolts on the tiller disappeared and I threw a tine into the shield jamming the tiller.
Tuesday: Sally, Becky and the kids hauled a pickup full of leaves from my grandparents and put them in the barn yard to help bind the nitrogen out of the manure to aid in composting next year. I went shopping for parts to build shelves in the garage for shoe storage. I was so worn out from shopping when I got home I had to quit for the day. :)
Wednesday: I build shelves in the garage for shoes, vacuumed the garage and hosed it out, hauled garbage to the farm dumpster, recycle to the bins, and boxes to storage. When I got to the farm I smelled something funny and turning to look at the house saw a spectacular chimney fire going with sparks flying 20-15 feet out of the chimney! I ran in the house and cranked the dampers down and monitored it for the next 20 minutes to make sure it cooled down properly. Close. I then went up and hooked up my Aunt’s new Epson 800 printer to the wireless network and was having quite a hard time with it until I realized I was setting it up for my wireless settings and not theirs. Duh. I then did some research on vans for my Grandfather who is looking for one to install a wheelchair lift in. Then it was back home, do the dishes, clean the kitchen, organize some music files on the MPC and call it a night.
Thursday: Fix the tiller (find a bolt that will work since I don’t have any of the hardened size on hand), till the rest of the garden, haul the residual from the burn pile from Saturday (about a pickup load) down to the other burn pile in the garden, trim the beds in the green house down to make it easier to prep them for winter crops, fill the battery in the Excavator, edit and post a video for our churches Living Nativity, and help steam clean the downstairs carpets.
I’m not sure what I’m going to do tomorrow afternoon but I do know the evening will be a semi-formal dinner at friends (without the kids). I might just sleep through it.
