FEB 16, 2009

IT'S BEEN OVER A WEEK SINCE I WROTE, AND FEB IS HALF OVER. TIME FLIES WHEN YOUR HAVING FUN. I GUESS. GOT A TON OF THINGS DONE LAST WEEK. PAT AND DAUGHTER TAMMY GOT TO NEW ORLIENS ON SUNDAY. 19 HOURS OR SOMETHING ON THE TRAIN. WHAT FUN.
IN GODS COUNTRY HOWEVER WE GOT A HAY RAKE REBUILT, NEW WHEEL BEARINGS, REBUILT AXEL'S, REBUILT GEAR BOX, AND IT NOW HAS ALL OF IT'S TEETH. BRING ON THE HAY! GOT OUR SECOND RAKE READY TO GO IN FOR SIMILAR SURGERY. ALWAYS NEED A BACKUP. SOME TIMES IT'S GOOD TO USE TWO RAKES IN FRONT OF THE BAILER. PETE LIKES TO KEEP THE THROAT OF THE BAILER CLOSE TO THE CHOKING POINT. HE LIKES TO PUT THE PUSH ON THE EQUIPMENT, BUT NOT AS BAD AS STANLEY DID.
WE FINISHED WELDING ON THE WATERER TANKS AND POLISHED UP THE NEW DESIGN FOR THE PADDOCK WATERERS, PUT THEM AND THE OPERATING MEGA-HEAT IN PETE'S DODGE HOOKED UP THE TRAILER OF MEGA-HEAT FRAMES AND ON THURSDAY HEADED TO ZALK STEEL TO GET THEM GALVANIZED. WE PULLED INTO THE BAY TO UNLOAD, AND BILL WAS MORE INTERESTED IN THE MEGA-HEAT IN THE TRUCK THAN UNLOADING THE TRAILER.
BILL HAD A 100 POUND GAS BOTTLE THERE, HOOKED UP THE HEATER, TURNED IT ON, AND DREW A CROWD OF HIS WORKERS. EVERY BODY WAS WOWED. WE LET THE HEATER RUN, UNLOADED THE TRAILER AND TRUCK, WENT TO LUNCH, CAME BACK AND LOADED THE HEATER INTO THE TRUCK. BEFORE WE LEFT, BILL SAID HE WANTS THE FIRST FOUR OF THE HEATERS WE BUILD, AND THIS WINTER YET. THAT'S A BIG ORDER WITHOUT HAVING PARTS TO BUILD WITH.
WHILE WE WERE IN MINNEAPOLIS WE STOPED AT MY NEIGHBOR JIM'S HOUSE, WHICH HAPPENS TO BE ABOUT TEN BLOCKS FROM ZALK STEEL. THE CAMERA OPERATOR MUST HAVE BEEN HAVING A PROBLEM AT THIS TIME. A VERY NICE UNIQUE HOME FULL OF ANTIQUE ART. JIM IS AN ESTATE AND ART APPRAISER BY OCCUPATION.
SO GUESS WHAT. I'M LOOKING UP PARTS AND GETTING READY TO BUILD, FOR HE WILL BE CALLING EARLY THIS WEEK TO SAY THE "FRAMES ARE READY". DON'T HAVE "HEATER BUILD" IN THE SCHEDULE.

SATURDAY PETE TOOK THE TRACTOR AND FEED WAGON TO THE BOTTOMS TO BRING HOME HAY. 1 BALE ON THE TRACTOR LOADER AND 4 IN THE FEED WAGON. IT'S NO PROBLEM MOVING IT ON THE ROAD, OR ON THE DRIVE (IT WAS EARLIER BUT THE ICE IS OFF THE DRIVE), HOWEVER THE REST OF THE FARM IS STILL A SHEET OF ICE IN SPOTS. A FIVE MINUTE JOB TAKES 2 HOURS. SOMETIMES THAT IS DISCOURAGING, BECAUSE IT WAS NOT IN THE SCHEDULE.

WORKED ON BLUE TRUCKS FLOOR, TORE THE CANCER OUT OF THE DRIVERS SIDE. REBUILT MOST OF THE MAJOR SEAT AND FLOOR AREAS ON THE DRIVERS SIDE AND LATER ON THE PASSENGERS. GOT THE BODY MOUNTS DONE BUT NOT BOLTED DOWN. HAVE TO CUT SOME NEW RUBBER PADS SO IT CAN FLOAT A BIT. THIS IS A LONG TERM WORK ON IT NOW AND THEN (MY ADD KICKS IN NOW AND THEN AND I NEED A BREAK) TO FIX MY BABY UP. THEN I WILL PROBABLY NEED TO GIVE HER A SHINEY PAINT JOB. WHEN WE GET THE FIXEN DONE WERE GONA START THE PAINTEN. MORE DARN FUN


WE CUT THAT TREE PILE AND MADE A LOG PILE. WE HAVE MORE LOGS TO COLLECT FROM VARIOUS PLACES AROUND THE FARM BEFORE WE CALL THE LOG TRUCK. WE NEED TO GET IT DONE BEFORE THE ROAD BANS GO ON. THAT'S USUALLY ABOUT THE 15TH OF MAY. SAW THE LOGS THIS SPRING, ALSO SAW STICKERS (SMALL THIN BOARDS TO PLACE BETWEEN THE BOARDS WHEN THEY ARE STACKED. THIS ALLOWS AIR TO CIRCULATE AROUND EACH BOARD WHILE THEY ARE DRYING). IN TWO OR THREE YEARS I WILL BE ABLE TO USE THEM. GOT THE DRIVE CLEANED OUT READY FOR THE SNOW ON TUES EVENING.