Monday, February 22, 2010

Bonfire

Tonight we combined one of Jessica's chores (getting rid of some boxes) with a bit of fun for the kids. A "cold front" is moving through, so Saturday's 60 degree weather is gone and it is downright cold outside. This mini-bonfire warmed us up a bit.

While the kids were getting warmed up, I gassed up the tractor, mounted my new bale spike and went and moved a big round bale out to the cows. Wow! It was much easier than rolling it to them by hand! I think I like this new system.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

General Farm Work Saturday

Fantastic T-shirt weather and I was able to get a lot done.
  1. Planted another 50 lbs of rye grass seed (I planted 50 lbs the other day right before the snow storm) out in the pasture.
  2. Finished the wood floor trim in our family room
  3. Installed the wheel on the tractor
  4. Removed the tainted oil from the tractor (the gas tank had used gravity to empty itself into the oil - see the results below)
  5. Installed a manual fuel shut-off valve on the gas line (to prevent a recurrence of number 4 above)
  6. Welded up the hay-ring where the cattle had broken and then bent it up - then I hauled it up to the cattle and put it over a round bale
  7. Finished my homemade 3-pt round bale mover thingymabobber


This is the "oil" that came out of my engine today. Yikes. I am hoping the grey color is not my cylinder walls and bearings ground into a fine powder...

This is the grey schmeg dripping out where the oil filter was


See the farm jack that is holding up the tractor? Not the jackstand under the rear axle, the farm jack just to the front of the rear axle. As I jacked it up, the jack went into the ground more than the tractor went up. By the time I got it to stop sinking, it had gone under ground.

Ginger found the hole from the jack and was very intrigued by it. Here she samples the depth.

Friday, February 5, 2010

The Girls Bowl

Wii Bowling - It's not about winning the game, it is about:



1. Cool poses on one leg


2. Hip shades and coordinated outfits