November 25-26, 2013

It was a gray and cold weekend (40-30-40), with the slightest bit of frozen precipitation overnight. Given the weather conditions, Sally and Tender chose to stay back in town.

Walnuts

I drove down to the confluence of the creeks and picked up another bucket of walnuts. The creeks were really running and I could tell they had been over the road there, so the farm must have gotten more rain than we had in town Thursday/Friday.

Home Inspection

A prospective Colorado buyer had ordered a home inspection for Saturday morning. The buyer was back in Colorado, so it was just me, the inspector (came out from Bentonville), and his wife. He didn't want to talk or divulge anything, but I enjoyed chatting with his wife. We will see what his report says.

Chicago Firewood

We were driving to Chicago for Thanksgiving and taking Dave and Sarah a load of firewood, so I loaded the truck with their 18 inch (approximately) pieces. I probably have a load and half of these 18 inch logs left.

Rock Outcropping

Weeks earlier Sally had pointed out something on the far slope (undeveloped land to the south) that neither one of us had remembered seeing before. With the binaculars we had determined it was rock, but we couldn't figure out why we had never seen it before. So I decided to hike up there and take a look.

Since the ground was so wet, I didn't want to drive the lower road all the way to the pond. Instead I parked at the bottom of the hill and walked across the field. I took my lopers and went around the pond on the north side on the way up (and the south side on the way back) cutting about 300 cedars. On the far side of the pond I saw several deer rubs. Of course they use my baby pines.


In the thicket before our property line I found yet another downed Cedar from the tornado, a hint of what I was going to find further up.

I had to climb the fence to get off our property, and once up the hill I was climbing over lots of downed timber. That is when I realized why the outcropping had suddenly become visible, there were hundreds of downed big trees all along the slope, undoubtedly a result of the January 29th tornado. I never found what I was looking for, but there were a couple of mini bluffs -- lots of rocks -- I just couldn't tell what we were actually seeing from across the valley.

Turkey Feathers

I followed gum creek back to the truck, kicking up thistle where I found it. At the spit of land between the creeks I found a scattering of turkey feathers. No sign of a carcass, just these tail and wing feathers.

Showing

I talked to Sally after the home inspection, and she told me she had talked to a couple that was interested in viewing the property that afternoon. He was interviewing for a job in Harrison (Pace Industries), they had seen our Zillow ad the night before, and were touring the area to get familiar with the land. They were heading all the way over to Jasper and could come by at 3:30. I called them up and confirmed I would be here and would welcome the chance to show our place. They have 14 acres in Wisconsin and 4 horses. She really liked the uniqueness of the house and he loved the land and appreciated all the fencing that was in place. They wouldn't be able to buy until they sold their place in the spring, but talked renting and owner financing. We'll see.

November 8-9, 2013

Sally and Tender staid in town, so I was solo. I decided to come out the shortcut, and in spite of receiving some rain early in the week the Warm Fork was dry. I was right about the fall colors, they had peaked the previous week. It was still beautiful, just not as brilliant overall. I thought this snowball bush looked great with the dying sun coming through it. Temperatures were 70, 50, and 65 -- very pleasant.

Rye Grass Seed

I stopped at the Clifty General Store on the way out and picked up 50 pounds of sunflower seed and 50 pounds of annual rye grass seed. My first project was to spread the seed on the road. I just stopped at the bottom of the hill and unloaded the bag on the way to the house. I came back with a bucket, filled it twice and made two trips up the hill covering each side of the road. The rest went on the road leading down the hill from the house, some behind the house, and the rest of the trail down to the barn. It is always interesting to see when the seeds actually sprouts. I am certain some I spread last fall just sprouted within the last couple of months.

Lop Cedars

With it getting dark so early now, I wanted something to do outside that would give me some exercise. So I grabbed my loppers and worked my way around the bluff in the back, up to the ridge top, and back down the slope above the house. It was getting pretty dim by the time I got back to the house, but I had managed to find and cut 400 cedars and a few elms.

Burn

Not being completely dark, and not needing light to burn, I started a fire to get rid of the scrub tree limbs I had cut over the past two weeks. It went pretty fast since I had already lopped them into smaller pieces. They sure generated a lot of ashes, and the pit was still warm when I left the following afternoon.

For Sale Sign

Would you believe it, someone had stolen our sign and brochure box that was out by highway. They even took the fence post I had driven into the ground to secure it. So Saturday morning I decided to go into the Berryville Wal-Mart store and see what I could put together. The signs were all small, but at least this one was metal. No official brochure box, but I figured this plastic file case would do. I wonder how long this setup will last? No one had stolen the other For Sale by Owner sign that is up along Rockhouse Road. I also got a second sign and tacked it to the gate by the cattle guard, something Sally had been wanting.

Insulate Well House

With freezing temperatures approaching, I went ahead and pulled out the ragged insulation I've been using for 10 years and spread it in the top of the well house. I need to plan to get some fresh for next year.

Re-seat Roof Screws

I went up on the roof with my cordless drill and some silicone caulk. Any loose screws I found (they back out for some reason, but only on the south side) I backed out, applied a little caulk to the threads, and drilled them back in. It did not take long, but I felt a bit of a groin pull brought on by all the sitting down and getting up again.

Garden

I re-worked the back corner with a shovel and planted 11 garlic cloves. I did some weeding and picked what kale and chard there was. I also picked a little of the summer spinach and some mint (for Sally to make tea). These roses have been great this fall. I cut the flowers and many buds and took them back for Sally.

Truck Ramps

I had ordered some ramp kits and finally got around to mounting them to two 2x8s I had previously cut. This will make any future mower loading/unloading go better -- and is probably cheaper than replacing the mud flap I tore off getting the Craftsman unloaded.

Walnuts

I thought I was going to have to go down into the valley to find enough nuts, but the tree right out back had dropped all of its remaining fruit and it was thick below the bluff. I decided to get a count, and ended up hulling and picking up 600. A bucket holds about 500.

Rain Barrels

I drained one into the garden and just let the other drain out on the ground. I then removed the screens, dumped them, and put them upside down in the back of the garage.

Load of Wood

I split the last of the big hollow white oak and loaded it, and all the rest of the 24" logs I had, into the truck to take back to town. I now probably have 7 or 8 truck loads stacked at the house. If that doesn't get us through the winter we will be burning the 18" logs I cut for the kids. There has been little demand for those, so I have a surplus. I want to get down into the SE corner and cut up the tornado downed oaks – a great job for a nice cold winter day.

November 1-2, 2013

I believe this was the peak for the fall colors. It was a gorgeous weekend with temperatures of 70, 40, and a breezy 60 Saturday. We also had rain during the week, so the rain barrels were full. This is a picture of one of the bare root dogwoods we planted when we first bought the place. All in all a very relaxing weekend.

Lop/Cut Scrubs

Sally got a bit upset with me for cutting the persimmon, elm, and another unknown variety of tree growing along the edge of the bluff out back. I think it looks better without them, but she says it just means you see more of the roof of the barn. Anyway, I did some Friday and more Saturday. I now have a big pile of limbs to burn.

Pond Walk

We hiked to the pond Saturday morning (leaving Tender at the house) and got this picture with a nice reflection in the pond. I presume that is a maple up on the hill standing out from the crowd.

Garden

Sally picked some kale and chard, but not much. She did empty one rain barrel on the garden, in spite of it being fairly moist to start with. I weeded the back corner -- tackling the bermudah and mint. We then doused the outer edge (where both start) with vinegar. This late in the year and both are still growing.

Walnuts

Stomped, rolled and picked up another bucket of walnuts. I do wish there were still hullers close by. The paper said this is a bumper year, and that last year was one of the worst in decades.

Sudoku

We just had one challenge, and Sally beat me handily.

Return via Shortcut

Sally wanted to return via the dirt road through the Madison County Wildlife Management area. The hunters are already out, bow season I guess. The Warm Fork was running, so we got this shot where the road crosses the creek.

October 26-27, 2013

Sally was in Chicago, so it was just Tender and I. It was a beautiful weekend with the trees beginning to turn, moderate temperatures (70, 42, 72), and dry. The house was confortable at about 65 -- I never turned either heater up. There were 4 drops in the rain gauge. Since we had had our first frost, I decided to go ahead and retire the glass rain gauge for the season.

For Sale

I checked the brochure box on the way in, and there were still plenty of flyers. The dampness however made many of them limp and curl. I think I will get some more printed on heavier paper. I had one showing on Saturday and another on Sunday. Interesting that the two parties that looked first were interested in it as a full time residence, while it would be of occasional use by both parties looking this weekend. The first fellow lives just a few miles down the road, but is looking for someplace for out of town family to stay when visiting. The other couple are from Bentonville and are looking for a weekend place similar to the way we use it. The first fellow looked around the house and the barn and was gone in 30 minutes. The couple walked to the spring and barn after checking out the view out back and the house, and then we drove down to the pond. We even hiked up to the cave. They stopped on the way out to get some pictures and walked over by the swing.

Boards for Chris

Chris' ramp up into his shed has rotted out, so I offered to cut him some boards from the many scraps I have in the barn. He wanted it 4' x 4', but with one long board being 1/4 inch short, I cut them 3'11 7/8" inches. There is a variety of 2 bys from 10 inches down to 4 inches. I hauled them back with a load of fire wood for the house.

Burn

I burned the limbs and wood scraps piled up at the fire pit. Sunday I shoveled out and spread all the ashes that had built up.

Stain Door to Attic

When we bought the place we found a hole into the attic from the living room. Eddie and Virginia had had an elk hide strung across it. Surprise! I framed it in and put a door on it, which has looked fine, except it was never stained. (Sally did not want me to bother.) After using the Flood CWF cedar tone on the replacement window (and it working out so well), I decided to use it on this door as well. I like the way it came out, and it didn't take 30 minutes.

Bake Cookies

I made some yummy oatmeal black walnut cookies Saturday night. The first batch was extremely crumbly, so I added a second egg and then they were easier to form. They still turned out crumbly, but very good.

Garden

I pulled up the rest of the dead squash plants and pulled off about 6 more butternuts. I do not think Sally will want them though because they still seem a bit green. There was not enough chard or kale to bother picking. I did have some summer spinach with my eggs, garlic and onion Sunday morning. I did a little weeding, emptied the one rain barrel still with water on it, and then watered with the hose before leaving.

Lop Scrubs

Looking up the hill at the little trees growing out back, I decided to lop them off and open up the view up into the woods. It did not take long. I then drug them up to the fire pit and lopped off all the limbs and cut up the bigger pieces. They will just need to dry out a bit before burning.

Pickup Black Walnuts

The tree out back where we set up the hammock is just loaded this year. Most of them fall down the bluff and behind the barn. I stomped, rolled, and picked up about half a bucket of nuts from around the house -- most of which came from behind the barn. That was Saturday. Sunday I drove down and got a whole bucket from the tree at the confluence of the creeks, and left a ton more. What a year for black walnuts.

October 19-20, 2013

It rained Friday night due to a cold front coming through. We went to the Down Syndrome Buddy Walk at Arvest Ball Park Saturday morning and it was raw, windy and cold. The farm rain gauge showed a half inch. High Saturday was 60, about 40 overnight, and up to 70 Sunday. A very nice fall weekend, though only a few trees have started turning. (Like this ash, I think, above the spring.)

For Sale

No showings this weekend. A lady from Missouri had inquired and wanted more pictures, but we never heard back from her. We also played telephone tag with another party Saturday but never actually talked. The sign was still up and most of the flyers were gone, so I put another dozen in the brochure box. During the week we had put together a Zillow ad, but I do not believe we have any inquiries from it. I can see why now, since I had trouble finding it myself. They do allow more pictures than Craigslist, but you have to have them properly oriented before uploading.

Garden

Sally continues to harvest kale and chard. The green beans are done and perhaps she picked a squash or two, but I think she has given up on any more ripening. We pulled up a lot of the dead squash vines, and I dug up a lot of bermuda grass which is a royal pain -- but it sure makes the garden look better.

Mow/Weed Eat

Saturday I mowed the area across the spring and the section out back of the house. I did a bit of weed eating Saturday with the John Deer, and then used brush whacker Sunday around the barn, the spring, and the area across the spring.

Light Pilots

With the cooler weather Sally made me light the pilots on the heaters. They both started off burning a little yellow, but then settled down to that nice blue flame. I think the house was 64 when we arrived. She also had me pull out the electric heater we use in the bathroom.

Fog

It being cold and damp, we had fog over the pond Sunday morning.

Black Walnuts

It is going to be a bumper crop this year, and they are definitely larger than the 2012 crop. I stomped and rolled them to remove the hull, and ended up with about a third of a bucket which I tossed into the rabbit hutch. These were all from around the house. Next week I will go down into the valley.

Sudoku

I beat Sally in three straight challenges, and then she demanded one more and she got me back. (It has actually been quit a while since I have had an advantage on her.) Since the weather was nice Sunday, we did the last two in the hammock.

October 11-12, 2013

It is official, the farm is for sale. We posted a CraigsList ad Monday evening and had three inquiries by Friday. I had also put together a Word flyer with pictures, printed a color copy, had 40 copies made, and purchased a brochure box. We took our For Sale By Owner sign (from when we sold the Elm Street house) with us and stuck it out on Hwy 221. Actually, I could not get the sign into the rocky ground. I had to come back up with a fence post and sledge hammer and drive the post into the ground, and then wire the sign to it.

Brush Hogged

Larry had just finished brush hogging the week before. He said it didn't clean up very well up top, but I didn't think any of it looked particularly good. Maybe he needed to sharpen his blades. But, he has never raised the price ($500).

Garden

We had 4 inches in the rain gauge and the barrels were full. We received another quarter inch of rain early Saturday. The butternut squash are about spent. I think they were overcome by the squash beetles. We took a few home but threw out several, leaving only a few in the garden. Sally got some green beans, some chard, and move kale. She pulled up most of the dead plants.

Hang Window

With people coming to see the place I was very anxious to get the plywood out of the window and get the new sash in. It went really well, and was much easier than getting the old one out. Sally staid on the inside and helped me align things and then put screws back until it was secure. Even screwing in the crank connection to the sash went well, not blooding any knuckles on the reinstall. The only think left is to scrap off little bits of duct tape that stuck to the outside of the frame.

Weed Eat

We were expecting someone to come out Friday afternoon, so Sally would not let me mow. I finally just grabbed the weed eater and did some clean up all around the house. No one showed Friday.

Burn

Since there was an accumulation of limbs and scrap wood piled out by the fire ring, I decided to go ahead and burn it all to clean up for our visitors. I had to add some cedar limbs to keep it going good, but I got it all taken care of by the time I went in for the evening. In spite of the rain, it was still smoldering the next morning.

Lookers

Two of the CraigsList inquiries were from Eureka Springs residents. They both showed up up at exactly the same time Saturday morning. It was a little confusing with both of them there at the same time, but it was fun showing them around.

Linda and her two boys were from just up Rock House Road. (Pictured with her permission.) The boys hoofed it down to the pond and back by the time we were through showing her around the house, barn, and spring. I think they really liked the property, but the house was too small, the road was to steep, and the neighbors were ... well, they need to do some outdoor work. Oh well, the price you pay for paradise.

Tara and her two young ones were the other group. She seemed interested, but has not made arrangements to come back out. It was fun interacting with her toddler, who was adorable and a true free spirit.

The other inquiry was from a fellow in Rogers that wanted to build a remote retreat. We have the remote part. I talked to him about the idea of building on top of the hill to avoid the road. He didn't show and never called back.

Late Saturday two of our neighbors wondered down, David and Julie. I had never met Julie and only met David once. We showed them around. David was very interested and excited about the place, especially the barn. But he doesn't have any money. Said his plan was to win the lottery and had bought two tickets. He was feeling lucky because the drawing date was on his birthday. I guess he didn't hit it.

I am beginning to realize that this is going to be a long process. That is okay.

Mow

I did some mowing later Saturday: around the house, down to the pond, around the spring, and in front of the barn. Next week I will do the rest and probably be done for the season.

September 27-28, 2013

Sally was still in Salt Lake City, so this was another boys trip. No rain and temperatures in the upper 80s -- kinda warm for late September.

Stain Window

I treated the raw wood on the new Pella sash with Flood's cedar tone Clear Wood Finish. I am now certain that is what Eddie had used. You should not be able to tell any difference between this window and the others. I also moved all the hardware over from the old sash, and put in the three screws that will attach to the crank (which I hope will make the final attachment easier, since that is where I bloodied my knuckles getting the old ones out). Now I wait for Sally to help me put it in.

Mow

I mowed to the pond, , around the barn and spring, and the far back of the house.

Propane Tank

The propane tank has been looking pretty dingy, little black spots and greenish mold growing on it in a few spots. I actually thought I was going to need to paint it, but I scrubbed it down with some bleach and detergent. What a difference. Wish I had done it years ago. While I had the brush and soap out I went ahead and washed all the old windows.

Clean

I did some house cleaning, mostly floors.

Clean Heater Pilots

With heating season coming on (and knowing how Sally hates the smell of the carburetor cleaner I use), I went ahead and cleaned the pilots on the two propane heaters. I've learned that this is required at least annually.

Lop Trees

Lot of trees had sprouted back up above the spring and below the bluffs and big cedars -- the area I cleared out last year. So I took my loppers and cut them back again. Spraying them during the growing season would be more effective.

Garden

Picked more squash, green beans, kale, and chard; did some weeding; and watered.

September 21-22, 2013

Sally was in Salt Lake City, so just a me and Tender here for the weekend. Thankfully,we had received two inches of rain. Temperature was in the mid 80s both days.

Pella Window

Friday afternoon I picked up the replacement window Pella had built for us. The wood is not stained, so I was somewhat worried about getting a good match with the frame and other windows. But I remembered Eddie had used Flood cedar tone CWF (clear wood finish), even on the inside of the house. I tested a bottom part of the window and think that is it, though it would take two coats. I sent a picture to Sally to get her approval. I won't be able to hang it until she is out with me since it is a two man job.

Hot Water Tank

Once again I had to drain the hot water tank due to the rotten egg smell/iron bacteria. I brought a socket to use to get the old anoid out, but I couldn't budge it. So I called Rex and he came out with his electric drill/driver. I had been using my long handled torque wrench, which registers up to about 140 foot/lbs. He said his driver would excerpt over 400 foot/lbs of pressure. He had it out and replaced in no time. The problem is, he said the old one was also aluminum/zinc, so I don't expect any better results. What a pain to drain the tank every time I am gone for two weeks or more.

Door Weather Seal

I also picked up a new weather seal for the back door, since the old stuff was broken and unsightly. The new stuff fit right in and is working well.

Paint

Working around the door, I decided to put a fresh coat of paint on part of the frame. After that door, I moved on to the two doors under the porches. I think those frames came primed, and Eddie (nor I) ever put any paint on them at all. They look much better now, and it didn't take that long.

Garden

No need to water, but I did some weeding and picked green beans, kale, some chard, and lots of butternuts. Many of the butternut squash vines were dying and the squash beetles were really bad.

Trim Iris

I took some hand clippers and cut back the dying iris leaves, pulled out the dead ones, and did some weeding in the bed out by the deck. Looks much nicer.

Cutup Cedar

I took my Sthil down and cut up the tornado downed field cedar that I had drug down by the pond. I was thinking I would just need to get it into a few pieces, but I ended up limbing much of it just so I could then drag pieces up into the edge of the woods (so Larry could brush hog). Most of it will have to be burned, and just a little of it used for fish habitat.

Mow/Weedeat

Of course a little of this, though the season is near its end.

September 7-8, 2013

Sally staid in town to get things done, I came to the farm to get things done. It continued to be dry and hot with highs both days of 98. I forgot my charger and my battery was low, so few pictures this trip.

1. Stopped by a plumbing shop in Eureka and picked up an aluminum/zinc anoid which I hope will solve the iron bacteria/rotten egg smell when it goes two weeks unused. However, I didn't have a socket large enough to get the old one out/new one in.
2. Watered the garden twice, watered the trees out front, and watered the apple trees.
3. Took a large bin down into the well house, set the sump pump in it, and filled it with water to ensure the pump was still working. It passed the test.
4. Mowed around the barn, the spring, down to the pond, and the far area behind the house. The Craftsman wouldn't start though, so I switched batteries with the one I had salvaged from the Murray and it cranked right up.
5. Lopped the low hanging and intruding limbs from the road coming in.
6. Brush whacked up the road and around the cattle guard.
7. Cleaned the bathroom sink and shower.
8. Cut a piece of the back door weather seal off so I can find a replacement.
9. Picked all the remaining pears (4) and apples (7).
10. Trimmed the hollies with my hedge trimmer and cut back the ivy growing up the side of the garage by the house.
11. Began cleaning the floor in the kitchen using a Mr Clean Magic Eraser, which worked amazingly well (although slowly).
12. Finished cutting up the logs still in the SE corner from the tornado, and hauled them over to the side so the place can be brush hogged.
13. 
    Flagged what few baby trees that have survived to prevent them from being brush hogged.
14. Using a tow strap, I drug the big cedar from the SE corner (blown over by the tornado) down to the other side of the pond. I plan to sink it for fish habitat, but it was too big for me to handle even after cutting it in two.
15. Hauled the high wheel string trimmer to the level section of the road half way down the hill and cleaned up the grass growing under the fence. (Burned my stomach on the muffler when lifting it back into the truck.)
16. Picked the garden: more green beans, a little kale and chard, and another dozen butternut squash. Some critter had been feasting on this one right inside the garden.

Productive, but exhausting.

August 30-31, 2013

It remained hot and dry. In fact, I believe this was the hottest weekend of the summer: 98 Friday and 100 Saturday. And still no rain. Not bad in the house though with the living room at 80.5 and the bedroom 79.5.

Garden

The Butternut Squash looked surprisingly good given that it had received no water over the past two weeks. We propped up the little sprinkler we had in different spots and just let it run. Later, Sally picked the ripe squash and also got more kale, green beans, and a little chard.

Hot Water

Being two weeks since we had been out, the hot water had that rotten egg smell (iron bacteria I am told). So I had to drain the tank, which takes at least an hour and a half. I've got to try an aluminum/zinc anoid.

Mow/Weed Eat

I mowed everything but around the spring, barn, and out back of the house. I also ran the weed eater (carefully) over the back hill and the hill south of the house.

Clear Tornado Downed Trees

To get ready for brush hogging, I took my McCulloch and Stihl down to the SE corner where there remained many tree trunks from the January tornado. The McCulloch ran and cut well, though it needs a new chain. At one point the bar on the Stihl froze up. I took the chain off and found the nose sprocket would not turn. After scrapping out some of the saw dust it was turning okay again. Perhaps the sap from the pine (blown over the fence from Jeff's place) had gummed it up. But, then I couldn't get it started (I believe I had it flooded). I did get most of the logs moved to the side, but will have to make another trip down to finish the job. I was hot, tired, thirsty and ready to call it a day.

August 17-18, 2013

We had a good rain Tuesday, 3/4" in the gauge, and a nice cool week. The house was 72 in the bedroom and 73 in the living room. Very pleasant for August. The low Sunday morning was 58 and it was mid 80s both days. It was very foggy Sunday morning.

Pella Window

Sally took the broken Pella window in to their store in Springdale. First they thought they might be able to remove the aluminum cladding and replace just the glass. Finally on Friday we found out that they would have to build us a new sash (at their factory in Iowa) and it would take at least 3 weeks. Of course we approved that order, which will run $160+. We have not been impressed by their service so far, and hope this turns out well.

Garden

Sally got one bunch of green beans, a little kale, and no chard. She did also pick one butternut squash which we added to a stir fry. She says they are not ready yet, so we left them all. The squash has just about taken over the entire garden. There were a few red tomatoes, but none of them were good. We've not had any good luck with tomatoes in years.

Apples/Pears

A couple of apples and a pear were on the ground, and many of the apple tree limbs were broken. We decided to go ahead and pick most of them and just make pies with the green fruit. Tender got to share in one we ate right off the tree.

Mow/Weed Eat

The Craftsman wouldn't start. Very strange since it had set for 4 weeks without being used and then started right up. I jumped it from the truck and mowed everything downhill from the house Saturday. Sunday it wouldn't start again. I then noticed one of the batter connections was not tight. We had failed to tighten one post down after putting it all back together following the steering assembly replacement. I finished the mowing, but am noticing an uneven cut that wasn't there earlier. I am certain I have already bent one of the blade shafts running up on some rocks. I am still adjusting to the stick throttle/gear shift. I also slid off the hill out in front of the house and had a heck of a time getting it back up. I need to be much more careful with this machine than I did with the Murry.

I brush whacked around the barn, the spring and some of the area out back. The grass is really growing due to all the rain we have received this month.

Murry

Sally made a couple of phone calls and found someone west of Fayetteville that would take the Murry. I tried parking in the ditch and then piling up a bunch of firewood for a ramp so that I could drive up into the bed of the truck. That didn't work -- I didn't have enough wood and my ramp collapsed when trying to drive up it. I then just accepted the fact that I would need to use the trailer to haul it in. It wasn't too much trouble, and we delivered it before getting home. A bonus was that Bill the Lawnmower Man offered to fix my Poullan for no charge. I actually ended up taking him that and the hedge trimmer that need a fuel line, plus I gave him the old Troy Built weedeater (I never figured out how to replace the pull cord and it was just sitting around).

August 9-10, 2013

Wow, another 3" in the rain gauge -- mostly received early Friday morning. Just a bit of road erosion on the last section heading down the hill. Another warm (90s) and humid weekend, but the house has remained cool at 78.

Propane

I had the tank filled the past week, 268 gallons ran us $458. It had been two years which has only happened one other time.

Craftsman

I had ordered a new steering assembly from Amazon (not available locally) and picked up self tapping bolts and a socket extension from Lowes. I was very worried about not being able to get the old assembly off given the rust and the failed attempt the weekend before with only a short box end wrench. But with the 9/16ths socket, the socket extension, and this long torque wrench it was easy. I did have to pull the deck before getting started, but it was just held on by 6 pins. The hardest part was getting the old bolts (didn't use the new ones) started into the base of the assembly. I couldn't do it with the assembly in place, so I pulled it back out and got the threads going on the ground where I could apply the necessary downward pressure. Sally helped putting the steering wheel back on and the battery cradle. I was very pleased with the way it went.

I then proceeded to mow everything but the very back yard. The grass was sure high down on the lowest part of the road to the pond. Several times the discharge chute clogged up with the damp thick grass. There is no way the Murray could have gotten through this without just inching along. The Craftsman cuts better, has the side discharge (vs mulching), and cuts a bit wider (even though they are both 42"). It is much less convenient with the stick for varying speed and direction vs the foot pedal, and has more trouble climbing up a steep grade in spite of the far better tread on the rear wheels and the added horsepower.

Saturday I cut the grass in the very back. I am not yet totally comfortable working it on this steeper terrain.

Sudoku

Sally and I continue our challenge matches. The previous week she finished in about 15 minutes, while it took me almost an hour plus having to start all over after messing it up. This week I finished in about half the time it took her. It is interesting how she finds a puzzle hard that I find easy, and vice versa. Something different about how our brains work, just proving two heads are better than one.

Burn

Saturday morning I decided to burn all the limbs and bags of thistle (3) piled up on the fire pit. It sure was nice getting this cleaned up. You can see how high the grass was in the back just behind the fire circle.

Walk

Sally and I slipped out of the house without Tender noticing and walked to the pond Saturday morning. Her feet got soaked in the wet grass, and it was a bit warm coming back up the hill, but a nice walk none the less. Some water was coming out of the culverts, but not as much as Friday. The pond was pretty murky, but no signs of grass growing in it!

We inspected the apples, about 30 still small and very green. The tree I still feel is about to die. The pears look much better and we ate a couple. Sally felt strongly that some critter would get them by the next weekend and made me pick these. I think they are safe up until they turn ripe. Its nice getting some fruit.

Garden

Sally still got lots of green beans, kale, and some chard, but the butternut squash are about to swallow everything. None were ripe yet, but we are betting there will be a few to pick the next weekend. The pack rats had picked about 8 small ones and drug them over to the gap between the garden fence and the garage and left them because they couldn't fit through. They had done the same thing the week before by the gate, but I found a stick I could lay in that gap which I believe prevented their access. So I found an old steel fence post and drove it in trying to clog the gap the between the fence and the garage. I did some weeding as well.

Logs

Chris had borrowed the truck and then loaded it up with some of the logs he had stockpiled in his back yard. He said he had planned to burn them, but I said I would just dump them in a ditch at the farm (erosion prevention). No problem chunking them off the side of the road Saturday morning. He still has more I may bring out.

Weedeating

I took the brush whacker up the road with me and did the upper section up to and around the cattle guard. On the way down I did around the 'yard' that is on the opposite side of the spring from the house. Afterward I worked a good 30 minutes picking all the grass out that had gotten wound around the shaft from the last several uses.

Then I took the John Deere and cleaned up around the house.

August 2-3, 2013

It had been 4 weeks since I had been out and three weeks for Sally. I was surprised the grass wasn't waist high, especially when I saw 4.5" in the rain gauge. Temperatures were in the low 90s and the humidity very high -- you couldn't move outside without sweating. In the house though the temperature was 78, sweet. Overnight it started raining and didn't stop until 10AM, giving us another 2.25".

Hot Water Tank

First order of business was draining the hot water tank, because given the time sitting unused the iron bacteria builds up and produces a sulphur smell which Sally cannot stand. (I need to get an aluminum/zinc anoid that I hope will cure this problem.) It took well over an hour to drain.

Craftsman

I had my new gas tank and the install went fairly easy, the hardest part was getting the new fuel line I had bought onto the fuel filter. I got the back mowed and had driven around to the south side of the house when the steering went out entirely. Trying to turn it would just cause it to jump gears. Great, with all that grass needing mowing.

I took the battery out to get a good look at the steering and new I had a big job on my hands. First I just wanted to see if I could get it working at least temporarily, but not a chance.

I pushed it back around to the garage and began disassembling it further. I wanted to get the steering assembly (shaft and gears) out so I could take them in to a shop and make sure I got the correct replacement. But with only a 9/16ths short box end wrench there was no way I could loosen the four rusty bolts holding it to the frame, nor the one attaching the lever to the steering rod. I needed my big socket wrench and socket which were back at the house. I proposed going in to Berryville and purchasing these, but Sally poopooed that idea. Another week without mowing, and only then if I can get the assembly replaced.

Garden

Sally was surprised to find so much produce: lots of green beans, chard, and kale. The butternut squash is taking over as expected -- growing through the fence out into the yard. I dug out a bunch of mint and bermudah from the back corner.

Weedeating/Broken Window

So all I could do was clean things up a little bit using my brush whacker. I did the hill out back and then did the hill south of the house. Sally stopped me to tell me I had thrown a rock and broken one of the thermal windows. I didn't even know it. Damn! I managed with great difficulty to get the window out, cut a piece of plywood to fit and duct tapped it in. I hope it holds.

Back at town I took the window to two glass companies and to Meeks lumber. No one can help me. The glass company can't get to the glass without tearing up the sash. They said manufacturers make them that way on purpose so that you then have to buy a whole new sash. Problem is, there is no indication of who made it -- so where to get a replacement? Meeks didn't recognize the window and suggested I take it to everybody in NW Arkansas that sells windows to see if anyone knows the manufacturer. Just great, just great.