Greased Hog

It was cool and breezy today but it was sunny so hopefully we'll start drying out. I got the bush hog out to get it ready for the season.

 It was pretty out most of the day today.

 The girls were relaxing in the shade until Paige saw me with the camera. I think she is getting tired of all the publicity. She makes me feel like paparazzi. I often have to hide and wait for the perfect shot. Usually I have to turn the camera on when she isn't paying attention and sneak up on her. It is difficult to sneak up on a dog.

 The coupling is bent on the bush hog. It must have been like that when I put it away in the fall but I didn't notice. I'll need to get it straightened eventually.

 We went to TSC to get the new draw bar and sway bar for the 3 pt. hitch. The old ones were bent. The draw bar is the one with the holes, the sway bar is the one that goes from the lift back to the axle pin.

 I greased it and put 90w gear oil in the gear box. I found out the bottom seal was bad when I found the big puddle of 90w gear oil on the driveway.

  The locust trees are starting to bloom.

 Sneaking up on Paige.

Wisteria Buds

I got my broken tooth fixed today. Originally the dentist thought a cap would work but the nerve became exposed so I needed a root canal. It's all better now. We haven't been able to get many projects started with all the rain. The parts for the mowers haven't come in yet but the grass is still growing. I jumped the starter on the riding mower so we could get the backyard mowed. Lisa got most of the turn around mowed before it started raining on her. I went around today with Roundup and sprayed thistles.

 The wisteria has lots of buds this year.

 The cattle tank was getting a little ripe. It had its own ecosystem going on in there.

 Lisa got it done before her hoard of followers came up. She got to work in peace. They did seem to appreciate the clean water.

 I was shoveling gravel. This is the DGA mix. I don't know what DGA stands for but it is a mixture of everything from #57 rock down to dust. It is supposed to have a high density compaction rating. I've been putting it in the driveway puddle. I brought a few hundred pounds up to bind the big #4 rock that we bedded in the mud left from the hydrant installation.

 This is the compost I've been using to enrich the exposed clay areas for grass seed. I think a few blades of grass are coming up now.

 Paige.

Cinco de Mayo

We got most of the lawn mowed yesterday. We didn't get finished because we broke both mowers. The starter solenoid went out on the riding mower when I was mowing the driveway on the Mr. Reese side property. I couldn't jump the solenoid because the safety precautions  You have to be sitting in the seat with your foot on the brake before it will start. I walked back to the house and towed it back up the hill with the four wheeler. The push mower broke the cable that holds the safety handle. I have the parts on order.

 Lisa tilled a bed for some flowers. The kick stand on the little tiller broke. It was a bad weekend for the equipment. The new hose at the uphill hydrant sprung a leak too.

 The strawberries are getting a lot of flowers.

 The girls aren't allowed to come out when the tiller is running. They have to watch from safety.

 The evil solenoid. If you short circuit the two top poles it will turn the starter, which we did with Lisa in the seat. She did mow the garage yard before parking it.

 Paige getting her feet trimmed.

 Paige celebrating Cinco de Mayo.

Deck Stain

Lisa cleaned the deck yesterday to get it ready for staining.

 She started staining today. It looks good.

 It looked more orange than it is after it dries.

 This is the bug that was crawling on the crab apple tree. We don't know what kind it is. Entomologists?

 Lisa planted the tomatoes. They look a little droopy now but they are perking up. She also planted cucumbers, squash and collards.

 The lettuce and onions have mulch now.

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Milking the Steer

We took Morty to Flemingsburg this morning. Cathryn is splitting him with a guy I work with. He's organic. He's never had a steroid or growth hormone. He only ate grass, hay and a little grain in the winter.
 We wormed the sheep yesterday afternoon. They come running when Lisa calls them.

 Such good sheep. They trotted right into the barn. That's Paige watching from safety.

 They are a good bunch. No one was stressed out or bothered by the ordeal.

 Morty weighed in at 965 pounds.

 Norman likes milk. Unfortunately that isn't a cow. That's Beavis the steer.

 I spread compost on the exposed clay that was left from the hydrant installation. The clay doesn't seem to support the grass so it needed some enhancement.

 After spreading the compost and seeding we covered it with some hay.

 We went over to Montgomery County Greenhouses this afternoon and got some plants. The flowers are snapdragons, marigolds and petunias. The veggies are cucumbers, squash and a roma tomato.

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Dudley Gets Rammy

Dudley was assigned his first away mission. The sheep farmers from Fayette County came over and picked him up on Saturday. Our other ram, Duane was already booked for Edith and another farm after that.

 Lisa went down Saturday morning to clean up some more flood debris before the new rain storms came.

 Dudley broke his horn ramming his head against the catch pen. There was bleating and bleeding.

 They came up to the top of the hill with their trailer before we could tell them it was a bad idea. They managed to get it turned around.

 The sheep had fun with the pile of flood debris.

 Andy helped me get the trailer in position  to load Morty for his date with destiny.

 Cathryn was in Ohio for a seminar so she  came by to visit.

 Paige.

Fill for the Puddle

We had a couple of nice days between rains so we got a few things done.

 The chicks don't need their stall so it got cleaned out. "Clean" is relative in this sense.

 The chick panels are stored in the hay shed.

 I put some Rust-oleum Rubberized Sealant on the hay shed roof. The grommets around the screws deteriorated so it had a few leaks.

 One of the leghorns.

 The leghorns are bigger than the Rhode Island Reds.

 I was replacing the rechargeable batteries in the driveway solar lights. Speedy observed.

  Cathryn came up from Florida to meet her steer Morty. He'll be going home with her next month. They were bonding over alfalfa cubes.

 I got some chipped stone and rock dust from the quarry to fill in the puddle in the driveway. It was getting bigger so it was time to fix it.

 The material is more dense than gravel, this was 1 1/2 tons. The half ton pickup was a little overloaded. It's good we live close to the quarry. We did get the truck fixed last week.

 Paige.