Haircut Day

That's all folks.

Just one day more...

The Cows Are Back

The nice neighbor farmer has moved his cows into the pasture.  We really enjoy having them right in our "backyard" here on the farm.





This little guy thinks he is hiding.  If he made any kind of a call the mother cow would come running.



We let the nice neighbor farmer plug his electric fencer in one of our outlets on the fence line.  Yesterday he came to the house and once again asked about paying us for the use of our electricity.  Aside from not knowing how much electricity it uses (likely very little), we told him no way we would charge him.  We get plenty of pleasure seeing the cows each spring and throughout the summer.



It's only May and the heat and humidity are on us already.  It won't be long and our mowing will become less frequent.

Thanks to the foresight of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) during the Great Depression, we have several tree lines that provide shade.  We call them "shady lanes" since we take our afternoon UTV drives down the lanes.

Having the cows back again is an annual event we look forward to.  It makes it feel more like a farm.

Just one day more...

Around The Farm

We've settled into the spring projects here on the farm.  The rains have meant that mowing the four acres is a weekly task.





I've been trying to stay ahead of the clover.  If left alone it will take over the entire acreage.



Sadly, we've had some trees that didn't survive the winter.





I can't figure out how one tree right next to another died, other than winter kill.  We've nurtured them, so it's sad to see them not survive.





The nice neighbor farmer has his corn planted and, like the old saying, it should be knee high by the 4th of July.



His pasture is also looking good and we are looking forward to the day when he brings the cows back over for the summer.




Other than the trees that didn't survive the winter, life is good around the farm.

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Game On

Last fall before we left for our winter stay in Arizona we noticed that some critter had dug up a hole in the yard.  It looks like it is back.



This time it has decided to dig around one of the many trees we planted.  I would guess it is looking for grubs.  Likely it is a badger.  That's one critter that you don't want to mess with.  They are ferocious.

If it keeps digging, it will eventually cut the roots to the tree.  When it digs in the yard it is sometimes hard to see the hole in the grass areas and is a fairly good jolt when running over it with the mower.

There is plenty of area in the nice farmer's pasture to dig. Time to try and trap the bugger.  It's game on.

Just one day more...

Kawasaki Mule

Here on the farm an essential machine is a UTV with dump box.  From hauling branches to fencing materials to anything else.  For about ten years we've been using a UTV that was sold in Tractor Supply stores.  It's been used hard and is showing it, so the time came to check out an alternative UTV.



In doing research, we were able to find a used UTV in very good condition.  It is a 2011 Kawasaki Mule 4010 trans 4x4.  The "trans" means that it can convert from a single bench seat to two bench seats.  When it is the single seat position the box is also extended.



Coincidentally, the Kawasaki manufacturing plant is located 45 miles from the farm in Lincoln, Nebraska.







So, it turns out that our Kawasaki Mule was not only a good decision, we are also supporting a local manufacturer.

Just one day more...

Life On The Farm

Here on the farm we have several yard hydrants.  As with anything else, they require maintenance.

One of the hydrants is located inside the garage where we have a guest bathroom and bedroom.  Wouldn't you know it, that is the one that starting leaking. 

 

It isn't exposed to the elements, so it was weird that it was the one that leaks.  Besides supplying water to the bathroom, it also supplies water to the RV hookups.  Time for a repair.

The first step is to remove the hydrant head.  A really big pipe wrench comes in handy for this part of the job.

Once the hydrant head is removed the plunger rod has to be pulled.  The principle behind this style hydrant is that the pipe is connected to the water supply below the frost line.  The rod has a plunger on the end to open and close the water supply.

A new plunger comes in the repair kit, as well as the other necessary parts.  The culprit in this leak was the round gasket.

The plunger appeared to be good, however since I had to pull the rod I decided to replace it with the new one in the kit.

After about an hours work it was all put back together with new parts and no more water leak.

No doubt it is just a matter of time before the other hydrants need repair.  That's life on the farm.

Just one day more...

A Good Dog

As I mentioned back in September (here),  Doug the Pug is having age related issues. 

At nearly twelve, he is missing a number of teeth and is totally deaf.  Turns out he is now nearly blind with cataracts and corneal pigmentation disease, which is common in brachycephalic dogs.  His vision appears to be limited to a few feet and must be blurred since he bumps into things.

Doug is a good dog, so we are doing what we can to make his remaining years comfortable.

Just one day more...

In Their Own Words

In their own words.

Just one day more...