Good morning!!!!

[farmer2009]

wow farmer I want one of those too! I need to monitor the temp of my ale in the tractor fridge!

this is what four hours of bouncing on a mower will do to you...

Oh. How a typo changes things. Let's try this again. A bale monitor for his round hay baler. Took it off the Kubota and installed in the LS. He'll be baling the whole country now with a cab. 1550 bales on his baler in 2 1/2 years.

 

[Ed of all trades]

Tired and did not even think of telling about the guy coming to get the tractor and equipment. He asked me to help him load by running the tractor. We loaded a carry all, bush hog, 5' york rake, post hole digger and a pto generator on a 5 x 8 trailer. Then we loaded a trailer type log spliter, 5' mower deck, 5' snow plow, 50 gal fuel tank and a 400 lb tph counter weight on my dodge 1500. Then we put the tractor and front end loader on a trailer and took it to its new home. They will come back for he tiller and a few other things. Started around 9:30 ? and got home about 5:00. I have enjoyed that tractor and hope it does as well for them as it has for us. Time to change my profile. Ed

 

[sodamo]

I am. Did you develope a rash. I now have a rash from the bite area to the back of my back.

Not that I recall, pretty much localized.
More to the story. Having visited the GP and got an antibiotic, thought all was well. That Friday was our initial appointment with our new dentist office. I go in with a bandage on my hand but of course everyone asks. As it happens the office mate to our dentist is a Forensic pathologist, hears the hubbub and asks if he can look. His comment, "don't know what your plans are, but if I were you I'd go straight to the ER from here. You could lose that hand or worse." I took his advice.

 

[300UGUY]

My boxer girl got bit in the face by a brown recluse a couple years ago. She ended up with a big scar on her face. We were afraid that we would lose her for a few days. Her head swelled up like a basketball.

 

[daugen]

geez these necrotic spiders are enough to give you nightmares...
I've been bitten a few times here, by what i don't know, and get small red welts with a little pimple on top; I put
Bactine on it and they go away in a few days. But not a few hours by sure. Spider venom is nasty stuff.
Those spiders further South are downright nasty, maybe like the red ants, they came from the bad boy jungles...
That would really creep me out if they got inside the house. That or a snake.


Had a lovely dinner over at my friend's home on the Pamlico River, she made a huge beef roast as a thank you for the garden tractor I gave/lent her.
My job was to cook it and after testing it three times with the digital thermometer, then realizing the stupid battery had died at the critical time, had to cut the thing
almost in half to test it. Back in it went, and when served, everyone got it just like they wanted. Pretty darn good beef, a boneless ribeye roast. I brought much of it home in Tupperware and will have some awesome sandwiches in the coming week.
I now eat about half the size beef portion I used to. Seems to leave a big lump in my stomach for awhile.

forecast for Sunday night here down to 46 degrees. That means some gardens North of here are going to get an unhappy surprise. I wonder how far South the frost line will be.

 

[Eric Salop]

{As told by Eric's Dad}

Good morning everyone. Alan has asked me to take over from him for a while. I gather he has made lots of friends at Tractor bayonet and this is like writing letters to one another, except it gets posted all over the world. It must cost you all a fortune in stamps.

Just a minute, sorry to interrupt you dad but everyone here knows me as Eric. Probably best explain why you are calling me Alan.

Sure thing son. Eric is his middle name and Alan is his first name. We never called him Eric, that would have been way too confusing. How would we know who is mother was complaing about each day ? I suppose we could have called him "Eric junior", although why use something that long when he had a perfectly good first name. Did you know that when I first went to work, they said Eric was too long a name, so they

Ok, ok Dad, I sort of said you would be here to tell a few war stories, not a work story.

Hang on son, we haven't finished with the names yet. Anyway, where did that "Salop" come from, that's not our surname ?

It's where I live. Like "Kyle-from-Texas", it's "Eric-from-Salop" - except I forget to put in the "from" bit.

My, you should never forget where you are from. Then why Salop, Salop is Shropshire ? We used to drive through a bit of that on our way to holiday in Wales

You always stopped off there to take a leak at a little town called Whitchurch, as well as several other unplanned roadside stops on the way.

Well son, when you get to my age, you will find you need to make the most of those opportunities.

I'm actually older than you were back then dad - but you're right about the need for more frequent stops.

One day we were driving through there - you would only be about 7 or 8 - and the traffic ground to a halt alongside some firemen on exercise. You wound down the back window of the car and told them to put their backs into it. You were lucky they didn't turn the hose on you !

:ashamed: I'd forggoten about that. Anyway, that was only a mile or two from where I now live.

Really ! Why move there ? Gosh we have some catching up to do, lets do that and leave the war until after breakfast

 

[RoyJackson]

2016-05-15, 0447

46 right now...heading to 53 today. Maybe some rain too.

We (Wifey, Step-Daughter and I) took a tour of the byways of the North East Kingdom of Vermont yesterday, and one couldn't ask for a nicer day. After a stop at a truck stop my step-daughter recommended (recommendation came from a friend of hers) for a late breakfast, we headed up to Lake Willoughby, then ended up in Newport (about 8 miles from the Canadian border). All secondary roads so we saw some nice sights. Altogether, a nice day.
Our Boxer, Bella, really wanted to come with us...wifey wouldn't allow it. Bella is good in the house alone...no separation anxieties and no destruction. I wish we had taken her though...but there will be other day trips.
Today...nothing special. Might rig the RFM to the tractor and mow the field.

 

[Eric Salop]

{As told by Eric's Dad}

1939
"Early in March 1939 I joined a Territorial Army Unit called the Queen痴 Own Yorkshire Dragoons. It was a cavalry unit made up of 3 squadrons, A, B and C. A squadron had its headquarters in Sheffield, B in Doncaster and C in three places, Huddersfield, Wakefield and Goole. I enjoyed those few months before war broke out, at weekends we did various drills, some shooting on open rifle ranges and started to learn to ride a horse the army way. On September 1st our unit was called up for regular service, as it seemed war with Germany was inevitable. On the 3rd September, England did declare war on Germany. After a few days in our headquarters at Norbury Hall, Sheffield, our squadron moved into billets in Matlock Bath. Here we were equipped with full wartime kit, but we still had not got our horses, that would come later, in about a month.

We moved to Louth from Matlock Bath and there we got our riding equipment, saddles, bridles etc. After a few days checking it over and giving it a good clean we were ready to receive our horses. The saddles and kit were put onto army trucks that took them to a field near Market Rasen, then we went to the railway station to walk the horses back to the field, one man to three horses. I was amazed how beautiful the horses were. Most were hunters, they had been commandeered from all over the country, such as fox hunting stables. Many had names and addresses on their bridles and letters asking who ever rode and looked after them, to keep the owners in touch, I guess they were pets as well. Some horses had notes saying that they were unridable and they sure were. Army rough riders soon broke them in though. We did some training such as riding out, and then early in January 1940 we were told that we were to go overseas to ****** or *********, as it was then known."


Champ and me all ready to go

 

[Eric Salop]

{As told by Eric's Dad}

1940
"It was a very bitter winter, one of the coldest. From Louth we went by train to Dover, three men and eight horses in a cattle truck and then by ferry to Dunkirk. From Dunkirk we went by French train to La Pen near Marseilles in the south of France. The officers who travelled in first class coaches complained about how cold it was, but eight horses generate a lot of heat and we were as warm as toast! The south of France is usually mild in winter but it turned out to be the coldest winter for sixty years. There were no stables for the horses, just horse lines and water troughs, but we did have tents. In a morning the ice was six inches thick in the troughs and had to be broken before the horses could have a drink. The whole area was a huge set up, an embarkation point for troops going to the Middle East. Some Indian troops there had a very rough time of it and we were told a few had succumbed and died. Thankfully we were cavalry and our stay was no longer than five days as the horses had to be moved. We left from Marseilles on a cattle boat called HMS Talamber and it took us six days to cross the Mediterranean to the port of Haifa in *********. The reason we did not sail direct from England was that if a horse gets seasick it dies, so the shortest route was from a port in the south of France. The sea was very rough on the second day out and we lost thirteen horses. I am a poor sailor and was quite seasick for three days, boy was I glad when we reached Palestinian shores."

 

[ronjhall]

Need to pour a second cup of coffee. 35° with big snow flakes this morning. Heading to 48° with some sun after morning snow. The day is not starting well. Making room for 30 guest in the house is going to be challenging at best. But they are all part of our family and will figiure out how to enjoy the close quarters.
Txdon, hope your bite is getting better.
Eric, great story.
Good Morning All.

 

[wngsprd]

42 going to 65 and sunny.

Ron, have a great family gathering. I'm headed to one today, too.

Eric, this is going to be a great adventure with your dad. I cleaned my reading glasses so I wouldn't miss a word.

Drew, I've been thinking about that Jag...and decided it really is a perfect fit for you.

Took my wife on a Costco run yesterday in the new Tundra - 19mpg was higher than I expected....however, I drove "softly."

Got about 2 hours of mowing done yesterday...in between waiting for the dew to dry off the tall grass, and the big storm that hit in the afternoon. I'll finish on Monday.

 

[Thomas]

45F cloudy mid 50's for high.
Cloudy most of the day good chance sprinkles here and there.
Stack wood 7-9 last night because of not being attack by blackflies,able to finish 30 mins or so before down pour came a calling.
Today putter day,would be nice tho have another load of wood show up to stack.

Enjoy the day all.

 

[Buppies]

46 and breezy this morning high of 63 this afternoon. Did not finish job yesterday rain filled 20by 70 foot area we dug out so back this afternoon to finish

Eric great way to tell a story thanks for sharing

TxDon wife bit by brown recluse a number of years ago immediately took her to medicenter where they cut out the area of the bite sewed her up with nice dose of antibiotics. The flesh literally died before our eyes. Please be careful with this

 

[daugen]

Good morning all. Very pretty morning here, going to be a lovely day.
Going to work in the barn today, both cleaning up/organizing the wood shop and getting the area near the Cub Cadet renovation project ready for the coming week.
All that pretty yellow paint, hope it starts after three years. Luckily carb is clean and dry as a bone. Fuel tank dry and new fuel lines. 12hp Kohler with an amazingly heavy starter/generator to start it up. Today I will sit on my rolling seat and peel off blue tape. I actually have one more painting job; the hood, simple bright white paint.
And then all the new decals go on. I feel like a kid building a model plane...all good.
Someone before had repainted the little silver hood ornament. Too funny, a hood ornament on a lawn mower. Late sixties...
I have a can of chrome spray paint and might try to give it a little zip again. Of course the sun will probably hit that tiny hood ornament and blind me...

My uncle was onboard a naval ship in the South Pacific during WWII, possibly an XO of some ship, and became Captain of a destroyer after the war. He never ever talked about what happened during the war. My father was in Air Force Intelligence and for sure he never said anything. So that generation of my family died off taking their memories with them.
I can't wait to hear more from Eric. Particularly when he gets to the tanks...

 

[daugen]

The colder air, that good clean Canadian air, is settling in, with highs today much cooler than yesterday, staying in the sixties.
Tonight may do in Roy's tomatoes, careful up North...
I've actually waited until it warmed up a little to go outside.
Perfect weather.
Time to go out and enjoy it.
Much to be thankful for.

 

[Ed of all trades]

Good morning all. 46 here this am going to 56. Wind up to 16 mph with gusts up to 31 mph. Freeze watch in the next county and they say it could hit the high places here. Plan to do the few things that need to be done today and that is all. My recliner looks very good today, nap sounds even better.

Don, We have all voted and you have to go to the Dr. right away. We need you here and healthy to help our mornings be good. More prayers sent.

Eric, Thanks for letting your dad tell his stories. Looking forward to the next ones.

Roy, Glad you had a good relaxing day. You have been working a lot and I hope the day refreshed you.

Ron, Are you going to stack them like cord wood? :laughing: Enjoy.

Ed

 

[bakerg]

Good morning all, snowing here this morning. I think this is the first time that I can remember that it has snowed on my birthday.

 

[Larro Darro]

Good Morning. 0730, clear, 61F with 96% humidity. Forecast high of 86F with no chance of rain today, and a low of 60F tonight. I got out a couple of hours ago and turned on the sprinklers, so it doesn't feel as bad, me lazing around the house after 7 o'clock this morning. But I do have to get out there for real, and get some work done. I picked up a big load of chicken manure compost yesterday, and want to mix up another soil mix for my tomato and pepper plants. Also picked up a few bags of High Cotton compost. Never heard of it before, but it was cheap, so I'm going to try it. It's the waste from the ginning process. Tomorrow {and most of the week} is good for planting and transplanting, and I have about 8 new kinds of peppers to up-pot. When some of your pots are kiddie pools, the soil goes in a hurry.

Loving the stories Eric. My Daddy talked about the war a little, right before he died. Wish he had told us more.

You guys have a good day,

Larro

 

[daugen]

Ed, with all you have done you qualify for a long nap in your favorite recliner. Slow and steady wins the race.

Drew, I've been thinking about that Jag...and decided it really is a perfect fit for you.
I've never owned a "fancy" car like this before, though my wife liked Cadillacs, I never wanted to drive a showy car.
But as I've gotten older, and having lots of parts hurt when jostled around, having a really comfortable ride should make my trips to PA less of a burden.
8 hours in the car is getting to be too much for me. This car even with its low profile tires should ride really nicely. And will unfortunately draw more attention to itself in this truck crazed town than I would like. But I admit, if it wasn't the R version, I probably would have bought a used Mustang GT convertible with a stick. Just a car to have fun with. The "new" car should arrive in a week. My close friend driving it down to me who drives a diesel Jeep normally will be scared to touch any of the buttons on it. I kidded him it was the James Bond version with an ejection seat.
And I admit there were times in a previous marriage where I was being harped at for my apparent inadequacies that
I would have liked to have had an ejection seat in my car.

Happy Birthday Gary! Snowing on your birthday, geez...

 

[farmer2009]

42 this morning and headed to 66 today. Never did make 60 yesterday.

I'm not sure what I'll get into today. Although I do need to sort some cows and get them ready for market tomorrow. Then just play it by ear. If wind doesn't get up then it might be a good day to light a brush pile and try to heat the world. We'll see.

Gary happy birthday. Enjoy the snow.