Which made moving around much easier, and safer, of course my watch word, safety, safety, safety!

Okay quit laughing and catch your breath. Now I'm sure I've cut down, and cut up, more trees than most city boys, because we did it after every wind storm that occurred in Akron. To get them off power lines, out of streets, off houses, and garages, and cars, and most everything else. We'd just wade in and cut until it was done, generally during the storm, in the rain and without much chance to plan anything, because we had to get to the next one.

I had time to plan this, because I really don't like hanging trees. They are a deadfall trap and are not acceptable, at least not for guests. Nada Farm is all about kids playing in the woods and fields. So the tree had to come down. Now it was leaning on three other trees and about 60 ft tall. I climbed on it, and jumped up and down, and it didn't move so I figured it was not going to be much affected by the wind, which was gusting all day as usual. I started by cutting the tree at the base, all went well, and I continued up the tree leaving the pieces as long as I could.

I used the little tractor and its new hitch, with about 40 feet of log chain, to pull the tree sections up out of the gully where the tree ended up. At least that was the plan. I didn't want to get the tractor on the hill which was soft and slippery because I knew the chances of pulling anything diminishes with the addition of nature's grease, mud.

 

All went well in the woods, of course the tractor had to be placed, and put in gear and turned off each time. Now this is hard on the starter so I'd prefer to use the brakes to hold it on the hill but I can't for the life of me figure out what is supposed to set the brakes! So I leave it in a low gear and turn it off and restart it each time. After I dragged the logs up in front of the little barn, I'd park on the level spot in front of the barn, and get off the tractor, unhook the log, wind the chain around the hitch and go after the next log. I could leave it running on the flat spot, right? Yeah, maybe not. On the third log, as I reached down to unhook the chain it got tight. Rule number one, don't be on the down hill side of a moving log! Or the log chain! Or the runaway tractor!!! Of course this is a rule I ignored, I actually didn't know it was going to be a rule until, well I digress. I don't know what happened exactly, I know the chain got tight, I got knocked some direction other than standing, and then I saw the tractor heading down the field toward the creek, a deep chasm of rocks and water, and sure damage to the front end, if it was still attached after the sudden stop.

The path running straight away from the camera is the runaway path.

Now I don't run much anymore, walking is torture enough, but I made a quick decision, not that I remember anything other than starting to run across the field to catch the tractor, and I did. But did you know that to get on a careening tractor that is heading toward imminent destruction you have to get in front of those big ol' spinning tires, get ahold of something, and jump up on to the hard metal seat and then apply the brakes, or steer it another direction, or just do something! Well, I averted disaster, and lived to tell about it, but I still can't figure what's missing to make the brakes lock. I've been assured there is something there, and I did find a couple little flippy things, but they don't do anything but hang and wiggle.

Anyway, I finally used the 4 WD Ford truck to get the big log out. It's the one with the cement block on it. It took a couple tries before I realized it needed to be cut yet again, into two logs, because it got stuck on another stump when I gave the first pull. I was sure I'd cut it already, but it was after the run down the hill to catch the tractor, which I caught, but maybe only because it was still dragging the log that it jerked under me. And later I noticed a series of interesting bruises up my shins, I'm guessing the chain left them, because of their symmetry. I might have been a little cloudy in my thinking at that point. Anyway, I managed to get the tree down, cut up, and and out of the wooded area.

 

One thing that made it a challenge was the proximity of the two trees that made up the "gate" I used to get into the field that I dragged the logs through, because there is a total of 1/2 inch clearance for the mirrors on the truck to get through the opening, and if the truck didn't stay straight I'd loose a mirror or two. Well it made it, and I lived to tell about it! So, I'm OK with that, for now anyway.

Now an update on the barn fire in Akron! Basically, it turned out OK. The insurance covered most everything. Fortunately he had been showing a friend his home made armor, and it was still in the basement, because it was too cold outside to carry it back out. Most of a suit of armor was destroyed, but it was mostly made up of the prototypes, things he had improved on. Still a great loss, and major inconvenience, trying to get things replaced and rebuilt, and having to deal with the bureaucracy that is always involved in town.

Seems there is always some petty public official ready to show just how powerful "a pain in the ass" he or she can be. For example, he wants to replace the building with a duplicate, same size, location, structure, same builder. And they require a new permit and a plot plan and building diagrams and, it never ends. Look up what you okayed ten years a go and make a copy if you need it, what a bunch of petty crap. Just as a point of insanity, they had an aerial view of his property showing a chicken coop that had been removed in the middle 80's and accused him of trying to "sneak in" an additional structure. What a bunch of incompetent jackasses, pretty much typical of what I've always run into up in "Summit The County Of". But it is accomplished finally, and the building will be rebuilt. I'm so glad to be down here in the great outdoors.

My son, brother, and I removed the old building so there would be a place to put the new one. As I have in the past, I cut the building in sections and stacked them on a trailer and drove them out to the farm. And as you can see here, they are carefully stacked to be reassembled into something we can use. And no City Inspector or Health Department Nazi is going to say a thing about it.

 

 

 

 

I can always use building materials, so I spent about 6 hours removing nails from the flooring and ended up with more than a 3 pound coffee can full of slightly bent nails which can be straightened and reused. My brother mentioned how proud dad would have been to hear that and then we all laughed.

 

And as always, there are other things to do, the weather got nice for a couple days so, GARDEN GARDEN GARDEN, suddenly became a priority. Well, we had talked about making the flower garden in the rear of the house a little bigger. Now, there's a theory that has been expounded that once I get a machine, I find a dozen attachments I need just because I can, now there is very little veracity to that concept, I mean, it's like I'd buy things just because they are there?

 

 

 

 

 

Heavens no! I buy things that I need to get a job done properly, and to save my damaged body from further injury. Like this plow for the tractor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why just look at the great little furrow it created. Right where we were going to expand the garden. Now doesn't that look like a tool one would need with such a powerful farming device? OK, maybe it's a little overkill for the flower garden, but I have two other areas that need to be plowed as well. Being as I had no plow at all, it becomes obvious this is a neccessary purchase. And it is also clear that I don't turn to see behind me that well, this is going to be a continuing problem obviously. I'm going to have to get a seat I can ride side-saddle in. Here's where I really miss those vertebrae in my back and neck that allow twisting. I'm thinking of putting mirrors on the fenders, and trying that for a little while. This crap don't cut it!

And it is also obvious that I need to get this sucker adjusted a little better.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So I don't have to do so much of this. Which really kills me, I mean right to the pills after about ten minutes of this insanity.

There is a really nice full size unit about 60" wide that fits on a 3 point hitch, that is a real tiller, wow, it was great looking. Of course it cost twice what both my tractors cost, and they couldn't lift it, let alone power it. But that's OK, cause I can't afford it anyway. And in reading a couple farming tractor sites I discovered I need to get the discs working soon. Seems you are supposed to disc first, then plow, then disc again. Wow farming is complex, especially when you are trying to do it on twenty dollars a week. That's why this Rotokiller is in such great shape, it was left here as dead, and resurrected as a project for less than $10.00, mostly because it needed a new belt . The engine parts are the same as the go karts we used to race, so I already had them.

 

 

 

 

And now the garden area is a little bigger, a little more than twice as big. And all this for the girl who hates to garden? I really have questions sometimes, but I don't dare ask them aloud, good thing she never reads this drivel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's about it for the front page, I'll have to get busy on the MJ pages with the juicy stuff soon.

 

The Chores, Fresh Air, Green Acres is for ME.