The "Nada" Farm Chronicles

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Well, it's been awhile since the last page but that doesn't mean it hasn't been fun! In fact I couldn't be happier, well just a little, but that will come. I have the brush hog from the little Ford tractor purchase, attached to the big ole' Case tractor, and I've been reclaiming the property. Also have been working on a couple neighbor and friends projects. So I've been occupied. But the most fun has been trying to rid the machine shed, and the porch of the little house, of vermin. I was sure I had a colony of ground hogs, and I do, but I never thought there were as many raccoons as I have eliminated. The ground hogs are tunneling under everything, Now I wouldn't care if they were just in the rock piles in the fields, which they are, but they are really making a mess of the dirt floor areas in the machine shed and the red barn. So they gotta go! I have been using live traps and peanut butter bait, I hope they aren't allergic to the peanut butter! So far I have removed, 7 ground hogs and 4 raccoons,and shot at and missed a few others. I have burrows all over the fields, that I have discovered as I have been brush hogging, I really don't mind about those, but everyone tells me, and I've learned to believe the neighboring farmers, they all have to go, or they just keep moving into the buildings. So it's GROUND HOG WARS!!! I'm told the spring traps work best but I'm concerned I'd catch a beneficial animal, or someone's pet. At least with the cage traps, I get to see who is on the property, and decide if they go free, or snorkeling. I thought of making coon skin caps, but when I can buy them for $25.00 I 'd rather not mess with dead creatures. Well so much for the gruesome reality of critter control. I've been busy. And today I caught a skunk. So the first thing I need to do is make sure my belt is tight, oh wait, I wear bibs, no problem. Unfortunately for the skunk, the barrel for swimming lessons is empty, so first it has to be filled then I can help with the snorkeling training. But I'm guessing the water will fall into the one use category, don't know, not my area of expertise. And I also caught the cat, only once so far, but she weren't happy, well how do you tell? Fortunately for her, her YWCA SCUBA card is current, so she didn't have to renew. That's why I have to use the live traps, and she's not my pet, just useful, so she gets to stay....

One of the ground hog burrows was under this gem.

So I pulled it out of the area and found it's a rare machine worth rebuilding, actually only needs a couple parts!

So if you have some parts laying around you aren't using, or you are interested in acquiring this fine John Deere field specimen feel free to write me with your offer. I'm guessing it will become the mailbox post.

I was cutting a path to get to the collapsed spring house the kids found in the woods, so I can place the "ram pump" in the outflow, and get water to Chris's gardening operations. when I happened upon a black snake, about five foot long. And the big snake and I did a little dance, it didn't want to get too near me, or I him! But he did want a drink from the spring, and being as I was between him and the spring, well we gave each other a little clearance. But have you ever watched a snake drink? Well it's interesting, I think it may be related to a camel, it drank a lot, for a long time. I'm guessing it doesn't make this trip real often, and there are a number of other places that would offer the opportunity for a drink, but this place is really secluded, and until recently, I only visit it about twice a year. While mowing I have seen a number of black snakes, big healthy rascals, one was up in a bush, about three feet above the ground. He made a hasty retreat when I started chopping down the area he had been in, and I'm pretty sure got away clean. I would never think to check "up in a bush" for a large snake, until now. A couple days later while walking up from the garage I found this fellow across my path. I think it might be the same snake, but I don't know how to ask it properly.

I don't carry a camera as a rule, in fact, I think my attempt to do so, may be what damaged the camera the last time. So while I was waiting for Chris to bring me the camera, he headed for the area I dug out next to the garage. He hid in a gopher hole that I was unaware of. So that was actually helpful.

Now back to the Ram Pump. I have seen this article about it, in a number of different magazines and books recently and they all refer to this link to Clemson University that explains how to build one, so I have. The next issue is getting the water to the back of the house. There was once a pipe line from this spring house up the hill to a trailer next door. I have to find that line. It will be fun I'm sure. I have found what I think is the old electric line that may have powered it, in the trees at the top of the hill. The pipe and the power line where usually run in the same ditch at the same time, but time is the big issue, as with so much here "there was a" can cover 20 years or more. But as I am just planning to use the water for gardens, I don't much care about the condition of the pipe, just that the water can be delivered without too much loss. We'll see, I just got the pump built and I'm interested in seeing if it really works as promised, seems a lot like perpetual motion to me. Though I have seen the power of "water hammer" do some amazing things on the fire ground. And I'm satisfied at this point to just use it, if it will work, without needing to be able to improve it, for now. Though I'm interested to see how long the valves function in our spring water. And wonder if there's a plastic substitute for the $40.00 brass flapper valve that could be more reliable or... there I go again.

Now about the cameras, I mentioned above that I had somehow damaged the camera, well Chris claims I damaged the camera, I don't know for sure. Annywaaays, it quit focusing at first, and eventually wouldn't even try to take a picture. This happened about a month after Ryan had his camera get kicked while in his pocket, where it shouldn't have been, according to some people. I figure it's no good at home on your dresser, but that will start a fight, so I'll move along here with the story.... And the screen got broken, now neither camera was over two months old at this point, so I went to the Sony online help site, and asked about the warrantee, well it is just a problem screen that you fill out and it says, "your camera should be under warrantee send it back." Well I was pretty sure getting kicked in a pocket wasn't covered by warrantee, so I wrote an email, they said the camera is under warrantee send it back... and here's a $6.00 shipping label you can print out yourself and send them back.

Well okay, I do need to be hit over the head from time to time, but I've been wailed on recently, the mower and other things I'll save till later, so I paid, and printed out the label and sent the two cameras back. It actually took me longer to get a copy of the receipt from Sam's Club, than it took me to get the cameras back from Texas, repaired, and under warrantee! Whoopee.. Sony Cameras, which I have 6 of, and never had a problem until now. Are still the greatest, obviously the new little cameras are more delicate than the older models I have been using for 20 years, with only minor issues. So Sony makes my list of GREAT COMPANIES, along with Apple Computer, Coleman Camping (watches), ENCO machinery, (lathe info) and well at this point that's it, but I'm willing to extend the list. Let's add a car company that makes a good electric car or truck, how about a home heating system that is user friendly and efficient, and affordable using geothermal. Dream on!

The Bobcat has narrowly escaped a total rebuild. It had been running so poorly since the starter caught fire, that I was sure it had either a blown piston or had experienced a major hydraulic problem. As soon as any load was placed on it, it just about stalled, it could tilt the bucket, or lift it, or move really slowly, but no two at a time and it really didn't like to drive and turn, powee, it stalled! So I started trying to check the hydraulics without any of the correct equipment, but I had figured it was the pressure relief valve in the drive motors circuit. Well I could actually get to that, so I checked it, very quickly, because the entire hydraulic fluid reservoir was trying to drain as soon as I took it out. So being the genius that I am, I anticipated this could be the case. So I quickly stuck my finger in the hole and checked the other parts of the valve, they were good and I only lost about a pint of hydraulic fluid. Which basically helped rust proof the bottom area of the hydraulic pump area. But it sure didn't fix the problem, but while I was test driving it, I thought it was actually acting more like a spark advance issue than a hydraulic problem. So the next time I went to the garage and backed up to the tool area, the 5th time, I connected my timing light and started to check the spark advance. As soon as I sped the engine up, the light quit working. Slow it down and flash flash flash, speed it up and nothing, nothing, nothing! Okay, well a shot coil can do that, or a bad capacitor, or burned points.....BINGO! The points were crispy, in fact, they were so bad I couldn't properly file them flat, the pitting was remarkable. Well, I have a couple reference books that suggested this particular damage could be caused by a weak capacitor. Now I just replaced all those things 10 years ago, so I really feel like I got cheated, but I replaced them again, anyway. And the Bobcat is mostly healed, though it does seem a little weaker than before, I'm pretty sure it is in need of a pump rebuild, gearotor rebuild, and new tires, none of which it is going to get soon. So I'll just enjoy the fact it starts and moves for now. Which has allowed me to do a bit of cleaning up in the fields. I've been moving rocks, and pipes, and rotting wood posts and tree stumps, that are hazards to mowing the major areas. I also gathered quite a lot of scrap metal, from the old barn and the junk piles in the fields. But it is worth so little now, that I'm not even taking it to the scrap yard. I'll let it sit until the scrap prices go back up. I can do that now, I have places to store scrap metal and there's no "city" to harass me over it. Golly, I love it out here!

 

Now here's a new scam? We occasionally get zero interest Credit Card offers. Usually good for 9 months to a year, zero interest, then they usually go to a medium rate which has been in the 9% area. They are usually timed so that we can keep bouncing a small amount and we use them as most people would a debit card. My mortgage is tied to a bank that has no representation in this area, I save money going direct deposit with that bank, but it sucks for trying to get cash. So we "card it all" and pay off the balance each month, to stay away from the interest issues. We were using Discover until they decided to up our interest rate, change our payment date, and simply informed us this was happening with no recourse, purely arbitrary. So, too bad for them. We have the cards, but won't use them again.

Meanwhile, the new no interest card, is after me to go paperless, bank online, blah blah blah. Well, I had to make a payment online. Timing, cash flow, whatever caused it? I made a payment online, and somehow got signed up for paperless statements. That means there is no bill in the mail. Which means we didn't pay them, which means there is a late fee, interest starts up, and the deal is off. No more zero interest card! Now wait a minute, I got a call on the answering machine from the credit card company about three days later. I returned it about an hour after it came in and explained that we had been wondering if we had the dates wrong or what, as we had received no bill. I paid it over the phone at that moment, and ask that they check as to why we had received no bill. The person I talked to said he'd remove the late fee, and check on our billing issue. Two days later I checked online. And found we had a charge for interest on our zero interest card account. And I was set up for paperless billing.... I didn't want paperless billing, I never intended to go on paperless billing, and I want off Paperless Billing. So after about an hour of searching their website i finally found how to get the paperless mess turned off, and alerted Chris to the interest issue. She called and tried to get it straightened out, but she was assured "there are no zero interest offers available, and of course that means that the interest is supposed to be there". She thanked ABBU, and asked for a supervisor, who immediately corrected the problem and removed all fees and interest and confirmed the card is good (zero interest) for another year. So it worked out, but not without hours of corrective actions. All I can think is that when I signed on to make an online payment it somehow set me up for a paperless billing mess. And if we hadn't caught it right away, and stuck to our guns on the terms of our initial agreement. It would be gone. So watch your banking, particularly on line, I suspect they are trying to get rid of any "good deals" you may have, so they can squeeze more money out of us, in the current tight fiscal arena. Paranoid? Not if they're really out to get you!

I recently got an email from a nice fellow with ANOTHER LEISURE LODGE! Not only that he claims there is another guy in Utah with one he is restoring to original condition. That makes three in existence in the U.S. WOW, I offered to sell him mine, but he has other projects. So I guess I'll just drive mine around the farm, I could use a large flat bed truck, maybe I'll get my great chain saw out, and clear off the back. Make it a LEISURE PORCH. Mine has a pretty leaky roof, it really needs a new roof, but with so little of it in working condition I think a truck conversion is imminent. Unless somebody wants a winter restoration project, the shame of it is, it's nearly all there and original, just needs someone motivated to do the work. Not me anymore.

I'm using the Leisure Lodge this week, as a base for fire watch.

As I clean up more of the old wood fence posts, and fallen tree limbs, to make the place more mowable

and collect metal for the growing scrap pile.

Meanwhile the blackberries are everywhere, we have actually been going picking them this year, there are a lot of wild berries here, and they're tasty.

Now, maybe we can start calling it The Briar Patch, like I wanted to in the first place, before it became NADA FARM...

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