HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATTHEW!

Wow a year old! Here he is last August when I was in "The Great Swamp". Won't be long now and he'll be asking for the car keys. Happy Birthday little man. We love you. Gramma and Grampa.

Peeps

Well the new peeps are here. The hatchery said they would get here today, Monday, or Tuesday. So Thursday I went to the post office to tell them the peeps were coming and leave a phone # so they could call when they got there. Imagine our surprise when we got a call at 6:30 Friday morning that they were at the post office. A little scrambling to get the bins set up and head to town. So we get them home and start putting them in the bins when we realize there are too many and they are all the same kind. Check the box. Oops, wrong place. Just then, Rose, our mail lady rings our door bell. Oops, so sorry, part time person calls the wrong people. Ok, this gives me time to get everything set up properly. This morning we get a call saying that they were in a postal distribution center in Waite Park, which is about 55 miles from here. They said we could come and get the peeps this morning or wait until Monday and they would be sent to our post office. Let's see, two days or so in a warehouse without food or water, or home today. Which'll it be. This why they warn you that some chicks may not make it. They all did. We are happy.

 Here's the setup. We will keep them in two bins for awhile and then divide them into four.

 These are the meat birds. Cornish cross birds. Only for meat. I'll butcher them all in eight weeks and into the freezer.

These are the Barred Rocks. Prolific egg layers. Large brown eggs and they average four per week.Plus they sent one surprise chick of a breed that they don't tell you, so we will see what it turns out to be. Anyway we think this is good so wish us luck. Tak.

Plumbing

Ok, so not that exciting, but it was driving me NUTS! Lately the kitchen sink has been draining very slowly. Check the trap, clean. Get out the snake. Snake will not go through. Go in the basement and investigate. Drain pipe comes into the basement almost three feet from where it went into the wall. What the heck? Why? Don't make no sense. Cut off the pipe and find it almost completely clogged. It goes across the basement into another drain pipe. When I cut it off the second pipe water actually backed up and came out of that pipe. Conclusion? not enough slope on the bigger pipe causing water to remain in that pipe and draining slowly.So with the water not draining quickly any solid particles or greasy stuff stays in the first pipe 'cause it hasn't got enough flow. Two days later, after tearing out the old and replumbling, the kitchen sink works great.

 New drain spot. Old drain is the black circle on the wall.

 Here's where it came into the basement. See those short elbows? There are actually four elbows in about 14 inches. What? I have no idea what is in the wall but this why the snake wouldn't go through.

 New drain.

 Here it goes across the basement to the center wall. Can you say, Downhill?

 Here it goes along the center wall to the back of the house. Can you say, Downhill?

 Through the beam. Built a short wall so nothing is compromised.

Into the waste pipe to the septic. There have been a lot of disappoinments in the quality of workmanship in this house, framing, concrete, plumbing and electrical. I don't think people care about craftsmanship anymore and it's sad. Get in, get it done, get paid, get out and get away as quick as possible. Not what I was taught. Anyway, the sink works, now I just need to rewire the garage lights. Bye Bye.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Well it's St. Paddy's again, Gramma and I are going to watch the "Irish Movie" tonight. You should all know what movie that is and if you don't, "Tis The Shame On Ye!"

 Don't have any green cows, but here's a red one. Fat huh? We think she might be pregnant, so we won't be making hamburger out her anytime soon.

 Her's the little guy and momma and last years little guy in the background.

Here's a really relaxed dog.

I took this article from this mornings paper, so you can see it isn't just me.

The unseasonably warm weather is gumming up Minnesota's maple syrup season.




Maple trees produce sap only when the weather alternates between freezing and thawing temperatures. The sudden onset of warm weather has disrupted that cycle.



Stu Peterson, the president of the Minnesota Maple Syrup Producers Association, said he usually produces 250 gallons of syrup each spring on his farm near Fergus Falls, Minnesota Public Radio reported. But he hasn't collected any sap this year. And it takes about 40 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of syrup.



Peterson says he's hearing similar stories from many parts of the state.



He says he could still have a crop if he gets a freeze cycle in the next several days. But once the tree buds bloom, the season is over.                                                                                                        


It was 76 degrees here yesterday and it's 74 right now, so I think there won't be any syrup. We are not happy. :-(        Slan.

Happy Birthday Little Girl

Today is our littlest girl's birthday. I'm not saying how old she is, but she'll be 40 in three years! Wow!

 Once upon a time she looked like this. Pretty cute.

 Then she looked like this. Still cute.

 Here she is with one of her "Goofy" friends. Mardi Gras?

Wow? Look at her now. I have no idea who these other people are, but they're all good looking too. Happy Birthday little girl, we love you. Mom and Dad.

Cow stuff

On Friday Jess came over and we banded Junior to make him a steer. It was a lesson in patience. She said when cows are involved, "you wait for them". She was right. We got it done with I think a minimum of trauma. Thanks again Jess. Today I separated the boys and girls. Another lesson in patience and proof that you have to be smarter than your cows.

 The boys.

The girls and Junior. Again, trauma was minimal. Almost all of the mooing was done by Le Beef, but then he's not a Galloway. These Galloways almost never moo. No, I don't know why. Anyway, now we'll keep Frank separate until August or September so we don't have a calf in the middle of winter. Tomorrow I'll divide the shed in half. Hasta la vista, Baby.

Junior and sugaring

Got some better pics of the little guy today.

 Ain't he cute?

 Collecting.

 Cooking.

Finished product. Cool huh? Unfortunately this is not happening this year. It was 51 degrees today. Long range forecast is for above normal temps for the rest of the month. It needs to get up to the 40's and down to the low twenties or teens. Not going to happen. Grampa is sad. :-(    Slan.

Goofy cows

Well we ended up with between 12 and 15 inches of heavy, wet snow. I put out two of our bales for the horses and it was a real struggle to do it. I knew I'd never get one of the monster bales out to the cows til the snow melted, so I managed to get one of ours out there. I had to back the bobcat in, because it wouldn't go through the snow forwards. Dumped the bale on top of the other one. Got the bobcat stuck three times and the plow truck stuck four times. As soon as a tire went over the snow it packed down and became ice, I got out to the road and back up once, but when I tried to clean out up by the house I just kept getting stuck. Then shovel down to gravel and try again. I gave up. I can get my truck out, but Gramma's car is staying in the garage until the snow melts. This morning the UPS guy came and got stuck in front of the garage. Got him out, but my back is out for awhile. Next year I'm getting chains for the plow truck and the bobcat. That way I'm sure not to have to use them.

 Our hay must be better tasting, cause Le Beef climbed up the feeder to get at it.

 Stood like this for the longest time eating our hay before he lay down again. Goofy cow.

Here's Junior and Mama. Saw him go potty today, so there is no doubt he's a boy.  Hej da.