Happenings around the Homestead as of 21 Sep

As usual we have remained busy, we have two major projects (kitchen floor and Judys back deck) underway which will be in a separate post but we got our fall garden plowed up and planted, we went to a Dexter cattle auction, we went to the Laura Ingalls Wilder Days in Mansfield, I have had to fight three major structural fires as a volunteer fire fighter, the neighbors horse got through a gate and into our pasture while our main gate was open (which meant they had access to the highway but Rose the farm dog saved the day), we planted a garden at Judy's place, we found three antique farming implements in out pasture that we hauled out and lastly, a neighboring farmer had to call for help when her husband was out of town to tend to an injured cow and repair a fence that was damaged when a storm blew over a couple trees. Other than that, the last week or so has been quiet!

Our okra kind of got away from us this year; we will do better next year.

The fall garden all plowed up. We already have things coming up including broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, lettuce, raddishes, turnips, beets, a variety of herbs and probably a bunch of other stuff I am forgetting. Our pepper plants are still producing huge quantities, we have tomatoes still being harvested, bell peppers, more green beans than we ever want to see again, and the black walnut and persimmon trees are loaded.

Everyone works hard on this homestead.

The neighbors horses got into our pasture and came over for a visit.

Rose kept them from coming through our front gate which was open and saved the day.

Holly and Judy have been landscaping over at Judy's trailer....I guess they didnt have enough to do.

It came out nice though so no complaints.

A neighbors cow cut her leg and she was all alone so we went and helped out. We made a squeeze shoot out of an old gate and once I got her "squeezed" against the other gate she got her penecillan and medicated balm.

I enjoyed working with cattle again and it just makes me want to hurry and get our own stock.

We found a common snapping turtle in the yard the other day and Rose was going after it so we had to relocate it, they can do some damage with that beak and this guy was ticked off.

He was actually pretty good sized.

They are surprizingly fast and he tried to bite me but I still have all my digits. I ended up putting him in the bucket of the tractor and taking him to the back 40.

Judy has several roses and they are all doing great in this weather.

We hauled this old cultivator out of the pasture to add to our collection.

And this cultivator was a little newer and I may just put it back into use with our tractor.

This is an old road grader. It gets pulled by a tractor or truck and the operator sits between the two wheels and can raise or lower the blade and change the blade angle with the two wheels.

The two Terraplane hubcaps were worth the effort alone.

Adams Road Patrol Number 3...I need to do some research on it.

I met a guy at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Days in Mansfield who tries to get people together for old equipment displays and he was very interested in the Allis Chalmers WC and the old Kholer generator so next year we will be in the show. He restored this tractor and is looking for a Farmall Cub for us....we want another project.

He found this old Lincoln welder and restored it to useful functionality...it has a Continental flat head 4 and hand cranks to start...I am so jealous.

And finally, Holly wanted to post this salamander..they are everywhere and for some reason all the women love them. So, we have had a busy couple of weeks and its been fun. Judy entered her quits in the quilt show and is now involved in the community on an advisory board and as part of a bowling team in Marshfield, we went to a great party at a farm down the road that had a live band, good people, gunfire, and a big bon fire, and we continue to enjoy retirement.