The New Tractor

Okay, we already have a couple of tractors and a garden tractor, a 4 wheeler, golf cart etc etc but you know, sometimes more is better. We came upon a 1967 Sears Suburban 10 garden tractor that was in great shape (for being 43 years old) at a great price and so we got it for Holly and Judy to tow the trailer and just do general garden chores. It has a 10hp Tecumseh HH100 engine and a 6 speed manual transaxel...and it is very retro, very cool, and it runs great.

The tires are in good shape, it has a new battery, and all I had to do to get it to start is tighten up the starter bracket. I have since fixed a few things, added a choke control knob, new air filter, fuel filter, and added some non-skid for the foot rests...next up is a new seat and headlights.

Everything is steele....my very expensive Dixon could take a few lessons from this tractor.

It has a Hi-Low transfercase lever on the right hand side of the transmission hump and the gear shift itself is a 3 speed so you effectively get 6 speeds forward and 2 in reverse.

Its simple, durable, and has a surprisingly large amount of torque

There was no rust or corrosion on this machine anywhere.

Holly took to it straight away and has already been using it with the trailer

We have been having a blast on it..last night we held races...

It will look better with the headlights installed.

But Holly has also been getting more comfortable with the 4 wheeler and actually got it into 3rd gear briefly

She is zipping along at about 3 mph here but its progress

Now...we may end up with other....implements. I have always wanted a combine...hmmmmm

The Missouri State Fair in Sedalia

Holly and Judy dragged me to the state fair...2.5 hour drive but we went on cheap skate Thursday and got in for 4 bucks and actually had a lot of fun.

The fair grounds are very well laid out with brick buildings and AC in most of them

Old cars, NASCARs, new tractors and implements, camping trailers, ATVs...there was something for everyone.

Big pumpkins...

Big hogs....

Big horses and piles of manure...it was very much a country fair but done at the state level. Lots of police presence but everyone was friendly, it was laid back, and not crowded at all.

We enjoyed a beverage or two and of course the fair food...lots of different kinds of meat on a stick, funnel cakes, corn on the cob, taffy.....

The midway was big though we didnt hit any rides.

Yes Holly and I had to ride the camel..

And we fed the animals

Even the striped horses...

And we capped it off with the Missouri Team Penning competition.

I have been to a lot of state fairs, this one was one of the best and I could have spent a couple days there...maybe next year.

The Concrete Patio and Sidewalk

Well the back patio and the sidewalk for Judy's trailer is completed. We next turn to decks, finishing up the rock mortar, painting etc.

Since we didnt have enough on our plate, we decided to dig up the old broken slab in the back and replace it with one three times the size.

And you know while we are at it, lets just throw down a sidewalk for Judy...its only 105 degrees out.

This gives an idea of just how much bigger we made it.

The mice living under the old slab were not that happy about it

Almost ready for the pour

Of course we didnt use a portable mixer.....

This was much easier

It looked a lot bigger once it was poured than we had envisioned it...I am glad we didnt go smaller.

Now an even more useful back patio

Its very very useful now and we live back here

And Judy likes her new sidewalk too. She added river rock to set her various potted roses and such on and it looks good.

Red Neck River Days

Just a couple of pictures of a trip we took to a church BBQ..seemingly an everyday even but where we live even the mundane can be an adventure..check out the bridge in the photos below.

It was a hot sultry day along a small river on one of the parishoners farms.

The bridge was built in 1901

But no fear, it got a thorough going over due to the efforts of the President of the United States...not Obama...Eisenhower.

It was pretty spectacular scenery.

Farmstead Update

Lots of activity this month, harvesting, canning, freezing, and preparing for the fall garden.

We are harvesting cantelopes, watermellon, pumpkins, squash, green beans, tomatoes still...

Holly is very proud of the 40 or so pumpkins we have harvested so far....overkill to me but she likes them.

We have literally bushels of green beans needing to be picked but we are sick of them. You can only can, pickle, freeze, and eat so many fresh green beans before it just gets out of hand.

The babysweet watermellons are great though, you can eat them right down to the rind and they are just sweet as can be.

Judy and Holly have sold several cantelopes, watermellons and pumpkins....I think it averages out to them making about $.02 per hour...farming is tough.

The first of our potato harvest

We have had such a variety of fresh tomatoes we have gotten spoiled but we have frozen some, canned a bunch, made salsa, ketchup, marinara etc. BUT THE BEST USE of them is to take a purple Cherokee and slice it thick, fry up some farm raised smoked bacon until its crisp, take some crisp lettuce from the garden and then put it all together on toasted home made bread with a good dab of mayo and your in heaven.

Bandit was over visiting and needed a nap.

These are called Autumn Crocuses and they just popped up out of the ground with no green foliage...apparently they are about a month early this year.

They are in the back of the Lilac and by the front porch...very strange etheral flower.

The Crepe Myrtles came back nicely from the winter damage, we thought they were mostly goners but they just bloomed a little late.

Judy planted these elephant ears from bulbs ...in May...

Since we have harvested all the corn cobs we are letting the stalks dry out so we can harvest them and use them for Halloween/Thanksgiving decorations.

And the Sorghum we were told we were too late to grow?...Its now tasseling

We are letting the seeds develop and dry out on the sunflowers before we harvest them, this butterfly seems to like it.

I believe he is a Monarch