Not being able to come up with a clever name for the title of this post, "General Update #2" seemed like an appropriate, although less than exciting title. After going through photos from this past year there are some more items that need to be shared, whether you find them interesting or they simply put a smile on my face.
One task at the homestead that got done was actually done by my neighbor, not by me. Although I did help, it was basically following orders and directions and doing what was told. That seems to be the best way when you need your neighbors skills, equipment and time to get the job done.
The front of our property along the road has been eroding since we moved in over three years ago. My neighbor, being the owner of an excavation company, New Day Corp., had all the equipment.
He called and asked if I had time one Sunday afternoon last fall. Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, I made time, even if it wasn't available. He showed up with a full size dump truck with an equipment trailer loaded with two skid steers and an assortment of attachments. The attachments would be able to scoop, grade, grate, compact, chop and throw. This was a one man wrecking, or in my case excavating, crew.
Since I was so busy following his instructions by moving dirt around where he needed it to do the actual hard work, I wasn't able to get many photos. I did get one as he was cutting down the angle of the front to make a nice smooth grade instead of the cliff that had been created through the dirt eroding away after each rain storm.
The boys weren't too excited about helping out, until my neighbor asked me why I wasn't letting the Oldest Son use one of the skid steers. That is all it took for him to jump into one of the machines and start assisting. We were done with a large part of the work, but he was able to drive it around and pick up all the debris that was pulled out of the top soil that was used to even out the area.
In the end, we were able to throw out some grass seed and use the attachment that chops and spreads straw to cover the seed. It is a nice gradual transition and now is covered in grass and protected from erosion.
Having friends with the right kind of equipment is such a blessing. At the end of the front property excavation project, my neighbor would not accept any sort of compensation. Even though he provided the equipment, the grass seed and the straw to cover the seed.
Another friend was called on a couple times this past summer to do some work on the yard. He had sold his property where he kept his horses and now lived in a regular neighborhood, but he had kept his tractor and was looking for opportunities to use it. I just happened to give him those opportunities!
I had let the pasture grow a bit taller than I should have and it got beyond the height that my lawn mower would be able to handle. He brought over his tractor and box mower and knocked it all down for me. A couple weeks later he came over again, this time with his post hole digger to make my job of fencing in my garden a lot easier.
All this tractor work did help the Good Wife understand how useful a tractor would be in my own garage. But that was a whole other discussion!
Last fall the Oldest Son was able to get his first deer while hunting. He was with our neighbor and his club while they were running dogs.
Whenever I would question him if it was really a deer and not a dog because it wasn't too big, he just reminds me that, "Oh yeah, you didn't get one!" That tends to shut me up pretty quick. I better get something this year so I don't get shamed quiet again.
Although this post is already quite large with all the photos, I wanted to leave you with something to make you smile. The Oldest Son and his friend went with me to a sporting goods store and they were looking for a camo jacket for hunting. The only one left of the style and size they wanted was on a mannequin on the top shelf. Being the responsible father that I am, I stepped back out of the way and turned on the camera, because something good was about to happen. We like to refer to it as, "How many rednecks does it take to buy a camo jacket?"
Three. One to be the base, one to stand on his shoulders and one to film the event, just waiting for something bad to happen!
One task at the homestead that got done was actually done by my neighbor, not by me. Although I did help, it was basically following orders and directions and doing what was told. That seems to be the best way when you need your neighbors skills, equipment and time to get the job done.
The front of our property along the road has been eroding since we moved in over three years ago. My neighbor, being the owner of an excavation company, New Day Corp., had all the equipment.
He called and asked if I had time one Sunday afternoon last fall. Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, I made time, even if it wasn't available. He showed up with a full size dump truck with an equipment trailer loaded with two skid steers and an assortment of attachments. The attachments would be able to scoop, grade, grate, compact, chop and throw. This was a one man wrecking, or in my case excavating, crew.
Since I was so busy following his instructions by moving dirt around where he needed it to do the actual hard work, I wasn't able to get many photos. I did get one as he was cutting down the angle of the front to make a nice smooth grade instead of the cliff that had been created through the dirt eroding away after each rain storm.
The boys weren't too excited about helping out, until my neighbor asked me why I wasn't letting the Oldest Son use one of the skid steers. That is all it took for him to jump into one of the machines and start assisting. We were done with a large part of the work, but he was able to drive it around and pick up all the debris that was pulled out of the top soil that was used to even out the area.
In the end, we were able to throw out some grass seed and use the attachment that chops and spreads straw to cover the seed. It is a nice gradual transition and now is covered in grass and protected from erosion.
Having friends with the right kind of equipment is such a blessing. At the end of the front property excavation project, my neighbor would not accept any sort of compensation. Even though he provided the equipment, the grass seed and the straw to cover the seed.
Another friend was called on a couple times this past summer to do some work on the yard. He had sold his property where he kept his horses and now lived in a regular neighborhood, but he had kept his tractor and was looking for opportunities to use it. I just happened to give him those opportunities!
I had let the pasture grow a bit taller than I should have and it got beyond the height that my lawn mower would be able to handle. He brought over his tractor and box mower and knocked it all down for me. A couple weeks later he came over again, this time with his post hole digger to make my job of fencing in my garden a lot easier.
All this tractor work did help the Good Wife understand how useful a tractor would be in my own garage. But that was a whole other discussion!
Last fall the Oldest Son was able to get his first deer while hunting. He was with our neighbor and his club while they were running dogs.
Whenever I would question him if it was really a deer and not a dog because it wasn't too big, he just reminds me that, "Oh yeah, you didn't get one!" That tends to shut me up pretty quick. I better get something this year so I don't get shamed quiet again.
Although this post is already quite large with all the photos, I wanted to leave you with something to make you smile. The Oldest Son and his friend went with me to a sporting goods store and they were looking for a camo jacket for hunting. The only one left of the style and size they wanted was on a mannequin on the top shelf. Being the responsible father that I am, I stepped back out of the way and turned on the camera, because something good was about to happen. We like to refer to it as, "How many rednecks does it take to buy a camo jacket?"
Three. One to be the base, one to stand on his shoulders and one to film the event, just waiting for something bad to happen!
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