July 19, 2013 Tractor Maintenance

Butterfly on the garden fence

Potato plants in the garden

Wednesday, 7/17.  After breakfast I moved the rest of the rounds to the splitter and took two wheel barrow loads of wood from the pile of cradle cuttings to the wood shed.  While I was busy doing that, JB worked on greasing the zerk fittings on the tractor.  They need greasing every ten hours or so of use and this was his first time doing it.  Before he could get to that, it took both of us to get the spring-loaded cap back on the grease gun.  It would have helped if the male half of this duo had perused the directions a little more thoroughly. . .  Then the fittings on the tractor's mower proved to be a real challenge also, not to grease but to get the gun off once greased.  All this before lunch and it was already 75 by 11:00 am.  We both had sweat running down into our eyes and every other nook and cranny.  Obviously these machines were built to be maintained by younger ones than us.  But we will prevail!

After lunch we pulled some logs out from the east slope directly across from the house.  Also moved stick wood with the tractor bucket to my snipping area.  Looking good, but just too hot to do any more today.  Our high was 78.  A good day to have cottage cheese and pears for dinner.

Thursday, 7/18.  60 degrees and clear again this morning, with a forecast of dry and seasonably warm for the next seven days.  In listening to NOAA, which gives the record low and high for each day, it sounds like 1960 had an extremely hot summer.  The record highs for the past week or so are from 1960, with each day in the 100's.  Didn't catch that listening the past four years, however the records for either high or low are all from 1960 forward.  And most of them are from 1980 to the present.  Very interesting.

We were out right after breakfast.  My first-thing-in-the-morning walks have gone by the wayside since we have started working early to beat the heat.  Am getting plenty of exercise though without them.

And, speaking of exercise, there is a great article in "Mary Jane's Farm" entitled "Healthy at Any Weight" in which the author, Dr. Laura Koniver, suggests that instead of "exercise", women should think of it as "keeping your bones strong."  Works for me.

JB had a tree cut down before I even got outside!  We began at 8:30 am and by 10:45 am we had five trees down.  One large one that was short for its diameter and full of mistletoe; one tall, skinny one that was leaning precariously; three medium ones that were crowding.  I limbed them and then chained them to the tractor for JB to drag to the splitter.  He also took out a large, old log.  Thank goodness this could all be done in the shade.  Since it was still a bit early, we took a break and drank some juice, then went after a really long log that was up the east slope a bit.  JB cut it in half, then I chained both halves to the tractor and he dragged them to the splitter.  Time for lunch and a rest, after which it was too hot (76) to work outside any more.

The tractor has made so much difference in so little time, I can only imagine what Rose Camp will look like next year.  Seems like every day we discover some other way to use it.

I started a new book and read a few chapters.  Then decided it wasn't too hot to just snip up some of the branches I had limbed off the trees, getting a nice pile of kindling from the larger pieces.

We have been cutting our afternoon walks in half as it is just too hot to walk up on the treeless south ridge at 3:30 pm.  Not too bad in the shade, especially with even a slight breeze.  Our high for the day was 78 and that's all we had for a breeze today - just a slight one.

JB grilled chicken for dinner, then we loaded Larry and Elsie's large tiller on their trailer and JB drove it all back down to them.   After a nice visit, he came back up with another dozen of fresh eggs.  

Tomorrow JB plans to cut all the logs into rounds, then get ready for his trip.  He leaves Saturday morning for Seattle to spend ten days with his Mother while his brother and sister-in-law, with whom she lives, go on vacation.  An annual event that turns out to be a good time for everyone, including me.  My alone time. . .

It was still 70 outside at 10:00 pm when we went to bed, with hardly a breeze.  All the windows were open in hopes of capturing a little bit of cool.  The moon was up, and I am so enjoying the moon Up Here.  There were two things I really had to get used to living Up Here - very still and very dark.  Very few sounds filter through to Up Here from Down There, and no light.  We can see some lights of the city through the trees if we look, but they have no influence on the dark.  So when the moon is out, it is a pure delight.

Friday, 7/19.  It is 61 and clear as I write this morning.  Going to me another hot one, 92+ Down There.  So much for "seasonably warm."  

Thought for the day: O bed!  O bed!  Delicious bed!  That heaven upon earth to the weary head.  Thomas Hood