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1

John Deere / Re: ATTN: John Deere Owners

« on: March 25, 2018, 11:08:28 PM »

Hey Dean,
I hear you.  It has only been 3 1/2 years since that post.  I guess we have to give it time to percolate.  Could it be the old 2 cylinders run so well that there are no problems to incite qu questions

Charlie>>.

2

'round the pot-bellied stove / Western Ohio Update

« on: February 17, 2018, 11:48:14 AM »

Just a hello to all of my friends on the Forum.

Charlie

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'round the pot-bellied stove / Western Ohio Update

« on: October 11, 2017, 12:48:34 PM »

good looking chore tractor, Ralph.  Appears to be well kept.  I could make use of it here.  Hopefully one day I will get my 560 back on it's feet and workiing.  I miss having it to use.

Charlie

4

'round the pot-bellied stove / Western Ohio Update

« on: September 30, 2017, 09:40:54 PM »

Hey Ralph!  Good to see your post.  Long time.  I still check in most every day to see if there is activity here.  I guess I do not post much as I don't have much to post about. We need a conversation starter.  Guess that is you at the moment.  Nice video of the Mercury taking a tour of your woods. The type of trees you have yield a lot of yellow in the fall.Nice.  Different from here .  We get some yellow but also some brilliant (some years) red, orange, and brown as well.  At this point we have some color change but a ways to go to peak color change.  Makes me wish I had a drone to film the tree tops, as that is where the first change occurs, with some of the most brilliant color.  Wish I could share that with you.  

Aside from that, we finally broke out from the rainy weather cycle that lasted all summer.  Ran a 20 day dry streak   Broke it with about 1/4 inch of rain last night.  Also broke the 10 day period of real summer weather we had going on.  Several days above 90 degrees but nice nights in the 60's. Nice while it lasted.  





finally got through my eye surgeries and the 30 days of three drops three times a day.  Got new glasses a week or so ago, but not too very happy with the vision ta=hat I have now.  Maybe better than it was to begin with but not that much.  Still unable to read normal print.  Distance vision is still somewhat spotty.  I am pushing for a new examination to see if they can come up with anything better.

 Good that your crops did well for the dry conditions you had this season.  Watched your film of swathing Canola.  You get to do a lot of tuning with the shape of your fields.  Makes a great roan video.  Enjoyed watching.

Charlie

5

'round the pot-bellied stove / Western Ohio Update

« on: July 21, 2017, 08:45:52 PM »

Really nice picture f the Mercury. Ralph.  Hope you have gotten a few drops of rain for your crops.  Had some here yesterday that you probably would not want.  1 3/4 inches in about 1/2 hour with high wind.  I looked out the back door and water was coming down in gobs.  Never saw anything like that before.  Rather than drops or sheets it looked like someone was out there throwing five gallon buckets of water past my window.  Gobs of water is the only description that comes to mind.  Back of my house sure got a pressure washings.  If I could send you some rain, I would, but not storms that would flatten your crops.  So that brings us to 7 3/4 inches from Wednesday to Wednesday.  Keeping my sump pump down cellar working overtime. trees are growing like mad.

charlie

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'round the pot-bellied stove / Western Ohio Update

« on: July 14, 2017, 08:37:28 PM »

Oh good.  This web sight is back up.  Thank you Spencer.  I was worried it might have been hit by an astroid or???
Six and one eighth inches of rain.  Wednesday AM till Friday AM.  PRETTY WET

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'round the pot-bellied stove / Western Ohio Update

« on: June 27, 2017, 12:04:13 AM »

Looks like the hood of the Case in your photo, Ralph.  Lucky for you to have decent weather for spraying crops.  Rain and more rain here.  Three inches a week ago Thursday and I have had at least three inches more since then, including an inch today.  Mowed Saturday and had to abort about 1/3 of the lawn due to standing water on the ground.  Guess it will continue to grow until the weather decides to change.  Calling for a high only in the 60's tomorrow and more rain.  I did see some corn this evening that looked about a foot tall on high, well drained ground.  That is about the best I have seen so far this year.  Glad not to be a crop farmer right now.  My BP is already high enough.  

Charlie

8

'round the pot-bellied stove / Western Ohio Update

« on: June 16, 2017, 09:02:21 PM »

that inch of new water should give your crops a little boost, Ralph.  We wee not all that dry here, but yesterday gave us just over three inches of rain.  Probably good for seedings on high ground.  Most likely some ponding on low ground.  All of my flower plants look like they enjoyed the rain but I keep them pretty well watered anyway.  Today would have been my normal day to mow grass (as  but in a morning check I found standing water on the ground (as expected) in several places.  With the hot sun and breeze it will be dry enough by later tomorrow.  


Beautiful evening here on the back deck tonight.  A few pesky insects but not many.  Light is getting dim now as the sun sets.  I went yesterday and had a full eye exam and got measured for new lenses.  Drs. are not sure how mush getting rid of the cataracts will help  as the MD is also part of my vision loss. The cataract removal will help some and I sure hope it helps a lot.

Charlie

9

'round the pot-bellied stove / Western Ohio Update

« on: May 29, 2017, 11:03:10 PM »

Great job with the video, Ralph.  Guess I have watched it about three times now.  Pretty tiny on my phone but good on the laptop.  Great that you got good weather to get the Canola in the ground.  Hope conditions hold good for the growing season.  

I see a fair amount of ground here that looks like it might be seeded.  Probably mostly corn ground but cannot say for sure as nothing is sprouted.  I suspect planting is behind schedule here due to all of the rain.  One report a few days ago claimed seven plus inches for the month of May so anyone not on high, well drained ground is not working yet.  It will take some warm sun to germinate seed already in the ground. Last Thursday for example we had two inches of rain in 12 hours, and so it goes. A few all time weather records being broken.

 I am sure you have heard that Lake Ontario is trying to devour all of NY state and half of Canada.  The commission that regulates Lake level  claims the 2014  plan implemented last fall is not the cause, but just coincidentally, the Lake is at it's highest level ever recorded, currently.  Many opposed the 2014 plan saying this is exactly what would happen if there was a wetter than average spring.  The US and Canada in their infinite wisdom,passed the plan .  Bottom line is the tree huggers who wanted more water in wetlands around the Lake sure got it. Others are suffering millions of dollars in losses,

With my retired, old man life style my planting mostly consists of putting a couple dozen plants in flower pots and that endeavor is progressing well.  I gave up on a garden some years ago when my wife talked me into planting my garden plot to lawn.  Probably a good move.  Every time the garden was rained on, then dried out, the clay pretty much turned to stone so I was to the tiller.

Charlie

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'round the pot-bellied stove / Western Ohio Update

« on: May 06, 2017, 11:59:17 AM »

You have that right, Gene.  Water, water everywhere. I have not put my rain gauge upright yet because we are not yet finished with below freezing nights.   Not sure how much rainfall in the past two weeks, but a lot of it.  Have mowed lawn 2 and 1/2 times.  The last time was last Thursday.  Could not do it all as some was a pond but got a good part of it.  Had to do it then because of all the rain starting Thursday afternoon, through Friday and today.  Doubt it will be dry enough for at least another week.  Yesterday I did notice some high ground worked over on Rt. 20 but most is too saturated.  Looks like crops will be starting a little late this year.  Winter wheat is sure looking green and happy though.  I sent a text to my daughter who lives here in NY yesterday, Gene.  Ser replied that she had just arrived in her older sisters driveway.  That would be in Delaware O.  Guess that means that all three of my girls are in Ohio at the moment.  


I see that Ralph is keeping busy loking above the clouds to find sunshine.  You get your flying machine up pretty high, Ralph.  Not only he put a new oil line on the Mercury and fired it up with a 15 year old battery.  Nice job with your videos, Ralph.  Keep them coming.  

Not sure what Dean has been up to.  Most likely cleaning and waxing those classic tractors and feeding cats..

Charlie

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'round the pot-bellied stove / Western Ohio Update

« on: April 19, 2017, 05:05:30 PM »

Hey Ralph,

Your 730 sounds good on a cold start.  The manifold heater must work good as it did not fill the shed with blue smoke on a cold start after standing for months.  I like diesels for the way they start when properly done.  

Won't be long now before you and Gene are rolling some soil and blowing in some seed.  Maybe Gene drills his.?? As tall as the grass is now, I will be sitting on the mower.  Looks like expected rain will hold that work off a few days.  Hope yoou folks have a good spring.

Charlie

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'round the pot-bellied stove / Western Ohio Update

« on: February 24, 2017, 09:30:02 PM »

That looks like a nice tool, Gene.  Nice straight cuts w/o trying to follow a line.  Never have seen one before.  They tell me our February spring is about over.  Sure was nice while it lasted.  It was great to get out yesterday and start the two Hondas.  they have not been run for months and I didn't want the gas to gum in the Carburetors. been there, done that. Not much room to get the little buggers out and back in.  



Charlie

13

'round the pot-bellied stove / Western Ohio Update

« on: February 21, 2017, 11:08:35 PM »

Hopefully, Gene, your gums will harden in time so you can get along with your teeth.  Mine never fit correctly from day one and that was the problem.  Sadly, I made a deal with the dentist where I paid him in advance to get a discount on the teeth.  Bad move as then after the fact I had no leverage to get the teeth corrected.  I think he did not like it much when I asked him if he was sure my teeth did not get mixed up with someone else s.  My brother once said I had it backward because I wore them but took them out to eat.  He thought some people did it the other way around.  I hear the implants work pretty well but I know a guy who paid 35 grand to get those about three years ago.  I will say that I managed to gum my way through a delicious Porterhouse Steak the other night.  At the price I do not do it often, but once in a while.  The secret is in the cutting.  I sort of let the knife do the chewing by cutting very thin slices.  If I cut larger (normal) bites I will think I am an Indian gal tanning leather.

It sounds like you are making great progress on the new shop.  That will be nice enough to live in when finished.  Presume you have a dry wall T square for marking out your panel cuts, or maybe with your new saw set up that is not necessary?

Sure is some good February weather.  Calling for temps. in the high 60's to 70 the rest of the week.  O;K with me but some bulb plants might sprout prematurely, then freeze off.  I am guessing the fruit growers have to worry on that too.

Hope Ralph's back has recovered.  That kind of pain can really slow a man down.  I think your Mercury will have the hard to find four inch stroke crankshaft, Ralph.

charlie

14

'round the pot-bellied stove / Western Ohio Update

« on: February 17, 2017, 11:21:11 AM »

Best of luck to you with the new choppers, Gene.  I sure hope they serve you better than mine did.  I put up with them for quite a few years.  Never did fit right and always had to be glued in to be any use at all.  After I retired in 2008, I put them in the cup and mostly left them there.  I would sometimes use them when going out, but eventually stopped that too.  Life is too short to put up with constant misery.   I just try not to smile too much.  

You do pretty good reporting our weather, except for the snow part.  As I look out I see a mix of snow and green grass.  We pretty much do not have any.  In spite of the threats the weather people make, the most I have seen at one time since November is one time between 3 and 4 inches.  I did do a light clean up one time lasy month, but was barely picking anything up.  I only did that in hopes that what was left would melt clean later in the day when temp. went above freezing.  Don't like partial melts that refreeze into glare ice.  As you know, temperature has been a roller coaster ride.  Get an inch or two of snow, then it melts to green grass again.  Really easy winter here so far.  Just fine with me and I feel no sympathy for the skiers and snow mobilers.  I suspect there may be some plow guys a little short on cash too.  On the other hand , it is not over until it is over!!

Ralph is getting some very nice footage from his drone. I keep up with them as you put them up to you tube, Ralph.  Just waiting for you to catch up with a deer herd or a pack of youes.  Is your boneyard PTO working as it should on whichever Cockshutt.

One more thought on the weather. The reports constantly tell us here of the heavy snows in the Wyoming / Genesee  County snow belt off Lake Ontario.  I was well into Genesee County This Tuesday.  To my surprise   -----Not only no snow banks,  but no snow at all.  Grass in peoples lawns looked like springtime.  We had a little more than that here.  Strange.

Charlie

15

'round the pot-bellied stove / Western Ohio Update

« on: January 18, 2017, 10:04:49 PM »

Sure enough, Ralph.  I did see the video with the pickup backing off the edge.  I have also seen the new one with the bird following a little tiny man on the ground.  Reminds me of a high level puppy dog.  That should be an interesting feature when you are doing tractor and other work in the fields.  Is a zoom in feature available in the "follow me" mode?

We are quite wet here.  Rain all day yesterday with around 3/4 inch falling.  Temp. is hanging around + 40 F.  Glad it is not freezing rain as was seen in the mid West. We are supposed to be on the south side of the jet stream through most of next week, then back to winter for a good stretch. Not a problem.  Every day past is a day nearer to Spring.  Along with the mild weather ice storms are a real possibility so I bought an extra 10 gallons of gas the other day in case it is necessary to run a generator for a day.  Not a lot, but better than being empty at a bad time.  I realized that my Cadillac which I do not use during the road salt season was under 1/4 of a tank of gas.  Took advantage of the dry roads to take that to the station and fill it with non ethanol gas.  With these up and down temps. a low tank makes a good terrarium.  Really do not need a lot of water mix in there.  Car runs quite nice without that.  Got out last week and started some other motors to keep fresh gas in the carbs and let the batteries charge.  We were near 50 last week for two days so had to take advantage.

Have fun with the drone and keep warm.

Charlie V.