15 chilly degrees here in WNY this morning.  10W oil is what I need in my body on days like this.  I will have to settle for Maple Syrup on my oatmeal instead.  If oats will make a horse "hot", it might help me too.  This temperature at this time of year is not unprecedented here.  I clearly recall on just about this date in 1963 I took my first deer.  When I started out standing that day it was 13 degrees.  I thought I might be stiffer that the fence posts before long.  It took over two hours and a lot of foot shuffling before my target showed up.  Back then I did not own -40 degree rated Sorel pack boots that I have enjoyed in more recent years.  Probably would not have them now if it weren't for shopping the half price sales.

No deer hunting for me again this year.  Although the new joint is progressing pretty well. it is not ready for an adventure that great yet.  These days when I go out it involves having an ATV loaded on a trailer and a trip to the farm where I grew up just to get started.  With the time and effort to make it happen, it becomes an all day adventure for me.  I normally hunt alone and am no longer able to drag a deer from the woods, so the ATV becomes pretty important.  Maybe another year.  Currently I have responsibilities here at home to not allow me to have an all day outing anyway.

The good news is that I am seeing bright sunshine as I look out.  That is a nice change.

Charlie V.

Charlie;

Still seeing a lot of deer here. Been several hit on the roads.Deer gun season here is Dec. 3 to dec. 8, so still time for the bow hunters to thin them out. Youth gun season is this Saturday and Sunday. I have never been much of a hunter, but as a youth I would take the gun and sit in the woods and pretend I was hunting, but never much of a killer, except for groundhogs and raccoons. Have invited friends and neighbors to hunt here, but few takers.

Weather here has been decent since Sunday night, but still have a chilly southeast wind about 15 MPH. Temps freezing at night and daytime temps in the mid 40's. Last evening was nice and calm, so Bandy and I walked back to the woods to survey aall the new limbs blown down.

Looks like Ralph will be putting on the long underwear and heavy coveralls to clear out the snowdrifts. Shows 1 degree f right now and colder weather waiting to the west to invade tonight.

A couple years ago I was working on the little Case VC restoring it. I was cleaning up the carburetor and had the little fitting for the choke cable cleaning it up on the wire wheel on the grinder, when it caught and threw it across the shop. I cleaned every corner in the shop and spent a Sunday morning trying to find the part. Finally made a new one for it. Well, yesterday I was getting some washers out of a plastic carton that was in bad shape and decided to get another container for them. When I dumped the washers on the bench, that little cable clamp came out with them!!! I was determined I would find it some day.

Gene

Gene, you are right on our weather. It is way too cold this morning at -20F and enough wind to give a severe chill factor. Glad I got the two semis of canola out on Tuesday when it got up into the +20s and was quite comfortable. Not enough snow yet to have to push much, just a little shoveling here and there. Deer hunting season is here and our hundred acre woods, and the surrounding land, is popular as hunters pass through it often.
Funny how you find things long after you quit looking and have given up on them.

Starting to get a little preview of winter here in Ohio. Windy and cold since Friday night. Low of 11 degrees and winds constantly of 25 to 35 MPH. Had a few snow flurries Saturday and Sunday. Was a good weekend to stay inside and keep the fire going.

Hauled the last of the Amish corn today, so they are all done now. Just in time as they plan to shut the dryer down before Thanksgiving. Ground has frozen enough to support the combines now so lots of corn being shelled off. A couple dry days and may be some beans combined. They need to dry down and the cold weather is not good for that. Possible snow forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Watched the Ohio State- Indiana football game Saturday and they had enough snow that they had to clean off the yard line markers. Wind strong enough to blow the ball off the kicking tee.

Gene

Gene , the only corn fields left standing here are for the cattle's winter feeding. Combines are long since put away and I started feeding cattle last week as there is a layer of snow on the old grass in the pasture . I got the new water pump (built in Turkey) installed on the Cockshutt 40 on the weekend when it warmed up to the high 20s. Gave it a test run yesterday and seems like it will be ok.
[video=youtube;loTdXSspE20]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loTdXSspE20[/video]

Glad the water pump repair was successful. Not a good time or season for major repairs.

Tuesday was a rather pleasant day with calm winds and overcast skies. Needed to take the airplane to local airport to finish the signoff for the annual inspection. Flew about 1/2 hour when low clouds and snow flurries mandated a landing. Still was a pleasant flight.

Western Ohio has missed the storms that went south and east of us. Looks like Charlie may be getting the snow now. Good thimg he got the snow plow mounted and the truck gassed up.

Spent part of the afternoon in the woods cutting down the remains of an oak tree that blew down 1 1/2 years ago, About 24 inches at the base. Nice straight splitting wood. Will finish cutting it up today.. Plan to haul more wood from the woods today. Have several piles from last winter's cutting for this year's wood.

Gene

I cut a little firewood today too. Some trees had fallen into the field and I cut them into lengths to fit in the truck box. A beautiful day with sunshine, no wind, nearly +20F. I even burned a few leftover flax straw piles as can be seen in this picture. Snow and colder weather in the forecast for the next week.

The old truck sure takes a nice picture, Ralph.  I once worked with a man who had a twin to it.  Eventually, his was consumed by road salt.

We were hammered pretty good a week ago by the wet heavy snow.  Places not far away got mostly rain, but lucky us----eight inches.  Very heavy and solid.  Gene is right.  I got the plow on the truck none too soon.  I had to use it, but was careful not to let it ride on the ground to keep from tearing up.  With no frost in the ground, I choose not to drive up to the deck and back blade away for the walk.  I used the 1966 IH cub for the walks, front and back and that worked out well.  I have a strap around the front axle to the plow that keeps the blade two inches or so off the ground and that was just about right.

That snow work must have been too much for an old fella.  Wednesday evening I came down with one of my famous U. R. infections with bad congestion and cough,cough, non stop.  Just my bad luck for Thanksgiving.  I fixed our little dinner for the two of us, and at least the food was good.  Saw the DR. on Friday and got prescription and inhalers, etc.  Still working on the recovery, but feeling some better.  I have been warned about infection.  If it should be bacterial and gets into the bloodstream, it will concentrate at the new hip joint and destroy it.  Their best advice with any infection is to get antibiotics ASAP.

Getting some decent weather this week, so with any luck at all, I will get out of doors and get a little work done out there.

Charlie

Charlie, that does take the "fun" out of winter when you get sick from working out in the cold. Hope the anti-biotics do their job soon and you are ok. I shoveled my first snow yesterday banking up around the house foundation for extra insulation from the cold. Wind chill is a factor today (I hear) and it is going to get worse over the next few days. The older I get , the more I dislike the cold.

I  believe winter is taking a break here in Ohio. Just getting a recharge before it hits us again. It was 60 degrees here today. cloudy skies and high humidity, so things are not drying at all. High again 60 for Thursday and then high of mid 30's for Friday and snow Friday and the weekend. Then cold all next week.

Tried to plow some on Monday, but even with the 320 bulldozer and 2x16 pull type plow, the mud was too much and kept plugging up under the plow. Neighbor has been plowing steady with his Massey 1100 and 3 bottom rollover plow, but he is plowing wheat stubble and I have soybean stubble.

Took the dozer back to my neighbor's and pushed out some pine tree stumps. Probably did 18 or 20 stumps and some trees that were dieing. Nice day and the soft ground was a good time for this job.

Most of the harvest was finished during last week's freeze. Don't see any standing crops close to home now.. Sure were a lot of wagon and truck loads of corn and beans going past the houst last week.

Worked in the woods on Saturday and Sunday cleaning up the hickory trees I had dragged back there that I had cut from the edge of the woods. Had a monstrous brush pile, so decided to burn it on Sunday. Really had a hot fire going, probably why it is so warm for Charlie and me. Went back on Monday morning and cut some more limbs and kept the fire going. Didn't get any pictures this time.

Gene

Gene, we were doing almost the same job on the weekend. No ploughing here except snow on the frozen ground. But I did take the opportunity to burn a huge pile of branches that had been accumulating for a year or so. When I trim the hedges of carragana, spruce and maple I pile the branches to dry. Not safe to burn until snow is on the ground though and once its going it burns really well. I took this shot after dark. Sheltered from the cold wind and only the light of the fire and the sound of the coyotes howling nearby.

Yep, fire is still the best cleanup tool. Been especially helpful on my farm that was so neglected when I bought it.

Weather in Ohio has turned back to winter. Yesterday morning was 54 degrees and temps dropped throughout the day to 32 by 6:00pm. Snow started some time during the night. Looks like about 2 inches so far and forecast for 5 to 8 inches throughout today. No wind at all, so no drifting. Bandy came in the house a little while ago looking like a white sheep with all the snow on his back. Should have plenty wood to keep warm. Got a nice stack in the house and wheel barrows loaded and in the dry. Looks like a good day to spend in the house and shop.

Gene

I am wondering if you gentleman can get some more flax straw and tree brush burning and send the heat this way.  Genuine winter out there. An inch of new snow last night to once again cover our green grass.We are at just a fraction under +20 this morning and going to hold near there all day.  Dropped to +15 during the Monday night.  Nothing like the cold in the mid West, but plenty cold enough for me.  A nurse mentioned the other day that we might not have a white Christmas.  I said that sure would be terrible but I would not miss the white one bit.  She pretty much agreed.

Our new career here is tripping to the Doctors.  My wife got the respiratory infection also and she has more static breathing problems than I do, so it hits her hard.  Took her to the Dr. last week.  They checked her over, called an ambulance and had her trucked right to the Emergency Dept. at the Hospital.  After about eight hours of evaluation and treatment they released her.  I did not expect they would.   Now the Dr. wants to see her again to check her lungs.  I saw the Surgeon on Monday for a final check and the eye specialist yesterday for a retina scan and the eyeball injection.  I am at the point where I need a rest from these people.

While on the road yesterday a standing field of corn caught my eye and I commented that he might get the combine in there soon.  A ways down the road on the other side, there sat an CIH combine with a corn header in a field of corn stubble.  Guess he is getting close to the standing field.  Not uncommon to see late corn harvested here in winter conditions.

8:00 am  so it may be a good time to start building some breakfast  I had my OJ earlier, but now am getting hungry.  

Charlie V

Charlie;

Hope you get all the medical issues under control.

Cold and white still here in Ohio. Have about 4 inches of snow on the ground and was 11 degrees early this morning. Sunshine and south wind has warmed to 23 degrees now with more light snow starting after noon. Low tonight of about 5 to 8 degrees.

Delivered a load of metal and lumber for Amish. Picked it up Tuesday afternoon and evening. Got loaded too late to deliver last night so delivered it this morning. Just a good day to stay in and keep the fire burning. Ralph at -15 degrees and -35 wind chill is probably limiting any outdoor activity. Probably editing more videos to show us.

Talked to the new Amish neighbor across the road. When they buy a house, they take out all the normal utilities and heating system. Took out a near new propane high efficiency furnace with air conditioning coils and all the sheet metal and outside unit. Will sell it for $25.00. Will buy it for sure. Been wanting to replace my fuel oil furnace for a couple years. Good chance to do that. Already have my own tank for the shop furnace, just have to run a line to the house for this.

Got a new smart phone on Saturday and trying to figure that out. The name "smart" phone is aptly named, Have to be smart to figure them out.

Gene

Well I am pretty sick of this continuing cold spell. We have had wind chill factors in the -40C range which is pretty well the same as -40F. Today , without the wind, -5F felt fairly comfortable for a change. I took the opportunity to get to town and empty the junk mail out of my post office box.
Charlie,, I guess if your health is not good it just makes the bad weather that much harder to take. Hope things turn around for you and your wife.
Gene,, too cold to do trucking here far as I am concerned but they phoned for my flax today. The trucker figures he can make it for a couple of semi loads next week so I don't want to miss the chance to move that flax before something happens to it.
Got a couple of new videos to upload but I have to take it easy on video as SaskTel has cut my ration back to 8GB per month now that I am off contract. Monthly bill is still the same though. :eek: