No 32 here, Gene.  At 7:30 this AM we were at 18.  Now to 21 and that is all we are going to today.  Two to three inches of new white fluff with an uncomfortable wind.  Light snow still earlier but occasional sun now.  Even the kitties that like it outside and hiding in the cellar way now.  They ventured out twice, then turned around and came right back in. I have to go out later.  Today is the day milk is on sale for $1.19 per 1/2 gallon at the store.  As an older lady commented down at the store a few weeks ago on a Saturday, "Today is the day we milk the cow.  

I sure need some good weather.  Enoough of this forever winter.

Charlie

I don't think it is often we are warmer here in Sask. than  either Gene or Charlie but today was. Did not even freeze last night I got out early this morning to put a bale of bedding straw in the cattle shelter thinking the ground might be frozen. It was not but a few inches down still was frozen solid so not problems getting stuck. I think I saw 50 degrees this afternoon but then a cold rain started up. We don't need it but at least its not snow.

Charlie, I sure missed the temperature there. Need to reread my posts.

Ralph, glad you are getting some warmer temps. We never made it above freezing Saturday and 26 this morning with promise of warmer temperatures this week. Spent yesterday morning blocking some more of the starlings nesting areas. Couple areas on the house they were nesting, so closed them off. Probably have a lot of upset birds. Been seeing more robins the last couple days than I have ever seen. Probably 40 to 50 all around the yard and hay field. Was a sight to see for sure. Wonder if the night crawlers are coming up through the frozen ground?

Gene

Could be the crawlers, Gene.  On the other hand, it might be a migrating flock just on stop over for R and R.  One year during deer season in our woods a flock grouped fpr two or three days that had to be several hundred if not a thousand.  They filled about an acre area of woods, every tree, with small bunches moving around and more coming in all the time.  Never saw anything like it before or since with Robins. Did see it one time with starlings and when they left the woods was white with BS. The Robins finally must have got their ducks in order so to speak, and were gone.

Charlie

Charlie You are likely right about the migrating robins. Never seesomo many at one time. Only about 12 or 15 today. Maybe didn't' likey the cold weather and went back south.

Gene

Nice afternoon for outside work, so I made a lot of progress cleaning up an old junk pile near the back of my place.   A weekend or two ago I'd had a fire on top of the pile to burn the old branches, which is what the pile mostly looked like at that time, branches plus a bunch of old bunched-up fence wire and steel fence posts.   After burning all the branches I could see there'd been a big mound of dirt beneath them.  Took the little Kubota out there today and started digging, and it turned out the dirt was really nice topsoil, although it was heavily sprinkled with old osage orange branches, fence posts, bits of fence wire, a couple of tires, and a tree that grew horizontally out of one side (like it had been pushed over horizontal when very young) and then turned vertical.

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After a couple of hours I had most of the pile separated, with the topsoil in a new pile waiting to be hauled off to my front yard where I needed it for some lawn repairs.  In the photo above you can see the biggest osage log leaning up against what remains of the pile--I just shoved it out of the way rather than hauling it to the separate wood pile since it was so heavy.

That spot is a good walk from the house and barns, and I made the walk several times.  I was by myself today so had to walk back to get the Super M and wagon when I was ready to start hauling the dirt away, and then after hauling two wagon loads I had to walk back out there to retrieve the Kubota.

On the way back in with the Kubota I thought I'd use the bucket to back-blade some deep muddy ruts I'd made with the 620 a few weeks ago.  Promptly got the thing stuck, and the Super M was still hitched to the loaded wagon and parked out by the house, so I walked back to the barn and got the 620 to pull the Kubota out.   Then put the 620 away and walked back to get the Kubota, and by then I'd learned my lesson and left the muddy ruts for some future and drier day.

Unloading that wagon with my trusty scoop shovel took longer than loading it with the Kubota, but as my fiancee likes to tell me it "keeps me off of Hell Road."  All in all a nice day.

Dean Vinson
Saint Paris, Ohio

Nice afternoon for outside work, so I made a lot of progress cleaning up an old junk pile near the back of my place.  


On the way back in with the Kubota I thought I'd use the bucket to back-blade some deep muddy ruts I'd made with the 620 a few weeks ago.  Promptly got the thing stuck, and the Super M was still hitched to the loaded wagon and parked out by the house, so I walked back to the barn and got the 620 to pull the Kubota out.   Then put the 620 away and walked back to get the Kubota, and by then I'd learned my lesson and left the muddy ruts for some future and drier day.

Unloading that wagon with my trusty scoop shovel took longer than loading it with the Kubota, but as my fiancee likes to tell me it "keeps me off of Hell Road."  All in all a nice day.

Dean Vinson
Saint Paris, Ohio

Dean, sounds like a good working day you had. I've been stuck a time or two with the old Massey Super 90 but as long as it has the bucket on the front end loader I can usually use that to push or pull myself out. This pic from a few year ago was an exception as the ground was so wet I sunk to the front axle and only had the bale fork on so could not use it to push back. Lucky it was just a short walk back for the bigger tractor.

Dean, sounds like you have taken advantage of the nice weather. Wednesday was another great day here. Sometimes interesting what you find in old trash piles. Cleaning my woods, I found many old wringer washing machine wringers, I think 27 in all, along with metal tubs and old fence wire. Old rusty wire is hard to handle, but with the intense heat of a brush fire the wire was annealed so it was easy to push it into balls with the dozer and load on the trailer with the loader. Woods had been used as a dump for generations and hauled out 3 16 foot trailer loads to scrap yard. When I bought the place, it was impossible to walk through the woods. Now I can go anywhere with tractor and even mow it with lawnmower.

I imagine that with the warm weather and thawing that Ralph has an ample number of places to get stuck if not careful.

Had big plans for today. Started out replacing burned out bulb in truck turn signal. Didn't have the right bulb so went to town to get one and a roll of plastic sheet. Building site was getting dry enough to finally get on it with tractor. I tilled it up again yesterday and planned to level if down some and cover it with the plastic sheet to try to keep it dry. Just as I came out of Lowe's it started sprinkling. Had heavy rain on the way home, so ended the plans for leveling the ground. Did get the truck lights replaced though. When I left for town, had bright sunshine and clear skies. That all changed before I got home. Had a pretty red sunrise though.

Amish neighbors started working ground yesterday to plant oats. Don't know if and got planted. Surely too wet to plant today. Time is getting short to plant them here now. Later planting runs the risk of being overtaken by weeds.

Gene

Gene I guess you are doing a real clean up on your place. Too wet to do much here . Even with the trike I have to stick to the grassland as the fields are pure mud and still melting snow. Culverts running pretty good yesterday but today it is all over. Down to 20 degrees with snow and high wind this morning so it is not very inspiring to do anything outside. We are probably a month away from planting anything. Maybe a row of early potatos in the garden if I'm feeling ambitious.

Hi Gene, yes, it was mighty nice out earlier this week, and looks good for the weekend also.  I have a long list of inside-the-house projects also but on a nice spring day it's sure more fun to go work on the outside jobs.

Ralph, good photo of your Massey stuck in the mud.  I'd tried to use the Kubota's bucket to get myself unstuck but didn't have enough hydraulic power, and even with four-wheel drive and differential lock and the loader bucket lifting and pushing I couldn't back out.  That little tractor is right handy but I guess it does have its limits.

Dean

Had a pretty nice early spring week end. A little windy, but ample sunshine to make a good day for some outside work.

Friday, I moved some tractors and machinery around to their permanent homes. Pushed the airplane outside to be able to park the baler. Airplane needed washed and as the rain started, I put on my rain coat and got my long handled window brush and with a bucket of water, I was able to get it pretty well cleaned and the heavier rain rinsed it off really nice. Just had to spot clean a few areas. Looks nice now. Planning to offer it for sale soon.

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Sunday's weather was really nice after a cool morning, Got to low 60's with sunshine all day. Cleaned up some limbs and tree trimmings and hauled them back to the woods. Then got the 430 out and have the tiller on it now. Hydraulic oil was low and transmission was over full, sure sign it has a leaking 3-point cylinder seal. Drained 3.5 gallons out of the transmission and added 2 gallons of that to the hydraulic. All set to go again. Got the little motorcycle out this morning and after draining and replacing the gas, it started right up.

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Gene

Wow, Gene, you sure know your way around a variety of machines!

Dean

Gene, had no idea you had a "two wheeler" as well. We actually had some biking weather here the past couple of days but this morning it is snowing again. Easter Sunday was sunny and quiet although barely up to the thawing point. So I went out and too a few pictures including this one of my great uncle's barn built in 1924. Wish it was in my yard.

Ralph, that is a nice classic barn. Does it have the pigeon tail on the other end? So many of those barns around here Have been neglected and roofing has blown away and rafters rotted away. Not many farmers here have a use for this type of barn now. Amish I hauled metal for, did a lot of work on these old barns to give them some some more life.

Yes, I have had the 2 wheeler for 7 years. Has a total of 241 miles. Haven't ridden it much. The seat was uncomfortable and back end of it sat too low and felt like I could slip off the back. I pulled the seat off yesterday and made a wedge to tip it up some. Think it will be better now.

Rain started here yesterday evening with thunder showers early am. Just sporadic light showers all day. Probably had less than 1/2 inch of rain. Did a few small jobs between showers, finally just did some shop jobs. Just when it was starting to dry up some.

Gene

Ralph, that is a nice classic barn. Does it have the pigeon tail on the other end? So many of those barns around here Have been neglected and roofing has blown away and rafters rotted away. Not many farmers here have a use for this type of barn now. Amish I hauled metal for, did a lot of work on these old barns to give them some some more life.
Just when it was starting to dry up some.

Gene

Gene, I need the Amish here to fix up the old barn. Unfortunately I don't own the land it sits on as it was sold in the 1940s while my dad was in the army. It has not been used in years and has had pieces salvaged off it weakening the structure. At this point I don't know which one of us will last the longest. It is getting a bit of a lean and bulge in places.
Here is a photo of when it was new in the 1920s with great Uncle Jack standing in front. Before the lean was built on the side.
I do have the original blue prints if I want to build a new one like it in my yard though.

A really nice spring day in Sask. for a change. Only in the high 40s but sunshine and blue sky were great. Got the old Merc out of the shed for it's first run in about 35 years.
[video=youtube;cWL05ElMeWM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWL05ElMeWM[/video]