Still sunny in Sask. but it sounds like it may end tomorrow. So I quickly planted a few potatos, driest ground I can remember planting in. Also tested out the old IH hammer mill that I have been working on intermittently through the winter. Got it set up in place of the Case mill and put the belt on this morning to try it out. Have a look and listen.
[video=youtube;WgUbrz5Zjc8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgUbrz5Zjc8&feature=youtu.be[/video]

Glad the old mill is ready to work. Ran one like that many hours as a youngster. Usually ran it with the Farmall H or the F-12 in a pinch.

Looks like you are the warm spot again. High here today of 48 degrees and freeze warning for the next 2 nights. Got the wood fire going again. Been colder here this month than in March.

Got brave, or maybe dumb and planter some soybeans yesterday. Had about 100 pounds of seed left over from last year and decided to put them in the ground rather than throw them away. There was some mold in them, so couldn't mix them with the new seed. Will give them a chance since it is 3 1/2 weeks till I normally plant, so if I have to tear them up I won't really be out that much.

Have an appointment at eye clinic on Tuesday To evaluate for cataracts. Been having trouble with double vision and poor focusing. Hope to have this taken care of before planting season.. Diabetes seems to be under control and doing well with that.

Gene

Looks like the tables have turned for us in Sask. today. Raining and temps just a few degrees above freezing with a good possibility of snow before the day is done. In a word, miserable, although I guess it will be good for the grass and those potatos I planted yesterday.
Gene, my Dad had cataracts removed I think when he was in his 80s and it was  not too big a deal as I recall. He had to take it easy for a few days and saw quite an improvement in vision. Hope you get the same results.

Weather guys were right. We went from planting potatos in the dust to shoveling snow in less than 48 hours. This is the scene that met my eyes this morning April 7. Depressing. ..

[ATTACH=CONFIG]616[/ATTACH]

Yesterday I mowed my fields with my Cub Cadet riding mower.  This is the first time I've tried mowing it this year, we've had a record amount of rain during the month of March.  Had standing water in places where we've never had standing water!  I usually mow the fields with my Farmall Super A and Woods belly mower, but the ground was still so soft that I used the Cub Cadet instead.  Even using the light riding mower with its high flotation tires, there were a few areas in the field I had to skip as the ground was still too soft and I almost got stuck a couple of times.  Was lucky enough to have enough forward momentum and able to turn towards some drier ground.

I also mow the grass for our church and haven't been able to do that either.  At least for the Easter egg hunt this past Saturday, the tall grass made the egg hunt a bit more challenging for the older kids.

Will definitey be glad when we get drier weather and I can use the Farmall for mowing as it takes half the time of using the riding mower.

I finally pulled the trigger on the mowing too.  Being cold and windy all last week prevented me from doing more than thinking about  mowing.  Temperature did get into the 50's on Saturday but the wind was just too much.  Yesterday at 11  AM the wind was up some but not as bad as later in the day so I had a go at the cutting.  It worked out well enough so I did all of it.  I had too be careful not to turn the wrong direction or I would end up wearing all of the clippings.  The clay was a little gummy in places, but really no standing water.  Wind all week did a lot of drying even with some rain tossed in.  Like everyone else, this is the earliest mowing ever in my memory.  At least the grass will stay all neat and even for 15 or 20 minutes.  

Charlie V.

Western Ohio has turned very dry for the past month. Could use a nice soaking rain. Has been windy with daily winds of 25 to 35 MPH. Worked up the plowed ground 3 weeks ago expecting a rain to mellow it up, but hasn't happened. Worked it down with the harrogator last Saturday to help break it up and help retain moisture. Been able to get some rocks picked up from the fields, a luxury I haven't had for a few years. Mowed the grass last Friday for the second time. Growth has slowed down with the cold weather. Nightly lows near or below freezing likely has put a stress on the fruit trees. Looks like a warming trend after Thursday.

Appointment today at eye clinic to check for cataracts. Will know after today what I need. Brother had cataracts removed a couple years ago and has good results from that. Says procedure is quick and relatively painless.

Gene

We are anxiously waiting to hear that all you needed was a new prescription in your lenses, Gene.  Hope that is the deal.  Good luck.  We are down into the 40's for a couple of days so I am laying low.  I installed another gig of ram memory in this pc today and I could tell right away that it has more spunk so it was money well spent.  Less than twenty bucks and it is a 50% increase over what it had.  Hard to go wrong on that.

Charlie V.

Hi Guys;

Eye appointment yesterday went as expected. Cataracts in both eyes with the left being worse with what he described as a white cataract as compared to normal yellow cataract. Said I would have lost all vision in that eye in 6 months. Surgery Monday Apr 16 for the first eye and Apr 30 for the second one. Should be in good shape for the summer.

After I got home yesterday I had hoped to pick up some more rocks from the fields. Temp was 41 degrees and wind blowing at 30 MPH, so decided to build a fire in the stove and stay in for the afternoon. Wind chill was at 28 degrees. 30 degrees this morning and forecast to start warming up after tomorrow morning. Tonight should be the last freezing night.

Lots of ground being worked for corn planting and look to see the planters going full force before the weekend. Guys just waiting for warmer weather. Getting dry here with no appreciable rain for the last 6 weeks. Not much chance in the forecast either.

Turned colder up this way too a day or so ago which was  a good thing. We were able to get a semi load of flax loaded at my brother's place early in the morning before the frost came out of the ground. It was frozen pretty good at 15F that morning and the loaded truck never made a track.
Got three more loads out of  my yard yesterday early before it thawed. Fields are mud and wet from the melted snow of the weekend so nothing doing out there. Heres the 970 Case running the grain vac .
[video=youtube;4m9DZ6RKGPc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m9DZ6RKGPc[/video]

Surgery went well today. Pretty awkward typing with one eye with the new one covered with a plastic shield. Follow up tomorrow and will remove the shield. Not a bad procedure and was over before I knew it. Looking forward to better vision. Have to be careful for a few days. Next one on the 30th.

Temp yesterday was 74 degrees with strong winds of over 40 MPH. Had about 1/2 inch rain on Saturday and a light trace this morning. Still need more to mellow the ground. More forecast for the end of the week. Got to about 63 tday and more strong winds. Colder again tonight with low of 37 forecast, then warmng up the rest of the week.

Soybeans still not emerged, but seeo to be sprouting. Time will tell if they make it.

Dog treed a big coon this morning in the mulberry tree next to the house. Knocked him out with the rifle and Bandy dispatched him as soon as he hit the ground. He doesn't tolerate any unwanted critters in the yard.

Bought an old harrow for the field cultivator. Spent Saturday straightening and welding it and mounted it on Sunday. Hope it works to level the ground better.

Gene

Gene, glad to hear the eye surgery went well. Hope you will see a big improvement.
I could use that dog of yours here. I see coon tracks in the yard most days so I know they prowl the yard every night. So far they haven't got into any trouble.
I gave the old IH hammer mill it's first test run with oats on the weekend putting about 40 bushels through it. I was impressed. It handled it well and that old fibre pulley didn't slip near as much as the Case steel pulley did. Consequently I think this little ten inch IH puts grain through as fast as the 14 inch Case used to. A short video of it here . That was the last nice day we had. Nothing but cold, rain or drizzle, even a little snow when it got down to freezing. Its a slow spring here.
[video=youtube;CzzxmTclK8g]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzzxmTclK8g[/video]

Looks like you have the mill running good. Make a good replacement for the Case mill.

Bandy was out in the barn a few nights ago. Had the neighbor's yellow cat cornered behind some spare parts. Thought it might have been another coon. I got a piece of pipe and convinced it to come out. It finally ran out the door and made it safely home. Try to convince him to not bother them, but he may still remember the monster feral cat that was here a few years ago. Biggest and strongest Cat I have ever seen. It was under the front porch and with leather gloves on, I could not pull him loose from behind the chimney. Even after being shot in the chest, he would not give up the fight. Finally got his head turned and got him out. Bandy was on it before it got 5 feet from the porch. It was metal gray with a short tail and may have been a hybrid with a bobcat.

Finally got a nice shower here last night. Maybe 3/4 inches that came nice and slow most of the night. I had about 2 acres to finish with the harrowgator when I got rained out. Got pretty wet before I got the tractor in the barn. Yesterday was a very nice day here with high of about 75 degrees and light to moderate south wind. Turned cold over night and high today of 41 degrees and cloudy all day. Forecast lows the next 2 nights in the mid to high 30's. Looks like Charlie is having the same weather we had last night and Ralph is warmer than both of us.

Lots of corn planted in the area last week. Was ideal weather for getting it in. Farmer who farms the ground to the west of me came in with his 48 row planter and planted the 120 acres there in less than 2 hours. Saw one farmer planting beans on Thursday. May be a little early for them, but he probably had his corn all planted and wanted to keep working.

Doing well after the eye surgery. Has healed up real well. Much better distance vision. Will still need glasses for near vision.

Gene

Good Morning,

You are on target re: our wet, rainy weather, Gene.  Friday was a stellar day with a high of 82, full sun and very light breeze.  A lot of blossoms pushed out that have just been in a holding pattern since the last warm spell.  Flowering trees around town are simply loaded this year and lovely.  It looks like my hybrid Lilacs have been taken out by an earlier freeze as they appear to have no buds to open out. The old fashioned bushed which bloom a little later do have nice buds ready to open.

I took as much advantage of Friday as possible and did some out of doors chores. My  #1 helper is at my side offering to do the go get this and go get that as I am not too mobile.  She is a gift. She gets along pretty well considering her broken hip last summer but it is not without her share of pain. Many chores left to go, but it is great just to be out in the perfect weather.

I see many acres of well worked ground that I think are mostly planted and just waiting for water.  If we see warmer temperatures after this 24 hours of rain, the corn will be sprouting all over the place, and maybe some soybeans as well.  The problem is that the forecasters are all screaming "Snow Warning" for tonight and tomorrow in the hills south, so just how wet is wet enough.  Time will tell. I am glar that Ralph is in the good weather and hope it turns out to be a good year in the North country.

Charlie V.