Locked Out and Other Stuff
November 26th, 2006 by Northern FarmerOK, some folks think I’m pretty smart and full of all sorts of wisdom. So let me share some of my wisdom today! Went to church today and locked the doors of the house for the first time in years, cause there’s a crime spree going on around here the last week. Two homes broke into within two miles the last few days. So I figured I could at least lock it so they have to work a couple seconds to get in. Went to church and traded one kid for another, brought home the Pastors daughter here and left our youngest over that way. Get home and put the key in the doorknob,…….nothing….keep trying and trying, then the realization hit me, I put a new doorknob in that door this summer and never put the new key on the truck key chain. I mean, what for, we never lock the house anyhow. Not wanting to do to much damage that would give me more work than I wanted in the next few days, I gradually disassembled the inside door from the attached garage into the entryway. By disassembly I’m talking about a hammer. Pretty successful too, didn’t damage the door one bit, just lacking a doorknob. Surgically removed with a claw hammer. So, who out there needs any expert advice today, eh?
Other than that, things went smooth today. Getting prepared for a new week and new adventures, what ever they’ll be. Go to church Wednesday evening, study the Word every evening. That’s about it for life here in the end of November and beginning of December. Time to go out and rustle up a Christmas tree too! I don’t know, I always like doing that! And as people that have been here know, I get full enjoyment out of a tree, it hangs around here for months. In fact last years is still out in the backyard somewhere with the tree stand still on it. I’d better go out and get that stand off before we get a blizzard and I can’t find the tree. Don’t want to screw up the Christmas Tree like I do with door locks.
Now, our tree is a real one from a neighbors place a mile away. We go there every year and buy one from them. So it should be snowing in the next few days here because I can’t ever remember a year buying one without snow on the ground. I’m not talking allot of snow, just a ground cover. Right now we have no snow here and the only snow we ever got this season yet was just a dusting, that went away the same day. I just wonder if we’ll have another open winter, heck the last winter with any real snow here was in 97 or so, maybe earlier. Trouble is besides lack of snow, we have a lack of rain most years to. Just during growing season though. When growing season is near done then it’ll rain buckets.
But winters here used to be pretty tough with snow as high as the buildings sometimes, not really snow fall that deep, but snow drifted in during blizzards. A kid’s dream come true. Digging tunnels, building forts, all sorts of grand adventures. We used to really have some grand times doing this. Funny how you could play like that for hours in really cold weather, snow down the shirt and pants and just keep going. Happy as heck. Then come in and the mother of the house we were playing at would whip up some hot chocolate, mmm! Funny, at the rate it’s going my kids can hardly remember a year when we had all that snow. Just something that daddy talks about in some stories. I figure one of these years it’ll return bigtime, roads so plugged up that they can’t get em all plowed before the next one hits, then the next one. A commuter’s nightmare, which brings to mind another thing. Back in them years of really big snowfalls there weren’t the commuters here as they are today. I’ll just worry about commuting to the cattle feeding areas, and if it gets too bad the cattle can worry about commuting to me.
Only time will tell how it’ll all be this winter, but it don’t pay to worry about it. Be prepared yes, but worry, no. Northern farming can be very challenging because of the weather. That stuff can kill you fast if a person is reckless. But a person learns to do it right, stay warm and get er done. Almost all my chores are outdoors so it gets a bit more interesting than working in a nice barn. Although there are many times I’d prefer to be in a nice barn, listening to the breathing of the animals and an occasional movement of some critter. And listening to the animals eating their hay or feed. But this place is almost a hybrid, a cross between a farm and a ranch, with most critters staying outdoors all the time. But they do stay healthy out there! Even at 57 below zero, funny how they can take it!
November 26th, 2006 at 10:39 pm
Tom, a suggestion/request for you, how about writing about Christmas and how your church/family observes it? We’ve gotten rid of a lot of our Christmas ’stuff’ due to some issues about how truely Christian the holiday is or has become. But lately I’ve been rethinking about how much of my cultural heritage (german farmer) I want to jettison. Anyway, keep up the good work! P.S. Do you peek in the barn at midnight on Christmas eve?
November 27th, 2006 at 6:48 am
Hey Brent!
Hmmm, suggestion noted, I’m just thinking if or what did I write about last year. For now, all I can say is that it is really simple in comparison to most, to the point that it is relaxing, not a season of stress due to it all. Christmas can be a great time if a person has their priorities right, just like anything else.
As far as peeking in the barn at midnight, I’m sleeping then for two hours and I ain’t getting up!!
God Bless!
November 27th, 2006 at 10:50 am
Tom,
Thanks for the laugh. We don’t lock our doors either. If we did, I’d probably have the same problem. I did lock myself out of my wifes car though. My son was using my truck, so I had to take the car to the farm. well, I opened the door, put the car in neutral (instead of park, guess I’m used to doing that with the ol truck), set the emergency brake, and closed the door.
Well, the new cars will relock the doors if you close em with the shifter out of park. I guess it was Gods way of saying I needed some exercise, because the 2.5 mile walk home had me huffing and puffing like I’d just run a marathon.
I remember those snow filled days too. I especially remember coming in by the fire and having the steam coming off our clothes as we warmed up. Mom would make hot chocolate for us too.
Not many days like that here in bama, but we get a couple of days where the kids can slide down a hill.
Take care,
Brad
November 27th, 2006 at 1:39 pm
Wow.. sounds like a serious adventure. Here at the Fish Creek House this past thanksgiving holiday was one of thanksgiving, and really staying away from the “holiday hoopla”, “Black Friday” stuff and it made for a great, relaxing weekend.
Christmas here, we will striveto do the same and keep our eyes focused on the price
as it were. Our guests appreciate that too.
GP in Montana who’s doing her very best “Michelin Snowwoman ” imitation, getting ready to go out riding here.
November 27th, 2006 at 1:40 pm
Oops, I meant PRIZE
November 27th, 2006 at 8:18 pm
Brad,
The only time (so far) that I’ve had that happen to us with our Olds was right here in the yard. Freaked me out, the car locked me out on it’s own. Reminds me of some old sci fi thrillers where machines try to take over and man has to do away with them, or should I say computers try. Then again mine has been trying that a long time. Good thing it don’t have arms or legs, I’d be a gonner the way this contraption acts sometimes.
But most of the time my walks home from fields and pastures a couple miles away involve “traditional” problems, like dead battery or something like that. I guess the walk is still the same though. Now this has me thinking, years ago on that two mile walk almost everyone would’a been home during the day, so a guy could walk over to the neighbors and get a lift home, probably with a meal thrown in on the deal. But alas, nowdays almost everyone is gone pursuing a career or job. So trudge, trudge all the way home. Don’t got a cell phone so can’t use that.
I don’t know what’s happening with the weather here, conflicting reports from what I see. I wish them folks from the National Weather Service that read this blog would help me out sometimes, but I guess we’ll just do it the old fashioned way and get surprised every morning! Or else I can use the time tested research of slicing an onion, a piece for every month and then I could predict the weather for the next year. I forget the particulars on this scientific method, but then again I could always fry em up
God Bless Down There!
GP,
Well them retailers call it black Friday because they make so much money that they’re in the black. Two can play at that game, cause I figure if we don’t go following the crowd and shop till we drop, we’ll be in the black too! It’s well documented here that I have pretty high standards when shopping. I don’t go to them low class malls with all there imported junk, I’ll just go some weekday morning to the local Fleet store where if they don’t got it, you don’t need it! Two years ago I got a slick four tine pitch fork for Christmas, man was I happy!!! Was even using it today in the horse pen and hog pen, a gift that lasts! Also good for chasing salesmen and politicions around with! I’ve been hinting for a sleek new sixteen pound mall for this year! That’s for after I catch those two!
God Bless!
November 28th, 2006 at 1:30 pm
Hi Tom, You want snow, we’re gettin her today. I looked on the weather map and you guys in Minnisota are gettin rain, I think. They say a storm is comin in from the West. They have been sayin that for a week now and nothin happens. I am not complaining, just hard on my head. I worry about stuff like that. Got a pitch fork for my birthday 3 years ago from the kids. Got a rake this year. Now, those are good gifts. Never thought of the other uses. Take er easy or any way you can get er.
November 28th, 2006 at 2:10 pm
Guy,
We got our biggest rain in two months this morning and they say it’ll cool down on the backside of this system. I can see the snow your way on the local radar. It’s been good this fall as far as no mud, and now I hope it freezes down overnight so the cattle yards don’t get muddy from use. Then I’d say that was the nicest fall ever as far as mud conditions! I got a birthday coming too in a couple of weeks, hopefully I’ll get something useful then too!
Well, I’d better get back out there!