2023, animals, Automotive, Family, Farming Update, Nature, Seasons, Weather

Another Week, Another Snowstorm

51 Comments

The weekend Farm Report comes to us from Ben.

We got a good 6 to 8 inches Wednesday night into Thursday. They were predicting that, so I unhooked the rear blade and hooked the snowblower on the tractor on Tuesday. I hadn’t used the blower this year, so I had to put the hydraulic cylinder on it to rotate the spout, check the oil, grease the power takeoff shaft, and I was fairly impressed with myself that I could get in amongst the linkage and frame and get the power takeoff shift connected to the tractor. I would not have been able to do that last summer. BULLY FOR ME!  

It was kind of fun to blow snow again, I do things a little different with the blower than I do with the blade and it’s just been the last few years that I started using a blade for snow, so the skills for this came back pretty quick. I remembered it would be slower, but I forgot how much it makes my neck hurt because I’m looking over my right shoulder to do it. The seat swivels a bit, and I sit as sideways as I can, but it’s still looking over my shoulder. My next tractor will have heated mirrors so they stay clean. Or maybe my next tractor will have a blower on the front!

Kelly took some video of me, and I put my first video on YouTube.

One day I had to stop at Fleet Farm as I was looking for insulated winter boots. I found them over in the ice fishing section. You all know I’m not much of a sportsman so I don’t think I’ve ever walked through that area before. It was a little bit fascinating!

I found some boots; they’re keeping my feet much warmer than the plain rubber boots I had been wearing.

Then I went to Menards and walked around there for a while. After that, I had a meeting on the far end of the college campus, and by the time I got home I was pooped out. Nothing hurt! Just pooped out.

Kelly counted 17 pheasants in the yard one morning. The most we’ve ever had, and I love seeing them. I have one neighbor that always asks if he can pheasant hunt and I always tell him no.

My chickens from last spring are just coming into their peak. It’s not unusual to get 16 or 20 eggs a day lately. If anybody was up for a road trip again for eggs, this would be a good time. Although we should wait for the driveway to get better than glare ice.

After that rain we got on Monday, our yard and driveway became pretty slick. It’s been packed snow all winter, not thick, just a half-inch maybe, but that’s what rain does to it. I went to a meeting Monday night. I was impressed that I was even able to get out. Years of practice I told Kelly. After I got home, I used the loader and tried to scrape the ice on the hills and corners on the driveway. It didn’t do much, but it did rough it up a bit and that helps.

I went out to do chores while it was raining on Monday, I tried Kelly‘s yak traks, but they didn’t fit my boots, and I lost them on about the third step. Again, I’ve been doing this for years, I know how to aim for the gravel or bare ground or walk through the snow. Once I got to the feed room, I threw out a bunch of corn, and that gives some traction. Then I carried a bucket with me and scattered corn in front of me to make a path to walk on. A win for the crows and chickens and ducks, and a win for me.

I remember an old movie called Angel In My Pocket, Andy Griffith and a host of character actors that you would recognize. It came out in 1969, and a gentleman playing the church caretaker, Parker Fennelly, reminds me of my grandfather Hain. That was the only movie I was able to watch this week. I couldn’t find it online anywhere so I ordered the movie off eBay and it came from Australia. Spent a week in customs in Chicago. It a long way for some entertainment, but I really enjoy this movie and it makes me think of Grandpa.

I was filling the birdfeeders one day, and I love the fact that the chickadees don’t even wait for me to finish, and they don’t appear to be very scared. I was standing right there filling things and they just come and sit on the birdfeeder.

And here’s Humphrey breaking the corn cob into bits.  PHOTOS

Do you, or did your family do home movies?

51 thoughts on “Another Week, Another Snowstorm”

  1. Hey Ben, an answer to your notification yesterday about bales. I think five for VS this year.

    Home movies. Nope. We didn’t do it when I was a kid, assuming it was a money issue. YA does a few videos now and then on her phone but do we consider videos on your phone as home movies?

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  2. I still have a box of 8 millimeter movies and the projector and a screen. The movies haven’t been played for 40 or 50 years and there’s a good chance they would be too brittle to play.

    But I’ve had it in mind to try one. My thought is that I would set up the projector and screen in my office in the basement, along with my digital camera on a tripod, focused on the screen, and while the movies play I could record them as video. Then I could edit them digitally and save them on a disk.

    I know there are companies that do that but they cost a fortune, especially considering how many films I have. One of my cousins remembered visiting us at our lake cabin and wondered if the movies of those visits still existed. I’d love tobe able to send a playable copy to her.

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    1. Oh that would be sweet. Perhaps try your plan with one of the less precious ones to test out how brittle it is, and see how much success you have capturing on video. Then, if it’s total failure, select a few of the ones that carry the most memories and spring for the expense of getting them converted. Good luck.

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      1. If only the films were that well labeled. At best they have a date and a location, which I will have to parse at the distance of 60 years. Your suggestion is a good one, of course.

        At some point, probably in the ‘70s, my Dad had a few of the films transferred to VHS. As I recall, the quality was not stellar. I don’t have any means to play the tape anymore, which points to the peril of committing to a medium that is undoubtedly transitional and a third generation copy is likely to be degraded further. Nevertheless, the tape copy wouldn’t have the footage that would interest my cousins.

        If my plan works, I will have returned to the source and might have some latitude for improving the quality digitally.

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        1. I don’t like the long good-bye. Drives me nuts. When I have said good-bye, then I want to go. Husband’s family is especially adept at both ends of coming and going—the slow start and the long good-bye

          Liked by 1 person

  4. My dad did take home movies, and in the 80s I had them converted to VHS tapes, and then finally (at Walgreens) to CDs. Just checked, and I have two copies of Britson Home Movies – and I will definitely bring them out the next time my sister is here. They are priceless – me dancing as a 5-year-old, my sister getting a bath in the kitchen sink (I’m now looking at the pictures on front of video pkg.)…

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    1. Mostly I think about how comfortable this is compared to my dad out there in an open tractor with the snow blowing over him.
      No wonder he seemed so much tougher than I am, haha–

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  6. Rise and Shine, Baboons,

    Someone in my mother’s family bought a movie camera sometime in the 50s. It was to be a shared camera, but most of the family members got bored with it, so it ended up in the possession of Uncle Marvin, who used it. In the 80s someone unearthed the movies. I was delighted to find a movie of my dad, who was a “County Agent” or Agricultural Extension Director. He was a good talker so he would be on TV doing PSAs for the Extension Service. One day when he was on TV Uncle Marvin made a movie of the the TV with dad featured on it talking about the Extension Service. I was dumbstruck since I was so young when he did these things that I did not know he had been a regular on Sioux City Channel 9 for several years. It was fun to be reminded that he started life in a different state than how I remember him wracked by MS. There was another brief film of Dad and Uncle Marvin baling hay. The rest of the collection was of Uncle Marvin’s family vacations and their 7 children.

    I just threw away a bunch of videotape cartridges of family stuff. Nobody really wants to watch us opening presents during Christmas, 1986. Then there was a video of my son in Odyssey of the Mind with him sitting on a kid panel, thinking. I was happy to let go of that one, too.

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    1. I can imagine how precious those videos of your dad in his prime are to you, Jacque. It’s really too bad that you don’t have a lot of memories of it yourself, but perhaps these videos give you a better insight into what a tremendous loss his progressing disease was for everyone in the family, not least your mother and you kids, not to mention your dad, of course.

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  8. No movies in my family. Movie cameras were available, but not exactly ubiquitous, when Iwas growing up.

    I imagine there is no kid in America these days that doesn’t have hundreds of video clips documenting their childhood.

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  10. Very few photos, and no home movies from my family when I was a child. I’ve never seen a single photo from my mom’s childhood, I’m sure no one had cameras or money to spend on such frivolous and unnecessary luxuries in her neck of the woods. Of dad, I have one large framed professional portrait from when he was about three. It’s on display in our dining room. No candid snapshot at all.

    I have a couple of photographs of my mother from shortly after marrying dad. One with one of her younger brothers taken in Drogheda, and a few from after her arrival in Denmark.

    I got my first camera when I was eleven so I could capture my visit to England and Ireland for Uncle John’s wedding. I don’t recall taking any photos during that trip, and the only photo I have from it was the “official” photo of the wedding party after the ceremony.

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  11. Funny, when I first read Ben’s question about home movies, my thoughts went back to the 8 mm camera of my parents. But we had a movie camera too when our kids were little. The camera used full-size VHS tapes and was so cumbersome that it required a significant occasion to warrant dragging it out. Moreover when our last VCR bit the dust, those tapes became unplayable. I could have them transferred but nobody is much interested in watching the old movies. Albums of still photos are preferable.

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    1. Fortunately, I have been spared that experience. Most of the old photos are bad enough.

      I have to admit, though, that I think they are hilarious. And embarrassing as they might be, I don’t really feel embarrassed by them. For example, I look at the photo in my old “passport” in my Youth Hostel passport, and I have to laugh. What an oddball fifteen-sixteen year old kid I was. Weird hair for starters, and a facial expression that communicates just how uncomfortable within my own skin I was. Most definitely didn’t fit anybody’s idea of what was beautiful, trendy, or in any way attractive, yet I remember the kid inside, and feel great love and compassion for her. What a trooper and fighter she was. I think of that whenever I find myself shaking my head at some of the youths I encounter along the way. Some of the adults, too, now that I think of it. No doubt, there are a lot of questions of “what the hell was I thinking” that will never be answered. At the time, that question didn’t come up. I’m glad to have lived long enough to gain that perspective.

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        1. I’d encourage that, BiR. It can be really freeing to contemplate a different perspective. It doesn’t mean that you dismiss responsibility for all the things you have done wrong or imperfectly in your life. And it certainly doesn’t mean making up excuses for them. Blaming others or circumstances doesn’t work. It does mean that you try to look at it with greater compassion and understanding. If you can do that with yourself, you’ll find yourself much more forgiving and less judgemental of others as well. I’ll admit, it takes a lot of work to get there; I have remind myself of that regularly.

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  13. My Uncle Wayne had a movie camera in the 50’s and 60’s. I remember very bright lights that shone while he filmed, so bright that everyone squinted and shaded their eyes while he filmed.

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    1. Our driveway is about 3/4 of a mile. There’s another 3/10ths to the highway that is township and the county plows that. But often I make a path all the way to the highway if the county hasn’t been in yet. And then around the yard and buildings. I figure an hour down here and an hour on the road.

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  15. I heard a short piece on public radio about a stage production of The Haunting of Hill House that is being performed in Rochester this month….are you lighting that one by any chance, Ben?

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  16. I enjoyed the video of you snowblowing, Ben. I’m sure it’s fun for you. I’m glad you’re doing so well with your knee.

    Our family didn’t do home videos and I’m ok with that. We do have a lot of family photos. They’re now in my keeping and very badly organized. My brothers don’t want them. Someday I’ll organize them, but I’m not in a big hurry.

    I would take some eggs. I wish I had read this sooner, Ben. I could have come over there today. I can’t come tomorrow but maybe Tuesday or Wednesday.

    Re: root vegetables – they’re great roasted. Cut them into 1″ chunks, put them in a ziplock bag, drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle some seasonings on them. Toss the bag to coat everything. Turn them out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. Roast at 350 until tender. Yes, I do turnips, parsnips, and kohrabi. I also roast Brussels sprouts and carrots. Cut up some sweet onion and roast that with it for sweetness.

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    1. I am working during the day, but let’s talk schedules. Send me an email. Benhain (at) the gmail.

      Kellys uncle had a video camera and he took a few movies of their family. Then we have some movies of our kids when young. The little VHS-c cassette, and we can use the adapter to play them. We got his camera eventually, used it a bit, but also felt like I was missing things when being the cameraman. My brother is able to convert them to DVD.
      This same brother had a video camera and he did a lot of family Christmas’. He’s converted a lot of them. I laughed when Jacque talked about throwing out tapes of Christmas 1986! That’s a lot of these.

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  17. I think that storm has headed into my neighborhood tonight. I’m hoping we only get a glancing blow and the amount is reduced! Aye yi yi.

    We were too poor to afford a videocam. Which now that I am older, I am very thankful for 😀

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      1. The mrs and I are in the northern new england area. Just got power back in the last hour or so 😀 after losing it for a couple of hours.
        And here I was thinking we were going to have an easy peasy winter, oh well 🙂

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  18. I was curious about Chat GPT and tried it out. Sample conversation:

    how do you feel about turnips?

    As an AI, I do not have personal preferences or feelings about things, including turnips. I am here to provide information and answer questions to the best of my abilities based on my training data.

    do you know any poems or song lyrics about turnips?

    I’m sorry, I couldn’t find any specific poems or song lyrics about turnips, as it is not a common topic in poetry or music. However, turnips are a root vegetable and have been used in many cultures for centuries. They can be used in many ways, such as being boiled, mashed, fried or eaten raw. They can also be used in soups and stews.

    If you want a poem or song lyrics mentioning turnips, you can use the imagination and create one.

    do you have any good stories about home movies?

    As an AI, I do not have personal experiences, but I can tell you stories or information about home movies that I have been trained on.

    Home movies are a great way for families to capture memories of their loved ones and special moments. They can be shot on film or digitally and can include everything from birthday parties and holidays to family vacations and everyday life.

    One story about home movies is about a family who found an old film reel in their attic that had been forgotten for decades. They were able to have it digitized and were able to watch memories of their grandparents’ wedding, their parents’ childhood and their own baby steps. It was a wonderful way for the family to reconnect with their past and appreciate their family history.

    Another story is about a person who found a home movie of his family, who emigrated from a foreign country, and in the film, they were speaking their native language, which the person had forgotten, but after watching the movie, he was able to reconnect with his heritage and culture.

    Home movies can also be used as a way to preserve and share cultural traditions, such as traditional dances, religious ceremonies, and other customs.

    A creative way to use home movies is to make a montage of clips from different periods of time, set to music, to tell a story about a person, a family, or a place.

    Overall, home movies can be a valuable source of personal and cultural history and a way to preserve memories for future generations.

    I give it good grades on spelling and grammar.

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    1. Actually, this is a little better than I was expecting after you described it this afternoon. The use of the winter warmth to describe what we all know will be the stew that the turnips are in was more imaginative than I thought it would be.

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