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

Summer Lemons

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The weekend Farm Report comes to us from Ben.

There should be a lemon law for gators. Our gator, the utility vehicle we’ve grown to love, seems to develop some kind of coolant leak every 3 or 4 months. We got it in November of 2020. It went to the shop for the 4th time Thursday. When “Tim” came to pick it up, Kelly told him to bring back a better one, and we all laughed. “Brady” called at 7:30AM Friday morning working on numbers for a trade. We better wait for the mechanic to see what he can find first. Actually, dump it now and make the deal BEFORE the mechanic finds out what’s what.

 Kelly and I finished the steel ceiling in the shop late Sunday evening. Got in the house about 9:30 PM, but it was done. And Monday morning, the rental company called asking when I was bringing the lift back. I did that right away. The insulation guys had dropped off their lift, so it was nice to have two lifts for a while. 

Tuesday afternoon, a young man named ‘Blaze’ did all the prep work for the spray foam insulation. He added nailing strips to the walls (to support the 8′ wide fiberglass batts of insulation), he put cardboard in the attic to fill the gap at the wall, he taped over the windows, door, and covered the work bench. Then he put plastic on the floor too. He was back Wednesday morning to spray 1″ of closed cell foam on the walls. Thursday morning another crew was in and installed the fiberglass insulation on the walls and covered it all with plastic.  Now, just waiting for yet another crew to do the blown insulation in the attic.

The electrician is planning on running the new power line to the shop on Tuesday. 

 I need to order more steel for the walls. And install 2×4’s on the walls to attach the steel. But that won’t be in the next few weeks. 

Young Padawan was back this past Thursday and we pulled down an old fence, loaded up some scrap metal, and he used the weed wacker and mowed weeds while I was in a zoom meeting. He learned to drive the tractor more and I showed him how to use the oxy-acetylene torch to cut steel. Like most teenagers, he lives in shorts. I mentioned it would be nice if he owned some long pants as I showed him how sparks fly everywhere while cutting steel. I showed him once, then gave him the torch. He didn’t like the sparks.

In the tractor, I explained, and showed, and helped him take the forks off and put the bucket on. Later in the day, we took the bucket off, and put the forks back on. I got him going, then I walked away. I don’t like to give all the answers, I really want the kids to figure it out. I’m the dad who would help you practice swimming once, then throw you in the pool. It’s surprising how many people, kids and adults, are afraid to try things. I told him multiple times, “You can’t break anything. Give it a try.” “Wiggle it more”. “Keep pressing buttons until it works”, “Try something.” That’s a big one for me. Try SOMETHING! You can’t just sit there, TRY SOMETHING! 

I unhooked the latches on the bucket and I walked away. I heard them snap back into place as he struggled and I went over and helped get the bucket off and directed him to the forks. They snap into place all by themselves once you’ve got it hooked. I stood there and never made eye contact with him. I wanted him to figure it out. Took a while, and a little direction from me, but he did it. He’s a city boy, and this stuff is all really new to him. He’s getting there. 

He’s also got a habit of walking away before getting the full instructions. “Over between the sheds…” and off he goes. I stopped talking. Eventually, from over between the sheds, he says “What am I looking for?” Good question. Maybe wait for the full instructions next time. And he walked back. 

 We let the teenage chickens into their outside pen last weekend. They love it. And they spend a lot of time hopping up on the fence, going outside the fence, then hopping back in. Usually. Sometimes we have to help some figure out how to get back in. And Monday morning, one of our baby guineas was behind the house. Don’t know how he got out. And he sure made a lot of cackling noises. But he ran really fast and could fly enough, we couldn’t catch him. Later in the day he was pretty quiet. In the evening we feared the worst. Hadn’t heard him all afternoon. Suddenly there he was by the chicks. And we could catch him and get him home again. Guess he wore himself out having adventures. He’s stayed in the pen the rest of the week. There’s been a few movies about the big, bad, cruel, world outside. He learned. The older guineas chased him around a bit, too. There’s no place like home.  And Friday morning, they’re up on the wall to the teenage chicks. So now they’re all together. And our gimpy one, (We call him Festus. Or maybe Walter) I put him over the fence with them. They’re all doing OK together. 

CROPS: Corn will get the fungicide applied by helicopter any day now. Prevent cannibalism, you know. The soybeans look pretty good for June 1. Oats should get cut and harvested next week.

 Stay cool next week. I hope none of you are riding a bike across Iowa like my friend Simon. 

HOW ARE YOU AT TAKING DIRECTION?  WHAT CAN YOU SAY ABOUT LEMONS? ARE YOU SOUR OR SWEET?

49 thoughts on “Summer Lemons”

  1. I once heard, probably at about third hand, this comment made about me:
    “He does a good job, but he never does it the way you tell him to.”
    I thought that sounded about right.

    I approve of lemons.

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  2. i admit starting our sour but after i let it simmer a while i figure out how to sweeten it up
    not too sweet but to a level that doesn’t simmer inside

    i didn’t realize what a transition the shed was going to be … what a shed!!

    that gator is a magic carpet for you
    get a good one

    so oats are food grade?

    my instruction taking is suspect

    you tube is a savior

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    1. My dad built this machine shed in 1981. The entire building is 80’ long, 50’ wide, and 14’ tall at the walls. It doesn’t seem very big when I get machinery in it. And todays large tractors and combines don’t fit under 14’ walls.
      I am only insulating one end, where the tools are and I generally work. That area is 24’x50’.
      Next summer will be the wall to separate it from the rest, (cold storage as it’s called) and get heat installed. And maybe a little more concrete in the middle. See how much money we have. Of course, I haven’t gotten a lot of bills for this year’s materials yet, so I’m still under budget!

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  4. Don’t worry about that biking thing…

    Yeah, when you started out telling about building a “shed”, I was imagining something the size of a small garage. YIKES!

    I am usually good at taking direction – maybe too good, don’t question authority enough.

    I’m with Bill – I approve of them. They actually have tons of uses beyond eating/drinking; I have an article about that somewhere…

    I am usually sweet, but trying to tart it up more often.

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  5. RIse and. Shine, Baboons,

    I am good at taking direction as long as it is clear. If someone gives me unclear direction or is missing steps in direction, I do not respond well, especially if I get get criticized for not knowing what he/she did not tell me. GRRRR.

    Love, love, love lemons.

    I have been sour this week. My body responded with an allergic reaction to something in the world that put out pollen this week. It caused all kinds of swelling and fatigue, on top of being at work and trying to wrap up my practice. Groan. Looking up my lemonade recipe.

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  6. We always have lemons on hand. I have never gone so far as to make homemade Morrocan preserved lemons, but I have been tempted to try it. Daughter dislikes lemon desserts but likes lemon in her main dishes.

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  7. I approve of lemons too. They’re great in so many things and they remove stains and clean things so well. I use cut lemons on my fingernails to remove garden stains.

    I try very hard to be sweet but I’m afraid I’ve become a bit sour. At least I’m aware of it and try hard to return to sweetness.

    I’ll bet you’ll be very happy to have all your equipment in the shed this winter. It will be a nice warm place to hang out too, being so well insulated. You sure do work hard, Ben!

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  9. When I read about all of your work, Ben, and the relationship you have with Young Padawan, as well as your student workers at the college, it sounds as if you truly have a gift for encouraging young people to have confidence in their own ability to figure things out and to accomplish the task at hand.

    I have been trying to figure out whether I’m sweet or sour, and reached the conclusion that I don’t consider myself either. Sweet and sour are not adjectives I tend to associate with people, although I have certainly encountered people were either. I think more in terms of positive or negative, friendly or unfriendly, rigid or flexible, creative or unimaginative, kind and thoughtful or inconsiderate, or some combination of the above.

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      2. Wayback when, shopping for cars, I looked at a LeCar. When I opened the front door, a fist size chunk of paint popped off the bottom corner. The spare tire, which was about 12 inches around, was the top of the engine. Closed the hood and walked away.

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  12. A couple of years ago, I found a recipe for a lemon pie in which you throw everything in the blender together, including the lemons with the rinds. Then you pour the whole mixture into a premade graham cracker crust. Very very easy and it was quite delicious. I’ve made it a couple of times since then and it hasn’t been as good. I haven’t quite figured out the reason but I’m sure it has to do with the lemon quality. Maybe I’ll try it again this week.

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  13. There’s a difference in my world between “following instructions” and “doing as I’m told.” I’m pretty good at following instructions because I go on the theory that anyone issuing instructions hopefully has the proper expertise in the matter. As for doing what I’m told….,meh.

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    1. That’s presuming the person giving directions has experience you don’t have. Some persons presume that, whether or not it is true.

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    1. I was at a conference. Volunteers were called to the stage, they sat on the floor on their bottoms, and were instructed to move to the other side. They all started to scoot across the floor, except one, who stood up, and walked to the other side.

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  17. Sunday morning Crop update:

    We got 1.25 inches of rain last night, came fairly quick. Along with pea and marble size hail, and a little bit of quarter size hail. The south end of the farm, where I was mowing weeds, and where I parked the tractor under a tree during hailstorm, Didn’t look bad. The north end of the farm got more hail. Shredded a lot of corn leaves, broke off a few tassels, I don’t think the corn is a loss, it’s pretty resilient yet and there’s a lot of leaves intact, I think it’ll be OK. Or as good as it was going to be. The soybeans got pretty beat up, lost a lot of leaves. For soybeans, the growing point is right at the top. If that’s beat up, it’s done. I did see a few flowers coming on them. So, we just wait and see.
    Oats is leaning a bit, because it’s already done growing and, I guess thankfully, it wasn’t so tall this year, it didn’t break off and go flat, it’s just leaning a bit, so I think it will still cut OK. I don’t see a lot of grain on the ground, it must’ve knocked some off, but, Again, we’ll just have to see.
    This is going to be the year we compare every other year to.

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  18. A fruit farm near us posted last night that their vineyard took a big hit from hail and they expect a total loss. This after losing their strawberries due to lack of rainfall. This small area of Olmsted County is sure taking the brunt this year.

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  20. Lemon drop martini

    The juice of 6 lemons
    4 Tbsp. sugar
    6 fresh mint leaves
    4 shots of vodka
    Ice in shaker
    A sugar-rimmed martini glass

    Mix lemon juice, sugar and vodka in a martini shaker filled with ice. Shake well and pour into sugar-rimmed martini glass. Garnish with mint.

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