A Few Days of Labor

Another two weekends have snuck past us.  One of those was, of course, Labor Day weekend.  We have established a tradition of going to the Threshermen's Reunion in Pontiac over Labor Day.  This year the big change was taking our own tractor to the show.  As the show approached, the weather was in question, but in the end it was fine other than being pretty warm on Saturday.  N was a real trooper on Saturday, helping me take the tractor over, and then taking turns looking at things and going for train rides.  Next year's show will feature Caterpillar, so they asked me to park in a special spot, which of course I obliged.  Sunday the whole family went to see the show and to bring the tractor home.  Grandma and Grandpa met us there.  I think the second day was a little much for N, and combining that with his little brother to aggravate him, and the compelling need to show of his daddy's tractor for everybody, brought the day to a little earlier end than I would have liked.  Still, I think we all had a good time, and the cooler weather on Sunday was a welcome change.

 As usual, Labor Day Monday we spent a good part of it laboring, doing the normal weekend chores that didn't get done during the tractor show.  The biggest excitement was harvesting our pumpkin and watermelon crop.  6 pumpkins and 3 watermelons were the total.  We ended up with several pretty good sized pumpkins, and the one watermelon we have eaten so far was delicious. 

 Although the holiday weekend made for a shorter week, it was N's first week of full-length school days.  He seems to be taking it in stride for the most part.  He is a little more tired and prone to melt-downs in the evenings, but definitely not exhausted like we feared he might be.  He got his fifth purple card for exceptional behavior, which made him extra excited because we had told him if he got 5 he could pick out a treat.  He also got a special treat from Grammy, the new "Day of the Diesels" Thomas movie that just came out.  There was no shortage of activity around the neighborhood last week either.  On Friday the excavator and skid steer came back to backfill around the new house, and just when that wrapped up, the farmer came to combine the corn field behind our house.  L was in seventh heaven. 

The weekend was productive despite some illness making it's way through the house.  L has had some lingering upset stomach issues, which has been waking him (and therefore us) up in the night.  Consequently, he has been kind of clingy, and hasn't had much of an appetite.  Stomach issues also hit C hard Saturday night and into Sunday.  Thankfully both seem to be doing better now.  N and I tried to make the most of our weekend.  He went with me Saturday morning to run some errands.  His main motivation was getting to pick out a new train for his purple card reward.  I also talked him into trying on some clothes at Farm and Fleet, so he will have some jeans to play in now that it is cooling off a little bit. 

My main motivation for going to Morton was to pick up a roto-tiller.  Between the boys dirt box, the garden, and miscellaneous yard projects, there have been several times this spring and summer I've wished I had one.  I had looked for one that could attach to Johnny, but I really wouldn't use it enough to justify the cost of the tiller, associated pulley drives and mounting bracketry.  This one showed up on craigslist for only $50, and while it could probably use a little TLC, works just fine as-is.  I need another small engine to maintain like I need another hole in my head, but this will make a few yard chores easier. 

The medical maladies took up quite a bit of time on Sunday, but I did squeeze in a couple small projects.  There were several times this summer where I realized just how hot the seat on the Ten can get sitting in the sun.  I ordered an umbrella hoping it would come in time for the Pontiac show, but it showed up one day too late.  I got it installed and L and I tried it out going for a ride in the newly harvested corn field. 

The final project was one I did with N.  One of the central locations in his new Thomas movie is the "Dieselworks".  He likes to re-enact the Thomas TV shows and movies, so we decided to make our own Dieselworks to use with his train sets.  It was just the right size project for us to do together; it didn't take so long it lost his attention, and we were able to get it done from start to finish while L was down for his nap. 

Stumped

This week was my 6th work trip this year.  Granted two of those were just day-trips by car, but still that is by far the most I have had in a long, long time.  I do enjoy traveling; getting to meet customers, and seeing how every uses their tractors in slightly different ways.  This week’s trip was not one I looked forward to.  It was a customer complaint that dealt squarely with my area of responsibility.  The local rep had expressed the extreme urgency needed on this issue, so on relatively short notice we booked the trip. 

The trip was to a job in South Carolina where they prepare land for reforestation.  The location of the customer was both good and bad.  It was near Myrtle Beach, which provided convenience for travel and accommodations, as well as entertainment, should we have any extra time to enjoy it.  The location also put the trip in jeopardy due to it’s proximity to the path of hurricane Irene.  Fortunately the impact of Irene was limited to only a couple inches of rain, and was long gone by the time we got there. 

I won’t go into too much detail on the customer visit, other than the application was certainly interesting to see.  I’ve seen plenty of plowing, but not any where you had to push the branches out of the way and cut off stumps at the same time.  At the end of the visit, we had improved the situation with the customer, but didn’t quite get all the way to where he wanted to be.  We’ve got some work ahead of us to get the rest of the way there. 

We finished in time to make a brief visit to the beach before we headed to the airport.  You couldn’t even tell a hurricane had passed near there only a few days before. 

Half Century of Golfcarts

We survived the first week of Kindergarten.  Survived probably isn't the right word.  C may see things differently since by the time I get home, N has been out of school for a few hours already, but so far it seems to have been smooth sailing.  I don't want to jinx it, but N seems to really enjoy it so far, and doesn't seem to be too exhausted when he gets home.  Next week he starts full days, so that may change, but for now things are going really well. 

One of the carrots I dangled for N was if he was good all week, he could go with me to a tractor show.  I don't know how much of that was actually excitement for the tractor show, or just going somewhere with me.  He is going through a phase right now where he really likes to do things with me, and truth be told, I like being able to take him with me to stuff like this now too.  N held up his end of the bargain, so we planned our departure for Rantoul on Saturday morning. I had previously invited C to come with L, and to my surprise, C decided to take me up on it.  Despite the last minute change in plans to make it a whole-family outing, we were on the road before 7:30.

I remembered from the last show there being a lot of golfcarts, gators, and other UTV’s, but I think there were even more this year.  There was even a UTV traffic jam getting into the gate.  Our "UTV’s" were the wagon and jogging stroller.  I thought bringing one for each boy would extend my time at the show, and it probably did some, but they fought over who got to ride in the wagon.  I think I got to see most of the show, although I didn’t get to look at any one tractor for very long.  Still, I did enjoy it as a family outing, and a nice way to spend a beautiful Saturday morning.

It is funny to me that the wagon is so popular all of a sudden because it never had gotten played with that much before.  Shortly after the new neighbors moved in, we discovered that their kids love to play with their wagon.  All the kids did a nice job taking turns with their wagon, so I decided to get ours out.  The wagon, which I customized for N’s 1st Christmas, seemed to be THE hot toy for the weekend.  The boys pulled it around the yard, pulled it with the pedal tractor, and even pretended to “fix” it with their tools.  N even went a little beyond pretending, and used one of my screwdrivers to take one of the side boards off.  What can I do, he comes by it naturally.

The other big development this weekend was the builder finally had the yard put in at the spec house next door this weekend.  It is a huge improvement in the looks of the house, and the skid steer kept L entertained for several hours.  As the landscaper was cleaning up the lot line so he could lay the sod, I asked if I could have some of the chunks of existing sod he was cutting out.  He did me one better by offering me some of the extra sod rolls he had.  I wheeled Johnny and the wagon over to his trailer, and he stacked what he had left on the pallet onto my wagon.  Not only did he give me more than I was expecting, it turns out it is not just any sod.  It is Lexington sod from the Wagner Sod Farm.  So now we’ve got a little piece of home in our yard.  The sod did cost me a “tour” of the Ten for the landscaper and his crew, which of course they had to twist my arm to do.  As it turned out, it was OK I didn’t take the Ten over to the tractor show, I got to have a tractor show right there in my garage. 

Ten rides Again

Our little boy is heading to Kindergarten.  There is no escaping it now.  While I don't think it will hit me as hard as it will hit C, I have to admit it's starting to tug at the heart strings a little bit.  I felt like I wanted to do one more thing with him before school started, so I took Friday afternoon off.  Since he loved the train museum in Kankakee so much, I thought the Wheels O' Time musuem would be a good time.  He did like the real train, and the toy trains, but I think the antique cars and other antiques were pretty much lost on him.  Still, we made a good memory, and some ice cream on the way home didn't hurt either. 

The first project for the weekend was building up the dirt around the bridge.  I wanted to take advantage of the loose dirt from the freshly dug basement next door.  I also found some good chunks of sod to help firm up the edge.  It only took one full load in Johnny's wagon to provide the necessary fill.  That full load was almost more than Johnny could handle; I almost got stuck trying to pull it across the uncompacted white rock that will eventually be that house's driveway.  L and N helped spread out the dirt and plant the grass seed.  Saturday I got a couple additional loads of dirt to fill in some low spots elsewhere along the creek.  Since I already had the Ten out, I decided to not risk getting Johnny stuck and just use it to pull the wagon.  Was it overkill, sure, but it was fun to put the Ten to work a little bit. 

I was able to get the Ten out, and put it to work, thanks to Dad helping me get the crank fixed.  The Ten was a little reluctant to start after sitting for a few weeks, but after about a dozen tries, it started.  We found a path around the new house and had fun taking N and L for several laps.  Unfortunately, all the fun was not without a little collateral damage.  The more minor issue is the strips of conveyor belt that I laid down to get the Ten across the driveway extended out into the grass, and apparently the sun heated those belts up enough to cook the grass underneath.  I tried watering it to revive the grass, but I think it just made the healthy grass green up more and make the strips more pronounced. 

The bigger issue happened later.  I intended to just go out and put the Ten away for the night, but L said he wanted to go for a ride, and it didn't take much arm twisting to oblige him.  We had a little time before dinner was ready, so we went for a trip to inspect the new part of the subdivision.  I decided to try a new route across the creek to get there rather than go all the way around.  Tall grass and weeds won't STOP a Caterpillar, but they apparently can make it so you can't START the Caterpillar again.  As we went down into the creek, the grass/weeds were able to push hard enough on the crank handle to make it engage the front of the engine.  When we came up the other side, the majority of my newly repaired crank was no longer attached to the tractor.  Of course I cursed myself for the mistake, and L innocently compounded that with his "tractor broken" observation.  The only bright side was that I had chosen to install the repaired handle rather than the new reproduction handle I had also gotten in the meantime.  Looks like I will be using that new handle sooner than I thought. 

Along with installing the new crank handle, Sunday allowed some time to get a few more things done  Although the Ten heat manifold valve is frozen from rust, I still wanted to hook up the control lever for it.  I got the control handle when I bought the tractor, but had to make the control rod and coupler.  I also finished "restoring" some weights I got from Dad that were my grandpas.  These weights have been commandeered by C as added security for the back door of our garage.  100lbs. in front of the door does make it pretty tough to open. 

The cherry on top for the weekend was a nice evening visiting with the neighbors.  N and L needed to burn off some energy after supper, so we went outside to kick the soccer ball into the net.  The new neighbor kids were out, and N begged invited them to come down and play with him.  They came down, soon followed by their parents.  The neighbors across the street also came down.  Of course the kids all ended up playing in the dirt, but no one seemed to mind, and the kids, and adults, had a nice time. 

There Goes the Neighborhood

Its hard to believe it's the middle of the month and I am just now getting around to my first August post.  I guess I need to just resign myself to the every-other week pace, at least for the summer. 

The first big project after our vacation was organizing part of the workshop.  The back corner of the garage had become a catch-all for scrap lumber, large tools, tractor parts, and other odds and ends.  After struggling to get to something through the clutter one too many times, I set out to finally organize it.  This resulted in the construction of a couple shelving additions.  I still have some work to do finishing the shelves, and finishing my organizing, but it has already made a difference. 

The bigger news lately has not been in the workshop or around the yard, but all around us.  Big changes have been taking place to our little slice of paradise.  N had to bid farewell to his friend I and his family, but the new family has already moved in, with their 5 year old daughter and 4 year old son.  One of the spec houses down the street is also now occupied, and there is another 5 year old in that family.  It's almost like it's a prerequisite to have a 5 year old to live on our street. 

And while it is exciting to have some new kids in the neighborhood for N and L to play with, we are less excited by the most recent development.  It was bound to happen sooner or later, but one of the vacant lots to the East of us has sold.  To my surprise, it is not the corner lot, but the smaller lot next to the creek.  The neighbors across the street tipped us off last week that the lot was sold and excavation was about to begin. 

Of course that lot was my primary means of accessing the other side of the creek with Johnny for mowing, and the Ten for playing.  The prospect of soon losing that access prompted me to consider other options.  I had considered building a bridge for a while, which I probably could build strong enough for Johnny, but that isn't really an option for the Ten.  The Ten really doesn't need a bridge, and I have driven it several times across the creek.  The only problem in doing so is the creek bank is so soft that the Ten tends to sink and collapse the bank.  So, I decided to reinforce and raise the bank with some concrete blocks, and will just use a couple 2x10's to get Johnny across.  The block work is done, but I still need to finish filling it in to raise the bank, and try to get some grass started there as well. 

Finding loose dirt to fill the creek bank won't be a problem, as excavation did start this week on the new house next door.  C said so far they have been doing more measuring than digging, which is not surprising considering the house looks to be about as big as they can fit on the lot.  One corner touches the edge of the set-back from the creek, and the other can't be more than a foot or two more than the minimum of 5 feet from the lot line.  Fortunately we border the back yard, which has to be at least 20 feet per the building code.  From the looks of it, it probably won't be much more than that. 

And speaking of dirt, it has become almost impossible lately to keep the boys out of the "dirt box" when we go outside.  With the lack of rain lately, it is equally impossible to keep a significant amount of that dirt from coming inside with the boys when they come in.  Oh well, boys will be boys.

Feeling Cranky? Take a Vacation

Another two weeks has come and gone.  I can't really act surprised about how fast it has gone, as we have certainly made the most of it.

On last Saturday we had cousin E's birthday party.  N just loved swimming in the pool, and was very good on the ride down to Staunton and back.  After we got back, I took L for another ride on the Ten, to retrace the same path we had the oil pressure problem with last time, to make sure it was OK.  The Oil pressure was OK, but L has developed quite a habit of falling asleep on tractor rides.  I don't know if the heat has something to do with it, but he has now fallen asleep multiple times on both the Ten and when mowing with Johnny.  Neither tractor is easy to get off of with a sleeping child on you, but this weekend, after L fell asleep while mowing, I did make it all the way up to his room with him still asleep.  I got him laid down in bed, but taking his shoes off woke him up.  At first he was upset, probably because he didn't know where he was, but then he just smiles really big and says "RIDE, NITE-NITE".  Of course at that point he doesn't want to go back to sleep, but instead go for another ride.

After the nap/ride on the Ten, I decided to park it outside so I could take out again more easily on Sunday.  Doing so without first checking the weather turned out to be a mistake.  Upon seeing that rain was expected late Saturday night, I went back out to "quickly" start it and put it away before helping put the boys to bed.  On my first attempt to start it, the starting crank broke.  The crank had been repaired before, and it broke at the repair.  The orientation of the crank makes it impossible to start without some sort of handle.  Against my better judgment, I slid a box-end wrench over the end of the crank and used that as a makeshift handle.  Thankfully the tractor started on the second pull, and I promptly put it away.  Now the quest begins for replacing or fixing the handle.

With the Ten out of commission, what better time to go on vacation?  That is precisely what we did.  We had a great time on the west coast of Michigan, where our projects consisted of making sand castles and splashing in the waves.  All of us enjoyed some much needed R&R.

And speaking of "R&R", the Rail Road continues to be N's primary interest.  Our dining room has been taken over by the Thomas and Friends "Trackmaster" set.  We even had to take some with us on vacation.  I have to admit, I kind of enjoy it too.  We have fun seeing how many trains we can get going at once without having and crashes, and N is all about re-enacting the different episodes of the TV show.

One of the first things we had to do when we got home was check the pumpkins.  L and N both enjoy watching the pumpkins grow, and now we finally have some small watermelons starting to grow too.  L is just the right height to spot the little ones starting to grow under the leaves, although he gets really excited about the "BIG, PUNKINS". 

And finally, I couldn't take a whole week off without taking on at least one home improvement project.  When I first put up the windmill, I had envisioned putting up some cedar split-rail fencing with it.  This weekend, Menards had the fencing on sale, and I had the time to do it.  L and N both enjoyed helping at various points in the project, although they had better sense than I did, and went inside after a bit to cool off.  The heat was brutal, but I think the finished product was worth a gallon or so of sweat.

Talkin' Trash

Working on dozers, it's bound to happen sooner or later; a trip to the landfill.  Landfill customers aren't a large percentage, but they are important.  No matter what housing, mining, or oil and gas do, people still make trash.  Fortunately the tractor was just moving dirt at the landfill, not actually working in the trash.  Still, the active unloading site wasn't far away, and we were, unfortunately, downwind from it.  Thankfully, the visit was only about 30 minutes long, not long enough for the smell to saturate all our clothes.  It was a good visit, and we got some good feedback from the operator. 

After a trip to the landfill, what could possibly top that for the week?  How about birthday festivities for N.  Saturday the boys and I went for haircuts to get ready for the birthday.  Saturday is just walk-in's and was the first time I took the boys without an appointment.  C couldn't make it, so thankfully Grandpa saved the day and helped corral the boys while I got my hair cut.  It was an hour wait before any of us even got in the chair, but the boys were pretty good. 

The birthday festivities started on Saturday night with a Chiefs game, and then resumed Sunday morning with the family birthday party.  N definitely takes after his old man, and would rather be doing something than just sitting and watching.  He did sit and watch like a big boy with his older cousins for a little while, but after the novelty of that wore off, he was ready to go to the playground in the outfield.  There were fireworks after the game, but we didn't stay for the end.  That turned out to be a good thing, because the game went into extra innings.  The party went well too.  We had a nice time visiting with family and N finally got the train set he has been asking for for the last few months.  He played with it for 5 hours straight after we got it set up, and would have gone longer if we hadn't make him take a break.  That is some kind of a record. 

With the party and the hot temperatures, the workshop has been fairly quiet lately.  At the tractor show last weekend, I noticed the Ten's oil pressure started to get low after running a while, and repeated it taking L for a ride during the week.  I decided the first thing I would try is just changing the oil, which, as it turns out, seems to have fixed the problem, at least for now.  L was very curious watching me drain and refill the oil, but was content to keep his distance so he didn't get messy.  The other project for the week was completing a model critique for a new Antique Cat club model.  The manufacturer sent me a prototype, and I had to compare it to engineering drawings and pictures and find any discrepancies.  I found a few issues, but it was pretty good overall.  It was a good inside project for what has so far been the hottest week of the year.  Despite the heat, I did spend a little time cleaning out the creek behind our house and the spec house next door.  Turns out it was a good thing I did.  We got about a 1/2" of rain in a matter of minutes late Monday afternoon.