Rainy days...

 Bev and I took a 2 day trip up to Cullman. We doubted we'd be able to accomplish much because the remnant of a tropical storm was putting down a lot of rain there. My plan to replace the fuel pump on the Cub Cadet was successful but didn't solve the problem with the engine dying. Next trip we will take it to a shop to get it sussed out.

Maw Maw had run over something in the yard with the new John Deere mower so we raised it to check the blades. No harm done. So I sharpened them while it was up there.

My vacuum pump idea for the brake lines didn't do what I hoped but I was able to bleed them both. The left brake works again but the right brake was negative function. That helped when I was able to pull a big limb off the Galen property to the burn pile with the 284.

In the prior week, I had my heart tested for an episode of heart attack like symptoms. I came through with a clean bill of health. Since I actually went to the Doctor for a Meloxicam prescription. I got some from the local pharmacy and since I've started taking it, I am doing better with my hip, neck, and joints.

Change

After 2 years and 5 months of attempting to survive my job at Citizens, my old shift opened up at Coosa. They contacted me and I'm returning starting 9/14. While I've used the opportunity to learn a lot about clinical pharmacy, there is limited opportunity to use it here at Coosa. But that's not the most important consideration. The shift allows me to sleep late if needed which will be a blessing when I only get 5 hours of sleep in a night. I've been practicing my sleep habits and find I don't have to get up to go to the bathroom. I think once I've adapted to the old sleep schedule, I'll feel better and get more exercise.

In Cullman this week, I donated 2 days to get some brush-hogging done. With such a short window, I didn't focus on any of the other work. I did get all the fields near the house done and also was able to brush-hog the fields behind the old house. I am finally comfortable on the tractor most of the time. The addition of a safety belt helped. I have now mown almost all the areas so I know what I can get away with.

The 6 wheeler is having a little problem with a fuel pump. I ordered the replacement and will install it when I am there next.

Reversing direction

 

Another work week in Cullman. This time no brush-hogging needed. The hot, dry weather has slowed the growth of the grass. It was my chance to get the bolts out of the brush-hog. I finally got the last nut off. The penetrating fluids finally did their job. But the bolt would not come out. Preston heated them with the acetylene torch and they never budged despite whacking them over and over with a hammer. I returned it to Sonya with apologies. 

The new brake cylinder went on but I'll need to do some more work. The other brake locked up and I had to take the lines loose to get it moving again. I'll attack it next trip.

So my work days consisted mostly in changing oil in the lawn mowers. I sharpened blades on the Old John Deere and lubed the mower deck. I used the blue vacuum device. It worked very well. Despite the report the nuts were left loose on the Old Zero Turn mower, I could not budge them. Not sure they were taken off at all.

We took the tomb stones I bought for the folks up and installed them over their graves. It was something asked of us a long time ago and now they are in place and finished.

Friday was my day to paint the trim on the workshop but Cullman finally got some much needed rain.

The 19th was the Williamson's anniversary. It could have been a sad time but Maw Maw seemed to have a better time of it. While I'm sure she is lonely, perhaps she is coping a little better.

On the home front, I was contacted by Coosa Valley about returning to my old pharmacy job. It was something I had wished for. I've really missed the extra time I had for outdoor activity. My current job is burning me down. So I've tentatively agreed to return. Still haven't heard what my pay rate will be, but I think it will be commensurate. 

August arrives

Back on the farm again. I spent the day on the tractor. I started with the 284 because the 55-66 had a low battery. I tried to put the brake cylinder on it but the hose does not fit that nipple I need to get a reducer so I can get a tight seal. But I got it running and did a small area before the tractor started to misbehave. It exhibited a variety of quirks before shutting off and refusing to restart. After a bit of lunch, I got it started and drove it up to the barn where it decided to quit and not restart. Not sure what's the matter. I took out the big tractor and brush hogged the pasture around the lake. It was pretty much an all day job. Now I can get the area around the old homeplace done. I should have some time left for painting the shed. The trim work remains to be done. A couple of blades to sharpen should seal the deal for this trip. Will need to purchase more diesel fuel this trip. If I have some time, I want to get some things fixed on the fuel carrier.

My plan to get the homeplace took a lot longer than I'd expected. The folks who are cutting those pastures for hay did not cut a big section of field. That put me on the tractor for a lot longer. With the 284 giving some quirky action, I just did it all with the 55-66. But I didn't have time left for doing anything else. It was after I finished and was back at the house I noticed the loud diesel sound had bothered my right ear. I'm absolutely going to have to use protection hereafter.

I had installed the new brake cylinder only to discover a small leak coming from the screw that covered the hole in the bottom. I'll be sending it back for revision.

The really upsetting moment of the weekend was when Bev came downstairs and told me her Mother threatened her with disinheritance if she voted for Joe Biden. Now I've have had a problem with her continual lack of appreciation for the effort made on her behalf. She never seems satisfied with anything that is done. But this recent development seems particularly mean. I'm wondering if this is dementia. Bev's response was to tell her give it to whomever she wants. Bev said it would be a relief for her not to have to dispose of it. It would be a relief. That has me thinking this morning. She is so very right. We would not have to spend a year of our life unable to do what we wanted, we'd be stuck there disposing of all that crap. We will have enough finances to live well. We don't need it. The only thing left to deal with is continuing to do that work for someone who doesn't appreciate it. I'll do my part for Bev's sake. But I think it will be less.

Old Brush Hogs never die

We spent a few days in Cullman this week. I created a work list which we attacked once we got there on Thursday. I had some appointments this week that kept us from leaving as soon as usual. Two of the biggest jobs I wanted to accomplish were to cut the access hole in the brush hog so we could remove the blades and to reconnect one of the brake cylinders so the 284 would have at least 1 brake. It turned out that the bolt was much bigger than I expected so the 2 inch hole wasn't big enough to allow the socket to reach the nut. Since we had already opened a hole, I had to come up with a plan to enlarge the hole without the help of the pilot hole that you normally drill with the hole saw. It occurred to me that I could use a piece of plywood to cut a 3 inch hole and let that hole control the hole saw. It worked. With a little patience, we cut the 3 inch hole and gained access the the nut. Then we encountered the next problem which wasn't unexpected. The nut had not been removed in a long time if ever. It resisted out best efforts to loosen it. I bought an air hammer ratchet and it didn't have enough power to remove it. After working with it for 2 days, I finally got 1 nut off. We tried to pop the bolt back through but it wasn't moving. I finally ran out of time and left the whole thing soaking in WD-40. Better luck next week.

We did get the weeds sprayed around the buildings at the Galin place. We also trimmed the overhanging limbs there. When we next brush hog, it should be a lot safer.

For safety sake, I had wanted to get at least 1 brake working on the 284. After looking at the owner's manual I bought and watching some general information videos, I went to work. The brake I removed wasn't rebuildable. It was the disposable unit that comes on these tractors. I pulled the tape free that Paw Paw used to keep dirt out of the system. Once clean, I took some rubber glove tips to create a cover for each of the hoses. Once those were taken care of, I added hy-tran to the reservoir, opened the air purge and got David pumping the brake. After a couple of minutes, no bubbles seemed to be coming out and I locked it down. I climbed into the seat, put her in gear, started off, and bingo, we had brakes. It got me thinking we could get one of those that the guy makes that is rebuildable and get both sides working. Maw Maw agrees. By next week we will have the replacement. With some heat and elbow grease I should be able to get those blades off and finally get them sharpened.

The garden is getting past its season. Less work for Maw Maw for the rest of the summer. She says no garden next year. I thought having a garden this year would be therapeutic. It is a lot of work. Perhaps even stressful when she sees so much going to waste.

Hip gets a shot

So Tuesday Dr. Tropeano gave my hip a shot of steroids. They had to put me to sleep to do it. I thought I'd pop up feeling great and ready to over do it. Wrong. That thing hurt like heck. And my throat was irritated and sore. Didn't expect that. It was a very uncomfortable afternoon and evening. With the aid of some Tylenol and some liquid Benadryl to sooth the throat, I got a decent night's rest. That next day the pain was much better. Today is the third day and I'm feeling very mobile. We are about to go up to Cullman to do some work. I'm ready. The hip is feeling good. If only it could be this good from now on.

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Here it is Tuesday. One week later. Hip began to hurt yesterday. 

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Tuesday 8/4: The hip is working better but I am not stressing it a lot.

Getting the 284 into the game...

We arrived Wednesday. I had to replace an ABS sensor on the truck so we got a late start. After lunch I got the extension set and we blew the leaves out of the gutters. We took a ride around the farm and sized up our jobs for this week. The shed had some groundhog holes in it so we released another smoke bomb in there.

Thursday started early with spraying all the weeds around the lake and buildings. Diquat really works fast. The grass in the road that I sprayed with Glyphosate was only slightly yellowing by the time we left, but the Diquat sprayed grass was already dead. The suggested Diquat dilution is 7.5 oz per 10 gallon. The suggested dilution rate for Ranger Pro is 2 oz per gallon or 20 oz per 10 gallon. I got started on the big tractor and David relieved me after an hour due to the heat. I rested a bit then fired up the zero turn to get some cutting done that would be hard for the tractor. We tried to take the blades off but couldn't without a pneumatic air wrench. 

I had an idea that if I could get the mower working on the 284, I could help David by getting the close work under the trees with the shorter tractor. I asked Preston if someone would possible have a used brush hog small enough to use on the small tractor. In his opinion, finding a small brush hog that wasn't used up was unlikely. Bev remembered Sonya had a small one and she agreed to let us borrow it. I drove the 284 up to her house to pick it up. Once there, we could see that it had rested in one place for a very long time. The tail wheel had been taken off to use on another brush hog. David and I hooked it up and carried it back down to the house. Immediately we saw that the drive shaft was completely seized. I had to put Gibbs on it and drift it off with a hammer. Once we had it off, some scrubbing with Gibbs and WD-40 removed the layer rust. A coat of grease and it was slipping easily. It took another minute to grease all the zerks. Then we connected it to the PTO. David found the PTO lever and it was running. Knowing it was working, we took a trip up to Tractor Supply to get another tail wheel. It became clear that taking off the blades to sharpen was going to be trouble. After some research on You Tube, I saw that we could cut a hole to allow a socket wrench access to the bolts. That will be a project for another day.

With David on the 55-66, I got on the 284 and started on the field above the lake. He soon had the back field finished and he took over the field I was in and I headed down to the old house. We got all those fields mowed before supper time. If I can keep that little brush hog going, I can help him a lot.

As usual we refilled the gas cans and filled the small cans and tanks for Maw Maw. She can't lift the 5 gallon cans.