Trying To Make It Rain

 Only a few years ago we had so much rain, mud, problems, that I was complaining about it. Now we have gone the other extreme. Been way short on precipitation for almost a year now. We survived on timely showers last growing season and the crops did ok. Lately it seems that predicted showers never happen. The ground is dry enough to be seeding but its been cold and dry and kind of uninspiring to get out in the field. I can't do much yet until the cleaning plant calls for my oats to clean. Hopefully next week. Grain contract to haul out also coming up next week. Plus the anhydrous tank should arrive so I should be able to start putting that on the canola stubble. I see my records indicate I didn't do much before mid May last year so I will take some consolation from that. 

If we don't get good rains after seeding it won't matter much if I'm late or early. I think its almost as dry as the driest year I ever knew, 1988. 

I got some roof repair done on the "century shack" this week. Planted another row of potatoes too. Theres more but its late and I'm falling asleep here waiting for a video to upload to yt. 

Eldorado Sundown

 

Couldn't resist another sunset drive in the Eldorado today. After spending many hours with a toothbrush, towel and sunlight detergent I have the interior looking (and smelling) much better. Sitting in the shed with the windows and trunk lid open seems to be helping dry the carpets and reduce the mildew smell. 

I built a spark plug boot puller yesterday to get the stubbornly stuck boots off the spark plugs. I guess it worked about as good as one I could buy. Plugs were not bad. I hoped by cleaning them up I might cure the slight "miss" the engine has but after tonight's test drive its still there. Hoping its not a stuck valve. Planning to do a compression test next time I have some help handy.  The 425 still has impressive power even with one cylinder missing. I don't dare use the brakes except in case of emergency as I don't want the front caliper to lock up and drag again. Should have the new front brake hoses soon and once they are installed be back to normal brakes. Thats if I'm right in assuming the caliper is still ok.

Seems to be electrical problems too as none of the dash lights work. No high beams. Reverse lights are on in neutral. Power seats are inoperative. 

Weather has been so cold and below normal the past few days that I'm working in full winter wear in the shop. Spring has been reluctant to stay with us. Forecast is better for tomorrow.

4K Sample

I don’t know if this will work 

Boss Hogg

 Those that watched tv in the seventies will recall the Boss Hogg character on the Dukes of Hazzard series. He drove a big Cadillac convertible with a set of Texas longhorns on the hood. I've already had a couple of references to that since adopting a 78 Eldorado yesterday. I'll keep it original, thanks anyway. I wasn't looking for one but this Eldo found me and needed a new home so here we are. Its pretty good mechanically and relatively rust free compared to some of the stuff I have. It's biggest problem is the mildewed interior. Coming from a damp climate it has a few water leaks that allowed the carpets to stay wet. It should do better in old dry Saskatchewan but first I need to get the mildew out of the leather seats. I can still smell it many hours after driving the car. 

I guess its my usual style of being a little off the beaten track getting a huge thirsty, carbon producing car when all the rest of the world is going green. But the way I see it my hundreds of acres of trees are a huge carbon sink that will provide an "offset" to the few miles I drive the Caddy. 

Just waiting for the day when Justin starts paying those of us that keep a few trees for carbon sequestration like they do in other countries. 

Spring 2021

 I am really slipping on this blog updating. Just so everybody knows, I'm still alive and business as usual in spite of covid precautions. 

We are currently still in the drought that started last year. Some real concern starting to be heard as we approach planting time. Field went into winter dry and there has not been much snow to recharge the moisture situation. The grass is trying to grow  as the warmer spring days have arrived. Its going to have a hard time producing much hay or cattle feed if we don't rain soon. 

Seems not many years ago I was complaining about too much rain and ground too wet to  plant.  Maybe this is going to be another 1961 or 1988. 

Snow conditions now are almost non existent and that is almost a month ahead of normal for us. As the old timers used to say, "We've never lost a crop in April yet". 

I got the old yellow International out of hibernation for some yard clean up today. 

Drone Jan 31

Driving through and flying over the hundred acre woods today. I'd opened up the trail to get some grain hauled out so figured I'd make use of it before it filled with snow again. Being a rare sunny day I took the opportunity to do a lot of experimenting to figure out why the drone would not track me as I drove but eventually got it to work. With a little help from watching youtube videos by people who knew what they were doing. 

We finally got through the cold spell of last week with extreme low temps. Had a calf born one -25F morning. Luckily in the cattle shelter although it was still way too frosty for a new born calf to last long. I was able to drag it into the barn and apply plenty of heat with the space heater to dry it off. After getting the cow persuaded to come inside as well they eventually figured out what they needed to do with only a little help from me. I kept them indoors for the next 4 days of cold weather before releasing them to join the herd. Looking good now in the great outdoors. 

Didn't See The Moose

 I was amazed when somebody commented on my latest youtube video asking about the animals in it. The ones I had not seen. Going back to closely examine the video I was able to see the three moose standing in the bush as the drone flew over it. Easy enough to see once you know they are there. I had only been looking for my cattle and once I found them I guess I sort of fast forwarded the drone back home to the yard. 

Stormy day here but not cold for January. Cold is coming in the next day or so. Been planning to haul grain for a week but something always comes up to stop it. Hard to make plans when the weather is the determining factor.