Skip to main content

On Tractors and Taking Leaps of Faith


The tractors on our farm are older. The newest one was manufactured in 1981. The oldest one dates from the early 1960s.

They break. We fix them. They break again. We fix them again. Lather, rinse, repeat.

We have a saying: "Stuff only breaks when you need it." It's important to laugh about dire things, so that you don't cuss or cry. But when you've got just a few hours to get the hay finished and the tractor breaks, it's really no laughing matter.

So today, The Farmer found a deal on a tractor that he just couldn't pass up. I'll post actual photos when the adoption process is complete, but this will give you an idea...


In the meantime, as the bookkeeper for the farm, I see that this is a bit of a leap of faith. If you could spread the word about the Tractor Sale in our etsy shop, I'd be grateful. And if you've ever wanted to purchase something, but are the type to wait for sales, this is it. We don't really do the sale thing... until now.

Check out the shop announcement at the top of the shop page for details.
Labels:

Comments

  1. UnknownMarch 11, 2011 at 12:13 PM

    I hear you about the equipment! Someone saw our new combine a couple years back, and I told them, "There goes my new house." The other person laughed, but then I told her I was serious! Non ag people have no clue what we farmers have invested in our job! After 18 years of teaching, these prices totally blow my mind!

    I'm a new follower :-)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bloggy Giveaway--Now Closed

**This bloggy giveaway is now closed** Thanks to all who participated and gave such great comments. Janette is the winner of the $15 gift certificate to our etsy store . I'm participating in the Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Carnival . Click the link to go to the carnival where you can enter to win literally hundreds of things. The good news is that even if you have no time to play on the computer trying to win hundreds of things, you can still enter to win one thing right here. This week, I will be giving away a $15 gift certificate to be used toward the purchase of an item in my etsy shop . This contest is open to residents of the United States or Canada only. The winner will receive free shipping on whatever item they choose. Items in my etsy shop include handwoven rugs, wool yarns and roving from our farm, and the ever-popular cotton dishcloth! To be entered in this wonderful drawing, you must go to the etsy shop and look around a bit. Then come back here and type a comment that ...
132 comments
Read more

This Giveaway Is Now Closed!

Today starts a giveaway at Farming in the Shade! I am happy to contribute this complete hat kit (needles not included) to someone who has a knitting obsession and a small person in their life. Here are the rules (contest open to US or Canada residents only): Giveaway ends May 1 at 9 p.m. EST. Winner will be announced by Sunday, May 3. Enter by posting a comment on this blog post. Tell me something about your knitting--who taught you to knit, your favorite yarn, the coolest thing you ever knitted. Make sure you leave contact information! Earn extra entries by: 1) Following me on twitter. (If you don't know what twitter is, don't worry. It's another way to waste your time on the computer.)  Add a comment here so I will count it as one entry. 2) Tweeting this giveaway (no more than once daily). Add a comment here so I know you did it. 3) Blog about this giveaway. Add a comment (with link) here so I can go visit your blog. 4) Follow or subscribe to this blog (or tell me if have...
45 comments
Read more

Lambing Jugs

We usually let ewes begin lambing in the large pen, with the other expectant ewes. After the first lamb is born, The Farmer will let her care for it for a few minutes. Then he will go in and pick up the lamb (or lambs, if he's arrived after multiple births) and move slowly out of the large pen. In this case, the lamb is the bait that makes the ewe move, too. She is very concerned about her lamb, and will follow closely, calling out the whole time.  The ewe and her lamb(s) are placed in a small lambing pen, called a jug. I have no idea why they are called jugs. If anyone knows the origin of that term, I'd love to know. They are kept there for 1-3 days to ensure that they bond, and that the ewe is caring for her lambs well. No distractions. We set up a whole row of temporary jugs during lambing time. This is one of our hay storage areas, so we need to be sure that we've used most of this hay up before lambing begins. After their time in the lambing jugs, the ewe...
2 comments
Read more