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Stuff Only Breaks When You Use It in B Minor, Opus 93

Last week we harvested our rye crop. Afterwards, The Farmer headed out to custom combine a couple of very small rye fields for nearby blueberry farmers. This is what the evening ended like:


Now that's not a great picture, I'll admit. It was late and it was dark. So I'll explain it to you. The large tractor was towing the combine home. The combine engine blew while The Farmer was custom combining.

We knew the engine wasn't good. But we decided to keep using it until it wouldn't go anymore. And that time has come.

Three years ago our old combine gave up the ghost during harvest. We scraped together enough money to buy this one. And now it needs a new engine.

I explained it this way to a friend--we can only afford to buy the combine equivalent of a 1979 Chevy Nova. Now, I'm not bashing the Nova (much). But when was the last time you saw one on the road? I didn't think so.

We have a new engine being shipped to us. One that cost more than half of what we spent for the Chevy Nova combine.

And I think I hear a familiar refrain...

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