Timed It Right

Yesterday started with a visit from a nice gentleman named Lamar, who operates an exterminating service called Pest Man. I had been referred to him by longtime reader Donald Hann, who lives in nearby Reform, when I mentioned the carpenter bees that were boring holes in a rocking chair on our front porch as well as a couple of other places. Lamar is a very nice man who obviously knows his business, and after talking to us a bit about the issues we were having, we agreed on having the service done by him, with follow-ups as needed, and he set to work doing his thing.

I needed to go to Tuscaloosa Tractor to pick up the brush hog mower they had been holding for me, so after hooking up the cargo trailer to the pickup, I left on that errand. When I got out on the highway I noticed that there had been quite a bit of rain overnight, though there was no indication of it at our house. On the way I picked up our son Travis at his house so he could go with me.

Brad Bosch, the excellent salesman at Tuscaloosa Tractor that I have worked with right from the start, had everything ready for us when we arrived. He spent a few minutes going over the mower with us, explaining how it attaches to the tractor. Then we got it loaded into the trailer. He also talked to us about the problems we’ve had getting the mid-mount mower attached. He gave me a couple of tips, and I think I know what I’ve been doing wrong that was not allowing us to connect it. However, between the brush hog and Terry’s Husqvarna riding lawnmower, I’m not sure I will need the mid-mount mower at all. I think between the two of them we can do just about everything that needs done around here.

Speaking of Terry and the riding lawn mower, while we were gone she was on it mowing some of the grass, but she had to stop because of the thunder and lightning when it started to rain. As Travis and I were driving back to the house it began pouring, and I was not looking forward to trying to get the brush hog unloaded in the rain. But we timed it right, because within about a mile of the house the rain stopped.

Brad put the brush hog in the trailer using a forklift, but at home, because it sits so low on one end, it was hanging up on the ramp and we were having problems getting it off. So we used the winch on the Kawasaki Mule to pull it off. That thing comes in handy for so many jobs around here that I wonder how we got along without it.

With the trailer unloaded and parked, we took Travis home and visited with him and Geli for a little bit, admiring one of their garden areas. They grow so much that it’s just amazing.

Look at the size of the leaves on this plant compared to Terry’s hand.

I wandered down a path down the hill behind the garden and came upon this site. My kid has kind of a twisted sense of humor. At least, I hope so, because if not, I don’t want to know what he’s up to!

There was more good timing on our part. It had not rained at all at Travis’ house, but not long after we got home it really began coming down in a deluge. But when the rain did finally let up, it left everything looking absolutely beautiful out across the pasture.

It’s Thursday, so it’s time for a new Free Drawing. This week’s prize is a copy of the new hardcover edition of the RV camping journal donated by Barbara House. Barbara makes several variations of these, and they all have pages where you can list the date, weather, where you traveled to and from that day, beginning and ending mileage, campground information including amenities at RV sites, a place for campground reviews, room to record activities, people met along the way, reminders of places to see and things to do the next time you’re in the area, and a page for notes for each day.

To enter, click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name (first and last) in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn Sunday evening. Note: Due to the high shipping cost of printed books and Amazon restrictions on e-books to foreign countries, only entries with US addresses and e-mail addresses are allowed.

And finally, here’s a chuckle to start your day from the collection of funny signs we see in our travels and that our readers share with us. I’m not sure if this is someone who really shouldn’t be trying to teach anyone anything or somebody who passes gas with an English accent.

Thought For The Day – Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet.