Wednesday, January 9, 2013

The sun is out after a rainy early morning.  It is 45ºF and the snow is slowly receding.  I have heard predictions of temperatures in the 60s for Friday and Saturday!  That should clear away the white stuff.  But next week will be more winter-like… at least that’s what is predicted…but you know sometimes they get it wrong.  Maybe when this packed snow and ice leave this farm lot, we can send out the remaining corn from storage.  That will be another good thing to check off the check list.

We are planning a trip to the John Deere factory in Valley City, ND.  We will go to see our new no-till air drill get built in late February.  A trip to North Dakota in the winter?  Should I have my head examined?  It could be very cold, but that will add to the appeal of telling the story afterwards.  It is always an interesting thing to visit a John Deere factory, to see how the machines come together, and to see the care and precision the people give to their workmanship.  And I have always been appreciative of the hospitality given to us when we visit.

Yesterday, John observed as technicians from DC Metal, Cannelburg, Indiana were here to replace the door operator on our large, 24×16 overhead shop door.  The old one was showing signs of failure, and struggled to lift the heavy door.  The new door opener has the additional feature of being controlled by remote transmitters, not just from the push buttons on the shop wall.  That will be a welcome luxury when we need to bring inside a vehicle on a rainy or very cold day!

I am gaining energy after a very draining weekend of the flu.  Not back to normal yet, but stronger.  Pat is better, too.  It’s a good thing… the calendar is filling up with stuff that must be done.