February 6, 2007

(Just bringing this forward from my old Word Press blog to get things kicked off here)

It has been a pretty eventful week here in Hooterville. The markets for corn and soybeans are back up again and we (the farm I work on) have been hauling grain to the grain elevators. I talked to my boss yesterday and it looks like we may get to move more in the upcoming weeks, if the prices hold. Sure hope so. The Power Company and Telephone Company love it when I get to haul grain. I am, after all, out here working for them by proxy. Right about now they ain’t real happy with me but they can get glad in the same shoes they got mad in, it’s been a tough winter all around. It ain’t a crime being poor but it sure is inconvenient.

We got a newer tractor and a brand new trailer to haul with this year. It has over 400hp and pulls 1k bushels of grain like you were pulling a boat trailer. No more huffin’ and puffin’ to make the hills between here and there. It’s a real nice rig. Power everything and air-ride all around.
There is a cell phone gonna be put in it this week and that will be good to have. Anyone that knows me much at all knows my opinion about cell phones. For the most part I wish their inventor had every one of them up his hind-end and all ringin’ at once. But I broke down twice last year and had to walk a pretty good piece for a payphone (if you can even find one these days) so it will be nice to have in the event of a breakdown or something. Outside of that, I doubt I ever pick it up to even look at it.

I liked the old truck we had too, but she was about worn out and starting to need therapy a lot. I feel safer in this new one. You can see out of it much better and it rides quieter. Not only that, but you get a respectful nod from the other truckers out on the road as they pass you, instead of that scowl that says, “Get that ol’ rust bucket out of the way, Vern.” Of course, me being me, their looks were always met with a glare of my own that said, “Kiss my Irish ass.” Fact of the matter is they pay no more or less at the elevator regardless of what you bring it in.

I still have about 100 sticks of tobacco to strip yet and need to get on that soon before the market closes. It was hit with a little frost before I could get it in the barn and had a hard time curing the green out of the leaves. Be that as it may, talk of this year’s crop has already begun easing into conversations and will soon appear on daily work schedules. It is my intentions to turn the ground for my tobacco and corn during the first little warm spell we have when the ground is dry enough to work. Seems it works up better at planting if it has been turned and allowed to freeze and thaw several times to soften it up.

Time too, to start prepping the tobacco float bed and getting it in order for this season. I plan on seeding mine by the first of April, but will buy enough plants from work for an acre. That will allow me to spread the work out a little. First setting early May, second late May-early June. Puts the harvest about a month apart too. Two acres on one man is a stretch of capacity.

I also plan on putting out a pretty good size garden this year and may order some baby chicks to raise too. I have not had chickens here for a year or so now and kind of miss them around the place. I think something caught my last old rooster I had here, I ain’t seen him or heard a sound from him in a week or two now. Have some fencing that needs repair and the driveway graded. Just no end to it. Seems this place eats better than I do. Just hope I get enough work this Spring to bank roll it all.

I bought 10 bred cows back in December and three have already had calves; the last day before yesterday. One was born the 22nd of December and another on New Year’s Day. It is not the best time of year for it, but you take what you get sometimes. If they make it they will just weigh more this Fall when I sell them to pay the Notes around here. I check on them 2-3 times a day and so far they are fine. Better if they are born in Mar-Apr though. I will breed them back to be synchronized a little better for next year. This gives me 12 cows total and that is enough for now, ’til I get them straightened out and poppin’ and snappin’. 12 are about the limit for the pasture I have to raise really good calves without having to supply feed too. I didn’t want to have a Spring and a Fall calving herd but it looks like that is what I have until I can adjust it.

I have been doing what freelance writing work I can and working on getting these three Internet businesses up and running in the background of the farm and work. Anyway, as you can see, I have it in front of me to do. Lol And on that note…I’m outta here.

Plowboy