Ridgetop - our place and how we muddle along

[Ridgetop]

This was not a lie! The Chinese just drilled new holes to me it fit. Have you ever bought anything made in China that needed assembling? None of the holes line up properly! My brother was there and had to explain how the specs were to be read!

 

[Ridgetop]

LED readout on scale is not a problem since we will never be forced to read it from 30 meters away! We will be attempting to keep lamb dangling in sling instead of killing itself falling out of the sling by kicking. Weighing lambs requires split second timing, instant reflexes, and the masochistic need to immolate oneself on their sharp little hooves, thrashing heads, and leaping bodies. More to the point will be the need to keep from being blinded by the LED readout if it is indeed that bright.

 

[greybeard]

This was not a lie! The Chinese just drilled new holes to me it fit. Have you ever bought anything made in China that needed assembling? None of the holes line up properly! My brother was there and had to explain how the specs were to be read!

It's an old old joke that has been around aviation circles since I was a teenager. First time I heard it, the dummies were the Polish and it was a Lockheed C-130 product and their engineer that 'had to fly over and straighten it out'.
Next time someone tried to tell it, it was while I was at Headquarters and Maintenance Squadron 14, & it was the French that were the idiots, and the subject aircraft was a North American Aviation P-51 Mustang.

Never, no matter how many holes or where they are drilled, would anyone (no matter how dumb) attempt to install any aircraft wing on upside down.......just way too many problems besides the holes that would be evident even to a novice off the street. The wing's airfoil shape is a dead giveaway.

The only possible scenario where an aircraft wing 'might' be installed upside down would be a bi-plane, but those haven't been built by any of the US manufacturers since the mid 1940s.

 

[Ridgetop]

Went down to the Tool/Workshop after Bridge today (before dark, of course) and while trying to sort all the tools that have reappeared in various boxes and buckets scattered around the floor, tried to open the tool drawer labled "Sockets". It was a struggle since many years ago in a vain attempt to organize DH's tools I had dumped all the loose sockets I found into the drawer of his rolling Craftsman tool cabinet. The drawer was now so heavy I could barely open it, which meant that no one would ever put away any socket they had managed to wrestle out of it. That must be why I find sockets abandoned in numerous places - buckets of corral clamps, buckets of bolts, etc. I also found 2 large plastic cases in one of the cabinets. Lo and behold! Both cases were almost full of sockets.

Just so you know, back in the day when people still worked on their own cars, DH had a love affair with sockets. We all have our favorite tools and sockets were his. It solved the dilemma of Christmas and birthday gifts nicely but all good things must end and DH has no use for all these sockets. We have small sockets that fit in our drills, and only use a couple of sizes for around the ranch use, mostly for corral panel clamps. Our sons have their own socket sets which they guard from their father. Needless to say they were a gift from their father. He almost had tears in his eyes when he told them "Every boy should have a good set of sockets". I did have tears in my eyes when I thought of the drawerful of abandoned sockets in the tool chest.

One of the sets I found in the cabinet were Craftsman sockets, and the other set was labeled Crescent brand. I don't know about the Crescent brand sockets, I did not check them to see if they were USA made (it was getting dark and I had to get up to the house before the gremlins came out to play). However, I remembered DH telling me that Craftsman sockets were made in the USA and were one of the best. These were old Craftsman sockets (DS1 told me today that the new Craftsman stuff is not very good). There were also some "Proto USA" and KS USA sockets . I don't know what brands those are, but they were also USA made sockets. So I sorted out all the sockets that were made in Taiwan or Japan. It took me over an hour just to sort them by brand. 139 of the sockets were made in either Taiwan or Japan. I know there were 139 of them because my granddaughter wanted to help me in the barn so I had her count them. I am giving those to DS1 to sell for metal. Judging by the number that I am disposing of - 139, and the number of sockets left to sort through and size, there must have been about 400 sockets in the drawer! Tomorrow I will check the Crescent sockets to see if they are USA made. If yes, they can stay, if not, they will go. 400 sockets are too many for one man to own! In my opinion 261 sockets are too many for one man to own but I will not deprive DH of all his sockets.

Tomorrow I continue my ongoing battle with the Tool/Workshop. It will not defeat me. However, the labeling process is becoming rather tedious. The drawback is that if I do not label everything, we will never know exactly where everything is and DH will never remember where it came from to put it back. I am somewhat OCD about organizing things. Since you might think that is rather an oxymoron considering how DIS-organized both the milk shed and the Tool/workshop were, once they had gotten that way I simply closed the door and pretended everything was tidy behind the door.

Tomorrow the final saga in our brush clearance adventure. We have been hearing rumors of an El Nino winter again. Thank heaven for the sheep.

 

[Rammy]

 

[Wehner Homestead]

X2!

 

[Bruce]

I have to agree, one generally never needs more than 2 sockets of a given size (often you can use only 1 and need an open or box end for the nut anyway) and there aren't THAT many sizes even if you include metric and English.

 

[Rammy]

Maybe for him its sockets. For women its shoes. Personally, I only own one pair of sneakers at a time. Some people collect stuff. Nothing cooler than shiney new tools.

 

[Wehner Homestead]

Tools are a sore subject around here!

 

[Ridgetop]

Re: Shoes - I used to buy elegant hats a la Princess Diana. I lived where ladies lunched and wore hats to church. I had a closet of stilleto heels too for work and church. I loved them and some hats are still in my closet, but not 163 (found 2 more Craftsman sockets). My discard total is up to 167 now after discovering another partial set and many loose in stuff we brought home from Daddy's place.

We need 2 depths because of the corral panel bolts compared to standard bolts, but really a full set of spark plug sockets? That was in an old set of Daddy's. I kept it since I really don't know about spark plugs and when someone decides to change one, and says DW fetch me my spark plug socket, I will need to be able to instantly produce it lest my reputation for knowing where everything is should suffer.

I had already spent a week sorting and setting aside or disposing of non working tools and an entire wall full of miscellaneous nails, screws, nuts, bolts, washers, etc. sorted and stored on shelves in Daddy's huge workshop. Have plenty of those waiting for me to sort them in my shed. I will eventually have to sort out the various rusted screwdrivers, etc., and send them the way of the rusty drywall saws, frozen pliers, mastic coated putty knives, and other detritus that for some reason DH, DS1, and DS2 saw fit to throw into boxes and buckets for the trip home to me. I wonder if that was the trash they told me they had no where to dump before coming home . . . .

I also sorted 3 boxes of paperwork that DH had previously placed in boxes "to be sorted" in the office. He never has time so I did it this am. Most was trash or old files so that was easily done before attacking the Tool/Workshop. I actually thought I caught a glimpse of a work bench countertop in the far corner. I turned quickly, but the junk was quicker and recovered it. I did accuse DS1 of bringing more stuff in at night under cover of darkness. He snickered but denied it. At least the heat has eased off and we are in the high 70's here.

Now, the final chapter of our brush clearing . . . of course, we went through this for several years until we finally got our Dorsets in 2010. We love our sheep! And they taste good too!

TRIALS & TRIBULATIONS OF BRUSH CLEARANCE (continued)

Chapter 6 - April

The Fire Inspectors are now a visible and threatening presence on our roads. Ripples of uneasiness stir through the community as we confront our annual dilemma – cut now and risk having to cut again; or wait and risk not finishing before the deadline. As we debate the pros and cons, we begin the search through the barn, sheds, outbuildings, garage, looking for the weed whackers, blades, clippers, gas can, rakes, etc. necessary to our task. Those persons organized enough to remember where they stored their tools the previous season get them out and gaze mournfully at them envisioning the back breaking labor to come. The rest of us go to the hardware store.

Sadly, despite the valiant efforts of our horsey helpers, our 200 foot clearances will not pass inspection. We will have to pick up our tools and get to work. Although our horses and mule still decline to go into the gully and eat the leafy growth, surprisingly, it would appear that cut brush is a delicacy.

We have learned this after stuffing 5 loads into our trailer and dragging it to the green dump, waiting in the long line of persons likewise encumbered with their own brush, finally unloading it, and returning home. The entire trip takes about 2 hours because of the long line of waiting cars, although the green dump is only about 5 miles away. We see our neighbors there, but no one speaks. The doom of brush clearance fills our minds. We are jealous of our places in line and when a commercial operator is waved in ahead us, there is a sullen growl of resentment. Finally, it is our turn and we begin the process of unloading. The cuttings appear to want to remain with us. They stick and stab us while we tried to wrestle them out of the trailer. Bloodied, we return home to anoint our wounds and continue cutting.

One day, missing dump closing time, we left the cut brush in the trailer, planning to dump in the morning. Next morning the brush pile was GONE, as if taken by the Little People during the night! The horses and mule seemed to be grinning. There were a few scattered fronds on the ground otherwise it might never have been there! This is excellent news! We now decide to just pile the brush where we cut it and let the horses and mule do their thing.

Next morning, we find that leaving the brush piles down the hillside does not work. Our four- legged freeloaders refused to venture down. Instead they are standing morosely at their empty feeders waiting for us to bring them breakfast. Annoyed at their laziness, we ignore them and begin cutting brush. Shocked at our heartlessness, they stand at the edge of the slope. Occasionally they stretch their long necks over to see if they can reach any of the tantalizing piles. Then they whicker at us disapprovingly. We will have to drag it to the top after all.

Apparently, not only is cut brush desirable to our equines, but it also tastes better the farther uphill it is carried by humans. As we struggle up the steep slope dragging large bundles of shrubbery, horsey faces appear over the edge of the hill. As we stagger over the summit our four-legged friends greedily converge on us, jostling for the best position to snatch mouthfuls of the suddenly tasty stuff. Note: Being jostled by a large horse at the top of a 50 degree slope, while dragging 70 lbs of brush, should be avoided. . . Note to self: Buy aspirin.

Although the horses won’t walk to the bottom of the hill to graze, they have cut down on the time it takes to load the brush into the trailer, drive to the green dump, wait in line, and unload the trailer. In fact, there is no point in loading the trailer since our equines will unload it overnight and scatter the stuff around anyway. Might as well just dump everything in a big old pile and leave it for them to help themselves.

It seems our four-legged freeloaders have come up with their own EQUINE CUNNING PLAN. We cut and drag uphill, they eat and scatter.

EQUINE CUNNING PLAN #4

Day 1
Humans weed whack brush. Humans drag piles of brush to top of cliff. Drop brush in pile. Get knocked over by horses and mule. Take aspirin. Weed whack brush. Drag pile of brush to top of cliff. Shove horses and mule aside. Drop brush in vicinity of first pile. Repeat.
Day 2
Take aspirin first. Weed whack brush and drag to top of cliff. Scream threats at horses and mule. Drop pile of brush anywhere. Fall downhill. Out of aspirin. Repeat.
Day 3
Buy more aspirin. Rake up scattered brush from previous day. Lock horses and mule in stalls. Ignore their repeated complaints and demands for release. Repeat Day 2 activities. Take more aspirin. Call chiropractor for appointments. Apply first aid to cuts and scrapes. Listen to horses and mule congratulating each other on success of their Equine Cunning Plan.

This Equine Cunning Plan has proved painful. We have cleared only a tiny space and now need chiropractic treatment for our backs, and antibiotic cream for our scrapes and cuts. We are out of aspirin again. We decide to abandon painful Equine Cunning Plan and look for Final Cunning Plan.

Chapter 7 – End of April



FINAL CUNNING PLAN #5

Day 1
Call brush trimming service.
Day 2
Fix iced drinks. Relax on patio, enjoying restful sound of weed whackers in the distance. Admire the sight of our sleek and beautiful horses and mule munching hay from their feeders. Fix more iced drinks, perhaps even adult beverages. Write check to brush trimming service. Congratulate each other on success of plan.

Our final Cunning Plan is successful! After much trial and error, we have achieved our goal of equine assisted brush clearance and beaten the Fire Clearance deadline!

Now, anyone have any ideas about how to attach a manure receptacle to the business end of a horse?

Back to the Tool/Workshop! I forge on . . . .




















Chapter 6 – April



The Fire Inspectors are now a visible and threatening presence on our roads. Ripples of uneasiness stir through the community as we confront our annual dilemma – cut now and risk having to cut again; or wait and risk not finishing before the deadline. As we debate the pros and cons, we begin the search through the barn, sheds, outbuildings, garage, looking for the weed whackers, blades, clippers, gas can, rakes, etc. necessary to our task. Those persons organized enough to remember where they stored their tools the previous season get them out and gaze mournfully at them envisioning the back breaking labor to come. The rest of us go to the hardware store.

Sadly, despite the valiant efforts of our horsey helpers, our 200 foot clearances will not pass inspection. We will have to pick up our tools and get to work. Although our horses and mule still decline to go into the gully and eat the leafy growth, surprisingly, it would appear that cut brush is a delicacy.

We have learned this after stuffing 5 loads into our trailer and dragging it to the green dump, waiting in the long line of persons likewise encumbered with their own brush, finally unloading it, and returning home. The entire trip takes about 2 hours because of the long line of waiting cars, although the green dump is only about 5 miles away. We see our neighbors there, but no one speaks. The doom of brush clearance fills our minds. We are jealous of our places in line and when a commercial operator is waved in ahead us, there is a sullen growl of resentment. Finally, it is our turn and we begin the process of unloading. The cuttings appear to want to remain with us. They stick and stab us while we tried to wrestle them out of the trailer. Bloodied, we return home to anoint our wounds and continue cutting.

One day, missing dump closing time, we left the cut brush in the trailer, planning to dump in the morning. Next morning the brush pile was GONE, as if taken by the Little People during the night! The horses and mule seemed to be grinning. There were a few scattered fronds on the ground otherwise it might never have been there! This is excellent news! We now decide to just pile the brush where we cut it and let the horses and mule do their thing.

Next morning, we find that leaving the brush piles down the hillside does not work. Our four- legged freeloaders refused to venture down. Instead they are standing morosely at their empty feeders waiting for us to bring them breakfast. Annoyed at their laziness, we ignore them and begin cutting brush. Shocked at our heartlessness, they stand at the edge of the slope. Occasionally they stretch their long necks over to see if they can reach any of the tantalizing piles. Then they whicker at us disapprovingly. We will have to drag it to the top after all.

Apparently, not only is cut brush desirable to our equines, but it also tastes better the farther uphill it is carried by humans. As we struggle up the steep slope dragging large bundles of shrubbery, horsey faces appear over the edge of the hill. As we stagger over the summit our four-legged friends greedily converge on us, jostling for the best position to snatch mouthfuls of the suddenly tasty stuff. Note: Being jostled by a large horse at the top of a 50 degree slope, while dragging 70 lbs of brush, should be avoided. . . Note to self: Buy aspirin.

Although the horses won’t walk to the bottom of the hill to graze, they have cut down on the time it takes to load the brush into the trailer, drive to the green dump, wait in line, and unload the trailer. In fact, there is no point in loading the trailer since our equines will unload it overnight and scatter the stuff around anyway. Might as well just dump everything in a big old pile and leave it for them to help themselves.

It seems our four-legged freeloaders have come up with their own EQUINE CUNNING PLAN. We cut and drag uphill, they eat and scatter.



EQUINE CUNNING PLAN #4

Day 1

Humans weed whack brush. Humans drag piles of brush to top of cliff. Drop brush in pile. Get knocked over by horses and mule. Take aspirin. Weed whack brush. Drag pile of brush to top of cliff. Shove horses and mule aside. Drop brush in vicinity of first pile. Repeat.

Day 2

Take aspirin first. Weed whack brush and drag to top of cliff. Scream threats at horses and mule. Drop pile of brush anywhere. Fall downhill. Out of aspirin. Repeat.

Day 3

Buy more aspirin. Rake up scattered brush from previous day. Lock horses and mule in stalls. Ignore their repeated complaints and demands for release. Repeat Day 2 activities. Take more aspirin. Call chiropractor for appointments. Apply first aid to cuts and scrapes. Listen to horses and mule congratulating each other on success of their Equine Cunning Plan.

This Equine Cunning Plan has proved painful. We have cleared only a tiny space and now need chiropractic treatment for our backs, and antibiotic cream for our scrapes and cuts. We are out of aspirin again. We decide to abandon painful Equine Cunning Plan and look for Final Cunning Plan.



Chapter 7 – End of April



FINAL CUNNING PLAN #5

Day 1

Call brush trimming service.

Day 2

Fix iced drinks. Relax on patio, enjoying restful sound of weed whackers in the distance. Admire the sight of our sleek and beautiful horses and mule munching hay from their feeders. Fix more iced drinks, perhaps even adult beverages. Write check to brush trimming service. Congratulate each other on success of plan.

Our final Cunning Plan is successful! After much trial and error, we have achieved our goal of equine assisted brush clearance and beaten the Fore Clearance deadline.



Now, anyone have any ideas about how to attach a manure receptacle to the business end of a horse?




















Chapter 6 – April



The Fire Inspectors are now a visible and threatening presence on our roads. Ripples of uneasiness stir through the community as we confront our annual dilemma – cut now and risk having to cut again; or wait and risk not finishing before the deadline. As we debate the pros and cons, we begin the search through the barn, sheds, outbuildings, garage, looking for the weed whackers, blades, clippers, gas can, rakes, etc. necessary to our task. Those persons organized enough to remember where they stored their tools the previous season get them out and gaze mournfully at them envisioning the back breaking labor to come. The rest of us go to the hardware store.

Sadly, despite the valiant efforts of our horsey helpers, our 200 foot clearances will not pass inspection. We will have to pick up our tools and get to work. Although our horses and mule still decline to go into the gully and eat the leafy growth, surprisingly, it would appear that cut brush is a delicacy.

We have learned this after stuffing 5 loads into our trailer and dragging it to the green dump, waiting in the long line of persons likewise encumbered with their own brush, finally unloading it, and returning home. The entire trip takes about 2 hours because of the long line of waiting cars, although the green dump is only about 5 miles away. We see our neighbors there, but no one speaks. The doom of brush clearance fills our minds. We are jealous of our places in line and when a commercial operator is waved in ahead us, there is a sullen growl of resentment. Finally, it is our turn and we begin the process of unloading. The cuttings appear to want to remain with us. They stick and stab us while we tried to wrestle them out of the trailer. Bloodied, we return home to anoint our wounds and continue cutting.

One day, missing dump closing time, we left the cut brush in the trailer, planning to dump in the morning. Next morning the brush pile was GONE, as if taken by the Little People during the night! The horses and mule seemed to be grinning. There were a few scattered fronds on the ground otherwise it might never have been there! This is excellent news! We now decide to just pile the brush where we cut it and let the horses and mule do their thing.

Next morning, we find that leaving the brush piles down the hillside does not work. Our four- legged freeloaders refused to venture down. Instead they are standing morosely at their empty feeders waiting for us to bring them breakfast. Annoyed at their laziness, we ignore them and begin cutting brush. Shocked at our heartlessness, they stand at the edge of the slope. Occasionally they stretch their long necks over to see if they can reach any of the tantalizing piles. Then they whicker at us disapprovingly. We will have to drag it to the top after all.

Apparently, not only is cut brush desirable to our equines, but it also tastes better the farther uphill it is carried by humans. As we struggle up the steep slope dragging large bundles of shrubbery, horsey faces appear over the edge of the hill. As we stagger over the summit our four-legged friends greedily converge on us, jostling for the best position to snatch mouthfuls of the suddenly tasty stuff. Note: Being jostled by a large horse at the top of a 50 degree slope, while dragging 70 lbs of brush, should be avoided. . . Note to self: Buy aspirin.

Although the horses won’t walk to the bottom of the hill to graze, they have cut down on the time it takes to load the brush into the trailer, drive to the green dump, wait in line, and unload the trailer. In fact, there is no point in loading the trailer since our equines will unload it overnight and scatter the stuff around anyway. Might as well just dump everything in a big old pile and leave it for them to help themselves.

It seems our four-legged freeloaders have come up with their own EQUINE CUNNING PLAN. We cut and drag uphill, they eat and scatter.



EQUINE CUNNING PLAN #4

Day 1

Humans weed whack brush. Humans drag piles of brush to top of cliff. Drop brush in pile. Get knocked over by horses and mule. Take aspirin. Weed whack brush. Drag pile of brush to top of cliff. Shove horses and mule aside. Drop brush in vicinity of first pile. Repeat.

Day 2

Take aspirin first. Weed whack brush and drag to top of cliff. Scream threats at horses and mule. Drop pile of brush anywhere. Fall downhill. Out of aspirin. Repeat.

Day 3

Buy more aspirin. Rake up scattered brush from previous day. Lock horses and mule in stalls. Ignore their repeated complaints and demands for release. Repeat Day 2 activities. Take more aspirin. Call chiropractor for appointments. Apply first aid to cuts and scrapes. Listen to horses and mule congratulating each other on success of their Equine Cunning Plan.

This Equine Cunning Plan has proved painful. We have cleared only a tiny space and now need chiropractic treatment for our backs, and antibiotic cream for our scrapes and cuts. We are out of aspirin again. We decide to abandon painful Equine Cunning Plan and look for Final Cunning Plan.



Chapter 7 – End of April



FINAL CUNNING PLAN #5

Day 1

Call brush trimming service.

Day 2

Fix iced drinks. Relax on patio, enjoying restful sound of weed whackers in the distance. Admire the sight of our sleek and beautiful horses and mule munching hay from their feeders. Fix more iced drinks, perhaps even adult beverages. Write check to brush trimming service. Congratulate each other on success of plan.

Our final Cunning Plan is successful! After much trial and error, we have achieved our goal of equine assisted brush clearance and beaten the Fore Clearance deadline.



Now, anyone have any ideas about how to attach a manure receptacle to the business end of a horse?