Friday, October 17, 2008

Friday Ranch Round-up

The Bag Lady told you the other day, didn't she, that she was planning on doing some crafts in order to have something to put on her table at the craft sale the first part of November? Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and (wo)men....

In actuality, she has had to postpone those plans for a few days. The Rancher needed her help over at their summer pasture, where he has been trying to fix the mess the loggers left. Yesterday, he was finally at the seeding stage. This is a tiny portion of what needs to be seeded:

Here is the Rancher with his new seeder hooked onto his old tractor. The tractor originally belonged to his father, and is probably close to qualifying as an antique, but it still runs like a top!



The ground is still rather rough for that little seeder, so the Rancher devised a float for the Bag Lady to drag behind the other tractor to help smooth out some of the rough spots. Here is a little video clip of the Rancher preparing a "float":

Step one: cut down a tree.....



Unfortunately, the Bag Lady was so busy helping him after step one that she didn't have time to take any more photos. They chained some big logs together, hooked the logs behind the tractor, and the Bag Lady drove around and around and around the field, dragging the logs behind the tractor.

The Bag Lady will be doing this again today. The Rancher had to go to work today, so the Bag Lady will be alone, dragging logs around. She has to remember not to turn too sharply so she doesn't catch the chain between the dual wheels on the tractor and flip the logs up into the cab of the tractor.......that might hurt.

Have a good weekend!

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love the ranch round up.

and log dragging.

as long as it's not me who draggeth the logs.

BE CAREFUL :)

the Bag Lady said...

Miz - thank you for your concern! No worries - I shall be careful!

JavaChick said...

I'm with mizfit...Do be careful dragging those logs around!

the Bag Lady said...

Javachick - I'm the biggest coward in the world when it comes to stuff like that, so I promise I will be careful!

Unknown said...

Just dragging logs around, all in a days work! You're so productive.

the Bag Lady said...

Sagan - it does sound kinda crazy, doesn't it? But it actually works to smooth the ground for seeding.

Anonymous said...

Eek! No ROPS on that vintage tractor! I know it looks pretty flat where you are, not like the hill farm where my best friend's mother rolled a tractor cutting hay in 1955. Broke her pelvis (she was five months pregnant--lost the baby) and concussed herself so thoroughly they kept her in the hospital for six weeks. Growing up with that story I'm a tractor safety fanatic.

Mary Anne in Kentucky

Missicat said...

Tiiimmmmbbbeeerr!
Be CAREFUL!! We are actually getting some nice fall weather here this weekend, so hopefully can get some autumn pics...no falling trees though (I hope!)

the Bag Lady said...

Mary Anne - the tractor that I drive has a cab on it. I'm not even sure how to start the one in the picture! And you're right - it is pretty flat around here, but that doesn't erase the possibility of a roll-over!

That's a scary story about your friends' mother - a lesson to remember.

the Bag Lady said...

Missicat - a sign of how cautious I really am is how far away I was when filming the Rancher cutting down that tree! And I knew he was going to fall it the opposite direction from where I was standing.
I also know that not everything goes according to plan......

Leah J. Utas said...

Okay, that old tractor is great. What character! And the fact that it runs and probably will forever is wonderful.
Enjoy yourself pulling logs around. It sounds like a pretty efficient way to get the job done.

the Bag Lady said...

dfLeah - I know it doesn't sound all that challenging, but it actually is, rather. I quite enjoyed it yesterday. Hopefully, today will be as much fun!

Hilary said...

Ack Baggie. Be careful.. a tree's bite is worse than its bark! ;)

Penny said...

Wow, isn't chopping down trees super-dangerous and there's a real art to it? So impressed! TIMBER!

Love the tractor :0)

Happy weekend, Bag Lady!

TA x

the Bag Lady said...

Oh, Hilary - I knew I could count on you!

TA - yes, there is an art to cutting down trees. But there is always the tiniest possibility that things will go wrong. Which is why I was so far away!
Hope your weekend is great, too!

Geosomin said...

I think it's great that old tractor still works. My Dad and uncle had an old one at the cabin for hauling stumps and the like for everyone up there...it seems the old ones are made to last !

Cutting down trees - I'd be standing far back too. My Dad is the experta at making the tree fall the other way than what he planned...I'd be that far back too! :)

the Bag Lady said...

Geo - it's always best to err on the side of caution! Although I have seen the Rancher cut down many a tree, and they usually fall where he planned, there's always the chance they won't!
When we first met, he was clearing a couple of old trees with the tractor - one of them was rotten - broke off halfway up and fell on the tractor! Good thing he wasn't using old 'Charlie' (the one in the picture)!

Anonymous said...

Wow, Be careful!

the Bag Lady said...

Tricia - thanks for your concern - I shall!!

Scrumpy said...

I don't even like to drive a pickup truck!

new*me said...

I have to say dragging logs sounds like a real drag :( I would much rather be crafting :) Happy craftiness when you get to it!

Reb said...

Have fun with your logs Sis! I know that you will still manage to get lots of crafts done for the sale.

Dawn said...

Love hearing about your farming activities.

Where we live - slap bang in the center of the North Island of NZ - the original native forest was harvested for logs and many of the farms have great big logs just lying there. Ones that for one reason or another were not suitable for timber. We "harvest" from them every year for firewood.

the Bag Lady said...

SB - but driving a tractor is so much FUN!!! Really!

Thanks, Annette - I really don't mind driving the tractor, but would rather be working on some crafts.

Reb - I actually didn't have very good luck with the logs today - they came apart on me several times, necessitating much cussing and grunting, and more cussing. ~~sigh~~

Dawn - At least they aren't going to waste! Firewood is important, too.