Here I sit at almost 2 AM. I’m unable to go to sleep.
Went to bed at 11, laid there for an hour then got up. I had been upholstering the seat on the cart just before I went to bed, so I went out to re-install the seat and backrest. I got it mounted, but while doing that I was bothered by a cow bellowing in the pasture. Being almost certain that something was wrong I decided I’d better take a look.
After checking that my spot light was charged, it’s one of those handheld rechargeable units, I started up the pickup and ventured into the pasture. As I went through the gate I heard a cow off to the side and swung the truck around so I could see in that direction. Sure enough the herd was bedded down near some trees. I was almost certain that the problem was off in another direction and not seeing any movement in the herd I turned around again to see if I could spot anything else. Almost immediately I found a cow, near a gate into the hay field. I drove by her and turned to cast the light into the field and there was her calf on the wrong side of the fence.
Now it’s always a little tricky getting a calf or cow, for that matter, out of that field and back into the pasture. You must open the gate, and when you do the offending animal almost always runs back into the field. Then while you try to get around this wild critter, the other cows generally decide that the hay field looks better than their pasture. The end result is that you must then chase a whole herd of cattle out of the hay field and back into their pasture.
Because of past experience, I was a little reluctant to open the gate, but there really was no other way to accomplish the task. I opened the gate and sure enough the calf disappeared into the hay field. I turned on the spotlight and found that he was quite a distance away but with his mother, separated by the fence. When I see this, with no movement from the rest of the bedded down herd, I feel a little more optimistic. The trick is to get to the other side of the cow and move her back along the fence toward the gate, but slow enough that the calf stays with her. Then when she gets near the gate, push her by it so that she doesn’t end up in the hay field with her calf. If things go right the calf will continue through the gate and rejoin his mother in the pasture.
I get back in the truck, make a fairly wide arc around the cow and ease up. She turns as expected and I watch the calf to be sure he goes with her. Sure enough they move off together. I’m a little concerned when the cow moves away from the fence 20 or 30 feet. The calf tests the fence a couple of times, but can’t get through. After that he marches down the fence line trying to keep up with momma. I have to pause a couple of times, I don’t want to push the cow too fast. If they get separated the job becomes harder. I breath a sigh of relief when she marches past the gate without turning in, and then hold my breath as the dumb calf tries to get between the gate and the fence. I had to open the gate into the field and put it as close to the fence as possible, but the brat tried to get between the fence and the gate, rather than marching straight through the opening. He gives up his stupid attempt, squirts through the gate and mom and calf are together headed for the rest of the herd.
I close the gate and return to the house, only to be met by Tinker Bell. I had left her in her crate, fast asleep but she obviously heard the pick up and was obviously disappointed that she had missed the excitement.
I’m still not sleepy, guess I’ll play some solitaire.
The Waxman-Markey Bill has passed the House and is now being addressed by the Senate. I don’t really know what is in the bill and doubt very much that the representatives who voted on it do either. It’s over 1200 pages and from what I read in the NY Times there were all kinds of last minute deals which added something like another 600 pages.
On June 26, the Wall Street Journal had the following comments on the bill: This was an analysis after the CBO reported that the cost would be only $175/year for an average household. “The biggest doozy in the CBO analysis was its extraordinary decision to look only at the day-to-day costs of operating a trading program, rather than the wider consequences energy restriction would have on the economy. The CBO acknowledges this in a footnote: “The resource cost does not indicate the potential decrease in gross domestic product (GDP) that could result from the cap.” The hit to GDP is the real threat in this bill. The whole point of cap and trade is to hike the price of electricity and gas so that Americans will use less. These higher prices will show up not just in electricity bills or at the gas station but in every manufactured good, from food to cars. Consumers will cut back on spending, which in turn will cut back on production, which results in fewer jobs created or higher unemployment. Some companies will instead move their operations overseas, with the same result. When the Heritage Foundation did its analysis of Waxman-Markey, it broadly compared the economy with and without the carbon tax. Under this more comprehensive scenario, it found Waxman-Markey would cost the economy $161 billion in 2020, which is $1,870 for a family of four. As the bill’s restrictions kick in, that number rises to $6,800 for a family of four by 2035. Note also that the CBO analysis is an average for the country as a whole. It doesn’t take into account the fact that certain regions and populations will be more severely hit than others — manufacturing states more than service states; coal producing states more than states that rely on hydro or natural gas. Low-income Americans, who devote more of their disposable income to energy, have more to lose than high-income families.”
I don’t know about you, but an added cost of $1900 to $7,000 per year is a substantial hit on my standard of living. I also strongly suspect that all those last minute deals will increase that cost substantially.
I think that Obama, Pelosi, and the other democrats in congress are drunk with power and pushing an agenda that we simply can’t afford. Further, that same agenda will most likely reduce our manufacturing sector’s ability to compete in the world market which will further reduce our ability to re-employ all those laid off workers.
It seems irresponsible to burden our children and grand-children with debt and reduce our competitive position in the world at a time when we are admittedly in an economic crisis.
I can support spending money on infrastructure in an effort to boost employment. That spending is going to occur some time and it might as well be sooner. We should also benefit from that spending over time. But spending money on things that simply reduce our competitive position in the world is crazy and that is exactly what is happening when we talk about the energy bill and health care. The idea that ‘green’ jobs will replace current unemployment is false, if the result of those green jobs is to make products that do not improve our competitive position in the world. With alternative energy costing up to 7 times what conventional energy costs, how can we compete with countries who are not forced away from conventional energy? It simply can’t be done.
Our busisnesses are already at a disadvantage due to our tax policies and now we are proposing to burden them with non-competitive and punitive energy costs. It isn’t just you and I as consumers that will be asked to absorb these costs. Our whole econ0my and standard of living will suffer as we lose more manufacturing to foreign shores and our employment continues to suffer or maybe even goes down as a result.
After several hot and humid days, our attention turned to hay making. I had successfully baled 10 acres, surprisingly without rain, and was in the process of storing the bales. I had stored about 1/2 of the crop when I stopped to fix lunch. After lunch I was headed back to the field when it started sprinkling. I jumped at the chance to abort my haying duties and turned my attention to building blocks for the wheel chair.
I had found some light weight angle that was 2 1/2 x 3 inch which would be wide enought to act as a stop for the front wheels when bolted to the base support on the cart. I fashioned them into a C shape. Twelve inches on the bottom, eight inches high and five inches at the top of the C. This would provide a solid stop at the front of the cart and the top piece would keep the chair from lifting up off the floor. After fabricating I took them to the house to make sure they would fit as imagined. They did.
Then Saturday evening we had a very hard 1/2 inch rain storm. Pretty effectively put an end to hay making and the relatively high winds put a stop to any idea of spraying. This allowed me to devote the day to working on the cart.
I had some minor revisions to fasten down the floor and the mesh dash. This went quite well and after lunch I took Marguerite out to find the correct placement for the C stops. These were easily located and mounted. I discovered that the cart was so well balanced that I could move it around easily with Marguerite in the cart. After messing around a little I discovered that the wheel chair would move backward away from the C stops. This would ruin the balance and posed a real problem. Easily solved. We make a quick trip to Tractor Supply and bought a rachet tie down strap.
On the way home we stopped by our neighbor’s to look at the brake system that he had on a wagon. (I’m still struggling with the possible need for brakes and how to mount them.) While there I asked Gerry if he might be available in about an hour. If he was I’d like to test Scooter with the wheel chair in the cart.
Back home and I mount the tied down strap and test by hand. It appears to hold the wheel chair securely. No more movement.
Gerry shows up and after looking things over, suggests that he ride in the wheel chair to test out the cart. This sounds like a great plan and I quickly catch Scooter and get him harnessed. He stands perfectly to be hitched and we check the balance before heading out.
Since the cart is now much heavier than before (the wheel chair and passenger add about 300 pounds) I’m a little concerned about Scooter’s willingness to handle the extra weight, espacially going down hill. We stay on the top of the hill where the slopes are not quite a severe and we are able to judge Scooter’s reaction. It is obvious that there is no weight on his back and he is accepting the minor inclines and declines without any sign of stress. Gerry is comfortable in the wheel chair and we decide to give the sharp hill down our driveway a try. Scooter sets his feet with care but is obviously comfortable holding back the extra weight. We drive on down the drive, turn around and give the up hill a try. Scooter calmly walks up the hill and we stop at the barn.
Gerry agrees that everything is fine and I decide to take Marguerite for a ride. We load her into her wheel chair and head down the drive to the road. Again the drive is absolutely silent with no squeaks or rattles. This makes conversation with Marguerite easy. She is a little apprehensive but seems to relax as we go down the road. Scooter is happy at a walk and easily goes up and down the relatively gentle hills on the road.
After 60 minutes driving in perfect weather we return to the barn, unhitch and unload. A very successful 1st drive with Marguerite. The cart is largely finished. I may still pursue brakes and certainly will have to build a dash to carry water and other niceties.
Tuesday and Wednesday were hot, 90+ degrees, with very high humidity. I am amazed at how exhausting this combination is. Monday was hot, 88 degrees, but apparently the humidity was a little less. I did a good deal of work outside and had plenty of energy to drive in the evening on Monday.
Not the case over the last two days. I did moderate work outside, mowed lawn and a hay field and worked on my old lawn mower. Didn’t notice any particular issues while actually working, but I found that I was actually exhausted when I came in for lunch and dinner.
On Tuesday I considered the heat and humidity severe enough to abort my planned drive with Scooter. The fact that I was near exhausted helped me to that conclusion.
Wednesday my helper, Laura, headed back to Minneapolis. She is planning to return in a week and I’m already looking forward to her return.
I again worked on the lawn and mowed some more hay. When I came in to fix supper I was totally exhausted. Seemed like my legs just don’t want to work. So once again I abort my plans to drive Scooter. Wonder if I’ll be able to do any driving until my daughter returns?
Sunday threatened rain all day, with occasional mists which seemed to verify the likelihood of rain. As a result I puttered. First hunted up some old chair pads that I could use for the cart seat. Then I took Marguerite to town where I purchase a SMV sign and some reflective tape. Then after mounting the sign and adding the tape I decided to pull out my forge and made side rails for the seat. When I got this all done, the day was pretty well shot. The highlight of the day was a call from my son, Rick, wishing me a happy Father’s Day and that he is planning to come with his boys, Sam and Jacob, for a visit around the end of July. It’s been a while and I’m really looking forward to seeing them.
It’s Monday and Michelle and Becki are gone, but Laura is handling the cooking. This gives me some flexibility and with an apparent dry day, I decide to spray thistles. (I hate thistles, but they love my pasture! It’s a never ending fight. I’ve sprayed most of the pasture once this year and today I’m going over places where I missed or couldn’t get to earlier.) The spraying goes well and I’m thinking about mowing some more hay.
When I take off the sprayer I notice that the hitch support has broken. No more using this tractor until that is repaired! It’s almost noon so I back into my shed and strip the three point and hitch so that I can see the problem. Two of the supporting bolts have broken off. This is going to be a challenge. I’ll have to try drilling them so that I can use a bolt extractor. Not any easy chore since they are very low to the ground and not much clearance to get a drill located. Must not drill into the threads!
It’s so hot and humid (near 90) and I decide I’d better stop to cool off and eat lunch. After lunch I head back to tackle the job.
My drill doesn’t fit at a perfect right angle, but I believe that if I can get it started near dead center I should be able to go deep enough for the extractor without hitting the threads. At first the drill doesn’t penetrate. I sharpen the bit and get a little further, but this is never going to get deep enough and I haven’t the strength to apply pressure. I get my crowbar and am able to apply some pressure. Low and behold, I’ve penetrated between 1/8 and 1/4 inches. Maybe I can get the extractor to bite on that. After trying several sizes I’m not having any luck, but then I decide to grind the end down on one and get it to the right size.
It works! The first bolt is out. With the technique developed and the tools handy, the second is easy. Two support straps have broken and I need to mount the hitch then spot weld those straps to get them in the exact right spot/alignment. This done I remove the hitch and finish the welds. While the hitch is cooling I run to town to get the metric bolts I need plus some thread lock to keep them from vibrating loose. Returning I finish mounting the hitch and replace all the parts that had been removed. It’s 6 pm and supper is probably ready.
After supper I decide to treat myself (and take advantage of my daughter’s presence) by hitching Scooter. I need to work with him on the new cart to make sure he is comfortable with the sounds and feel before I even think about loading the wheel chair.
Today, I hitch him, then lower the ramp and walk up into the cart and back off. Then I raise the ramp and lock it into place before untying and driving off. I drive down the road 1.5 miles turn around and then drive up my lane to the other farm. I’m really pleased with the cart. It is super quiet, all you hear is the clop of Scooter’s feet and the friction of the tires on the road. Virtually no rattles. Stop to visit a neighbor (Scooter gets fidgety so the stop is short) drive on down the road before turning and heading home. At the end of the drive I tie Scooter, then lower the support foot, lower the ramp (actually let it fall a little way so that it bangs on the ground), walk up into the cart and back down, raise the ramp, raise the support, and then finally unhitch. I want Scooter to learn that we don’t immediately unhitch. This is quite a change for him since in competition we unhitch as quickly as possible.
I was very pleased with Scooter. He stood like a rock at the start and at the finish. Conditioning him to the cart may not take as long as I had anticipated.
So today started very well, went in the dumper at noon, but finished on a high note.
My other daughters, Becki and Michelle, came Friday afternoon and with everybody here I was totally relieved of care giving responsibilities on Saturday. They took their mom to a dairy month brunch and I took the opportunity to work on the cart. I was anxious to get it to the point that it could be driven. (The new design, with torsion axles, a wedge seat, a basket mounted on an adjusting screw, and very low profile, needed to be proven.)
I also needed to test the ramp support system and the loading support which I had modified since testing with Marguerite earlier in the week. Had to prove that the support with screw clamp would hold and be quick and easy to release and raise.
Before everyone left for the brunch we hauled the cart up to the house and tested the revised features and again verified the point of balance. (I’ll add stops for the wheel chair to ensure that it is located for proper balance and security.) All the new features worked like a charm! You can see pictures of Marguerite in the cart here and here. She looks happy with the results.
At this point the cart was drivable, but I had no way to connect the horse to the cart! After surveying my supplies I realized that I didn’t have the parts needed. A trip to the Amish carriage repair shop was in order. I looked at my watch and realized that I must hurry because the shop closes from 12 to 1 for lunch and it was 11:30. I arrive at 11:45 and the shop is open, but I realize that I have forgotten my check book and I have just $23 dollars in my pocket. Will this be enough?
Mr. Mast greets me as I enter the shop and I explain that I am looking for some small clevis. Above his head are an array of parts and among them is exactly what I’m looking for and the price is reasonable at $3.50 each. I select 2 and then ask about single trees. He shows me a selection of metal single trees, all made for work. Way too heavy for my application. So we go upstairs and find a selection of wooden single trees that are just what I need. I select a 38 inch tree with the ends mounted. Finally I pick up a pair of footman loops. With everything in hand I proceed to pay the bill, $19.95. As I’m leaving I realize he has undercharged me for the single tree by $2.00. I leave with all the parts necessary and $1 in my pocket.
At home I cut metal, re-enforce the single tree, and fabricate an attachment clevis for the single tree. Then I mount the purchased clevis on the frame (located to provide a straight line of draught from the collar to the axle) and attach a length of chain between the frame and the single tree. I’m ready to hitch!
I haul the cart back up to the barn and call for Scooter, who is out of sight in the pasture. While I’m waiting for him to come in I wrap the hold back straps on the new cart. Scooter is now at the gate and looking eager for something to do. I put on his halter and introduce him to the cart. He informs me that he sees a ‘horse eating monster’ by snorting, pulling back and rearing. I give him some time to think about it while leading him around the cart. When he has calmed down I grab the shafts and push the cart ahead of us while leading Scooter. He is now comfortable with the looks of this thing so I harness him and proceed to hitch.
The chains need adjustment. Finally, after adjusting the chains we are hitched and ready to go. Picture here and here and here .
A success and what a wonderful Father’s Day gift.
You can read about this and other project on my web site here.
As mentioned yesterday, my granddaughters, Ana & Kataya, are visiting with their mother. As I also mentioned, I’m taking advantage of my daughter’s visit to get some things done that I’ve been unable to accomplish. Primarily, I’m working on my wheel chair cart.
Today, I continued my efforts. My granddaughters did stick their head in every once in a while to see what I was doing, but they did not like being around when I was welding, or grinding the metal. (This was fine with me, since I didn’t want them around when I was welding.)
Anyhow, I made good progress today, and was feeling pretty good about everything. You can see my progress pictures here. Came in for dinner at about 6:30 with the idea of continuing work on the cart after dinner.
As I ate we enjoyed the banter of the kids and I revised my plans. I asked them if they would like to go for a cart ride with Ashes. There was an immediate and enthusiastic acceptance of this idea. I told them that the only condition was that Ashes had to come to me since I didn’t want to chase him all over the pasture.
I went out to make preparations and catch Ashes. Sure enough, Scooter was waiting at the gate, but Ashes was well out in the pasture. I called to Ashes and petted Scooter while I waited to see what would happen. Sure enough Ashes came trotting in and seemed glad to see me with the halter.
I took him out and got him ready to hitch. The girls came out to watch and see if they could help. (Ana is just 10 and Kataya is 4) Ana was eager to instruct her sister on how to move around Ashes and I was pleased to note that she was pretty good at knowing what to do and her instruction was truly instruction and not just orders.
We had Ashes hitched and ready to go in record time. I got in and the girls climbed in. Just as I’m ready to move off Ana says “I hope we don’t have any hills.” I respond that we can’t leave the barn without encountering a hill! She is immediately apprehensive, so we carefully walk down the hill and I hold the cart back with the brakes. At the bottom of the 1st hill (only about 100 feet) Ana is telling me “Let me off at the shed and I’ll walk back to the house.”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Where did all the excitement go?
As we proceed down the lane (now level), Ana is getting more and more nervous and Kataya is picking up on these feelings. We get to the shed and both girls decide to get out. I let them out and proceed about 20 feet when I hear Kataya apparently wanting to continue the ride. So I stop again and wait for her to climb back in. We don’t go 10 feet when she suddenly changes her mind and wants out. So I stop and let her out. She joins her sister and they both head back for the house.
I am dumbfounded. They have both ridden with me many times and had a great time. I have no idea why the sudden change today.
Ashes and I continued on our way for about 50 minutes. I really enjoyed the outing, but to be honest, I would have driven Scooter if I had known I wouldn’t have passengers!
Rained last night, overcast this morning. Anticipated return of the blues, but both Marguerite and I are in great spirits. Maybe it’s because the sky is obviously getting lighter and the weather report anticipates clearing this afternoon.
This is dump day and after a short stint working on the cart, we load up for the dump and then continue on to a farm dealer to pick up some parts for the baler. (I had been having trouble with getting to the bale started. The feed would plug and I’d have to stop and pull the plug out. When I finally checked I found a number of pick-up teeth missing.)
It was a nice outing with Marguerite and Tinker Bell. Tinker has an interesting habit. She stands with her back feet on the back seat, her front feet on the center console, and alternately presses her head on my shoulder and then Marguerite’s. She doesn’t interfere with anything, just gives us each a hug.
After returning and having lunch, I proceeded to work on the cart. I had been puzzling about how to hold up the ramp. It must be solid, but easy and fast to both raise and lower. Last night the idea came to me to add a couple of fixed metal straps that would slip over lugs on the ramp with a simple bungee cord holding the straps in place when raised. (It will be in the raised position except when loading or unloading a passenger.)
I was able to put it together and am very happy with the results. Of course it must be field tested before I can say it is the solution.
I had also placed an old tire jack (screw type) on the cart to keep it from tipping while loading the 350 pound chair and passenger. I have tested it and the idea works to hold the cart steady while loading or unloading, but the time to lower and raise the screw jack simply took too much time. As an alternative I removed the screw jack and put on a sliding type foot that can be lowered and raised very quickly. It’s held in place by a simple screw clamp. I got it mounted today and again will need to field test the screw clamp before assuming it will work.
Today my oldest daughter, Laura, and her daughters, Ana and Katya, arrived for a week long visit. This may give me chance to finish the cart and perhaps drive my horses a little bit. Laura arrived at about 6 pm and even had supper!
I immediately took advantage of the opportunity and after supper returned to working on the cart. I was able to cut out and clamp up the frame for the seat/basket for the driver. It will be mounted on a screw to allow movement for balancing the cart. I even got the screw mounted to the base frame. Now it’s a matter of welding it up and mounting on a couple of bearing blocks. (The bearing blocks I have are not going to work so I’ll have to visit the farm dealer again.)
Marguerite is both excited and happy to have her daughter and granddaughters at home. It’s good to see her so happy.
This day has been a puzzle to me. I woke unusually early for me at 6:45. Had the thought of going out and riding Ed before Marguerite woke up.
But after showering, dressing, folding clothes, and loading the dishwasher I lost interest in that project.
The day was beautiful and I knew the hay which I had cut on Thursday and Friday would probably be ready to bale if only I inverted it. After feeding Marguerite and cleaning up I headed for the field.
A near perfect day for drying and I was sure the hay cut on Thursday would bale in the afternoon. Not so sure about Friday’s cut, but I inverted it anyway. Got done just in time to fix lunch.
After lunch I told Marguerite I’d be out for a while baling. Made sure she had everything she wanted and hooked on to the baler.
Baling went well and, sure enough Friday’s cut was not ready. The result is that I was done about 4:30. As I came back I thought ‘what a perfect opportunity to drive either Ashes or Scooter’.
Put the baler away, came back to the house and discovered the horse tanks were low. Turned on the water and waited for the tanks to fill. (I have to watch, or I forget to shut off the water!)
Still early, so went in to check on Marguerite. She seemed to be OK, but hadn’t finished her lunch. I nagged on her a bit and sat down to be sure she finished. Fell asleep!
Couldn’t believe how tired I was and it happened so suddenly. When I woke up I was still terribly tired and it was approaching time to fix supper.
Missed another opportunity to drive my horse and I really don’t know why.
It has just dawned on me that last summer my daughter, Becki, was living at home. Although I still did most of the care giving, I took advantage of Becki for many hours of relief. Didn’t realize it at the time but she obviously did a lot. I’ll miss her help this summer.
Marguerite is a very sweet and caring person and when you look into her bright, blue eyes you are absolutely convinced that she is both alert and intelligent. She certainly was, but it is now very misleading.
The single greatest frustration I have in caring for her is my failing to understand that her mind is badly deteriorated. I continue to believe that she is capable of understanding when it is obvious that she is not.
The single biggest example arises every night when it is time to put her in bed. At between 8:30 and 9 she will inform me that she is ready to go to bed. I’ll get her night gown and return to find her rolling around the circle in the house. I expect her to stop in her bedroom, but she never does. I’ll suggest that on her next turn about the house she should stop in her bedroom. She’ll nod in agreement and maybe even verbalize her agreement, but again she never stops. I can sit on her bed and wait for her, but she’ll enter the bedroom and immediately head out again. I’ll ask her to stop, at which point she’ll stop but headed away from her lift.
This is repeated nightly. I must catch her and take over the controls in order to get her to get in the proper position for lifting.
Now I’m tired at night and this seems unreasonable to me, but it is the way it is.
Another frustration has to do with food. She cannot offer suggestions on what she would like. I have to offer alternatives and she’ll pick one, but, and this is the frustrating part, she won’t necessarily like what she picks! I now understand wives and mothers who are disappointed when their meal isn’t appreciated. You work to prepare a meal, one that has been agreed on, and then it is not consumed. Very frustrating.
On the brighter side, she does seem to understand when I tell her I’m going to do something outside. For instance, today I was outside most of the day, returning every 1 1/2 to 2 hours to check and make sure she was OK. Each time I returned she was happy to see me with no evidence of distress from my absence. I even left after dinner to haul some cattle to market. (I got a kick out her saying ‘call me if you have trouble loading the cattle’. This was a common comment when she was mobile but again illustrates that she doesn’t really understand her condition.) I was gone from 7 to 9 and she appeared perfectly content when I returned, although she immediately informed me that she was ready for bed.
It seems that she understands when it is related to MY activity, but doesn’t seem to understand when it is related to what SHE has always done in the past.
It is a blessing to be able to leave like this. I pray her condition doesn’t deteriorate to the point that this isn’t possible.
