Family Vist From Minnesota

Tom, Perk, and Geri came down for a visit this last weekend and we had a great time. For the gals, the highlight was going to the Maple Leaf Festival and seeing all the great crafts....of course buying too. For me, and I think for Tom too, the highlight was taking a whole day on Sunday to get some work done on the farm. My barn had been leaning since the weekend we moved in here, one year ago. I wanted desperately to get the thing shored up and take down the 3 telephone poles I had leaning against the north side. With his help, I put a big bale on my tractor and applied pressure to the sides that needed it, while he propped up the poles in the places where the barn could be kept plumb. Then, we moved inside and used some 2X6 boards to cross brace the rafters. When I lowered the bail, there was a little creaking and cracking, but no shifting of the barn. We have since had some strong winds and still no shifting. Thanks for your help Tom! We love to have friends and family come and visit us. Sam and Hannah, especially, like it when they get to show people all the great "secrets" of the farm. It's always sad when our guests leave, but we appreciate the memories we make while they are here.

Allis - Phase III

I did not take any pictures of the tractor when it was fully sandblasted but that would have been phase II. Here it is with fresh coats of AC Orange paint. The orange is a little overwhelming at first. I have since added more black with the air cleaner, tires, steering wheel, and radiator. The tires are on now and, with luck, I will get 'er all back together soon.

On another note, I was in my buddy's pasture the other day loading wood and his horse took a bite out of the hood of my truck (Yes, the same one I am trying to sell). I could not believe it! I have never heard of a horse biting a vehicle to get the paint. I guess I can log that information into my, "What I Now Know About Farming Log".

Take Me Out to the Ball Game.......

This summer, we went to a Royals game against the Whitesox. Royals lost, but we sure had a nice time!

1949 Allis Chalmers WD - Restoration

This is a tractor I bought from a guy I met shortly after we moved to Kansas. He had it sitting out in his pasture for about three years. He told me he moved it there when he bought a new John Deere. I asked him if it ran and he said it did when he drove it out there and parked it. I took the crank off and manually turned it over and it was not seized up (luckily the manifold had been kept covered). I was surprised something that old would still turn over. A few weeks ago, my buddy Randy went with me to get it running. We pulled it out of the pasture and worked on it for a little while. It didn't take us long to get it running good enough to load it onto the trailer.
I have been spending the better part of the last two weeks sandblasting it and priming it. I just painted it tonight so it looks much different. It has been a very interesting process watching it transform into what it looks like now. Amazingly, they still make parts for this thing. I will be painting the back wheels this week and getting it put back together. I'll post pictures of the finished product when it's all done.
Hopefully, this is what I will be mowing my own hay with next year. I also came across a two bottom plow and a two-row planter. This should really help us get the farming operation into full swing.