Three days on the farm

Well it is only fitting that the today is gray and overcast after spending three sunshine filled October days on the farm with the Little Boy. We did manage to get a little work done, we helped Uncle Ken cut a little wood ,mowed and trimmed for the last time around the cabin and a little around the pond. Yesterday morning we cleaned the cabin and I washed all the bed clothes and towels , opened all the windows and aired the cabin out it was 74 degrees and breezy yesterday, we did all this in between riding 4 wheelers yesterday. At one point yesterday I stopped racing with Kenny Ray and laid back on the 4 wheeler and watched the sky , the clouds speed by and the wind howled thru the woods it was very relaxing, til Kenny Ray found and crashed into me. I did manage to watch the sunrise every morning and write a little over the weekend as well as drink a lot of coffee on the porch. I sat and did some more planning for a root cellar , wood shed , and dog kennel , where to put them and what ground needs cleaned up this winter. If it's a mild winter i hope to get allot done. I also have some things to finish up on the cabin. As Kenny Ray and i finish packing the trailer to come last night he asked Dad why are you mad? Did I do something? No son I told him, Dad just doe's not want to go back to Dayton and back to work tomorrow. He said I know Dad. So the overcast day fits my mood today. I have one more weekend in October to be at the cabin I only hope the the weather continues to cooperate as it all of this month.

Have been under the weather

I have been asked why I have not written anything lately. Well I have been under weather as my sinuses’s have been about to kill me with some bad headaches. I did get down to the farm over the last couple of weeks. On the weekend of the tenth and eleventh I had to go down and put a back glass in my Uncle Kens truck as he busted out another with a block of firewood , he threw it into the bed of his truck and it bounced up and busted out the back glass it is the second time he has done it. Although when I get to be 71 years old I hope I am still able to cut wood as he is, he cut and loaded 11 loads of firewood by himself last week and he needs a cane to walk out to mailbox, as he has a pinched nerve in his low back. Well I got the glass in and he and cousin Lester , Kenny Ray and I went up into the woods and cut me a load of White oak firewood. After we got the wood cut Lester, Kenny Ray and I went over to the Mennonite store and got a sandwich and a bottle of pop for dinner. We had a little picnic out in the parking lot under a big ole Maple tree.
After dinner Lester went home and Kenny Ray and went up on the hill to the farm.
He and I got out our bows and did a little practice. We then got out the tree stand and went and picked out a tree for the Little Boy to hunt out of. We found a tree and the Little boy hooked up the stand and began to climb. After he was setup I proceeded out to the tree house and we began to hunt. A couple of hours passed and the Little Boy called me on the walkie talkie and said he was going to climb down. { he has to call me when he begins his climb and is situated and before he climbs down as well also when he is back on the ground], I try not to worry but I do. The next morning I let him sleep in and I went out to the pond with a cup of coffee and about a pound of fish food. I was not really paying attention I was just enjoying the grandeur of Gods coloring book and the sweet breeze of fall. Just as I came into view of the pond four wild ducks flew off the water..
I was quiet shocked as it was the first time I had seen ducks on my ole place, I was really delighted. I scattered a handful of fish feed on the water and sat down on a stump and waited for the show to begin, in less the five minutes it began the catfish where feeding so fast that if had known better you would have thought they were piranhas. I sat there feeding the fish and drinking coffee under a clear blue sky and the trees changing into there fall coat of many colors.
This past weekend Tari, Kenny Ray, and nephew Dan we went back down to the farm as it was Festival of Leaves weekend. Tari and I dropped off the boys at the Festival on our way thru town for a couple hours as we unloaded the truck and put away groceries, I picked them up about nine thirty pm.On Saturday I got up about 5 am and built my first fire of the year ,as I sat there by the stove with a cup of coffee and writing in my journal.
Waiting on the sun to come up as I love watching the sun coming up over the ridge and the night turn into day, I always remember some days hunting in sub zero weather and how glad I was to see that orange ball of fire in the sky.I am glad to be sitting here by the stove this cool morning. I freshened my coffee and grabbed a cup of fish food and headed to the pond to see if the ducks where there this weekend I was full of hope. As I neared the pond I was quickly disappointed no ducks. I scattered some of the food on the water and after a few minutes the fish began to feed but not with a fury like last weekend as the water was turning cooler. After thirty minutes of quiet solitude Tari had awakened and came down to find me. I finished and we went for a walk down the lane and toward the woods and I showed her where the Little Boy had placed his tree stand and told her how safe he had been so far, but she was still nervous. We got back to the cabin and the boys were up. I fixed breakfast and Kenny Ray said dad what time are we going to the festival. I said son I may not go down til about two o'clock, he frowned, and said dad can we walk down now. I said it is over a mile to town are sure? He said yes and they left for town and the festival.When Tari and I drove down it was a mile and a half. The city shut down the road up the hill to my cabin over the weekend as some downhill luge group gets the use of the hill for there competition. If you go to you tube and type in demons of down hill, Bainbridge Ohio. If you slow down the beginning as they leave the starting line you can glimpse of my cabin in the background. These guys are brave just ask Kenny Ray as he crashed going down the hill on a bike back in the summer and was introduced to his first case of road rash.
On Sunday I slept in late til six am that is late for me. I got up made some coffee and sat out on the porch and watched the sun come up. I love Sunday mornings in Bainbridge as the church bells can be heard up on the hill. After breakfast I went for a walk in the woods by myself with some marker spray paint as I was going to paint the boundary pins of my land. About halfway thru my walk I stopped and looked around and layed down in the leaves and let the warm sunshine on my face. About an hour later I woke up and decided to just mark the south and east boundaries today. As I continued about my task
I thanked God for this beautiful day . When I sprayed the last pin I started back to the cabin, kn owing that I had to get packed and head back to Dayton as I had to go to work.

My 100 item challenge

Well I Promised you all a look at my 100 item challenge list ,and I have been working on it and eliminating some of those possessions that I though at the time I needed. As I was going of my list of essentials I used one rule. If I had not used in it the last 12 months I did not need it. So it went on Craigslist and Ebay. I have been very busy shipping and selling those items I deemed not needed. I found out one thing I can not even give a TV away I listed on Craigslist and Xenia freecycle and not one taker for a 19 inch color TV with no remote. I think that is because there is nothing on it worth watching. Well enough commentary here is the third revision of the list.

1 Wedding Ring

2 Coon skin hat { hard decision for #one or two}

3 wrist watch

4 work boots

5 hunting boots

6 knee boots

7 dress shoes

8 casual shoes

9 socks [10 pair]

10 Boxer's [10 pair]

11 denim jeans

12 denim jeans

13 denim jeans

14 denim jeans

15 camo pants

16 brush pants

17 sweatshirt

18 t shirt

19 t shirt

20 t shirt

21 long sleeve shirt

22 long sleeve shirt

23 long sleeve shirt

24 short sleeve shirt

25 short sleeve shirt

26 short sleeve shirt

27 camo long sleeve shirt

28 camo short sleeve shirt

29 carhart coat

30 camo coat

31 camo jacket

32 carhart work coat

33 belt

34 suspenders

35 baseball cap

36 computer

37 sleep machine cpap [ so i do not snore]

38 fishing pole

39 fishing pole

40 Tackle box [ basic items bobber, hooks, sinkers]

41Coleman lantern [ bought when I was 16 years old]

42 Filet knife [ a high school graduation present from the Hackathornes]

43 shotgun

44 shotgun

45 shotgun [ gift from Uncle ken]

46 shotgun [ gift from uncle ken]

47 Rifle 22 [ gift from my dad when I was 10]

48 shotgun [ gift from my dad when I was 10, first gun now Kenny Ray's so minus one]

48 Rifle

49 Rifle

50 Muzzle loader rifle [ gift from wife Tari]

51 Muzzle loader rifle

52 Muzzle loader handgun [ gift from wife]

53 handgun

54 handgun

55 deerskin shirt [ made by my mother from skins of deer that I harvested]

56 pocket knife

57 skinning knife

58 skinning knife

59 Crossbow [ gift from my dad] inc a dozen arrows

60 compound bow plus a dozen arrows

61 binoculars

62 range finder

63 camera

64 treestand [ gift from Tom Loxley former boss and friend]

65 headlamp

66 gun cleaning kit

67 set walkie talkies

68 gps handheld

69 flashlight

70 chainsaw [ five extra chains]

71 4 wheeler kawasaki

72 4 wheeler honda

73 enclosed trailer

74 beagle hound [ Ole jack]

75 beagle hound [ still looking for but he needed a spot on the list]

76 box turkey call

77 dog box for truck

78 tritronics dog collar

79 traps [ a dozen]

71 snares [ a dozen]

72 fur stretchers[ a dozen]

73 knife sharpening stone [ gift from my grandmother]

74 lunch box [ gift from grandfather when i was 16 and just starting to work]

75 journal [ a gift for my son and grandchildren]

76 Thermos for coffee

77 thermos for soup

78 bike

79 toolbox[ with basic tools]

80 baseball glove

81 bowling ball

82 bowling shoes

83 sleeping bag

84 cooler

85 work gloves

86 beagle hound [ since i can not come up with a 100 i need another dog]

Well this is where I am tonight on my list , I know I have forgotten something as I have rewritten now 4 times with some things added and some removed . I went thru my clothes this past Sunday and Tari and I got rid of some clothes . They will be given to Amvets. I am still going thru the barn and sorting thru and organizing what a man packs away thinking he will need someday. And at the end of one 's days all those things that took time and money away from quality family time will be picked over by strangers at an estate or garage sale for a quarter

or fifty cents. It reminds me of a book my mother gave called" Your money or your life". I do have one problem as I am told that I am a romantic as I have a story behind almost all of my possessions which makes them priceless to me and they will all find there way to my 100 item list. I am still trying to give away a TV if you need one Email me or it is going to be a target.

FIRE at the turkey pen

FIRE at the turkey pen

Yesterday was a strange day for me. It all started Thursday when I got a call from Dave , he owns the land where I keep my chickens and turkey's. He called to tell me that something had killed one of my turkeys. I went over to check the rest and dispose of the dead one, it looked like maybe a stray dog or coyote had gotten it. I walked the fence and tightened it up and decided to change up my schedule and check them more frequently for a couple days and see if I could catch the culprit. So Friday morning I left the house at daylight with a shotgun just in case I caught it in the act. A beautiful morning in fact I wished I was going squirrel hunting instead. The turkey's were safe and sound and I continued on to work. I went to dinner about 1:30 and decided not to check the turkey then but on my way home. I grabbed a sandwich and drove thru the countryside enjoying the day and thought what a beautiful day it was perfect breezy and warm with the air so fresh, I even commented it back at work. It is strange how things can change so fast. I was paged to the phone and it was Dave he said the field is on Fire I said what he said again the field is on fire , I said I am on my way. When I got there the whole field was a blaze I hustled over to start fighting fire with my feet and a five gallon bucket. I was not getting much out at the upper end as it was to hot to stay very long. I came out and asked Dave have you called the fire department? He said no I said Dave you better call if it gets in that lower big brush pile we could have a major problem. Dave called as I went to the lower end and began to fight the fire. About 15 minutes later the fire department showed up , I had managed to the big brush pile from catching fire. After the fire was out I noticed something strange and if you look at the photo's I took you will see the fire went all around the turkeys but not a blade of the grass burnt inside the pen. I do not know why and neither did the firemen. The turkey's where fine, I destroyed a snow shovel and a bucket from using them to put out the fire. As well as a pair of sneakers. My little toe on my right foot got a small burn from stomping fir and a small burn on my left forearm . And I ended up with a burn on my forehead as well as some singed hair of which I can not stand to lose. In all about an acre burnt we were very lucky that it did not get out of hand. Thank God

Oldman Waterfall Lets take a dip

This is the second in Appalachian American series of limited edition 8x 10 signed and numbered photos.

Butterfly Dinner Time

I am now offering some signed limited edition photos, one of twenty five. The Appalachian American series. Photos of beauty and a way of simple living of which I want to share with others. They are only for sale on this sight and on ebay. If you wish to purchase as a gift or for yourself, you may contact me directly at brewerandsonsfarm@yahoo.com or look for them on ebay seller identification is krbsr64. I can have matted and framed or you have done yourself

which ever you prefer I will try to accommodate any special request.