Broken Machines, New Suppressor, Planting Progress

Joan and I both ran the Kubota pretty hard last weekend.  Joan bush-hogged for five hours, I bush-hogged for 3 hours, and then I rototilled three plots. Here's some action shots of Joan.

Wasn't I surprised this week when I got a call from my helper, Van, who said the Kubota was broken.  Both the lower swingarm cylinders on the three point hitch were broken.  Seems crazy since I bush-hogged and then changed to the rototiller - and then did three fields.  But sure enough, both cylinder heads were broken off from the U-channel that attaches to the swing arm.

My first thought was, what did Joan do?  But then I remembered a little altercation that I had when the bush-hog hit the post for the pond stand.

And I might have hit that same post once before and repaired it with a couple of 2X6's.

If that was the event, it's amazing that I could change implements and then work for a couple more hours without issue.  It's a mystery.  But Van is on the case and I hope that he can get it welded back together.

Last week Van worked on the John Deere which was bogging down under load.  This has been an intermittent problem for a couple of years now.  He changed distributor cap and points and, so far, it's running well.

I took the opportunity after some rain to burn a pile of accumulated cardboard.

After that, I used the Ranger while I worked on planting some sunflowers in the pumpkin patch.  I parked it by the barn, went back to work in the field, and the skies opened up on me.  I got drenched and ran back to the barn to pull the Ranger in out of the rain.  Turned the key and I got only a click and a check engine light.  Another item for Van's list - I had to winch the Ranger into the barn.

So, I broke pretty near everything I touched this weekend.  But I did get some stuff done.  I got a strip of sunflowers planted in the pumpkin patch.  I was hoping to start some other planting in the patch but the rain put a stop to that.

This is the new cultipacker-type implement that I got recently.  I used it on the plots planted last weekend and I used it on the sunflowers this week.

Ed got my fertilizer spread this week which was followed by 1/2" of rain.  That's his spreader truck.

The buckwheat plot has germinated nicely in just a few days.

The big sunflower plot is popping up too.  The soybean plots aren't quite as advanced.

Fruit trees showing some fruit - not a ton, but some.

This cherry tree is on its last legs but still producing fruit.

The Starlink internet is an amazing upgrade from the really poor DSL that we had.  I still have a couple of networking issues to work thru.

And, after 14 months, I finally received the silencer that I ordered from Silencer Central/

I need a special thread adapter for each of the three rifles that I plan to use it on.

But I got it out to the bench and got a few shots downrange.

There is an insulator that goes over the can so that heat mirage isn't a problem.  Recoil was working it off the can.

The noise was noticeably reduced (Joan was watching videos and didn't know that I was shooting).  But it's not like the movies.  It's much more than a "pfft".  I shot this generic load and the groups were not very special.

Much more time needed getting to know that can with my various rifles.  

Here's a shot of me on the John Deere last week.  I used it this week to turn the pumpkin patch.

Still stocking the minerals.

And the antler growth is in process,  Check out the ticks behind the ears.

Multiple shots this week of deer and turkey in the same frame.

Bobcat on the prowl.

Coyote.

Groundhog or woodchuck.

Neighborhood dogs.

Plot Planting, Hawks Hunting

Some rain was forecast for the weekend but we lucked out.  Only 1/4" fell while we were there and we were able to get a lot of chores done.  There was 2" in the rain gauge on arrival.  Joan did a bunch of the bush-hogging and there was a ton of it to do.

Meanwhile, I worked on getting four food plots ready for summer annual planting.

The old John Deere is acting up again but it ran well enough to get the disk thru a couple of fields.

After we got done bush-hogging, I put the rototiller on the Kubota and got the rest of the prep done.

I planted the big long main field in sunflowers.

Another plot in powerplant mix, one in buckwheat, and the driveway plot in roundup ready soybeans (to work on the weeds).  I also tried out this new "packermax" implement that I bought.  It's a water filled culti-packer of sorts.

Several of the clover plots have weed problems.  I chose to mow them and will try to get them sprayed next week.

While I was checking out that field and the nearby camera, I heard a gobbler very nearby.  These links are to hear the gobbles over the ranger engine noise.  Gobbles over engine noise  Gobble on the Tommy Trail

Van got the Starlink antenna permanently mounted on the roof of the barn.  We've moved out of the dark ages of near dial-up speeds from Frontier DSL.

It's prime antler growing time from now until the 4th of July so I'm giving them some minerals.  The pregnant does also benefit from the supplemental minerals.

I had a bunch of photos of hawks hunting this week.  In one series, there was a scarlet tanager (I think) perched on a tree right in front of my camera.  In the next frame, there was a diving hawk and no tanager to be seen.  I somehow lost those two photos but some of the other ones still showed up.

I don't know what kind of hawks these are - I tend to call everything a redtail.

This one has quite a bit of white - immature?

I'm not sure this is even a hawk but sure looks like a pursuit.

I get tons of photos of bunnies and squirrels.  It has to be part of the attraction for hawks (and bobcats, and foxes, and coyotes).

Speaking of which...

Pouncing on the hunt.

Feral cats too.

The turkeys seem to be succeeding but I think the eggs and poults are pretty vulnerable.  I'm guessing hens are on the nest by now.

I had no time for hunting.

The does are starting to look quite plump.  Fawning season is upon us.  In this photo, the one on the right looks ready to pop.  I'm guessing the one on the left was too young to breed last fall.

Another mama in waiting.

Startles by something.

Coat looking a little rough.

Antler growth is in process.