Merry Christmas To All

Merry Christmas to all! I have been remiss in my postings. I tend not to post unless I have some pictures. I worry that if I don't have something bright and colorful that I won't keep your attention. My apologies. Thanksgiving went well. The food was great and all of it hit the table hot. Everyone had a good time and no fights broke out. The farm proceeds, if not as planned. The calves are still growing, we've butchered the big chickens and ducks and have a lamb in the freezer so we're eating extremely well. The sheep are still on pasture but I'll probably have to switch hay by February. That's going to suck because the hay crop wasn't good this year. I tried planting sunflowers and oats this year. I need a better oat seed and planting sunflowers in a major bird migration route is futile. I'd like to try some Einkorn, a primitive grain, next year but I haven't found a worthwhile source. I still want to plant some feed corn and buckwheat. Much of those wants will be controlled by my paying job and it's demands. It's still 3+ years to full time farming. My Ford 8N tractor is reaching half of new price. It was squealing on the left side rear whenever I moved it. $600 later and I had a new left rear axle, bearings and seals. I finished the mowing and noticed that I had a radiator leak so I decided to pull it while it's winter. I got it repaired and am putting it back on. Oh yes, the right rear axle is starting to make scraping sounds. I'm still saving up to buy lumber for the barn. How I do will be determined by my taxes. Ohio has instituted something called CAUV. I haven't figured out how it works yet. It appears to be designed to screw small landowners out of more tax money. I guess I'll need a lawyer at some point. It may just be practical to pay the extra extortion. It's Christmas Day and it is cold out. That's it. No snow and the grass is pretty green. It's harder to get in the Christmas spirit when it's so green out. I want to garden. It has been a Christmas more focused on spirit than gifts. We can't afford much in gifts. There seems to be a discrepancy between the .gov reported inflation rate and what things really cost. Imagine that. We got food and a new house roof. We're good. Well that's it for now. I'll try and do better next year. I'll try and scrape up a photo or two.