Haven Lee Farm

Honors for My noble assistant

2012-01-25T14:11:00.001-06:00

Honors go out to our grand daughter (my noble assistant).

She is in 8th grade, and has been selected to travel with the Marionville High School students to a Math competition being held in March.

Don't know all the details, but it is a great honor for her to be selected.

Way to go girl........

Grandpa

We're shutting down the web site.

2012-01-25T14:04:00.002-06:00

As many of you who follow my ramblings have learned, the Barngoddess1 and I have moved to St Augustine Florida to enjoy the warmth and not enjoy the cold and snow.

So we have shut down the operation on the Haven Lee Farm. Sold or gave away all the equipment, sold and gave away all the critters.

So the Barngoddess1 and I have decided to close down the HavenLeeFarms.com website.
It is not worth the expense of keeping it up.

I am not sure when it comes due for renewal, but when that happens, I will close the site.

It's been a lot of fun running the farm since we retired in 1989, but then there comes a time when the health doesn't allow daily operations anymore.

The daughter and my noble assistant (granddaughter) are still living at the farm.

But the farm is for sale and hopefully will sell soon.

If you know anyone who wants to buy 28.5 acres m/l of good ground with two homes, 30 by 40 garage, 30 by 40 stable with 4 stalls plus a washbay and tack room, and a 40 by 60 haybarn, give them my email.

So long to the website.

but we continue to Celebrate Life down here in Florida.
tom and viola

PUNCHY's 45

2012-01-07T13:13:00.002-06:00

So on to the next topic.

It was a 45 caliber revolver, six shot that came with a hoster.

Hell of a kick.

PUNCHY was hand tacked into the side.

Well, took it to a gun dealer and found out quite a bit of info on it.

Made in 1918, it is a Smith & Wesson Model 1917, with a serial number 128 _ _ _

There were only 150,000 made.
Were made to support troops like MPs.

Gun dealer says it is about 50% now. Value ranges from $600 to $2500.

Looking for the history of this pistol also.

I still have the hoster, but it is boxed up at the farm.

I remember I would put hoster on and it would slide down my legs (yes I was that skinny once), now only fits around my thigh. sic....

email me so I can put story together with the gun.

thanks.

Jim.... your email about the Post dispatch door kicked me in the rear, so now trying to get history on some other "family items"...

Have a good day, time for Viola and I to take a walk..
temp above 70, I can enjoy..........

later all

tom

Benjamin Model 122

2012-01-07T13:02:00.006-06:00

OK

Here I go again.... The weather finally warmed up enough for me to go outside without my carharts on. After all the temp was 28 the other morning.
Finally only went down to 40 overnight. Now in the 70s and I am able to function.

Remember the pellet pistol that we had in Shrewsbury?

Benjamin Model 122, manufactured between 1935 and 1940.

We used it to shot at the squirrels that were getting into the St Charles street house.
I remember not being able to pump it, and had to have Bob or Jim pump it for me.

Well it really needs some TLC.

I have taken to the local gun shops and no one knows anything about them.

Contrary to the knowledge about PUNCHY's 45. more on that later.

So after the last few hours on this computer, I found a dealer shop in Deland Florida. About 2 hours or so away.

Sent them an email, hopefully they can restore to original condition.

So my question to you all out there =

Does anyone remember the story of how Dad got it?

It has "Benjamin Rifle Co, St Louis, MO" and "122" on it, but no serial number.

Just wanting to get some history to put with it.

So if you have info, well be free to email with it.

I am making a neat gun case to display it in.

And that's all I gots to say about that!

It's cold

2011-12-29T09:42:00.000-06:00

It's too cold down here to be in Florida.

Where is the sun? Where is the heat?

Help send some heat our way.

Was 37 F on the front porch this morning.

Toooooo cold .................

augggggggggggggggg

Working towards Christmas 2011

2011-12-15T16:49:00.012-06:00

WEll it's been a few weeks since I've been to these pages, but not all has been playtime.

Viola found this really neat tree and lights at the flea market, and a neighbor made the wreath in the background

Yep we have been hard at work, remodeling our current home...........
Took the old couch out and installed new recliners.
But not until we first brought in the patio furniture to rest in until our new chairs came in.

A pic of the patio chair I love so much

and here is Viola's new chair

and here are both of our chairs

So how was the decision made to remodel? We went to Jacksonville FL to look at furniture and got lost. Yep, ended up on the Beach. So a couple pics of the two of us on the beach at Jacksonville (JAX).

and of course we have been looking at new modes of transportation. Can't decided on what color, but may be making one of these our new mode next year. Notice three wheels so we don't fall over. Even has reverse.

And going down the highway, noticed a truck with my name on the back of it.....

One of the campers that spent a couple nights across from us.... really neat trailer

and of course we have been making the trip to the Birthplace of speed on a regular basis, so regular that the car now drives itself home after a full day down there.

So we are spending evenings with the card thing and glad to inform our friends that we are now warm and dry, instead of cold and damp.
Of course over last 3 days we've had 6.5 inches of rain.......oh well.

tom and viola

Thanksgiving Day, 2011

2011-11-26T06:23:00.021-06:00

So the Barngoddess1 and this ole Horsefarmer left our cozy home in St. Augustine and traveled the long journey to the Birthplace of Speed this past Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, 2011. Other than a bit windy, it was a perfect Chamber day...

We are really becoming bluehairs. While traveling along on A1A (the beach road), we were talking away when I noticed a few cars behind us wanting to pass. I looked down and here we are traveling at the great rate of speed - yes a whopping 45 mph. OOPS.......... quickly pull over to let them pass. Then while stopped, start laughing at ourselves.

On to the Longroof's house - coming into Ormond Beach, we saw an early 50's GMC cab over probably a 3 ton, with nice wood stake bed headed in opposite direction.
Arriving at his house, I mentioned the truck

TOM IT'S TURKEY TROT WEEKEND, DUH......................

Seems every old car that exists in the Southeastern part of this good ole USofA is in Daytona Beach for the weekend, using the Daytona 500 race track as home base.

So picked up the Oldlongroof and enroute to the Jeep's for dinner, we went to Belview Plaza.... see the Olelongroof's post for some pics.
Vi,John and I drove thru the cars. Quite impressed with the quality, but not the price...

Quick trip to the Jeeps for a wonderful Thanksgiving Day dinner. Jeeps wife put on a perfect spread. then it was time for the trek

A trek to the Racetrack, yes 'THE DAYTONA 500 RACETRACK' to view the cars......
The entry way for us to drive under the track and to the infield...

As usual, the Jeep was kind enough to get an infield pass so I wouldn't have to walk a mile to get there.

And three hours later it was time to go. We had walked and walked and walked and yet only saw about 1/10 of the cars and parts...

Here are a few pictures...........double click on picture for a larger view.

Race track, standing on front just after turn 4, pit row entry to left just after those trailers.

Barngoddess's Taurus parked on the track, just coming out of turn 4, large paved area to spin out on. When they go straight into the infield, that's the entrance behind the Taurus.

Parked in the infield, this is where campers are set up.

and of course I would have baught this for my Noble Assistant, but was unable to catch up with the driver ................

and one for the Bus..... one for his Europe days, one for his present days

and now some of the cars, randomly of course.....

I remember as a kid on St Charles in Shrewsbury MO getting ice chunks from trucks like these... really had to beg the Milkman for a chunk.

I remember have Tootsie toys of this model

A girl in Springfield has one of these Beemers, but she needs the trailer to go with it... including wine bottles that are full..

and of course one for the Jeep and the Bus...

This is my next new tractor for the farm... even had pto on the back

This is a standup bakery delivery truck, check out the sign for how many are known to exist...

and to remind me of my younger days as a bolance driver....

Now I don't want to hear someone bitching about me saying bolance driver instead of EMT.... if you were driving an ambulance, you are a bolance driver...... ego heads

I got a few more pics, but they are the same as above....... plenty of cars of every make and size and year and type. Next year, I hope to take Friday after Tday and spend it and Sat at the track, but will get me one of those scooters to ride... the Jeep and Longroof took two steps to every one of my three... so I was tired.... but the eyes kept looking.

Hey Bus, maybe next year you and the Private RN can come down for it also.

So for now, it's 1:30 am, (took me that long to up load all these)

Celebrate Life by doing what you would like... lifes too short to regret it later.

tom and viola

OK OK OK

2011-11-18T11:36:00.002-06:00

So today I get an email from my Noble Assistant.
Boy did I hear it from her.
Seems I haven't blogged for awhile and she is quite upset.

HOW DO I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING IF YOU DON'T BLOG?

Well, I have been doing just that, no more no less, no more often
and especially no more later.

I haven't been doing anything for the past two weeks.

Just work, ride bike home, and go to bed around 6:30 pm. Up at 5:15 am and to work again.

But tomorrow is the 72 mile long garage sale. Yep, US A1A is site of a garage sale that is boasting to be over 72 miles long. I am sure we'll see.

Until then, I think I'll go home and take a nap.........

Love ya all

November 6, 2011

2011-11-06T09:18:00.005-06:00

I guess one could say I'm acclimated to warm weather.

It's down right cold down here. Temp was in 50s and with a high in 60s yesterday.

With a wind blowing at 20 knots, well you figure the wind chill....

I just know I was freezing. Had jeans, tee shirt, heavy long sleeve
shirt, and coat on. Was about ready to get the carharts out.

This week highs in low 70s, lows in low 50s, and I saw a 45 night time high on this coming Friday.

I may have to move further south.............LOL

Yesterday we picked up the Barngoddess1's new horse.
Sorry Longrooffan, but since she now has a horse, and it's too danged cold to go to the beach, we've changed her name back to Barngoddess1 from Beachgoddess.

Anyway, trip to place to pickup horse was uneventful. Barngoddess did tell me I am just like a Floridian.....

I asked what does she mean, her reply "Look at the speedometer".

I have to put the setting in place. I95, great interstate system between St. Aug and Daytona Beach, three lanes, smooth, wind at our back.

I was running with the flow of traffic. So glancing down, I am doing 80. No big deal right! It's beginning of month, you go 10 to 15 over speed limit. Now towards end of month, it's only 7-10 over that's allowed.

Picked up her horse, put in back of her Taurus and headed for Daytona. Now that we are headed into the wind, driving was totally different. Had to drive, not just steer.

Anyway after a great dinner with the Longroof, too bad the Jeep had other plans.

We got home and soon had the horse in place.

Vi and her horse

she named him copper cricket, after the one we used to have

and he has the place of honor in our front yard.

and being unable to do anyother yard work 'cause it's soooo cold, I am going to lay around and watch football.

Later all, and continue to celebrate life

even if it's cold

tom and viola

Another Fun Saturday

2011-10-30T10:04:00.005-05:00

OK SO YESTERDAY WAS TO BE YARD LANDSCAPING............

Well, it was too cold to start with, and it was raining pretty hard around 8:00 am when this old man got up, sooooo

I decided it was too cold and wet to do any landscaping.

So what are we going to do?????

ROAD TRIP --- ROAD TRIP

And road trip we did.
Left the Beach and headed inland towards Gainesville (home of the Florida Gators). But rest assured that we were not to get involved in that Georgia - Florida football mania and crowd (they were in Jacksonville).

Somewhere along the road we saw a sign for the "Best flea market on I-75".
So we decided to see what made it the best.
Stopping to buy a Florida state map (yes we have lived here two months without one), we headed across country to find the location on I75.

Along the way we were traveling along a very rural highway and had to share the view with you

For about 5 to 10 miles we drove along this highway, and we were in awe.

As we neared the highway turn off to head to the interstate, we came upon cars parked everywhere, and I mean everywhere: along side the highway, in ditches, in the median and any available space. We saw one small sign advertising the Micanopy Fall Festival. Now we were on a two lane highway, and when we turned on the 4 lane highway, cars were parked everywhere for a mile in each direction. Signs Parking $5.00 had cars in front yards. Later we found out the highway was a mile from downtown where the festival was.

Anyway, we decided to check out this "Best flea market on I75". I guess the people that voted it the best were the people who had shops in it. Everything I saw was over priced compared to StAug flea market.
So we left and headed to the Micanopy Fall Festival.

Thanks to the long ago uprearing of this Horsefarmer, I drove down the first road that looked like it went to the downtown area. And I kept driving; yep past $5.00 parking with ride to festival; past $5.00 parking you walk to festival; past $6.00 parking close to festival; past parked police car and ended up with a parking spot on that road less than one block from downtown. Yep keep going and act like you belong and they'll let you through.

So as we walked onto the main street downtown, we both looked at each other and at the same time said "Apple Butter Making Days all over again"

Yep, lined up were booths of all kinds.
I took picture north and south. Only different from Mt Vernon MO Apple Butter Making Days? Mt Vernon is on Square, Micanopy is on street stretching for a mile in each direction.

After about three hours, we finally left and headed for Daytonna to say hi to LongRoof and Jeep.

Along the way, we stopped and I bought the Barngoddess1 a miniature horse. We just couldn't pass it up. But more on that later.

A quick trip to Daytona Beach and the Long roof joined us for dinner, soon followed by the Jeep. Next thing we knew it was 8 at night and we had a long ride home.

Needless to say, every visit with my two little bigger brothers is time well spent.
Of course the wind was blowing to beat the band, and the trip up A1A along the coast was a little strenuous with the gale blowing off the ocean and hitting us at every opening between windbreaks. But we made it.

Nowinddamage at the Beach house, but we took everything in so it wouldn't blow away. This morning it was cold... 61 here, watched the Weather Channel to see all the snow up north. Another Northeaster hitting our old homestead of Connecticut. Glad we are in Florida.

So later all, we need to rest up from all the walking yesterday.

Keep celebrating life and enjoy
tom and viola

So Saturday 10/22 is suddenly here

2011-10-24T17:40:00.004-05:00

After a cold week, and I mean cold, it got down to the low 50s a couple nights.

Along came Saturday, 10/22........

So the choice was difficult....

1. Stay home and sleep (Tom opts for this)
2. Head to the Birthplace of Speed to view the old cars (Longrooffan opts for this)
3. Stay home and improve the yard (Beachgoddess opts for this)

So after a long Thursday afternoon - we became legal residents of the Sunshine State.

It was determined what we would do this weekend.

If you went with Option 3 - guess what??? you won.................LOL

So up early Sat morning and head to the new Big Box Home Improvemet Store ... my new favorite place to visit........ Joey Lagono's sponsor.....

(Heck John, I can't write as well as you, nor can I remember all the fancy words for such places. All I know is I get 10% off at that store)

Pick up some concrete, some grass, some wood chips..... and presto

the Beachgoddess has her own garden area, sidewalk and grass included..........

And that's what was done all day Saturday...... and on Sunday....

well this old man rested........

And that is how we Celebrated Life this past weekend....

Back to work today to rest up for next weekend.......

Longroof, I may come down to rest up ....... working too hard up here

Another weekend and ------------ wow

2011-10-24T17:15:00.008-05:00

So here it comes and there it went. Another weekend and I still haven't caught up with last weekend's postings.

So to start:

Sunday a week ago (10/15)

The wife and I headed to Jacksonville Florida to visit a friend we have known since our early life in Kansas City MO.

Ron was a new Navy Dentist and Tom was a 2nd class Corpsman.

Tom got married and the partying continued.
Over the years we have kept in contact, and when Tom retired in 1989, Viola and Tom met with Ron in Long Beach Ca for lunch. Ron was stationed in Long Beach, Tom and Viola were flying to Missouri from Hawaii. Amy had to work, so didn't get to meet her.

A PERFECT DAY WAS SPENT. Ron's wife Amy was a hoot....

besides spending a hour in the pool with Viola,

Amy talked Viola into taking a Kayak ride around their little pond.

Of course their pond is a twenty acre lake... almost as big as our Haven Lee Farm in Marionville....

One of the other running mates, Rich Fogg, is coming to JAX in the near future, and Ron and Tom made plans to "flash back to the early 70s" and enjoy.

all the while, Tom and Ron sat on the Lanai and caught up with old times.+

After a really neat meal prepared by Amy, we ate birthday cake celebrating Ron's becoming an old man (65 isn't really that old).

After 6 hours, we were forced to leave and head back to STAUG, afterall Tom has to get up at 5:30 AM to go to work.

But Amy is coming to STAUG next week and will meet Viola for lunch.

Picks don't really show the excellent time had by all.

Enjoying friends from the early 70s.

So that concludes last weekend.

Celebrating Life with old friends.

WELL it's a deep subject

2011-10-20T19:59:00.002-05:00

So today marks a new era in the life of the Horsefarmer and his trusty mate the Barngoddess1.

Mark your calendars for this date: 10/20/11

Yep, woke up to a temp of 48 F in this lovely town of St.Augustine Beach.

Now I forgot last night to check the furnace. AfterallwoneedsafurnaceinFlorida????

Flashback to 1986, Hawaii, house hunting, "what no furnace?" No you don't need one, afterallyouliveinHawaii!.

Bet your sweet bippie this ole Horsefarmer (aka Beachbiker) got the heater checked out and running today. Temp tonite is predicted high 40s.
Got the carharts out of storage.

Almost made a trip to Daytona to offer my little big brother those carharts. NO, NAH he can survive as I need them more.

So back to the subject of this post.

The Barngoddess1 (aka Beachgoddess) and I are now formally part of the wave of people making the great state of Florida home. We can now dye our hair blue and officially drive 55 mph in the passing lane.

Today we presented ourselves to the Tax Collector's Office and obtained official Florida Driver's Licenses. Yep, also voters cards.

So BUS, you will have to harangle Bozo Billy by yourself... I have all these nincompoops down here to deal with. Bozo Billy - you have heard the last of me. But beware, the Barngoddess1 is still haunting you.

I was surprised by how long it took to get through the tax collectors office.
The security guard remarked that "no one was in line ahead of us". What I can't wait and catch up on Oprah? elicided a smile and laugh from him.
No sooner got the number, and we were called in.

I have heard horror stories about getting a driver's license in Florida. But the ladies at the Dupont Center south of St. Augustine, friendly, and pleasant, and personable. Got through in no time. Hardest part was me (sans hearing aids) trying to understand what vision test she wanted me to take. Finally figured out I was to read acros line 5 with BOTH eyes open. Passed with flying colors. Barngoddess1 was with the next clerk and got done before I did. Well she is better looking than me, she had the young guy, and I had the woman.....
Just joking, when you have your papers in order, the staff is great.

We finally got out (and there were about 15 people waiting).. got there at the right time.

Headed over to the coast and had dinner at a place. Fish and Chips with a salad and sweet tea.
Well, voting is in, and we will not frequent that place again.

So we are home, double check the furnace, it's to be high 40s tomorrow, and took a nap. Now sitting here waiting for my favors (and the Gentleman Farmer's favorites too) to come on the T&V for game two.
Cardinals got by in Game 1 with a 1-0 win.

So it's 9:20 pm local time. Dark and cold outside.

Heck, I never thought 55 F was cold when we were in Missouri.

Guess I am becoming a true blue hair.......................LOL

So for now, from the Blue Hair group in the cold state of Florida...........

Celebrate life to it's fullest, you only go around once.

ps: congrats to my Noble Assistant Jaycee. She made superintent's grade list again. Bravo..

later
tom and viola

So What Went on Saturday??

2011-10-16T08:46:00.008-05:00

I guess I should start a new weekly column with this title.
Seems every week we scan the papers and this world wide web to find things going on during the upcoming weekend.
We categorize the events, cut out the articles, dwell into the depths of what is going to happen..... and presto... we decide what we are going to do on Saturday.

Now I want you to know that we are not a spontaneous couple. Nope, we plan ahead so we know where we are going to be at what time, etc.....
I have a bridge for sale tooo.

Anyway, yesterday was a big day. THE PLAN

Get up early and head out to the "Community Garage Sale" being held near downtown. Then off to Camping World to get parts, then Cracker days, then come home and watch the race.

I got up early, in true tradition of my dad,The Gentleman Farmer, around 9:30 am instead of the 7:30 as planned = remember I told you we planned everything out??

Well after fighting traffic and MOTORCYCLES for 15 minutes, we finally made it to the "Community Garage Sale". What a bust! The Shark Angel's 4th garage sale prior to us leaving Missouri had more stuff than this.. What a bust!!!!!

So then off to camping world - is this place getting to be our second home?????
No, one of the outside lights burnt out and as I went to replace the bulb I broke the cover. Got two this time,just in case.

Now off to "Cracker Days" at the St John's County Fair Grounds.

Understand we had no idea what Cracker Days was, or why they were having it.
But if it involves horses, a fairgrounds, and a meal - well it's on the top of our venue. Yep, Ad said for $10 you get parking, entry and a barbeque meal. Well for twenty bucks, it was a deal.

Reality?? NOT... got there and the rules had changed. Parking and entry was $5 per car. As we had the big ole truck I figured they were going to charge me double but NOT. And we got a parking spot at the very front near everything. I have always said "just drive up there like you own it and you'll probably get away with it". My little big brother Longrooffan does that all the time in the Birthplace of speed and gets away with it. I do it in Birthplace of speed and get a parking ticket - but that is a different story.

Turns out that "The Cracker" is the name given the horse and rider in the early Florida cattle industry. The term coming from the sound of the whip the riders used to drive the cattle from the brush.

We found a ride using miniature horses = made both of us sad to watch it, but then the horses didn't look that bad for wear:

It was interesting:

1. set up was a Cracker Camp from the 1800s, with period player --

and on he had skulls of various animals:

Lots of horse activities etc. So as it was dinner time (that's noon to you people out west), we headed to the barbeque place. The Beachgoddess had a 1/4 chicken with fries and slaw, I had BBQ brisket with fries. Total cost for the two meals $10.00
And the food was good. Have had better, but the BBQ sauce was the best. A sweet BBQ sauce. So we saved $5.00 for the day so far.

While eating, the band started playing. And they were a thousand percent better than the last band we listened to out on the beach.

I didn't get the picture of the little girl, about 4, in cowgirl dress and boots, out dancing. We stayed for the set and then headed out in search of more yard decorations.

Now the Beachgoddess is dressing up our house (see last post) and she wanted one more item. A season flag.

Heading to the store we thought would have the flag, we detoured because of a big sign reading "Huge Garage Sale". We were on 207 highway, turned left on this road and 5 miles later found the garage sale. BUSTED, smaller than the Community one.
And now we are at Highway 1, totally out of our planned route.

Alas, the best laid plans of mice and men....

To make matters short == 5 stores later we found what we were looking for.
Two stores after that we found where we could get the framework to hang the flag.

Presto: The Beachgoddess had her season flag.

So off to home we go... through the downtown traffic and streets filled with MOTORCYCLES (I guess Bike Week from Birthplace of Speed overflowed to StAug).
Oh did I fail to tell you that the place we got the sign hanger was two blocks from where the community garage sale was? We've made the full circle.

The race came on, and the last thing I remember is the 24th lap. Woke up this morning and had to read this web to find out the results.

Oh did we Celebrate Life yesterday.

Today it's off to Jacksonville to met up with a Retired Navy Dentist and his dentist bride, who we have known since 1973 when we were in Kansas City. We were a party crowd back then. So this should be a great day of reminenscing old times.

So good by for now. Oh yeah, Jacksonville (JAX) is only 40 min away, it'll be like heading into the city to visit The BUS....

Later all
tom and viola

Where have we been?????

2011-10-15T07:54:00.009-05:00

So someone asked me where have we been.... you haven't blogged in a long time.

Well, to quote THE BUS "We've been busy"

Yep, life here in the Beach is busy, busy, busy..... always something going on.

It took a couple weeks to find something nautical for the homesite, but finally did

And then the Beachgoddess (AKA Barngoddess1) has been doing yard work

Yep she has been sprucing up the yard, making it more home

Of course while the Beachgoddess is out doing this fall planting, I have been extremely busy, hard at work, slaving away......... yep working really hard and here is a pic to prove it

But dog gone it, it is hard to transform to the Florida lifestyle..... siestas at noon on the weekends, walks on the beach, bike rides.... it makes me tired.

And of course every Wednesday we have down to the Beach pavilion for the free concert. It took a few days to find a card table at the local thrift shops, then cut down the legs so we could use it sitting in our beach chairs.

It was great at the last concert, see that table and chair, look closely, the Beachgoddess' Taurus is right behind it, best parking spot at the concert.

AND WE HAVE REALLY MADE THE MOVE,

yep the Beachgoddess' Taurus, the one that the Jeep finally fixed correctly, is now at home in it's new environment.

And that's all for now, we have a community garage sale today, along with the St John's County Cracker festival, and this afternoon is the local antique car club show at the local mall......

Yep we are busy, but we are sure CELEBRATING LIFE

tom and viola

How's your sunday???

2011-10-02T08:53:00.002-05:00

Woke up this morning to motorcycles..........

reeeeaaaallllyyyyy LOUD motorcycles...........

and it turns out that bike week in Daytona is nearing......

But this group is from Europe somewhere, haven't figured it out, haven't been able to understand a thing they are saying.......
bikes have plates from Europe, One sweatshirt had "Granne" on the back under their club name.......
Who cares, they were quiet last night until 8:30 this morning when they cranked up to ride.

Also woke up to record LOW temperatures....

56 record low in Daytona Beach.......

I guess I should drive down there with my carharts and offer them to the OleLongRoof so he can keep warm................

NAH let him suffer..........

Turns out the Barngoddess1 or Beachgoddess, not sure what she is going by these days, spent Friday with that OleLongRoof cruising the sights of Daytona while the JeepJunkie's shop fixed her Taurus. And fix it they did, better than the Ford shop I have been taking it to for the past 8 years......

Thanks again Jeep.

Temp here was fine, no a/c running, just windows open and cool great sleeping.

Reminds me of MO in a way...... NAH

So those of you up North, take the dang cold back.......

But the sky is clear, no humidity to speak of,,,,,,
so temp should warm up quickly...............

except for you all down there in Daytona......

NEED MY CARHARTS YET??????????????????????

tom

Where did you spend Saturday?

2011-09-25T07:59:00.010-05:00

So we have been here for a month. Time flies when you are trying to set up a household and work at same time. Thanks to the Barngoddess1 for making our little mobile house a true home.

So where did you spend Saturday, 9/24/11.

We got up early (well early for a Saturday), and caught the Bus (yep good ole public transportation) to downtown St Augustine. When we drive downtown, there is never any parking, or it costs too much to park. So pop out our Senior Discounted Monthly Bus pass and 5 minutes later we are getting off the bus at the Lions Draw Bridge at 0900 in the morning.

As my little bigger brother the OleLongRoof says "It is a perfect Chamber day".

We spent the next 6 hours roaming through the historic downtown St Augustine. Found a bunch of neat shops and some beautiful architecture.

This is the cathedral (bisilica).

The Barngoddess1 even got into a discussion with a local, and the conversation was great until she realized he wasn't a he, but an ..........

So we continued in our journey to discover that unique spot .........
We walked around a corner and found the perfect place for our oldest daughter to supervise, run, operate, or whatever.... (she is a middle school principal).....
So for M, here is a great little school =>

I missed taking a picture of the school marm in the window on the second floor, but she is there...

We continued our journey and found a nice place to eat, chicken salad for Vi, corn beef sandwich with a pickle for me. Pretty good. The owner graciously gave lunch to us free (will explain sometime in the future why you don't scream into a cell phone at the table next to your only customers)..... Got a pic of Barngoddess1 at the eatery; outside in a little courtyard, trees overhead for shade... good food

Then we proceeded to continue our walk down St George Blvd, a pedestrian way that runs the length of town, north to south, plenty of shade and fun.....

The Barngoddess even found a little shop that sold hats..... and contrary to what has been previously bought, she found one that makes her look like a million bucks, not that she doesn't look that way anyway....

WE stopped at one of the pubs, they offered over 400 different beers, a whole slew full of them on tap, Vi took a glass of wine, I had a Sam Adams, and together we shared a plate of cheese and crackers. Forgot to take pic.

By then it was almost 3 pm and time to catch the bus back home, but not before one more stop at the pavillion to visit some local vendors...

then onto the bus and 5 minutes later we're home.

Caught a nap, another nap, and started to watch the MO-OU game, but decided to take another nap at halftime and woke up this am.

Needless to say we had a grand time, and are now onto the best way to visit downtown.

And enjoying this day, we definitely

CELEBRATED LIFE....

tom

IT'S DONE, YEP

2011-09-16T17:21:00.002-05:00

OK it is final, and we are really here.

Our new address is:

Tom and Viola Lee
525 W. Pope Road #40
St Augustine Beach, Florida 32080

So now we are really part of the blue hair express.

Tomorrow we travel down to the birthplace of speed for more visiting.
Intend to use the Eisenhower systema and drive 55 mph and see how many cars and trucks pass us.............

Boy will that be fun..........

Perfect evening, slight off shore breeze, nice temp, time to go walking.

so later

TOM AND VIOLA

WE'RE GETTING THERE!!!!!

2011-09-07T18:06:00.006-05:00

Yep, as life goes on for all of our followers around this great US of A, we are getting there.

We will soon be "Floridians" or "Snowbirds" or something like that.

But we are getting there.

A going away present for the great group at the VA Clinic in Mt Vernon was a Walmart Gift card. I was never so humbled when we read the card; and a bottle from a friend.

So in the process of getting settled in, the Barngoddess1 and I have been walking every evening. Just a stroll around the park. Well last Friday, we decided life wasn't quite complete without our BBQ grill. So off we went and bought a gas grill.
Food always tastes better over an open fire (well I consider a grill an open fire.)

Then Saturday, we were at Wally World and the Barngoddess1 bought me a bicycle. Yep a mountain bike, with 21 gears, black in color and very rideable. She thought I wasn't walking fast enough to work up a sweat. So now every evening it is ride the bike. I am up to two miles (Wednesday evening ride), but still a little sore in the back end department, but will harden up.

So now I decided that the Barngoddess1 needed more exercise too, so guess what?

YEP, I went and got her a mountain bike too. Her's is pink though.

Here is a pic of those bikes and the grill, with yours truely .

And here's what the grill looks like with sirloin steaks on it.. Yep steaks from a cow raised on our farm.

Now I didn't get too close on that picture, don't want to get our freezer of meat stolen while we are roaming on the beach.

So we are getting there. Still make contact with the group back in Mt Vernon, they will always mean something special to us.

But when we heard it was in the 40s up there this am, well we just like the 80s too much.

So folks, we are getting there and you can bet we are celebrating life in the process.

tom and viola

Where were you?

2011-08-28T09:26:00.005-05:00

So yesterday was the big NASCAR race at Bristol, the loudest mile in the states.
So I knew where my pal Mark Martin was, I knew where Jimmy Johnson was.......

BUT WHERE IN THE WORLD IS THE LONGROOF AND BBB??????????????????????????????????

They sure weren't at the best party going down on the East Coast!!!!!!!!!!!

Well maybe there were some wilder parties up north in "Irene" territory, but not down here in sunny silver haired florida land.

Three of the Lee boys got together, with their wives and one neice, sans the Private RN (but she was memoralized during the day, and we had a grand time.

Day started out slow for this old Horsefarmer. The body just didn't want to get up and move. So in true Gentleman Farmer fashion, I rolled out of the sack around 10:30am and headed for the coffee pot (EMPTY)... oh this isn't going to be a good day.

But the Barngoddess1 came through and we had coffee on our new deck.

Then it was off to Ormond Beach .... home of the famous Jeep and Longroof........sans the longroof who is out working somewhere.

We arrived early and the Jeep and his daughter Taylor (who just happens to be the catcher on a fast pitch womans softball team) and I went down to this really nice pasture to play catch. As they warmed up, I warmed up too, except I was sitting on the bench watching them. Pretty soon it was time for the Jeep to hit a few to Taylor out in that nice pasture, so this old man came to the field to catch the throw backs. Now the last time I played any kind of softball (other than toss catch with my Noble Assistant a couple times) was in 1984 in Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory. I must admit I didn't miss too many thrown back at me.
But then came time for Taylor to hit, and this old Horsefarmer went out into the field (mind you it was a perfect pasture gone to waste.... but that is another story), and Taylor would hit the balls. In no time short, and I mean about four or five balls coming out there into that pasture, well I realized I AIN'T NO SPRING STUD ANYMORE.

Had a great time though, it was fun to get out and run around a pasture again .... AND NOT WORRY ABOUT STEPPING IN COW PADDIES...

Then back to the Jeep's house to recouperate..... it looked like I had jumped in the pond I was that wet.

Then the Bus arrived. He had been down at BBB's house in Tampa and spent the night over at the vacant Longroof hacienda. I guess he had a heck of a time down Tampa way, cause he slept most of the day away.

But the three of us boys, with Viola and Cheryl and Taylor had a great time. Alas BBB and Longroof weren't here, but they were toasted several times. Yeah those kinds of toasts "Where the heck is........"

So a couple pics of Jeep, Horsefarmer and Bus, tkaen 8/27/11 in Ormond Beach Florida at the post Irene Hurricane Party.

And one of the Barngoddess1 and I at the famous Ormond Beach Garage.

So that's how we celebrated life yesterday. It was great to sit back and visit with the Bus and Jeep at the same time, and be able to hear what they were saying. Sometimes on the phone I can't understand a thing they are saying. But down here yesterday, didn't miss a thing........... except something about a concrete elephant being left at a hacienda (or something like that)

Celebrate Life friends and family, we sure did...........

Tom and Viola
Winter Floridians

1,138 miles later, it's done

2011-08-25T18:51:00.009-05:00

So those of you who have been aware of the circumstances, we finally made it.

Yep, the Barngoddess1 and I have made the 1,138 miles journey from the farm to the new homestead in beautiful, sunny, hurricane threatened St Augustine Beach, Florida

Yep, trip was kind of uneventful, except for the awning over the slide tearing and not being connected correctly. Thanks to the Store Manager at Camping World here in St Augustine, the slide awning is now correctly connected, the tarp replaced (as it was under warranty) and we are set up.

Email address is still the same, mailing address is still the same. Farm is being taken care of by Sharks angel and my noble assistant, so no worry there.

Trying to get a Florida Driver's license is going to be a bear, thanks to Homeland security, you now need several forms of identification, a Missouri driver's license not being one of the needed forms.

How the heck do they expect you to get a driver's license in 10 days if you have to write and get a certified - sealed imprinted - copy of your birth certificate?????

We will eventually comply, but not within ten days... just hope some of the brown clad uniformed employees of this great state (those guys who visit the Jeep for auto repairs and tires) don't visit me asking too many questions.

So our first stop was Van Buren MO on the current river, copy pics of Barngoddess1 on the river bank

We ate at a place named after one of my former coworkers.... sorry to say that the meal was terrible, not an indication of his work, just the opposite.

Brother Jim came in and dropped off the Barngoddess's Taurus, so she now has wheels.

Typical Lee fashion, we argued about the best way to get there from here..........
then found out the bad news, both of us were right....... all roads lead to the Jeep's shop......

So here is a pic of the homestead...

And that friends, is exactly how we came to be in Florida.

$456.05 for diesel fuel, 121.72 gallons, 1,138 miles.
So average price per gallon $3.75
Average miles per gallon 9.34

Not bad towing that fancy home of ours.

So celebrate life knowing that we are now in Florida, making sure that Hurrican Irene stays off the coast.

tom and viola

Another day in paradise........

2011-07-08T20:40:00.005-05:00

The Barngoddess1, Steph and my noble assistant decided to have a

'FARM MOVING SALE' this weekend. Put up signs, ads in Craig's List.

etc etc

They are selling a lot of stuff I would have bet wouldn't sell. But then the stuff I thought would sell is still for sale.

The best of the day was late this afternoon a couple from Marionville came by to say hi...... Friends of Steph and Jaycee.

Anyway to make it short.....

here is their vehicle

Yep,,,,,
a 1967 VW camper van.

So I couldn't help but inquire....

Seems was bought in Germany new by some servicemember. Later upgraded to US standards and shipped to USA.

Inside is mostly original, or made to match original.

Front windows opened up from bottom.

Just a cool old VW long roof.

Bus you might remember these from your Germany days.

Longroof is probably drooling by now.

So enjoy looking. No I forgot to get more pictures.

Oh it's getting so difficult............

2011-06-26T18:50:00.002-05:00

Well the other day, the Bus and I were talking. When we got done, I realized we have reached THAT STAGE....... yep, we are there.

Don't know what I'm talking about...... you're too young and you will understand when you get to be our age.

Yep, we talked for ten minutes......

his med problems, my med problems, what we're doing about it.....

standing around talking about our medical conditions.... that's another sign of old age...............

LOL

It's always good when I have the opportunity to talk with the Bus, means we are both still alive and kicking.............

Got get em

and celebrate life

tom

Why is she mad at me???

2011-06-11T20:57:00.003-05:00

So the Barngoddess1 is mad at me this evening. I haven't figured out why yet.

Maybe has something to do with the ads I have on Craig's List and my response to emails sent in reply to the ads.

So I let everyone out there in never-never land decide.......
was I wrong, or just having fun, or whatever.

Here is the ad from Craig's List.

springfield craigslist > for sale / wanted > farm & garden
please flag with care: [?]

miscategorized

prohibited

spam/overpost

best of craigslist

Avoid scams and fraud by dealing locally! Beware any deal involving Western Union, Moneygram, wire transfer, cashier check, money order, shipping, escrow, or any promise of transaction protection/certification/guarantee. More info
Stagecoach - $3500 (Marionville, MO)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 2011-06-10, 11:36AM CDT
Reply to: sale-zsbaq-2432322465@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A 5/8 scale WORKING stagecoach, set up for miniature horses or mules in the range of 35 to 37 inches tall.

Can be pulled with a team of two, or add two more for a four up hitch.

Has the works:
Hydraulic brakes on rear wheels
Two team poles, with eveners
Window flaps that roll down
Back boot with cover

Has taken first every time it was in a parade or show.

This ad is for the stagecoach only, the team and harness have been sold.

Email to take a look at it.

Due to scammers, I am hesitant to spend time on the phone or the computer describing it or sending a "whole bunch of photos". Come take a look.

Scammers, if you want to sell for me, give me $5000 and you can sell it for me. All others interested, price is $3,500.00

Located just west of Marionville MO. If you don't know where Marionville is, go to Mapquest.com and search for it.

Location: Marionville, MO
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So the email I get today has just this in the text
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Where is it"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So being the good kind person I am, and being of the Gentleman Farmers blood, I answered with this:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's in the garage.

Too nice to leave in the hay barn or stable.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So why am I in the dog house, I answered his question and gave him more info than he asked for.

NOW IT GETS BETTER.

I have the round pen on Craigs List also, just got an email with the same question from a different person

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Where is it?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So my reply is:

It's in the middle field between the hay barn and the stable.

If someone sends me an email asking if it is still for sale, I think I will reply "yes" and leave it at that.

good by and have a good laugh on people out there.

I've been too busy

2011-06-05T18:20:00.019-05:00

Yeah, I hear all about the Bus complaining that he is busy....
yeah he has a role in life that I don't want....
He has to find ole pictures of the two of us when we were younger and full of vim and vigor ready to track lifes problems:

he has to keep track of Bozo,

he has to enjoy the water,

he has to keep on top of what is happening in the Ozarks (so guys like me don't have to)....
yeah the Bus has been busy.

But heck, I've been busy toooooo............ It ain't easy being the only one in our family that is 61 years old!!!

It ain't easy having younger family members telephone me and ask if "the old man" is there.

It ain't easy supervising this motley crew:

It ain't easy being on Longroof's blog, and him showing me sitting down.... yeah the first time I sit down all day, and he takes my picture...... LOL

It sure ain't easy being upstaged by this blonde bombshell, who has the same birthdate as I, but is a lot younger... Happy birthday Carri

It ain't easy trying to play Mario when I have these two telling me to watch out for that tree...........

It ain't easy spending the day with the youngest sibling, enjoying just walking around and talking, looking at this and that, and of course .... sitting and resting

It ain't easy selling stuff, nope it ain't easy when you are kind of emotionally attached..... but all good things must come to an end....
So like Bozo, I can say 'SOLD, SOLD, SOLD, SOLD'

Yes that is correct, Saturday brought a young family from Crane to our farm. Just wanting to look at the team they have heard so much about. So the Barngoddess1 got to say 'SOLD, SOLD, SOLD, SOLD'.

ALAS, poor little Joan, Walker and Aidan were left high and dry, with no help in sight.....

No horses to pull the stage coach.....
CAUSE THEY ARE 'SOLD, SOLD, SOLD, SOLD'

Hey I bet I could have her run and get elected to Congress, afterall she is getting good at the SOLD, SOLD, SOLD, SOLD, thing........

Yep, the Barngoddess1 sold the team (all four of them) and the harness to that young family.

But the hardest job I've been tasked with this weekend, is working with city folk putting up fencing...... yeah.... city folks ain't too bad.... they are easier to work with than Bozo, because they worked and didn't stand around with their hands in their pockets tgrying to get face time on the T and V,
yep here they are......

pictures taken from a moving tractor are never in focus...... duh

So a better shot of the two city folk working........

And a pick of their final product...

pretty good job of fence building....
and to think they were coming by to pick up a lawn roller......
Thanks Greg and Joan, you both saved me a couple hours of work. Hear tell the hardest part of fence building is putting clips on the wire. Heck, I bought a new clip setter, but guess they couldn't figure out how to use it...... LOL

Again, a great weekend was spend celebrating life with friends.

Also: Please keep in your prayers the Jeep's mother in law, she had a cerebral bleed this morning at the airport in Orlando and is presently in intensive care at one of the best Hospital there. She is doing ok, but keep her in mind.

So that ends my day...... time to sit back and play Mario on the big screen.

Aloha
tom

Saturday VS Sunday Weather

2011-05-22T20:31:00.010-05:00

Saturday was a perfect day. AS the Longroof would say - A perfect Chamber Day.

Sunday was great until around 5 pm, then all hell broke loose. We spent a hour in the tornado shelter as the storm that nailed Joplin passed overhead and went off to the southwest.

St John's Hospital in Joplin took almost a direct hit, and judging from the pictures on the Weather Channel, the whole area around St John's has been devastated. Joplin is calling for all Doctors, Nurses, Fireman and Medics to come and help out.

We are staying here to help out the mid Ozarks if needed. As I type this, more tornadoes are breaking out along the MO Ark line heading east.

The Bus is in Rockaway, hope the storms go south of him.

After exiting the shelter, I grabbed the camera and shot a few pics of the weather.
Here they are>

IGNORE THE DATE IN THE PICS, IT IS 5/22/2011, I HAVEN'T LEARNED HOW TO CHANGE DATE ON CAMERA.

looking northwest:

Same group northwest:

these are all looking southeast, notice the rainbow?

It was perfect!!!!!

2011-05-22T00:31:00.014-05:00

Can't say enough about today.... It was just perfect!

To the Longrooffan and the Jeep down there in Blue Hair land - well you both missed a perfect chamber day here in SW MO. Dawned perfect, temp was perfect, people around us were perfect.....
just one of the best days I've had in a long time.

Kevin and Michelle, along with son Travis, came down from KC area last night, and we had a great evening.
Then this morning, awoke around 7:30, and hit the ground running. Finally at dusk today I collapsed, exhausted, but happy.

The barngoddess1 put on a heck of a country farm breakfast...

Got the wiring from Steph's house to the stable fixed. Kevin and Travis were the instigators of that project ... we three even made a trip to my favorite home improvement store "Lowe's", with a stop at my favorite home farm store "Orschleins", and then back home.

Got the disc moved from the pond area to the back yard, and then onto the trailer. Kevin was nice enough to bring my trailer back and we sent it back to KC with the disc firmly chained down.

Now my trailer and my chains and my chain boomers are in the KC area. Sounds like an excuse for the Barngoddess1 and I to take a trip to KC.

Then in the midst of the above.... some how I got JC and her friend Isik (Heck I can't remember his name more less how to spell it, but ISIK is close enough) to power wash the inside of the horse trailer. Seems Derek and I took the cows to the vet last weekend and did the dehorn and castrate thing, but failed to clean up the mess thereafter. But ISIK and JC did a great job cleaning out the trailer.
Thanks to the Bus for the use of his spare power washer - I think).

This motley crew was great in helping all day

if you noticed correctly, everyone was up and working, except this ole Horsefarmer, sitting down on the job again.

Oh forgot to mention... while Kevin and Travis and I went to Lowe's, Derek and Steph were busy moving this pile of tin to the trailer, and then on to the scrap yard. I had advertised it for sale on Craigs, and D & S gave me the best price.

Now let it be known that I did sell my grand-daughter's Super C farmall tractor. Unfortunately the motor had seized up, with water in the oil, and a number of other problems, it was deemed the best place for the Super C was somewhere else. So poor JC, who is seen driving her rig, isn't sad, she got part of the profits.

Anyway, JC and ISIK were done with the trailer and looking for something to do, so you now me....DELEGATE....

So the two of them went to work powerwashing the back of the homestead. They both did an excellent job.

And when they quit, this ole Horsefarmer went to work powerwashing the concrete patio, so they could go to the drivein movie... chaperoned by her mom and Derek and his two boys of course.

So thanks to Derek and Stephanie, the metal is gone, the pallets it was on is at the burn pile. The stable again has lights thanks to Kevin and Travis. The back of the house, along with the horse trailer, is now clean, thanks to ISIK and JC.

OH yeah, the PTO generator that powers the farmstead in case of power outages, now has a new power board ($750) and is fine tuned to the tractor ready for any outages we might have, thanks to Mark.

Oh yeah, Derek and Travis also found time to mow the grass. I even stole some time on the mower to mow around the front of the place.... although I now realize the two of them left me the mowing where the water was..... I got splashed good a couple times... but that was fun too.

And it is 12:55 am, and I awoke with the shoulders on fire, the back feels like a vise is turning on it, and generally having too many aches and pains.......
but it sure was fun getting everything done today.

I now know what the Gentleman Farmer meant when he said he was having a slow day....
it was the day after a great day of getting things done.

So thanks to all, and to all,

well, I'm going to try to get back to sleep so later today I can accomplish a lot more that need to be done.

OH I almost forgot.......
earlier this week was a full moon and JC and I were busy playing Mario when we realized it was a full moon. So we stopped mid game, got her telescope and went to the back deck to take a viewing. Well we had a blast. Telescope that cost $20 at a flea market, and cost of two batteries, worker flawlessly. JC and I got to see the moon full blown That's the moon over the telescope (not a reflection of the flash) AND I think I saw footsteps, but that is a different story.

So we await the next full moon to verify whether I saw foot prints or not>......

Later all, and we sure did Celebrate Life today.

tom

LEE FAMILY ORIGIN AND COAT OF ARMS

2011-05-05T19:51:00.004-05:00

Just a little trivia to spice your day. I came across this info while searching for something else, and now my day will not be complete without passing it on:

Motto: Ne Incantus futuri
Not guarded against the future

Arms: Gules, a fesse chequy orange and azure between ten billets argent, four
in chief, three, two and one in base.

Crest: On a staff raguly, lying fesseways, a squirrell sejant proper cracking
a nut, from the dexter end of the staff a hazel branch vert, fructed or.(sic)

The origin of the Lee family stems from Reginald de la Lee who was of Norman ancestry and made his home in the English village of Scropshire in 1195.

Members of the Lee family attained distinction in the important posts they held through the centuries. Among them were no less than eight High Sheriffs of Shropshire from 1201 to 1639.

One of the early settlers bearing this name was Richard Lee of Shropshire who established his home in Virginia in 1640.

Persons bearing this name can be justly proud of their heritage. Among the prominent people of the family who have played important roles in our history were Richard Henry Lee and Francis Lightfoot Lee who were signers of the Declaration of Independens. "Light Horse Harry" Lee for his brilliant military exploits during the American Revolution and last, but not least, General Robert E. Lee, beloved Confererate General during the Civil War.

Their descendants can be found today in all parts of our land and are well represented in the arts and professions as well as in the world of business.

This was behind the family crest that Mom and Dad had hanging in their house for years.

So Lee Family... be proud and enjoy today.

tom

A short trip

2011-04-28T19:07:00.002-05:00

Thursday, 4/28/2011

Left Daytona Beach Fl at 0800 CDT enroute home.

Did the LongRoofFan thing by taking US 40 east to US 27 North, then US 19 north to Interstate 10.
Sorry, after 45 minutes visiting Tractor Supply in Chiefland (so the barngoddess1 can have her walk time) we ended up spending another hour at WallyWorld while the left rear tire had a large screw removed and patched.

Then driving the other side of Perry, we hit the rain.
I almost stopped it was so heavy and so thick on the road, but crawled onward with flashers on leading a pack of other travelers.

after 45 minutes in the rain, we called it quits and hit the Interstate highway system.

At 5:30 we are still in Florida, so pulled off to hit a campground 1/2 mile off the interstate.
Good news, not interstate traffic noise.

Now to rest and get the heater working, it is to be 40 tonight.

AND WE'RE STILL IN FLORIDA...... DANGED THIS IS A BIG STATE.

later

Why read the paper?

2011-03-24T11:20:00.002-05:00

Southwest Missouri's infamous cowboy Congressman - Billy Long, made the statement the other day that he was upset because Obama was keeping Congress in the dark on the Libia matter and stated "all I know about it is what I read in the paper".

So today's Newsleader - Springfields only newpaper - has an article about our good ole congressman Billy Long meeting with Ham Radio operators, Emergnecy Management and Fire personnel about the upcoming house bill 'THAT BILLY COSPONSORED'.

This bill would sell off radio frequencies the Hams use. And I might add, use to a good purpose during disasters and emergencies.

One of the comments in the article was by JKROWHAMMEER and sums it up:
JKrowhammer
9:43 AM on March 24, 2011
Long said earlier he wasn't aware of the provision when he agreed to co-sponsor the bill...... So he co-sponsored a bill but didn't know what was in it. That is just wrong!!

The Nixa Fire Chief was happy that Long listened to everyones comments during the meeting "closed to the press".

What everyone failed to realize is the other article in today's Newsleader

BLUNT SUPPORTS BILL TO ALLOCATE RADIO FREQUENCIES

"But to offset the cost of setting aside those frequencies for public safety, the bill also instructs the government to sell for commercial use the 420-440 MHz frequency, which amateur radio operators currently use.:

So Ole Roy supports the bill, and Billy is told to Support the Bill...........

WAKE UP HAM OPERATORS ---- the bill is going to be passed and you will lose those freqs.....

Another example of Billy doing what Roy said to do.

tomleemo

another birthday in the family

2011-03-22T21:32:00.002-05:00

I still haven't gotten this birthday thing down yet.

If I haven't seen my sister in over a year, how the heck do I know she is another yar older?

So somewhere in the past month I have missed two of my sisters birthdays.

March 2 -- Happy B day Mary

March 22 - Happy B day Carol

one of these days I'll get my act together and send a card well in advance of the impending year advance................. but what the heck, it's more fun to say

"IF YOU DIDN'T LOOK ANY OLDER, HOW SHOULD I KNOW YOU HAD A BIRTHDAY PARTY?????

love to the two of you.

tom and viola

I will soon be doing this to you..............

2011-03-22T21:05:00.001-05:00

Beware of those old retired people who don't have any spare time!

Working people frequently ask retired people what
they do to make their days interesting.
Well, for example, the other day, Bev my wife and I
went into town and visited a shop.

When we came out, there was a warden writing out a parking ticket.

We went up to him and I said, 'Come on, man,
how about giving a senior citizen a break?'
He ignored us and continued writing the ticket.
I called him an “a--hole” . He glared at me and started
writing another ticket for having worn-out tires.

So Bev called him a “s--t head”. He finished the
second ticket and put it on the windshield with the first.
Then he started writing more tickets.
This went on for about 20 minutes.
The more we abused him, the more tickets he wrote.

Just then our bus arrived, and we got on it
and went home.

We try to have a little fun each day now that we're retired.

Watch out Daytonna Beach, the old farts from SW MO are heading your way.

Some Saturday Fun

2011-03-19T20:36:00.011-05:00

Just to let you all know how busy we have been around here, I post the following picture of a detailed endeavor that the Little Princess and I have been trying to accomplish. Mind you this is one of those split second eye hand coordination things that can drive you batty.

So here is that picture:

And today being Saturday, and the temp a pleasant 53 degrees F, wind out of the SE makes it feel like 40ish....

So today is the day the Barngoddess1 had designated as "Going Fishing Day".

So at 10 am off we go to the local MFA (Missouri Farmers Assn), and pick up this:

and proceed directly to our enlarged pond like this:

Of course we were putting those little fishies into the big pond....

and a few more pics of this great adventure.........

adventure heck, my toes got wet and my feet got cold, but those fishies are in the pond...

and so another Saturday morning is gone by in the blink of an eye, and with the weather not wanting to cooperate, the Barngoddess1 and I adjourned to the humble abode for her (a nap) and for me (more Mario).

While the rest of the crowd adjourned to the "Ford Garage" to make a new base for the seat of the boat, so they are comfortable when they go fishing.

I haven't the heart to tell them those fishies won't be ready until 2 years from now, but what the heck, let them have fun.

Tonight is the largest moon in some 30 years, and true to form, we have our skies encased in heavy cloud cover. Was hoping the clouds would break so the Little Princess could use her new telescope to check out the footprints on that big moon.

Maybe 32 years from now??????

So long and hope you all had as great a day as we did..........

POLITICAL SPIN

2011-03-18T11:28:00.002-05:00

OUR CONGRESSIONAL PEOPLE THINK WE ARE STUPID!!!!

Judy Wallman, a professional genealogy researcher in southern California, was doing some personal work on her own family tree..

She discovered that Senator Harry Reid's great-great uncle, Remus Reid, was hung for horse stealing and train robbery in Montana in 1889.

Both Judy and Harry Reid share this common ancestor.

The only known photograph of Remus shows him standing on the gallows in Montana territory:

On the back of the picture Judy obtained during her research is this inscription:
"Remus Reid, horse thief, sent to Montana Territorial Prison 1885,
escaped 1887, robbed the Montana Flyer six times. Caught by Pinkerton detectives, convicted and hanged in 1889."

So Judy recently e-mailed Senator Harry Reid for information about their great-great uncle.

Believe it or not, Harry Reid's staff sent back the following biographical sketch for her genealogy research:

"Remus Reid was a famous cowboy in the Montana Territory. His business empire grew to include acquisition of valuable equestrian assets and intimate dealings with the Montana railroad.
Beginning in 1883, he devoted several years of his life to government service, finally taking leave to resume his dealings with the railroad.
In 1887, he was a key player in a vital investigation run by the renowned Pinkerton Detective Agency.
In 1889, Remus passed away during an important civic function held in his honor when the platform upon which he was standing collapsed."

NOW THAT's how it's done, Folks!

That's real POLITICAL SPIN

What a week!!

2011-03-05T07:30:00.002-06:00

Okay, so to be short and sweet.........
this past week was a Chamber week, temps were perfect, sunny and warm,
and then comes Saturday Morning

Temp on the back porch is 32 F, mild wind blowing, so it's cold outthere....

We are off to the Camping Show, the big indoor garage sale at Remingtons, and then to another big indoor sale next to Grizzlies........

then home............

Long day, shopping for everything that we don't need, but it's too cold to put up fencing, too cold to move dirt........

and it's time to take a day off and play.......
so Bus, see you around town..........
was going to bring wooden trailer and awnings, but everything is frozen and it's too much hassle to mess with, do it on a warmer day.

have fun down in Blue hair land.... and up in the mountains....

I stole this, but haven't stopped laughing yet

2011-02-19T18:17:00.002-06:00

This came from Bits and Pieces up St Louis way........

Pig breeding
A city boy decided to quit the rat race and bought himself a farm, which included a few sows. He wanted to breed the sows, but had no idea how to go about it. His neighbor volunteered his boars for the job, and told the city boy to bring them over in the pickup the next day.

In the afternoon when he went to pick them up, the city boy asked how he would be able to tell if the sows were impregnated. He was told to look and see where they were early in the morning. If they were up on the hill, they were pregnant; if they were in the sty, it hadn’t worked.

The next morning, he leapt from the bed and looked up the hill, but alas the pigs were down in the mud. Grumbling, he loaded them back into the pickup and headed for the neighbors. The following three mornings were just the same; he would leap from the bed, look up the hill, find the pigs down in the mud and have to return them to the neighbors to let the boars have another shot at them.

On the fifth morning, he looked up the hill, and there were no pigs. He looked down in the sty; still no pigs. He called to his wife, “Where the hell are the pigs today?”

Amid hysterical laughter, she managed to choke out, “They’re down in the truck, and the big one is honking the horn!”

What a way to celebrate life.......................

Hot scoop on Daytona 500 Race

2011-02-18T18:27:00.002-06:00

The latest hot scoop on the running of the Daytona 500 this year.

During the pre-race show, keep your eye out for an early model Jeep, painted yellow (with Goodyear tires on it), driven by a guy in a yellow NASCAR official jump suit.

Rumor has it being around the end of pit roll near turn one.

When you see it, you are looking at a native to Springfield MO, none other than the little brother of this writer.... The JEEP.

So smile and remember, you can be on TV during the biggest race day events, if you were raised in the Queen City of the Ozarks.

The Gentleman Farmer would be proud to see this happen.

Way to go Jeep.

tomleemo

Well Duh ???

2011-02-13T00:08:00.002-06:00

So my younger brothers live down in the Birthplace of Speed in blue hair land. I live up here in the Ozarks.

So today it is warm and sunny, even downright hot driving home in the little mule from the Queen city of the Ozarks.

So as I turn on the boob tube tonight, I catch the "Budweiser shoot out" from down there at the Birthplace of speed. They even have a new track to run on... well, it was resurfaced.
Anyway, I sit and watch the race for a couple laps, and decide the Jeep and LongRoof are probably at the track watching the race from the infield.

Ring a ding ding

"Hey where you at?

Head of pit roll.

Why can't I see you?

Cause it's cold down here and ______________ (missed what he said due to loud noises of race cars going by)

Hey you must be right there where we saw two guys shivering!

Danged right and I'm going home (Jeep)

It's cold, about 40 down here (Jeep)

Heck, it was 47 here in the Ozarks......... another day of

the Ozarks being warmer than Daytona Beach Fla.

Yeah.......................

To Billy Long

2011-02-06T09:09:00.003-06:00

I sent the following email to Billy Long today. Wonder if he will even answer!

Message Subject: Why are you wasting your time?
Message Text:
Congressman Long, I can't believe you (and a hundred others) are wasting your time on a Rape bill! We need the economy fixed, not the Rowe vs Wade bill! When do you plan on a fix to the jobs situation? Or do you even have a plan for that? You got a job, how about spending your time doing something productive for the jobless!! Or were you all hat during your campaign? Tomleemo

Long and a hundred others have sponsored a bill to redefine rape and when an abortion can be funded. Head over to the Bus's blog, a link on the right column for more info on the subject.

tomleemo

More Snow came and more is coming

2011-02-06T08:10:00.002-06:00

WELL, Friday night we got a little more snow, 2 inches to be close to it.

So now the Farm crew is in a pinch.

I remember my Dad, the Gentleman Farmer, going out into his garage, using his 4X4 to go to the end of his driveway (about 60 feet) to get the mail whenever it snowed. I laughed so hard my eyes teared.

What has become of me? 20 years ago when it snowed, I would diligently clear the snow from the driveway, sidewalks (we didn't live in town so this part was easy), and generally have everything cleared soon after the snow stopped.

All this week, I went out to the garage, got in my truck, and drove to work, stopping at the mail box on the way home. Now my driveway is over 700 feet long, so to walk is a chore.

Yesterday, the Barngoddess1 asked if I was going to clear the drifts so she could get out. Yes mamma, if you want the snow cleared, yep I'll get it done.

So out to the haybarn (tractors are both in haybarn because my huge garage (30 by 40) is full of everything else = bronco, my pickup, pto generator, furniture from travel trailer = you know all that stuff that accumulates.

Well, both tractors are diesel, and guess what? Yep reminds me of the time my little sister Carol came up from Blue Hair land with her mercedes diesel during Christmas time. I really like that car she had, but when she was here, the temp plunged and lots of snow came. Now Carol had not plugged her car in and when she went to start it = well, call the Jeep, and her car got towed to his Goodyear dealership and parked inside to warm up.

So neither tractor would start, even jumping from the Little Mule. So after trying to pull one tractor out of the way and almost burying the Little Mule, we pulled that battery and onto the charger it went.

So what to do while charging? Play Mario, world eight and get killed plenty of times. To make a long story short.

I started the adventure of getting the tractors started shortly after returning from the Vet. Oh I didn't tell you that the daughter scheduled to have the two bulls Derek and her are raising, taken to the Vet to be dehorned, shots, and castrated. So we hooked up the horse trailer and loaded the two of them and went to the vet, then home and jockeying around show drifts to get the trailer close to the gate....

So what started at 8 am, ended by 1030; and I was ready to get tractors as afore mentioned.

It was 3 before the tractors were running. Now the new tractor doesn't have rear wheel weights. Guess what.... spent more time trying to get unstuck that moving snow. So today, if I can get both started again, I plan to move the wheel weights from the old tractor to the new so we can get so more snow moved.

Hey Bus, How about I bring the trailer in and pick up your jeep and plow???
Might go faster, and at least I know it runs.

So no pics yesterday, my noble assistant was somewhere else and I keep forgetting the camera.

Superbowl sunday, and I think I will be moving more snow... it was drifted two and a half feet in front of the haybarn, about the same on the back porch.

So enjoy today down there in Blue Hair Land, we got more snow coming this week.
Yesssss...... do have to admit there were some beautiful scenes yesterday with the sun reflecting off trees.

Sister Mary will call today and let me know it was 78 at her back porch, bah humbug.

But we love it here and the snow is just a minor inconvenience.

There aren't farms like ours in blue hair land..... so I guess we'll stay here and in playing in the snow we are

Celebrating life.

tom

THANKS ALOT -- JUST WHAT I NEEDED

2011-02-01T19:19:00.006-06:00

Well it seems two of my little sisters live down in the Blue Hair land (same as three of my brothers), and I really enjoy visiting with the two of them. But sometimes I get really tickled when they call.......

Well take tonight for instance. We are in the middle of the blizzard of 2011, got about 12 inches of snow, and with the wind gusting, we have sometimes zero visibility. Not a problem if you know where you are going, and around the farm, we got it down pretty good.

So temp tonight is heading for 2 or 3 above, with temp Thursday AM around minus 10.
Wind chill is well below zero.

So after getting home tonight, a 35 minute venture, where the worst road was the State Highway out front... but as a consilation, Interstate 44 is closed from Springfield to the Mo-OkLA state line due to snow and blizzard below zero visibility (haven't figured that below zero visibility - I guess you can't see your arse in front of your face???).

Anyway, watching the news, warming up in the recliner, and Little sister Mary calls. Oh Tom ===== just to let you know temp here is going to be 75 tomorrow.

AURGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG LOL

Got a good laugh out of it. But 75 at this time of year is just too warm for this ole man, about 65 should be perfect!

So for those of you down in blue Hair land, here are a couple pics from outside the back doors of the farmstead this evening. Mind you the walk and patio had been shoveled clear just about 30 minutes prior to talking these photos -- talk about blowing wind..............

view out dining room sliding glass door across back yard.

This is a view of the hay barn from the breezeway that we aren't using cause it is too cold to sit in the "breezeway" with 30 to 40 mph winds.

and last is the rock garden where the piles of snow are from drifting, not shoveling. Guess it will be time to get the tractor out and use the loader to move snow... hey Bus, bring the dump truck out, we can load snow in it and take it to the pond and dump it... just like NYC does into the Hudson.......

NAH..... I think I'll let the weather melt the snow first.....

So enjoy the pics and know that we are warm and comfy, and celebrating life.........

Bus got any pics of snow plowing with the jeep????

tom

Story of Congressman from SW MO

2011-01-30T08:55:00.002-06:00

A blind bunny meets a blind snake

One morning a blind bunny was hopping down the bunny trail and tripped over a large snake and fell right on his twitchy little nose.

“Oh please excuse me,” said the bunny. “I didn’t mean to trip over you, but I’m blind and can’t see.”

“That’s perfectly all right,” replied the snake. “To be sure, it was my fault. I didn’t mean to trip you, but I’m blind too, and I didn’t see you coming. By the way, what kind of animal are you?”

“Well, I really don’t know,” said the bunny. “I’m blind, and I’ve never seen myself. Maybe you could examine me and find out.” >
So the snake felt the bunny all over, and he said, “Well, you’re soft, and cuddly, and you have long silky ears, and a little fluffy tail and a dear twitchy little nose. You must be a bunny rabbit!

The bunny said, “I can’t thank you enough. But by the way, what kind of animal are you?”

The snake replied that he didn’t know either, and the bunny agreed to examine him, and when the bunny was finished, the snake asked, “Well, what kind of an animal am I?”

The bunny had felt the snake all over, and he replied, “You’re cold, you’re slippery, and you haven’t got any balls…. You must be a Congressman from Missouri"

Thanks Gene
Thanks Bits and Pieces

2011-01-20T18:01:00.002-06:00

This was posted over at http://bus-plunge.blogspot.com/
after the House voted to cut Obama Health care program.

Just so that the people of the 7th District know what Long is doing.

quote:

Another commentator said on the the Springfield News-Leader:

At today's vote in the house, they asked Republicans and Democrats to also vote to give up their Govt health care if they wanted to repeal health care for their constitutes. Guess what. Every single Republican voted to keep their government run health care while voting to get rid of health care for their constitutes.

Every single Republican voted they could keep their children on their health insurance until they are 25 but not for their constitutes.

Every single Republican voted that their health insurance covers pre-existing conditions for their families, but said NO for their constitutes health insurance to cover pre-existing conditions.

In other words, all the consumer protections Republicans say is NOT good for middle class Americans' health insurance , they decided to keep in their own Govt health insurance.

Hypocrisy must be a standard condition for being a Republican.
unquote:

What is wrong with our country? It's the greedy ones in DC that think they are better than the people back home.

get off the band wagon Tom.
My Dad used to say:
What goes around will come around and bite you in the arse if you aren't careful.

Free Speech or Not

2011-01-18T11:56:00.002-06:00

There has been an incident in Greene and Christian Counties over whether an FBI visit to a local Christian County Blogger who ran the "Long is Wrong" website during the past election, that is taking many sides. His blog was critical of Billy Long, our newly elected Congressman who is taking Roy Blunts spot.
Reading what the Springfield paper has to say, listening to KSPR news, and reading all the posts surrounding this incident, makes me wonder whether we have free speech or not?

New to this incident? Billy Long gave Capital Police the name(s) of people who he felt threatened by (in lieu of the shotting in Arizonia).

Sheriff Arnott of Greene County went with FBI agent to blogger's home (in Christian county) and sat through the interview which was recorded by the blogger.

I read over 140 threads about this in the Springfield paper and have a few comments.

First I seldom get involved with opinioning my thoughts on political matters, my retirement and my job are Federal, but I feel this needs to be expounded upon:

The real question is still unanswered.

I live in Lawrence County, if Sheriff Jim Arnott from Greene County came to my door with an FBI agent or any Federal agency, I would politely ask him to explain why he was in my County, and then before allowing entry to my property, I would call my Sheriff and get him and the Highway Patrol and the County Commissioners to come over and be here for the visit.

If the FBI and Arnott have to sit in their car waiting, well so be it.

The bottom question is: What jurisdiction does Arnott cover? Why was he in Christian County? Why didn't he notify CC Sheriff? Who was paying his wages and whose vehicle did they use (all over news about not enough money for GC Sheriff's office)?

The Capitol Police will never release why someone's name was released as a threat!

I enjoyed reading the blog "Long is Wrong", The Busplunge's Blog and the Springfield newspaper, so I was better versed in who was running for Congress. The TV stations and Newspapers lack the indepth annalysis that used to be the best place to find information.

Unfortunately, we (the majority) elected another "Roy Blunt Clone". Not even in DC a month and already having wine tasting parties that you can attend, if you have money! Hey Billy, when will you dump your wife for a young sexy chick so you can really follow Roy's ways?

Now that I've made statements against Long and Ole Roy, I await the FBI's visit to my farm, where the sign says .............................!

What happens in DC, shouldn't stay in DC, but be known to all.
Tom Lee

Long Time No Write

2011-01-15T19:51:00.003-06:00

Well, I haven't been plagued with writer's cramps, or brain farts, or not being in the mood.
I just haven't taken time to write latey, as I have been busy.
Not as busy as the Bus, or the Jeep, or the Longroof, but been doing lots in the cold.

Finally got both tractors rebuilt. Yep, long and hard work, forgotten how hard it is to make pieces and to weld (when the metal doesn't want to be welded), and to put everything back without have any left over parts.
Today was perfect, didn't need a heater in the Ford Garage, and got the tractor put back together with only one snag... my noble assistant wasn't around to help, so I got the boy (Derrick - Steph's friend) to help me. Things go easier when there are two working a project.

Last weekend, the wife and I made a trip to KC to look at a 52 Cabover with a dump bed. But alas, it didn't work out.

Also, due to the cold, the chickens haven't been laying eggs, so early this morning the Boy and I filled all the huge holes in the chicken coop north wall with expando foam. When we built the chicken coop, we used green boards I had milled from a large tree, and well now that wood has finally dried out and shrunk. I am still pealing that foam off my fingers. But at least the chickens will sleep warmer tonight.

I am now looking at the Farmall Super C to determine how big a project it will be to make it parade ready. And the Bronco will soon have smaller tires. The big 33 inchers are boss looking, but with manual steering, the are a pain to turn. Also makes the Bronc too tall, and I need a ladder to get into it.

Lots of things going on when the weather doesn't allow outside work.

So tomorrow and Monday and Tuesday (yes I have Monday off, and taking vacation day on Tuesday) I can spend cleaning the Ford Garage.... amazing how much oil, grease and dirt ends up on the floor when rebuilding something.

So enjoy yourselves and don't party too much this weekend.

More later, and of course I forgot to take pictures, so if weather cooperates tomorrow, may get some pics of the two tractors, the bulldozer in my front yard, and who knows what.....

Later all

Ford Best Commercial Ever

2011-01-08T09:23:00.005-06:00

Ford outdid themselves with this commmercial.

I hope you spend the time to watch it and reflect on how we are welcoming home our armed services members.

http://www.richhumor.com/wp-filez/PerhapstheBestFordCommercia.wmv

Did it finally happen?????

2010-12-29T13:25:00.003-06:00

Holy Moses, I can't believe my ears or my eyes.

Did I hear correctly that the Temperature yesterday morning as 28 degrees in Daytona Beach, Fla. Birthplace of Speed and home of blue hairs???????????

I know temp on my back porch yesterday was 30............

SO IT FINALLY HAPPENED........

IT WAS COLDER IN FLORIDA THAN IN MISSOURI......

Glad the Barngoddess1 and I put off our Florida vacation to April instead of this week.

Hey Long Roof and Jeep

I have carharts bibbers for sale.. cheap too,...... only $200 a pair........

LOL

Finally catching up

2010-12-10T18:16:00.004-06:00

Well I am finally catching up on my writings, but first a big big birthday celebration to the #1 son of Robert G and Mary L Lee.
Robert G. Lee, Jr.

or BBB as the Longroof and Jeep refer to him.

Happy Birthday you old coot, have another one from the Tiki Bar and take a dip in the pool.

So while my older brother gets older, I will fill you in on some of the doings around here lately.

You remember the post about the maiden voyage? well that tractor is back in the Ford Garage getting another overhaul. Yep, my able daughter, my noble assistant and Derrick have been transferring features from our old tractor to the new tractor - little things that make it easier to drive.

So here are a couple pics of the goings on

this one shows Derrick under the new tractor putting the hydraulic filter cover back in. This is the replacement so the loader hydraulics can be connected.

Steph and I are preparing the new tractor to receive the new battery box-dash which replaces the rusted out old battery box.

So progress on Tuesday evening came to a screeching halt when this old Horsefarmer did something wrong, not sure what, but my back gave out again, and I couldn't lift the wires to hook to the battery. So for the past three days, it's ice, heat, ice and just laying around resting.

Went to the Doc today, x-rays, prodding, pushing, tapping, punching, stretching, = you know all that stuff the Docs do to see if it hurts and where it hurts.
Heck just sitting here it hurts.....
anyway somehow I sprained my lower back again.

Needless to say, no traveling to look at a bunch of 60's mopar vehicles at auction, no working on the tractors, no nothing.........
lay around with ice, heat, ice for the weekend.

Danged if it ain't hard getting old.

So hopefully, Monday I'll be able to move about without a lot of painkillers in my system.

So enjoy your weekend.

At least I can still enjoy the company of the Barngoddess1 and our kids and grandkids.

So in that I proudly Celebrate Life.

Maiden Voyage

2010-12-04T13:18:00.002-06:00

So it is Saturday, December 4, 2010, and at 1:20 it is still warm here in the Ozarks, temp hovering around 40 degrees since 7 am this morning.

Have been working on the new tractor, and finally got it ready for the maiden voyage.

Yep, with My noble assistant's hard working help, and a little input from her mom, we got the tractor ready.

Out of the garage, and moved a hay bale to the horse's field and put the new tractor back in the garage to finish a couple other projects on it.

So here is a pic of the new tractor out back before we put the bale spike on it.

photo credit to "HavenJay"

and sitting here in the kitchen with a bowl of Campbell's vegetable soup with crackers and we'll be back in the Ford's garage working on the other tractor.

that's all for now.

www.upexcursion.com

2010-12-04T10:44:00.002-06:00

Okay Papa and I saw this post on www.news-leader.com. It tells about how to vote for a steam engine to come through Springfield, Mo. So Papa decided, "hey lets vote for it." Everyone vote!!!
It's real easy just go to www.upexcursion.com enter Springfield as your hometown then choose springfield, Mo. Enter your email address and follow the remainder of the directions. Easy! Go vote!
Celebrate life,
Little Princess

It's been a long week

2010-11-23T14:12:00.004-06:00

So here I am, totally wasted from a speed trip all around Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Missouri.......

And someone wants my picture taken to put on the Thanksgiving Card........

So there I stand, "Deer in the headlight look"

and danged if the camera doesn't flash.........

So here is a photo of the Audiology Department Staff where I work.........

now remember we are high level government employees, and we appreciate your tax dollars paying our salary. So keep paying them taxes.

tom

WE'RE TIRED

2010-11-21T19:15:00.002-06:00

Ok we are tired, both of us...........

51 hours

1,125 miles

79.6 gallons of diesel ($3.25 gallon average)

We're tired.

Now have a new tractor............
will pick up Thursday (another 300 miles or more)

Now have a new generator...........
tractor driven, so portables are for sale
look for a posting soon

Now have a new dining room set.........
bet we don't medically treat a newborn foal on this dining room table......
no sireee... Carol and Mary would have my goat if I did that.......

But we are home safe and sound.

Had a GREAT AND I MEAN GREAT visit with my little sister Mary and her husband Don...
long time since I've had a one on one with a sister.
Thanks Mary. I REALLY enjoyed our visit. And finally got to meet Don......... what a way to Celebrate Life.

So now on to day to day routines again.

Now when I made the comment about 1,125 miles in 51 hours, my granddaughter made the acute observation that Viola and I averaged 22 miles per hour.............

WHAT????????? WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Of course she is a math wizard, and only she could come up with that figure......
But I guess I'm getting old when I only average 22 miles per hour................

So after a long and tiring weekend...... we still managed to

CELEBRATE LIFE TO THE FULLEST..........

I wish it was snowing!

2010-11-14T09:12:00.002-06:00

Well here it is early Sunday afternoon.

Had a great week, got to attend a Veteran's Day concert by the Springfield MO Army National Guard Band with my granddaughter. Great show held at the Marionville school. Kids had a grand time, especially the songs that had a strong beat to them = ie: marching song and the Service Songs. I sang along with "Anchors Aweigh". Last time I heard that song was on 9/30/1989 at my retirement ceremony.

Then on to working on the tractor and travel trailer.

Even better news from my two sisters who live way out east in the mountains of NC somewhere.
Seems my grandmother's dining room set won't fit in either of their new homes, so it is offered to any family member wanting it.
I piped in and volunteered to take it. "To keep it in the family" as with all the other heirlooms. Granny bought the set in the 30s if I am not mistaken, and it is well taken care of.

So after a wonderful visit on the phone with Mary and Carol, and a couple revisions along the way, this coming weekend Viola and I will be heading east to meet Mary and her Don to pick up a UHaul trailer full of the set. The girls are having "two men and a truck" load the dining set in a trailer for us. What a wonderfull gift, as I know the furniture will survive the trip from NC to MO.

On the sad note, the big bad 1 ton of mine, used to towing our mobile house, wouldn't start that morning, so jumper cables and it started. Later in the day, it would again NOT start. I hooked the cables up, got turned around on the second set of cables and "yeah" I hooked them up backasswards. by the time I got in the truck to start it, we had a major smoke scene going on, and by the time this old man got out of the truck and up to the front the cables were fried. Fried hell, they were toast. The dually now won't start. So after checking all the fuses, finding one blown (duh wonder why?), trip to my local parts shop "Hey tom what's up" and back home again, truck still won't start.

So looking at the battery cables... yep, rust and corrosion to the max.

So I have this 2001 Ford F350 crew cab super duty truck with a 7.3 deisel that needs negative battery cables replaced. Yep two batteries = two negative cables corroded. So back to my parts shop, "Hey tom what's up" and find out that one of the cables is listed at $109.99. NOT OUCH, NOT WHAT, NOT HOLY COW.... came from my mouth, just a simple "oh shit, you gotta be kidding me". 3 days to get it also.

So after talking with the Manager and deciding to use the local machine shop, off I went. $75.00, and 45 minutes later I was out the door with the two cables needed to replace my corroded ones. Now note, for once in my life I did things in proper sequence, yep the proper sequence. Before heading to the parts shop, Viola helped me remove the two cables from the F350 so I could take them with me to get exact duplicates.

So this morning I am ready to head out and put in the new cables. WRONG!!

MAN ALIVE, IT IS COLD OUT THERE. Temp o meter is below 40. If it was snowing I would have an excuse to stay inside and watch football and nascar. But it ain't snowing, so I guess it's get bundled up and head back out to get the job done.

Forget it, the truck can wait till this afternoon when it warms up some.

And in the middle of all that yesterday, Viola (aka Barngoddess1) tells me I need to put a couple round bales out for the horses and cows. So that is the easy part, just hook the bales mover to the three point hitch and easy..........

Tractor won't start! So on one of the trips to town bought deisel (off road deisel is now $3.03 a gallon). Hook jumper cables to tractor from My little mule, and it won't start. Finally got the daughter to pull me with the F250 and we got it running. Quickly delivered the two bales and headed for the Ford Garage.
More bad news. Fuel tank is leaking again at one or two previously welded joints. And to top it off the fuel injector pump is now leaking. ARGH>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

So set up and drain the fuel tank again.

So it's been a fun weekend so far.

Really great thing is that Derek (daughters friend) borrowed my 243 to go deer hunting. Haven't heard from him yet. But can tell him where for the past two days I have dodged a doe and her baby on the highway. Maybe next time hit them and bring them home to put in the freezer.

Even better, oldest daughter, Michele, popped in on Sat morning for a couple days to just visit with the wife and girls. Always great to have her here for a visit.

So it's now time to decide to buy another tractor, or invest more money in this one. Glad the deal to buy the property next door fell through.

So hunting for tractors like I have now, in any kind of shape is rough. Found one in Tallahassee Florida, motor is froze up, but the parts might work; maybe I could get the Jeep and Long roof to buy it for me and deliver it........... nah, long roof went and got a job, so now he is tied up 6 to whatever every day. In fact he told me he gets up a 4:30 in am...... hell that time doesn't come unless you have been up all night.

Oh well. keep looking for parts. Fuel tank runs from 470 to 700, fuel injection pump is 1400 with 300 core deposit.

So the saga of the Haven Lee Farm continues.

Have a happy day and remember as you go about the trials and tribulations of the day, it took the Long Roof about 700 and some days to find a job, but he perserved and something finally came through.

Remember to Celebrate Life and enjoy.

tom

Just for the LongRoof

2010-10-31T17:26:00.006-05:00

So coming home from a wedding late this afternoon, the Barngoddess1 points out a parking lot full of classics.

In we go and as she sat in the truck, I walked around and took pictures.
That OleLongRoof isn't going to do me one better.

The first car I saw and recognized was a 57 BMW Pewee

yeap, one that the door opens to the front

After that I saw a 58 Chevy apache. When we lived in Connecticut, I owned two of these, one a short bed, one a long bed.

Then I came across my dream car…… should I ever win the powerball, I will own one of these

1968 Ford Shelby Mustang, one boss car

Of course I took a bunch of other shots, but it takes too long to up load, so will post again with those pics later... lets see, Lincoln, Packard, three rods, 59 Ford Convertable hardtop, etc.

So enjoy

tom

When it rains it pours

2010-10-24T13:47:00.008-05:00

Well the other night the Barngoddess1 and I decided to put hay out for the little horses and little cows.

So hook up the bale spear to the loader of our favorite little deere and away we go.
BUT WAIT....
I fear the loader is not on the tractor straight, and where is that diesel fuel coming from.......
Oh no, oh yes problems.......

So we quickly put out the hay bales and back to the barn.

So Friday after work, we decide to take the loader off the tractor and figure out what is going on. The daughter and my noble assistant and I remove the loader from the deere, really easy actually, and the load sits out there by itself all alone now.

Then the deere to the Lee's Ford Garage and after spreading a bag of cat litter on the floor to soak up all the diesel fuel that poured out, we got down to figuring out what is leaking.

NO problem, we find that the fuel leak is just a overflow line popped off the tank.

But in the process I found that the front support, a major part of the frame is cracked completely through on the right side.
This is the cause of the loader not being level.
So off comes the gas tank, off comes the radiator, off comes the hydraulic tank,
and then

It's a phone call to the Bus
"Hey whatcha doing?" Sound familiar? all Lee boys are the same
"Nothing, what's up"
"Can I borrow your power washer?" Now the farm's power washer is still missing parts that I haven't quite got around to ordering. We have a lot of 'ROUND 2 ITS' here.
"Meet at Republic?"
"Fine, see ya"

To the kitchen sink and remove about twenty pounds of grease and grime and it's off to meet the Bus.

Back home, power washing helps and soon it is so dark I can't tell grease and grime from clean and neat, so quit for the night.

This morning was spent removing the power steering pump, pulling the front end off, and presto we have the cracked part ready for the power washer.
Bus the part is to the left (front of tractor) in this picture.

So now the Deere is sitting in the Lee's Ford Garage....... Jeep it's ok, it is a tractor not a car.....
minus the front axle and steering assembly, the cracked part is in the back of the dually to go to the welders tomorrow to see if they can fix.... if not.........
so here's a pic of the crack

backup plans hurt for this one part.....
John Deere has one new old stock left in the great USA, it's in Wisconsin somewhere and it is relatively cheap at $3,500.00. Yes 3500 dollars.

Cooks tractor in Clinton MO has been contacted to see if they have the part..
Ebay has been searched
Craigslist has been searched

We learn more tomorrow.

But wait it gets better.........

My little mule, F250 super duty, driver's window goes down today and refuses to go back up....
After disassembling the door, unable to tell if switch bad, or motor bad, try to put connectors for passenger window to driver's window and fried the circuit board...
So now, after moving everything in the Lee's Ford Garage back to the side with the Deere, the Little Mule is parked inside with the driver's window still down........

When it rains it pours.........

But at least we know how to fix things that are broke.......

"JEEP WHERE ARE YOU???????????????????"

Oh well, celebrate life.

ForSale, Sad but true

2010-10-10T17:13:00.003-05:00

The above picture is of our 4 up team of miniature horses and the stagecoach during the Mt Vernon MO Applebutter making days parade. We had just come through the gauntlet in the backgorund that had the crowds less than two feet from the team.
The team did marvelous and didn't panic or startle during that gauntlet.

Unfortunately, my back has finally gone south, and I am stuck up here in the midwest, tried to drive one of the horses today and .......... pain pills didn't help, and haven't helped in some time.
We haven't had the coach and team out all year, and after much soulsearching and discussing, the wife and I decided to sell the stagecoach and 4 up team of miniature horses.

The ad is on craigslist @ Springfield Mo under Farm and Garden.

So if you know someone interested in driving a team of 4 miniature horses pulling a stagecoach, let us know.

Tom & Viola Lee

HavenLeeFarm.com

2010-10-10T16:32:00.002-05:00

Well, it was bound to happen, the person maintaining our website was soo soo busy that she couldn't spend 5 minutes of her time talking to the Barngoddess1 about the site, so I refused to pay the fee for another year.

So Havenleefarm.com is no longer.

I have commissioned our daughter to find a host and develop a website.
I will advise what she finds.
So for now, no website "Havenleefarm.com"

tom

Major Decisions, Major Decisions

2010-10-04T19:54:00.002-05:00

Aw heck, I am getting too old for this..........

This here little piece of Lawrence County we live on is a mere 28.5 acres.
and we have it pretty nice here.

House and barns on the west side of property, pond on east side..... highway 600 feet out south, and farm land north of us.

Now comes the problem........

The ten acres abutting out property on the west has come on the market.

And I can't figure out whether to spend the money and buy it, or just let it go....

Can't say too much about the zoning regs in this county, so could get some really bad squatters...... or might get a decent person who puts up a 300 k house.....

So now I have to decide to buy it or not........

oh these decisions.........

I'm too old to make them, but what the heck, I will probably work till I fall over, so who knows............

Billy Long and Roy Blunt get elected = don't buy....

Oh these decisions == aurgggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg

A bunch of lies

2010-09-26T19:31:00.002-05:00

Now I am not a politician, nor one of those guys who raise hell about what is going on in political campaigns.

But I am against guys who lie and stretch the truth.

Over at Roy Blunts campaign web site, he is bragging that "HE" was the one to push the "Concurrent Receipt" thru and get it passed.

BS to the nth degree........
Roy Blunt did not support Concurrent Receipt until after enough congressmen (and women) had committed to the bill.

If Roy Blunt was for concurrent receipt,

WHY DIDN'T HE MAKE IT FOR EVERYONE? Not just the ones who are 40% or more service connected.

I AM ONE OF THOSE VETERANS, WHO HAVE A DISABILITY THAT WAS DETERMINED TO BE "SERVICE CONNECTED" AND I WAS GRANTED 10%.

I ALSO SPENT 21 YEARS IN THE SERVICE..... 7 OF THOSE YEARS IN SUPPORT OF THE US MARINE CORPS, AND THE FOLLOWING YEARS ON SUBMARINES.

I RETIRED IN 1989, and was granted 10% disability in 1990.

10% of my retirement pay was deducted because of the disability. The VA gave me the 10%. So since 1990, 10% of my pay was lost, and would still be lost, if the VA had not reevaluated me in the past 3 years and determined my medical condition has degraded.

ROY BLUNT YOU DIDN'T HELP ME ONE DAMNED BIT........

When I emailed your office for support of the concurrent receipt for ALL retirees, I got not a single answer back....

To claim you ensured the Concurrent Reciept was passed is bullshit, like the rest of the crap you pull............................

Roy Blunt is a joker and a liar.....

Tom Lee
A retired disabled military member who is fed up with Blunt and his bs.......

Golf in Biloxi MS

2010-09-19T18:13:00.006-05:00

I blogged earlier that I played golf at the oldest Golf Club in Mississippi.

I took some pics and now that we are home, I share them with you.

Also talking to one of my three sisters - Carol - found out her husband learned to play golf at Great Southern, AND his mom used to take him to Waveland to play on the beach.

So Carol, here are some pics to remember George's youth:

The first one is from the green looking back toward the tee and the ocean we started at.

The next one is the tree blocking the green on #17, well it blocked the green for my shot both times I played. Seems it had something to do with a little slice. This tree has survived a bunch of hurricanes, and it was nice to just sit under it and relax.

The last is the beach at Waveland, where we saw several Manta Rays.

Now the joke is that we can really pick campsites.

The first night we stayed at a campground that was right at a busy interstate interchange. So we listened to traffic all night.

AUTOMOBILES

The second night it was near train tracks, so we listened to whistles all night.

TRAINS

The third night it was near an airport that had air force C141s practicing touch and goes.

PLANES

SO: PLANES, TRAINS, and AUTOMOBILES........

Two nights ago, we were on the river and thought, PERFECT

NO HIGHWAYS NEAR BY, NO AIRPORTS, NO TRAIN TRACKS........

guess what we forgot about?

Yep, BARGES AND TUGBOATS...................

We have them all, Planes, trains, automobiles, AND Barges..............

But we spend two weeks doing what is best for us

CELEBRATING LIFE.

WE did it

2010-09-13T20:25:00.002-05:00

Today was one of those Chamber days down here in Mississippi. Temp in the 80s, humidity in the 50s. Perfect mild on shore breeze.

The Barngoddess1 and I got up late and changed plans for the day.

So we drove over to the oldest golf course in Mississippi. Yes that is right, the oldest golf course.

Needless to say I took a lead from the LongRoof and walked right in and asked if I could play 18..

Yes sir, just sign here.

Can I walk?

No sir, you need to take a cart so you don't tire out too quickly.

And that my friends is how I got to play the oldest golf course in Mississippi.

The Great Southern Golf Club, Biloxi, MS.

Start at the beach, head to the swamps, and return to the beach. What a course!

If you come to this area, you have to play this course.

It looks very easy and simple, but has little tricks in it that just drive you crazy. Take the ninth hole. It is a blind hole, 350 some yards long. You don't know where you are going due to the trees and layout.

I hit the driver about 230 on that hole and was in perfect position to play a wedge to the green. Wow what a course.

We took quite a few pictures, but due to the cable being in Missouri and us being in Mississippi, well, I'll just post pics later.

Now this course was established in 1908 and it is great.

Oh yeah, when paying for the 18 and cart, I asked if they gave a military discount.

Yes sir we do!

I gave him a twenty, he gave me a score card and key to the golf cart, and I went and played 18 on some of the best holes I've played in a long time.

The par 5, 510 yard, number 15 was the killer. Three shots and I was over the green, took three more to make the green, and one putt gave me a 7. But the scenery was perfect.

Play this course if you love golf and come to this area.

And don't forget to ask for military discount if you qualify.

And then we roamed over to Waveland and spent two hours on a great beach, just walking and talking, walking and not talking, just spending time together.

Saw several baby sting rays (or were they manta rays), and enjoyed just walking in the water and spending time together. Also saw a lot of left over damage from Katrina and Ike. Sad to see so many vacant lots with just foundations left.

But then we came back to our mobile house and had some excellent steak, thanks to the Barngoddess1 and "hamburger".

More later, as we

Celebrate Life

2010-09-09T18:53:00.000-05:00

YOU CAN'T FIX STUPID

BUT YOU CAN

VOTE THEM OUT

I'm Busy

2010-09-09T18:46:00.001-05:00

I guess the correct phrase should be

I am busy traveling all over the southeast.

Spent yesterday in Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi.

Today is spent in Mississippi.

Tomorrow? who knows.

I can't post any pictures because I left the connecting cable at home.

Can't watch tv cause the connecting cable is too short.....

I'll just have to post pics later.

BEsides, I'm busy, golf tourney 9/10 and then on to other and better things.

later
tom

I guess it's full

2010-09-03T17:54:00.006-05:00

My last blog I talked about the rain filling the new pond up.

Well, last evening we had more rain..... Kind of like the eye of the hurricane went over us, left us with a feeling of relief, and then the second round hit.
We missed out on the tornado warnings, city of Republic and east didn't though.

But we sure got some more rain. In fact, so much rain the pond is now full......
yep, probably 12 to 14 feet of water in the new pond, along with the pallets we didn't get out, the mud and muck that was still there. But the pond is full.
Dang near overspilled the dam in one area.

If you look at this picture, above my head you see the clean dirt row... that is the north end of the new pond,

the next picture is of the new dam from the west (house side) and the dam goes clear around to the left where the first picture showed plain dirt. The water almost breached the dam in the center of the picture. only about 10 inches and it would have been over the dam.

another view from the north side you can see the pond etal.......

Yep the pond is becoming a lake and we are ready for the weather to get hot again so we can use it for a swimming hole, but weather this weekend is highs in 70s, so may not swim for awhile.

Might try to get The Bus to bring his boat out and we could water ski ????? well ok.

but we will Celebrate Life

Only needed 2 hours more

2010-09-02T06:59:00.005-05:00

So Fred has been diligently working to get the pond expanded and ready for the rains that were due on Thursday of this week.

So Wednesday morning he only needed about two hours to finish hauling that last big pile of mud and muck from the original pond bottom over to the other side of the dam.

Well guess what, the rain man didn't wait, and Wednesday this part of the Ozarks was like Daytonna Beach or NewOrleans during one of those big round storms....

We had 6 to 10 inches across southwest MO and the pond....

well it's half full now........

The pile of muck sticking up shows where the original pond was, and you can see how big the expansion will make the pond... a lake now. Great for swimming and fishing.

Now to just get the water out of the pond so we can finish removing the mud muck pallets and tin, and then be ready for the rain again.

but we are like a willow tree, bend in the wind and recover to continue to

CELEBRATE LIFE

What we found .....

2010-08-24T19:01:00.007-05:00

Now when the big little brothers of mine go out they always come back with something that is auto related.

When I go out I find all kinds of neat creatures of the wild.

Recently draining the pond we found some of those wild creatures, and I share them with you for your viewing pleasure.

First THE FISH
as previously posted about, here is another view

but before the fish came THE FROG

and shortly after the frog,

the daughter alerted me to something slithering on the other side of the pond, in the general vicinity of where we are standing in this picture

and after popping a couple rounds of 22 short shot into that area, we came up with THE DEAD SNAKE

then yesterday when the dozer was working in that same area, the operator said there were about 50 hundred of them snakes all across the ground, it looked like the ground was covered with them.

fortunately, they are black water snakes and common to this area, similiar to black snakes that eat rodents and other venonmous snakes.

So that is another part of the wonderful sunday at the pond

Celebrate life.

Fishing in the Ozarks

2010-08-22T21:56:00.007-05:00

OKAY HERE IS THE CORRECT WAY TO FISH IN THE OZARKS.

A number of different terms could be related to this style of fishing. Several people would call it illegal. A bunch of others saying that the poor fish is treated inhumanly.........

Who gives a rats a_ _ what others say, it is my farm and I'll fish any dang way we want to.

So - how do you get that fish that won't bite a worm, won't bite a lure, well it's easy if you live in southwest MO.

You put a pump in the pond,

start it up and drain the damned pond.

Hence you can see that illusive fish out there in the water....

and then you use the newest redneck fishing equipment to catch him.

And you get a fish that is 24 inches long and has a heck of a lot of fish to eat when you cook it up.

Of course you get a little dirty with this style fishing, who cares, it was fun.

we got the fish, we drained the pond, and when we are done, we'll have a fish fry and go swimming in the new pond.

Just a little more dozer work, fix the dam to make it easier to mow, put the floating dock in the center of the pond (with a walkway of course), and then restock the pond with bass and we'll be ready to go.

And all day today, my wife, my daughter and my grand-daughter and I had a grand ole time playing in the mud and the muck and we dang sure did what we were supposed to do on such a wonderful day.............

CELEBRATE LIFE................

Boys N Toys

2010-08-12T19:03:00.008-05:00

I remember as a kid that we used to play with Tonka trucks and bulldozers and lots other toys. Somewhere in the family pictures (I'll probably never see it again) is a picture of me sitting on Edie Pilla's bulldozer (or could be a backhoe) in St Louis area.

So to keep you counters out there wondering what we are doing now-a-days, well I am again using bulldozers to have fun in the sun in the Ozarks.

Here are a few pictures to let you know what kind of fun

watchout Viola, here comes the dozer to do some of this

we're coming to take you away hey-hey

of course this is the final result

Yeah it's a CAT 963 and that bucket is huge...

now that the 1,380 feet of fence row is cleared of heavy overgrowth and trees, the pond work can begin. I am now delegated to supervisory role to watch the dozer start digging topsoil (which is for sale) and make the pond expanding project come to reality. The dozer is that deep and is still removing topsoil......
a join project to use local people who are hurting for work....
hey maybe Billy or Roy can get me some "earmark money" to help with expenses......

Anyway, helping a friend out in his time of need, well that is the real meaning of

CELEBRATE LIFE.

It's Done

2010-07-25T16:46:00.007-05:00

Well after slaving away on Saturday, and then a late start today, we finally got almost everything done on the Breezeway addition.

Some pieces of trim around one window, and a Z channel and we'll be done with the outside.

Lots more inside, but that is another adventure.

The view from the south as you come up the drive from the highway:

and as you come around back, the view from the northside:

So that's about all from this neck of the country, cepting J beat me at Golf again, but I trounced her 3 games - nil in tennis.

PSS: someday I'll learn how to set the date on the camera. Pics show date of 7/13/2007 yeah...... what were we doing back then??? was it "The Coop"?

So we settle back to a quiet evening after spending a weekend

CELEBRATING LIFE.

THE BREEZEWAY CONTINUES

2010-07-25T09:10:00.014-05:00

So since taking on this massive project

= mind you without the help of the Florida crew, {who helped put The Coop up in record fashion
}

we continue the saga of bulding the breezeway. With the help of the Barngoddess1, Sharks Angel (daughter), Little Princess (granddaughter - aka my noble assistant), and Derek (daughter's friend), we continue to make headway on finishing the breezeway before winter hits.

For John, here is another picture of that scaffolding that isn't OSHA approved, but works great. Notice no safety harness either. Glad Missouri isn't an OSHA state.

and another picture of the opposite side of that wall, with more scaffolding in place over the hot tub so a window can be framed out and installed without moving the hot tub.

A few more shots so you can see the progress. But first another picture of my Noble Assistant holding the scaffolding steady while it was being screwed together.

a picture of Sharks angel and I putting the north wall on:

and a picture of the two of us arguing which LEVEL is indeed LEVEL.

Now if you remember way back in this family's saga, you would recall a project we were doing that involved a LEVEL that my brother (The Old Long Roof) had as a youngster, it was't so level

but no matter how we tried, the two levels we had, never paired up and matched. So OK now what, put the tin up flush with the garage and go on. PS A new level for Christmass would be great!!

But after 7 hours of
1. putting the roof on: yes the roof is finished, even put tar paper down under the tin to deflect any tin sweating down the roof.
2. building our own souffet to include holes for vents
3. painting the soufeet, well primering it
4. getting 3 pieces of siding on

The Little Princess and I decided to call it quits and go play 9 holes of my favorite game = golf. Unfortunately she whipped me: Jay 3 under, Tom 3 over
a picture of us mid game

and that is it for Saturday, July 23, 2010, at the Haven Lee Farm, just outside Marionville MO.
Today, I am so sore it is 9:42 am and I still haven't got up the energy or over the aches and pains to go outside and start anew.

But with all the aches and pains, we still enjoy life and by being able to still do the work we do ----- we

CELELBRATE LIFE to its fullest.

ps. Ed and John, miss you guys, but you are here in spirit.
Ed - left some bent nails for you
John - that level isn't level!

tom

Ah the Breezeway is coming to pass

2010-07-18T15:05:00.009-05:00

Yes fellow countrymen, we are about finished with the roof to the breezeway.

Another day gladly spent with the wife, daughter and grand-daughter working around the farm.

Today Ed and John missed out on some great adventures, putting up more trim and sealing in the house to breezeway roof area.

We even got in some painting tooo...... Boys you are both missing a lot of fun by not being here.
So some pictures the Barngoddess1 took of the days work.

NOW NOTICE THE LITTLE PRINCESS DOING WHAT SHE NORMALLY DOESN'T DO.........
in the pics, she is just hanging around watching, normally she would be the one painting, but her mom wouldn't let her stand in the bucket and paint, so this old man had to do it.

So enjoy the pics....

Yes John, that is the shirt you sent JC, on nice CofC days, she wears it. I asked if she wanted to move to Florida... No way, they have hurricanes down there!
LOL

and a final picture to show that YES I do read instructions every so often........

So while you all are down in blue hair, birthplace of speed land, we are up here in the great Ozark mountains, really enjoying and

CELEBRATING LIFE.......

Another Chamber of Commerce type day

2010-07-17T20:30:00.004-05:00

Yes fellow country men, today was another Chamber of Commerce day. Perfect cloudless and hot with a breeze to keep you cool.

So after a long night of uninterrupted sleep (we put the dogs in the garage and closed the doors = so they didn't bark all night).......

I awoke at the leisure hour of 8:00 am and after a breakfast to die for = the barngoddess1 made bacon, eggs and toast with strawberry jelly, and a couple cups of that good ole coffee, it was time to hit it.

Now I have a ton of things on the honey do list..
and last night the team (Me, daughter, granddaughter, and wife) put up some thirty bags of corn... yep, as soon as I got home from the money making work, the four of us went to the garden and pulled corn cobs off the stalks. Don't know how many cobs we ended up with, but there were several 5 gallon buckets, and the big blue pail that normally holds water for the critters.
JC and I stood in the new breezeway, and pulled the husks off the cobs, getting all the danged blasted jap beetles off, then sent them inside to wife and daughter to start the process. Then after sitting in pots of hot boiling water, then into the ice bath, I cut the corn fm the cobs. We finally put the bags of corn into the freezer about 9:00 pm and got to sit and relax.

So this morning, it was working in the garden again, this time restaking the tomato plants = we have the wire cages, but the wind blew half of them over last night, so T posts to the rescue. we also pulled all the onions and hung them from the fence to dry out....
here are some neat pictures of that event:

of course a closer view:

after that, JC and I headed off to support the #48 Nascar team buying more items.
Now I have to admit that I like Lowe's better than Home Depot. Lowe's give Military active duty and retirees at 10% discount... yup, 10% off, all you have to do is ask when checking out, show your id card, and they take it off. I don't know if Home Depot does that, but the couple times I've asked, Depot said no...

Anyway, two windows and a new door and we were headed home. JC and I have this thing about shopping at the Republic Lowe's vice the Monett Lowe's. When we go to Republic, we can always stop at DQ on the way home for an old fashioned ice cream cone. Sure worth the trip.

Anyway, got the door hung, got one of the windows hung, got the roof caulked and ready for the roofing paper and tin. So tomorrow comes early again, and after the morning prayers, will be on the roof putting the finishing touches on.

Jeep and Long Roof, you are missing a grand ole time here. Did hear from #10, and she was helping The Bus paint and clean at one of his houses. She is glad to be back in MO instead of blue hair land, but wait till Jan and Feb to hear her say that.

So everyone out there enjoy your weekend. We are....
and at my age, I am very thankful that I still have the energy to accomplish the jobs I want to tackle.

and everyday I get up, while drinking that first cup of coffee, I

CELEBRATE LIFE..............

Fun, More Fun, and the Most Fun

2010-07-11T11:21:00.011-05:00

So I haven't been blogging lately because of all the fun we have been having out here on the farm.

Life seems simple enough that complications develop that just make us realize that not everything is delivered on a silver platter.

Take a tree for instance.....

Now trees are used for several different functions depending on where you live.....

Joyce Kilmer used trees for a poem that I remember memorizing as a youth..
I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree,
etc etc.......
poems are made by fools like me, but only God can make a tree.

The Bus has trees so he has something to do after the storms blow through - namely picking up all the limbs and hauling them to the dump. In fact, the Bus has to do this so often, that he has borrowed my trailer to travel to some far off place and pick up a dump bed for his old Chevy 2 ton. He will post more on that later.

The Long roof fan uses trees to keep his longroof from blowing away during a hurricane. Evidenced by this pic.

Now we have had plenty of trees here on the farm, and a lot of those trees were unceremoniously removed when the tornado came through. But it seems some of the trees just don't cooperate, and we have to remove them the old fashioned way.

This hawthorne for example:

So after cutting off all the branches, and evaluating the stump left, I decided the best way to remove the stump of this wild tree was to place a phone call to my friendly dump truck driver Fred. So Fred sends over Steve with the backhoe and 3 hours after I called him, the stump is gone, in fact, two stumps are gone and the Little Princess and I seeded, fertilized and watered and we are waiting for rye to grow.
A pic to show the results:

So with the trees gone, fence repaired and the horses back in where they belong; the Little Princess and I started on our next project.

Just a little building that won't take toooooo long. Now if the LongRooffan and the Jeep were here, this project would be finished by now. But the Long roof is out watching races with the Jeep down at the birthplace of speed, the Bus is painting, and JC and I are building.

Now the last time the LongRoof and the Jeep were here, we built this Coop

well to be exact, the Little Princess, the Jeep and I built the Coop while the Long Roof ... well you look and decide:

So this year the Long Roof isn't coming up, so we know we can get this project done sooner than later.

Of course we had Derek's help yesterday, and he was a great asset to our project.

To let you know the scoop: We have a detached 30 by 40 garage about 16 feet from the house. Years ago we poured a concrete patio between the two and have used it for our hot tub. So the Barngoddess1 has been casually mentioning that it would be nice if that area was covered, so we could use the hot tub in the cold of winter, or during a rain.......... Yep you guessed it....
The Little Princess, along with the Barngoddess and Shark's angel and her friend Derek have been busy:

Here is the view of the new wall from the highway:

and a couple shots of the construction from around the back:

and a look at the wall

Now the Little Princess and I are working diligently on this project so it is finished by the time the Jeep gets here on his annual trek to MO.... why????
so we can play golf and have fun.....

Jeep and Long Roof, you are both missing out on a lot of fun.....

But we are really Celebrating life while we improve our lot.

So off we go to work some more on our little project.
More later.

4 sale, truck and live-in trailer

2010-06-22T20:32:00.004-05:00

Sometimes I wonder if I am a used car dealer.
Unfortunately the wife and I have to sell our truck and travel trailer.

Package Price is $22,000.00. Will sell separately at $11,000.00 each, but Trailer must sell before truck is sold.

A package deal ready for full-time living, traveling around this great country, or just weekends at the lake.

2001 FORD F-350 Crew Cab (seats 6), 7.3 L diesel, automatic tranny, two wheel drive. XLT, Black with gray cloth seats that don’t get hot in the summer, or cold in the winter. Power Door Locks, Power Steering, power windows, sliding rear window. Brand new tires. Had 201,000 miles, and runs perfect. Had 5th wheel Hitch AND hide-a-way gooseneck hitch, with 5th wheel tailgate. Hasn’t been abused and looks excellent.

1997 Wilderness 5th wheel Travel Trailer, 33.5 feet long with a big slide out. Had glass front cabinet across the rear, with rear living room, mid kitchen and dining table with 4 chairs, couch makes into bed. Bedroom has large sliding mirror closet doors across the front. Full size shower with closet in bathroom. Water heater runs on electric or propane. Ice box is electric, propane. Two propane bottles full. Unique is this trailer has two entry doors, one on right side towards the back into living room, the other on the Left side, just forward of the slide that allows access to the hallway, bathroom and bedroom (even when the slide is in). Has outside shower at the rear of the trailer (with hot and cold water). The ceiling is elevated throughout the living room and kitchen, giving the trailer that “extra large” living area feeling. Extra large basement storage in front with access from front or either side. Has electric front jacks for ease of set up.

Will post pics of inside tomorrow.

Well taken care of - has brand new tires with less than 500 miles.

Just have decided that hauling two vehicles to shows is just more expensive than motel rooms.

Know anyone interested??? have them email me, or post a comment here.

tomleemo@sbcglobal.net

thanks for looking.

What a Father's Day

2010-06-20T21:40:00.002-05:00

Wow what a Father's Day

Had intended to play 18 holes of golf, but Chamber of Commerce day had temp at noon hovering near 92 and only going up, heat advisory too....

So, change of plans... Barngoddess, Shark's Angel and Little Princess and I went to driving range and hit a couple buckets of balls, practiced chipping and putting. Do you realize how long it takes to hit 80 golf balls at a driving range? Two hours later, temp at 95, we headed home.

Got to watch the start of the US Open final round. Look out at the highway and into the drive pulls a tractor and a baler. Seems Jerry Winkle decided to bale today.

So after watching him going around in circles, and finally getting done, the Little Princess and I collected all those round bales and put them in the Hay Barn. Duh - longroof - where did you think I would put them?

Go figure, we got the hay in the barn, the front field looks pretty good, although the wind yesterday did blow the hay around and there some left on the field, no big deal.

So had pizza and beer for dinner and hot tub tonight. Can't get any better than this........

Celebrate Life

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

2010-06-20T11:13:00.001-05:00

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all you Dads.

I'm off for the golf course today, so plan to relax and enjoy.

Chamber of Commerce type of day today, going to be perfect.....

of course said that about yesterday and after getting the mowed hay raked and ready for baleing, here came the rain.....

We only got a gentle soaking, so the mowed hay won't be ruined, but guess the Bus got nailed pretty hard .... downed limbs, no power....

boy am I glad it went east of us.

Off to the golf course, enjoy your day.

tom

It never ends

2010-06-11T13:52:00.003-05:00

So it has been a long time coming, yes my last post seems like only yesterday, but has been a long while ago.

Lots going on...

After Steph's party, we got down to working horses and tending to the fields and fences.

So the other day, the sheep was ever so lonely without his buddy (the one we ate at the party), so we put him out back with the other two cows and the three of them seemed to be accommodating to each other.

The other evening, after getting home rather late (6 pm or so).....

now fellas got to play golf when the weather is nice, so stopping off after work is great with me.....

I find that Steph, Derek and Casey are butchering the chickens that we have been feeding out....

The Barngoddess comes up to me casually saying that she hasn't seen "Chops" (the sheep) since lunch time.

Are the cows visible?

Yeah, they are eating at the trough!

So put the mud boots on and we head for a round-a-bout, to find Chops.

Poor chops had gotten under the tongue of the burn pile trailer, apparently knocked the board holding the tongue up, and the tongue came crashing down on chops breaking his back.

Chops was still breathing, but the back was broken,

So go get Derek and the 45, and change operations from chickens to a sheep.

Get the tractor, put the loader back on the tractor, hunt for and finally find the chains exactly where we left them (where they belong, but last place to look) .....

long story short, we butched a sheep the other night, kids got done about 10 pm, and after dumping the remains on the other burn pile (the one way out back), we were able to get some sleep. Still kind of miss that Baaaing at times.

Anyway, I have been sick with that summer cold stuff that you get a head full of mucous adn cough and fever, and just want to stay in bed with thirteen hundred covers on you and sweat it out. Seems everytime I am about over it, I get chilled and end up back in bed. Barngoddess is coming down with it now too, so this weekend all plans are off and we are staying inside, plenty of water and fluids and medicines and sleeping.

Horse show is this weekend, but with the two of us under the weather, we called it off.

So being busy, one night the Jeep calls wanting to talk to the Barngoddess about what is the treatment of bee stings...

Hell, Jeep, that is simple, don't get stung in the first place....

trimming bushes in that sunny Florida birthplace of speed, he tangled with a bees nest and lost ... depends on who you talk to.... but definitely lost to the tune of 10 or 11 stings....

Jeep, look before you cut!!!

oh well, I am back to bed before I get too looney...

Celebrate Life

A salute to all our Veterans.

2010-05-30T22:32:00.003-05:00

I take time this evening to remember those who have served their country.
Some gave all and haven't returned to family and friends.
Some gave all and came home broken, mental and/or physically.
Some tried to serve but limitations prevented them.

To all who have helped or tried to help this country become a free nation, I applaud you.

Take time tonight to remember Bill and Bob Lee who served in WWII, and Frank Lee who served in Korea. To Bob Jr who served in Vietnam, Jim who served in Germany because Bob was in Nam.

To all the families, your loved one is remembered.

May the fighting end soon and bring the troops home safely.

Happy Memorial Day.

Tom Lee
A disabled American Veteran
who also proudly served.

Steph's Graduation Party

2010-05-23T14:36:00.007-05:00

Yes fellow bloggers, I can finally say that our youngest daughter has graduated from that institution of higher learning.
Steph received dual degrees at the graduation ceremony, 5/22/10 from Missouri Southern State University, Joplin, MO.
Her Mother and I, along with her daughter and sister, are very proud that she persevered and graduated.
Degrees in Computer forensics an d other stuff like the CSI guys on TV have.

So to figure out a way to say thanks for getting thru college, the Barngoddess and I decided a party was in order......

My previous post shows how we prepared the meat for the smoker......
Here are a few pictures from the party.....

But before I go too far into partying.... I must take this time to thank my two younger sisters Mary and Carol, who sent Steph a watch for graduation..... what a gift, sounds simple, but Steph only wears it on special occasions... thanks again Mary and Carol.... may your life in Florida be long and rewarding and may you become the blue hair scrourge of the yhounger crowds.... thanks again....

so here are a few pictures from the party....

Casey, Steph and Derreck. Casey and Derreck are the two who helped shoot the cow, butcher it and then spend all night cooking it in the smoker... way to go guys.

This picture shows David and Sarah, Sarah graduated with Steph and is from St Louis, so she came buy to celebrate also. Sarah is heading for duty with the Coast Guard, and I am proud she is taking that step... way to go...

WE've been busy

2010-05-22T09:59:00.005-05:00

OK, so it's been a few weeks since our last bloggings.........

well to quote the Bus, we've been busy

More to come later, but for now it is off to graduation, college style....

So this......

has become this..........

which becomes this ............

City folks, this is where your meat comes from, not Walmart,Krogers,PriceChoppers or Alps, but from the cows you see as you travel this great country....

Eat and enjoy, more to come later.......

JEEP = forgot these pics

2010-05-02T20:34:00.006-05:00

So the Jeep puts a note about my buddy Sam McGee on my last blog ramblings.

But alas, it is 70 here already today

Jeep - for you and the Long Roof, does my popper in my left hand look familiar....

My Noble Assistant has her 22 rifle and I only have a 16 guage made from Central Arms Company, St. Louis Mo that is older than the Long Roof.....

Enjoy the demise of these three critters who were trying to steal from the Barngoddess1 garden.

And of course here is My Noble Assistant and yours truly the Horsefarmer bringing home dinner..

That the Barngoddess1 refused to cook......

So yes, we borrowed a hole in the coals and stuffed them in.....

May 2, 2010 = What a day!!

2010-05-02T14:35:00.015-05:00

Well I guess you are wondering what makes May 2, 2010 qualify to fit the description of "What a day". So I guess I will have to tell you so that LongRoofFan doesn't get all nervous and upset.

Today on the farm there was a house burning, well actually one house burned pretty much to the ground, while the other just smoldered a little bit.

Yep, yesterday was an on again off again day, that had rain and wind one hour, sunshine the next, and then back to gale force winds and more rain. In between I managed to clean out the stable ( been a long time since I've done that, and I will now do it more often, why? because when that s**t from the horses is packed in, it takes a rotor tiller to break it up to get removed)..

but I am straying from the reason for this blog.

After sitting up half the night waiting for rabbits to appear around the garden, I finally went to bed. Got up at 7:30 am today and looking at the garden over my first cup of java - those damned rabbits had attacked my corn again.

THAT'S IT...... no more mister nice guy..... get them rabbits. And so that is what caused the house burning .....

now don't think it was a small fire like this guy is playing with

NOPE, it was a good old fire, yep here are a couple pictures of the burn in progress.... That home to those fat rabbits was going to be nothing but ashes when I got done...

from the looks of this pile, oyou can tell that my Mother taught me how to make fires that really are interesting to watch...

actually this is the brush pile that was generated from the tornado clean up. It is also the backdrop the Jeep and the Kid use when visiting the farm, works greatas a backstop to their little rifles that need target practice. Will build something from all the dirt left as a result of the stumps ...

So sitting on my big deere, yes with coffee in hand, I watched that house burn to the ground..... well almost

Then it was off to the second house where some more of those furry critters hang out

but alas, five gallons of gasoline, mixed with 5 gallons of diesel, throw in some paper and some rather bad swabby words, well, I guess my ability to burn down things was lost on the fire above, because all I got this pile to do was smolder....

So that's what caused the house burning here on the farm, and along with a great garden coming in, we

CELEBRATE LIFE

I've been busy

2010-04-28T21:19:00.003-05:00

Yes to quote "The Bus"

I've been busy.............

this poor old horsefarmer has farming to do this week.........

Had to take the east field and plow it under.....

Yes, more time on the tractor than at work, or in fact sleeping, over this week.

Our east field is full of "bad" fescue. Now for you city dwellers, you would love the fescue grass in our east field. it is a perfect lawn. Lush green, perfect...
yep

unless you have horses... then it is poison.

So this week (between rain storms), the Barngoddess1 and I developed a plan to plow the east field, then disc it smooth, then roll it flat, then seed it with good seed, then roll it flat again, then hope for rain.

Yep, so Monday after work (yes I do have a desk job from 8 to 5), I gets on the good old John Deere and commence to plowing that field. Well we don't have a plow, so I just hooked up my 3 point tiller and off I goes..... and it is dark and I am still "goes". Finally the temp and humidity get to me..... too cold adn damp....
Then Tuesday, after a fun day at work it is back to the field... finish tilling, then hook the disc up and spend another two hours smoothing the field.
Finally just as the sun was setting behind Joplin MO, I hooked up the field roller and spent another hour on it.

Finally quit because . even with a full moon, I couldn't see squat. Parked the tractor in one of the lean toos and walked to the house. Told the Barngoddess1 I had to quit cause I couldn't see (even with a full moon and lights on the tractor).. well you can imagine what color I changed to when she ask "why do you have your sun glasses on??.

So anyway, the Barngoddess1 went to the feed store today, got hte seed, and tonight we finished the east field.

Got lots of bermuda seed, lots of rye and of course a fair share of orchard grass.

All put on the ground, and then added the correct amount of fertilizer, and then back on the Deere to roll the field again. This time I left the sunglasses in the truck and continued post sunset until the field was rolled twice.

NOW .. please join with me and hope that Mother Nature is kind enough to drop some of that rain the "Weather guys and gals" have been saying is coming tomorrow.

I guess if the rain isn't here by 4:30 tomorrow afternoon, I will just ahve to stop off at the golf course.... that will usually get a few drops to fall.

So:
Bus, Jeep and Long Roof, I have been busy.

Where is the proof..... my Noble Assistant was no where to be found... and the camera is probably in the den ......

My nobel assistant has been doing what young girls do best.. babysitting.
Yep she has gone and got a "paying" job, so I only see her once or twice a week.

Guess I wasn't paying enough to keep a good hand.

So if weather cooperates, we should ahve a good field of "horse friendly" grasses in the next month or so.

So enough is enough.... it's 9:32 pm and I'm ready for the hot tub or bed...

either way, I always

CELEBRATE LIFE while loving it up here on the farm.

What a ride

2010-04-19T21:44:00.002-05:00

Well for this ole man it has been quite a ride, and one that I am forever grateful for having been along.

Now what am I talking about??

36 years ago today I went into an arrangement with that woman of my dreams.

Yep, the Barngoddess1 and I have been married for 36 years today.

On our thirtieth I gave her 30 red roses. But not this year...... nope no roses for her.

Instead I found a London Plane tree, about 6 feet tall, and we planted it square dab in the middle of our backyard. Yep something to mow around.......
yep every week of mowing I will have to drive around that tree.....

but the memory of what that tree represents will allow me to drive around that tree and

CELEBRATE LIFE

knowing I have spent 36 years with her by my side.

Happy Anniversary Viola.

Love tom

Rain in Fort Worth = work for me

2010-04-18T15:15:00.006-05:00

Yep, it is a beautiful Sunday afternoon, cloudy with a mild breeze and warm.
Yep great day to be inside watching the Texas Race = wrong

Raining in Fort Worth, so the Little Princess and I get to go outside and work... well work for me, I think she was playing too much.

Here's what we were doing:

OK, some of you don't know what happens on a farm, so here is another pic:

of course the Little Princess jumped on that Little Deere and proceeededpt spread that fertilizer all over the fields.

and that my friends is what we do when NASCAR gets rained out, we just head out side and fling sh*t around the fields.

So that is about it, I'm back inside cause I am sore and tired and ready for a nap.

Later all, but most important

CELEBRATE LIFE

AH, MY FAVORITE TIME OF THE YEAR

2010-04-11T15:08:00.002-05:00

YES YOU BLOGGERS, THIS IS THE TIME OF YEAR THAT I JUST LOVE THE MOST.....

Uncle Sam gets his $913.00 more in taxes

Gov Jay gets his $961.00 more in taxes

Yes that is inaddition to the mighty sums that I have already paid to both of them for 2009 already.

Just love it when the great "Haven Lee Farm" makes money, that is until tax time.

So John-John, don't feel like the Lone Ranger, you have Tonto on your side paying those taxes.

Now if I could get Congressman Roy (THE JOKER) Blunt to get this grand old government of ours to pay my full retirement, and the sum for my disability (Service Connected), I would probably have to pay more taxes.
Hey Roy, if I send you a bunch of money will you do something for me... afterall the only people benefitting from your tour of office are you campaign financers...

Oh well, to be middle class, and help pay my fair share...

OH YEAH, thanks to George W. Bush for changing capital gains tax laws that rob from us middle class to pay the rich...

I only get pissy once a year, and it is usually around this time.

Jeep and LongRoof, temp 75 with mild breeze to keep cool, perfect CofC day......

tom

5 In The Morning

2010-04-05T19:56:00.005-05:00

There are times on the farm that are really hard, and you sometimes have to make decisions that you don't want to make. And not wanting to make those decisions, makes it even harder to do.

To point is a steer we have, he somehow dislocated and broke his right hip. Rather than put it down, we realized that the steer could still maneuver its way around, and was still gaining weight, so we kept him and he will soon be hamburger and steak in the freezer.
These past two years we also ventured into raising bottle calves, weaning them, castrating and dehorning them, and then selling. Somehow decisions about steers and cows is something that is simple to make.

Raising miniature horses, and this is our 12th year of it, we have had some great colts, excellent fillies, and we've had some pets that would never amount to much in the show ring, but are excellent around children and the elderly.
We have been blessed with healthy horses that made them easy to sell when they got to be of age.

But one of the hardest decisions to make is when you consider the quality of life an animal is going to be facing from here on. A couple years ago, we were faced with an extremely hard decision concerning our Morgan Mare "Babe" ....

at age 24 she was so laid up with arthritis, she could hardly move, and at times we fed her where she was laying because she couldn't get up. But dealing with Babe, who had her prime and was allowed to live as a horse should in later years made the decision an easier one.

And as always, having a Vet that isn't afraid to ask questions and venture an opinion, whether we like that opinion or not. she is honest and trustworthy.

But dealing with "5 in the Morning", a week old filly, that is so cute and adorable, who looks at you with eyes that say "make the pain go away", decisions are the toughest a man can make.

For the past week, we have been nursing "5" trying to get her lower rear legs to straighten out. Then coupled with the "bedsore" ulcers that developed, along with some infection.... well life is tough.

We worked with her, trying to get those little legs straight and where she could walk again. Day and night for 8 days.... bringing her into the kitchen and washing her legs and wounds at the kitchen sink... using the dining room table as a splinting station... sitting with her in the sun....

Yet everytime I looked into her eyes, I could see the pain..

Tonight we learned that her joints in the rear legs were deformed and that she would never walk unaided. Looking in her eyes you could tell the pain was becoming unbearable as every day passed.

At what point do you stop trying to improve the condition of the animal, knowing all along that her quality of life would be terrible? Do we take her to OSU and see if they can cut away bone in the joint so at least the joint would straighten? Do we put "5" through the pain and agony of several operations trying to do something that we "deep down in our hearts" know will never improve, and she will be with pain the rest of her life?

At 5:30 pm this afternoon, with Jaycee, Viola and I in attendance, our vet euthanized "5 in the Morning".

She was born around 5 AM in the morning on Sunday, March 28, 2010.

8 days and 12 hours later she slipped into unconsciousness and died pain free.

She will always be remembered at our farm because of her strong will, painfully standing to nurse, rubbing her head and neck against your leg.

I leave this post with a simple picture of an animal completely painfree and in peace, going whereever it is that you go when you leave this world.

We were blessed with her for 8 days, and will stand up and carry on, no matter how hard it seems.

The agony of the decision is met only with the agony of writing this post. A way for me to put closure to a little filly's life.

So go about your daily events.... but remember....

Celebrate Life while you have it.

tom

Easter and 5 in the Morning

2010-04-04T18:52:00.006-05:00

Saturday and Easter Sunday have made for a perfect weekend. Weather here is Chamber weather, in fact got so hot yesterday, I took off my sweatshirt.....
So how is life, on this farm it can be summed up in a couple words "An Adventure".

So Easter dawned and we went to Shell Knob to spend some time with the Garrisons. Went to Church and then to their house for a perfect luncheon. Barngoddess even made deviled eggs....
Worked on Charlies truck getting it running again. and we headed home about 2:30 pm to give it a go again with "5 in the morning".

Poor little critter is suffering but maintianing her appetite. Her pastern joint (ankle joint in humans) has been rubbed raw from the splints and walking on her knees that first few hours after birth.
For the squemish, don't look now

But she is doing better. Running a fever, but treating with PenGProcaine.
Back to the vet tomorrow to check again.
So how was your Saturday spent? it is quite obvious that the daughter and granddaughter spent the afternoon laying around with 5 in the Morning, soaking up the sun....

pictures don't lie, but then pics only catch a few seconds and they really only spent about an hour laying in the sun...

Of course with any sick animal we always give our best in the treatment sector, even having 5 in the Morning on the Barngoddess1's dining room table for treatment.

So after washing the little critters legs and wounds at the kitchen sink (that's why we have such a large counter next to the sink) and then clipping all the hair from her legs (handled it well), we bandaged and splinted and turned her back into the stall with Oreo. First thing to do is shuttle over to Oreo for a nursing.

So that's kind of how our weekend went. Did take off Saturday and Barngoddess and I bought rubber stall mats for Oreo's stall. And after leveling and packing a base, we placed the pads in the stall. Makes it 100% easier for 5 in the Morning to get around, nice solid even surface, with a little shavings and hay on the floor.

And of course the Barngoddess1 and the Little Princess are our Noble Assistants and keep us supplied in whatever we need or want. Barngoddess1 is making a harness type apparatus that will hold the little critters legs in the correct position once we get the wounds on the mend.

But knowing what to do.... and knowing how to do it... and knowing who to call for assistance....

Well that just lets us

Celebrate Life with God's little creatures.

Although I did shoot the Opossum that was in the stable the other night....

so you too

Celebrate Life

5 IN THE MORNING

2010-03-28T10:10:00.004-05:00

Haven Lee Farm is proud to announce the birth of a solid black filly, born at 5 am on 27 March 2010. The daughter of Oreo and a stud from the neighbors farm, the little black thing is about 18 inches tall and weighs in at 30 pounds.
Here are a couple pics for your viewing pleasure.

Her hind legs are bent back due to positioning in the womb, but we will be working on correcting that today.

So enjoy with us and

Celebrate Life

Where are they????

2010-03-25T13:08:00.001-05:00

Quick, someone find me the plans

the plans for the ARK no less,

if the rain keeps up, after all the rain-snow-rain..

I'll need to build an ark.

So enjoy down there in sunny blue hair land.

My last one for the night

2010-03-21T21:55:00.002-05:00

Congressional Reform Act of 2010

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to work.

1. Term Limits: 12 years only, one of the possible options below.

A. Two Six-year Senate terms
B. Six Two-year House terms
C. One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House terms

2. No Tenure / No Pension:
A congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.

3. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security:
All funds in the Congressional retirement fund moves to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, Congress participates with the American people.

4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan just as all Americans..

5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

7. Congress must equally abide in all laws they impose on the American people..

8. All contracts with past and present congressmen are void effective 1/1/11.The American people did not make this contract with congressmen, congressmen made all these contracts for themselves.

While I think something like this has a snowball's chance as long as we have the foxes guarding the hen house, it sure would be nice to yank these idiot's chain with!

Jeep here is yours

2010-03-21T17:11:00.005-05:00

Jeep, I almost forgot you, so for you and the Sungoddess, here are a couple pics of the fences taken at 5 pm Sunday.

Keep warm

This is actually the hog panels that are inplace to hold the Barngoddess's pea plants once they grow, she planted last week, so hope we don't loose any.

This is fence on west side of paddocks.

And remember in warm sunny blue hair land, you have to just

CELEBRATE LIFE

Just for LongRoof and the Kid

2010-03-21T11:53:00.005-05:00

Okay you all down there is sunny land, as Bristol gets ready to run, I thought I would send you some pics of the back yard taken at 1130 3/22/10.

Enjoy viewing them, cause you can't have any of this perfect weather down there, the Bus and I are keeping it up here so we can play in it.

Bus -- why didn't you put the snow plow on?????
and what is that sitting on jacks in your backyard?????

And the race is on -- well this horse isn't racing today, he's still frozen..

and a pic of the farm sign.....

weather actually isn't too bad, temp hovering around 35..... problem!!

we had lots of rain yesterday morning and afternoon, followed by 7-8 inches of snow, coupled with a wind that is perfect for wind sailing, and now the snow is melting, but a crush has formed on the snow, so running water underneath, and crunchy snow on top. perfect snow for snow forts, snowman and snow ball fight....

yeah, I'd rather be in the birthplace of speed warming it up; no way .. especially since you can't drive to your mailbox when the weather is perfect..... yeah,

and you wonder why I'm not out in this perfect weather playing with the little mule?
well the little mule is nice and warm and wants to stay that way.....

and being how there is no mail to pick up today, it will probably stay in that warm condition until tomorrow...

But it's weather like this, and the opportunity to share with my brothers and sisters, that makes me glad that I can

CELEBRATE LIFE

9:00 pm and its still coming

2010-03-20T21:15:00.006-05:00

Hey Bus,
better get your snow plow out here, our road (the highway, not the driveway) is terrible. Looks worse than some of the Queen City streets.

We have drifts in our driveway over a foot deep.

Hey Longroof and Jeep, took the 4x4 out of the warm garage and drove to the mail box and got the mail.... sound like someone you know? And I laughed when I heard that story!

Here's a couple more pics just taken:

View taken out same sliding door as two in previous post, check out the galvanized bucket in lower left of each photo to check depth of snow as night wears on.

here is view out back door looking at garage entry door. Note depth of snow on roof:

and one more looking north toward the area where the dually is parked (from other pics you get idea) and see the depth of snow on yard ornaments.

and here in the ozarks, we call it SPRING

Enjoy the warmth and

Celebrate Life

Hey BUS, watch out

2010-03-20T17:04:00.007-05:00

Hey Bus, here it comes, blowing in from the north, hey hey tis more snow, yeah more snow.

Aint' it fun////////////

NOW TO ADD ANOTHER PHOTO, TAKEN 1 HOUR AFTER THE FIRST TWO

DANG WE GOTS AN INCH ALREADY AND IT'S STILL COMING DOWN HEAVY....

So you Deep Southerners

Celebrate Life

Another Hero Gone

2010-03-20T13:28:00.003-05:00

Growing up watching this show was fun.....

don't remember if I ever got a coonskin hat, but probably stole the Bus's if I didn't get one.

enjoy a song from my youth

Fess Parker

1924 - 2010

Tis Saturday, March Madness Weekend

2010-03-20T09:01:00.002-05:00

Yep, it is 3/20/10, TV's Today Show says it is the first day of Spring... I think they are off by two days, Thursday and Friday last, were perfect Spring days, high 60-70, clear skies, nice warm breeze. Perfect Chamber day in the birthplace of Speed.

Ah but today, yes it is March madness.... temp at 9 am is 32 on the back porch... went out to feed this morning and when I got back in, my toes were froze, and my glasses were iced over. Hard north wind blowing, with a misty rain makes everything want to freeze.

So what's to do on a day like this????????????

Well if you viewed my little bigger brother's blog the other day, you would have an inkling as to what I am going to do........ to quote his blog (because I have "brain-freeze" this morning and can't remember how to link it---http://oleragtop.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Now, This olelongrooffan's Version Of WTF?

I don't remember getting all political on By The Numbers previously but, I mean, this is just total out and out rape of all of us taxpaying, yes, unemployed for nearly two years and this olelongrooffan owes $154 to the IRS, citizens.

Yep, while it is either raining 3 inches, or snowing 6 inches - depends on a degree or two in temp,

this Old Horsefarmer is going to be doing his Fed and State Taxes.

and I suppose, like the LongRoof, I will probably end up paying my fair share.

But you must remember, that when you pay your taxes, you are paying this old double dipper his salaries.....
Yep: 21 years and retired from the US Navy Submarine Service (nice monthly check) AND
Yep: Work for the Veteran's Administration Medical Department (nice monthly check)

and YEP: pay my fair share of taxes.

Long roof, don't despair, look at the bright side... if you don't pay your taxes, you can run for political office ( AND WIN because you would then be a CROOK like the rest of them ) and then you can get a big fancy car at all us taxpayers expense.

So time to quit this rambling and get to work...
do Mom's first, as it is easier
then the farm's

Of course I should be like the Gentleman Farmer, and go buy a bottle of Scotch to keep me company while I do these TAX things...... nah, it's raining outside and I would get wet going from truck to store.....

Later all and remember, even in this dreadful weather,

CELEBRATE LIFE to it's fullest.

Just another day in paradise

2010-03-14T14:35:00.009-05:00

So it turns out rather nice over this weekend.....

Yeah, really nice for those St Pat's day paraders and whatever else, including ducks and penguins
Temp Saturday 42 with rain and wind,
temp Sunday 40 with more rain and wind.....

So the Little Princess and I decided it was a perfect time to take the 5th wheel hitch out of my big little mule (F250) and put it in my big big mule (F350).

Somehow both of those Ford trucks fit in our Ford Workshop (aka our garage), and with the Little Bronco out side getting wet, we proceeded to "dismantle" and "install".

First things first, jack up the rear ends of both trucks and once on jack stands, take the tires off.... thus exposing the task ahead..

I rapidly put the Little Princess to work taking off the bolts holding the rails ...
she really got into her work as evidenced here

Of course it was a little cool in the Ford Garage, (even with the dual heaters, that the Bus so graciously donated last fall, going full blast),
So notice the Little Princess has my Red Green hat on, along with my new carhart bibbers. Guess she inherited them sooner than I anticipated. But never fear, I was wearing my "Daytonna Prototype" ball cap and kept warm thinking of that 70 degree weather the Longroof and Jeep and the kid were enjoying.

Now I heard the Longroof was again running parts for the Jeep, seems he was elbow deep in the engine compartment of the Sungoddess's expedition.... Jeep that is not the way to keep from going to the Little Sisters ball games.....

Anyway, the Little Princess and I work feverishly Saturday on installing that hitch. Had to run to the local hardware store after breaking another drill bit.... forgot how hard frames of F350s are. So around 5 pm Saturday, the Little Princess tells me it is time to quit for the day, was it something about a wrench slipping and the kind words I said while rubbing my knuckles??

Off to Caseys for a free pizza and this old body was shot for the rest of the night.
Of course before we called it quits, the Little Princess reigned supreme at Tennis, Baseball (1st inning Mercy Rule), Golf (5 under par), but she let me win at bowling.

This morning ... weather was more of the same, and after my sunday morning ritual of catching up on local news (read the Bus's blog to hear what some dumb *ss politician from St. Louis is saying), the Little Princess and I continued our task at hand.

One thing, we got the front rail totally installed before we quit yesterday,

looking good....

So with more drilling,

and more drilling, and more bolts being removed, we finally got the passenger side of the rear rail done. Put the tires back on and moved to the driver's side.....

Soon it was apparent that this project was not going to be finished today..... My ole body was in pain, yes real pain, (working on a concrete floor with temps hovering around 40 - cold goes right into my joints)

So when we came to an impassee - that danged nut wouldn't come off

after breaking my "breaker bar", banging my hand again, and that high dollar "nut loosener" not working, we quit............

Time for bowling, tennis, golf and a 3 inning game of baseball and we'll hit the bed early tonight....

Thanks to the Little Princess for again being my Noble Assistant helping get r done

Jeep - that's what we were doing when you called, and as both trucks had no rear tires, and the trailer was all wet anyway, well, we just decided we weren't coming over to help...........

Celebrate Life

Saturday turned out GREAT

2010-03-07T07:03:00.004-06:00

After a bone chilling start to Saturday, the weather actually cooperated and it turned out to be in the mid 60s, with a warm breeze.

So after my Noble Assistant and I seperated our wood pile ( not the kind you burn, but the kind you build with ), well actually, most of that pile of demension lumber ended up on the burn pile [ unfortunately most of the 2 bys were rotted ), we were however able to save the 6 x 6 posts (some as long as 18 feet) and put them in the hay barn for safe keeping and future use.

So about 3 pm, sun shining and making it a perfect day for cruising the beach, we put the tiller on the tractor and proceeded to get ready for planting....

Yep time to till that garden spot so we can put in peas, green beans, corn, more corn, tomatoes, watermelon, cucumbers (greeaaat pickles), and some cantelope. And whatever else the Barngoddess wants.

Another view (for Long Roof and Jeep = lot easier to till the garden this way than the way you used to do it on the old farm stead at Halltown)

So it is 7 am, 8 am for you easterners, and I am having my coffee in the den this morning. Temp on the back porch shows 52 F, it is cloudy and doesn't really look like rain, but there is a breeze blowing and I don't intend to find out if it is a warm or cold breeze until I finish my java.

So everyone of you all have a good day and remember you will never have another day like today............ yep, you get older every day, so remember to

CELEBRATE LIFE

It's a beaut of a day

2010-03-06T09:25:00.002-06:00

WELL it's has to be a Chamber day here in the Ozarks.

Bright blue sky, just a whifting of clouds way up there,

Temp is hovering around 50 on the back porch, had coffee sitting and watching the antics of the herd, just relaxing.

Now I am on the back porch (those of you that don't know = our back porch faces north} in sweat pants and tee shirt = warm sun just making me feel great....

So I get up and head for the stable to feed our little critters.....

AUGH AGHHHHHHHHHHHH HELP HELP HELP...............

As soon as I got around the side of the house the WIND hit me

Now in one of my favorite movies "they call the wind Maria" ....

NOT HERE TODAY... he**, call the wind BITTER BITTER DOWN RIGHT COLD

you all ain't never seen this old man run back into the house so fast.....

I am now sitting here in the den, carhart bibbers, sweat shirt, and my famous "Daytonna Prototype" hat on trying to warm up......

So much for dreaming that I was in the warm sunny land of Key West.....

So when I warm up, I guess I'll

STAY IN THE HOUSE UNTIL THE WIND DIES DOWN

and just

CELEBRATE LIFE

indoors style