Barn sale

Boy, July is gone! Mark will be 29 on Sunday? Wow, where did it go?

Bin two and three floors are out and Tyler swept out a lifetime of moldy grain off the floors now removed. Don't worry, I make them wear masks. Safety first.

One neighbor remarked, why did you tear that out? Well, the steel is rusty and I need new augers so I thought I would do it all at once. The floors were built too low and not enough air can get underneath to store the grain. My 18 quarter hours of Agricultural Engineering comes to work.

LuAnn is having a big barn sale today. So many people in two hours. Now over 100 cars today at 3. First day of her four day sale.

The free wagon is funny, some people will run to it first. Please, just take it!

I asked my wife how did Sable behave and she said she did great but there were two vehicles she didn't like. She barked hard and kept sniffing the vehicle.

I think people just like it here. That is good, we do too and that is why we are here.

One fellow is a drafting teacher and farms just up the road a bit. He started asking me about my crop and the next thing you know he wanted to learn how to tissue test. I hope I can help him.

I had a good judging at Owensville but man they had a flood last night. I had to park on the race track. I really wanted to watch the farmer pull tonight but I am sure it was a mess. Besides, I wanted to spend some time with my family.

I think people saw Monday's show and thought I have something better than that. Today they brought it. Beautiful crops and arrangements, the source of the county fair. This fair is enjoying 160 years this week and I hope the can keep it going.

Michelle just called so they are on their way from Columbus. Can't wait to see my cousin and Uncle Roy, dad's only brother. Michelle is my farmer cousin. Every time I visit she is in the garden.

Ed

Old Harry

Just so you know where I came from unless you haven't figured it out.

My good friend Jules in Missouri sent me this piece and here is what I told him.

"You knew I would like that one didn't you Jules?

You trying to get me all warmed up?

Grandpa and dad were chairmen of the Democratic party in their day and school board president like me.

They loved Harry, give em hell Harry the buck stops here.

Now I stand for no one but my family. I have no one to vote for.

Sad state of affairs.

Beer summit, give me a break.

This is how I feel. If I am wrong I will learn from it. I never voted for Nixon but I did vote for Ronald Reagean and not because he was a movie star. I liked Gerald Ford, what a mess he inherited. Sorry, never liked the Bush's. Does that make me a bad person?

Of course not. Harry was a farmer like me and dad and grandpa and I guess we just saw a lot of things the same way. Dad always said he made the most money under Truman and that helped Grandpa retire in town. It worked out well.

"Harry Truman, from Missouri, was a different kind of President. He probably made as many important decisions regarding our nation's history as any of the other 42 Presidents. However, a measure of his greatness may rest on what he did after he left the White House.

Historians have written the only asset he had when he died was the house he lived in, which was in Independence Missouri . On top of that, his wife inherited the house from her Mother.

When he retired from office in 1952, his income was a U.S. Army pension reported to have been $13,507.72 a year. Congress, noting that he was paying for his stamps and personally licking them, granted him an 'allowance' and, later, a retroactive pension of $25,000 per year.

After President Eisenhower was inaugurated, Harry and Bess drove home to Missouri by themselves. There were no Secret Service following them.

When offered corporate positions at large salaries, he declined, stating, 'You don't want me. You want the office of the President, and that doesn't belong to me. It belongs to the American people and it's not for sale.'

Even later, on May 6, 1971, when Congress was preparing to award him the Medal of Honor on his 87th birthday, he refused to accept it, writing, 'I don't consider that I have done anything which should be the reason for any award, Congressional or otherwise.'

He never owned his own home and as president he paid for all of his own travel expenses and food. Modern politicians have found a new level of success in cashing in on the Presidency, resulting in untold wealth. Today, many in Congress also have found a way to become quite wealthy while enjoying the fruits of their offices. Political offices are now for sale. Good old Harry Truman was correct when he observed, 'My choices early in life were either to be a piano player in a whore house or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference."

It is likely that we won't see another Democrat or Republican for that matter, like him again." I really believe that. I am hunting for the party of Common Sense, thank you Thomas Paine.

Hey, I have been wrong before and this is dangerous for a farmer to talk like this. Really? Shouldn't be. We still have that freedom and we need to defend it at all cost.

I better stick to crop production.

Ed

Grain bins

It's back to grain bins. This system is old like me.

Unloading augers are shot so I am putting in new floors to go with them.

You won't believe the dirt in the bottom of a grain bin. I have to be really careful because I always had asthma. What a problem for a farmer.

Probably 40 times 40,000 bushels passed through them. That is a lot of grain.

Couldn't believe those oak standards underneath that rusty grain bin floor. You learn something every day. I learned a bunch today and have a whole lot more to learn.

Little by little I have rebuilt this system back to something almost tolerable. I really need a 90 foot leg to hit all five bins. That may have to wait.

Pretty pooped folks, LuAnn has her big barn sale this weekend and next. The place is really look good. Tyler and Jason have done a good job helping.

Ed

Charlie

I distinctly remember the day Charlie brought his brand new modified Cockshutt 440 Dodge to the county fair to pull. What a guy, so easy and soft spoken, must have been an inspiration to all those elementary students all those years.

Charlie is there anything I can help you with? No Ed, I think I have it covered.

That became our bylines.

A friend just emailed me Charlie passed away. Gosh, I never got to say my goodbye.

Charles Melton age 67, of Washington CH, passed away on Monday, July 27, 2009 at 12:05 p.m. at the Court House Manor Nursing Home.

He was born on August 13, 1941 in Kentucky to Cecil and Nancy Deaton Melton. He retired as a teacher for over 30 years at the Rose Avenue Elementary School.

He was a member of the Fayette County Tired Iron Tractor Club. Charles loved to build wheel horse tractors and mowers. He had also served as a volunteer fireman with the Wayne Township Fire Department. He was a graduate of Morehead State College of Kentucky.

Charles was preceded in death by his parents, son Brett Melton, brother John Melton and sister-in-law Joan Melton.

He leaves to mourn his loss, his beloved wife Linda Forsythe Melton, whom he married on December 28, 1960; daughter and son-in-law Belinda and Bob Wilson all of Washington CH, brothers Bob Melton of California, David (Donna) Melton of Kentucky, sister-in-law Miriam Melton of Texas; his wife’s parents Wayne and Velma Forsythe of Washington CH as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins and a host of friends.

The funeral service will be held on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. at the Summers Funeral Home with Joy Stanforth officiating with burial to follow at the Good Hope Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home on Thursday from 3-8 p.m.

Memorial contributions are suggested to Hospice of Fayette County, PO Box 849, Washington CH, OH 43160.

I have determined you Hospice workers are angels.

I saw what you did for dad.

God Bless you Charlie, I know where you are, hope to talk to you again some day.

Ed Winkle

Dog Days

The dog days of August are almost here.

I can hear the katydids in the pecan trees each night.

"The term "Dog Days" was used by the Greeks (see, e.g., Aristotle's Physics, 199a2), as well as the ancient Romans (who called these days caniculares dies (days of the dogs)) after Sirius (the "Dog Star", in Latin Canicula), the brightest star in the heavens besides the Sun. The dog days of summer are also called canicular days.

The Dog Days originally were the days when Sirius, the Dog Star, rose just before or at the same time as sunrise (heliacal rising), which is no longer true, owing to precession of the equinoxes. The ancients[who?] sacrificed a brown dog at the beginning of the Dog Days to appease the rage of Sirius, believing that the star was the cause of the hot, sultry weather.

Dog Days were popularly believed to be an evil time "when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies" according to Brady’s Clavis Calendarium, 1813."

Ole Sassy, the black lab howled at the moon every night during dog days. I had to put her in my dark garage at night so she wouldn't howl.

Sable rarely barks but when she does you better take notice.

The crop is all laid by now meaning we have done all we can do to help it. Planting, fertilization, scouting, limited pesticide as needed.

My newest helper is Tyler, an 18 year old next door. He told me that all his friends asked him why he was so interested farming now. He said that is all I hear all day.

He likes biology so it is natural for him to learn the trade.

The young man is a hoot and the owls hoot every night now.

Time for tractor pulls and family fun now. We are enjoying it.

Ed Winkle

Exhibiting Flowers

Years ago one county I worked in had the experience of the flower judge not showing up. The lady in charge asked me if I would do it and I thought me judging flowers?

I have judged shop projects, crops, canned goods and many others.

Crop judging is the one I am probably best suited for but I ended up judging flowers of all things.

Mom always grew good flowers as it adds beauty to the farm and home. LuAnn and I think the Anabaptists take such pride in their gardens as an artistic demonstration of their faith.

Everyone should drive through Lancaster County Pennsylvania in July as we did again this year. We marvel at their gardens and landscape. It must be an ideal climate and soil for such crops.

Today my wife and I get to judge the flowers at that county fair.

I was reviewing what we must do to select the best and grade the show.

Here is a good piece from Vermont.

"EXHIBITING FLOWERS AT THE FAIR
By Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension Professor
University of Vermont


Planning to enter flowers at the fair this summer? Here are some tips for blue ribbon entries.

First and foremost, flowers must be fresh. When you pick the blooms and how you handle them does make a difference in how well they will last in a cut flower arrangement.

Pick your flowers the day of the fair, preferably in the morning when the stems are filled with water. If you pick flowers in the heat of the day, they already may be partially wilted. When the stems are cut, air may enter the water-conducting vessels, blocking further water uptake.

Select only top quality blooms for your arrangements. Cut at a slant near the bottom of the stem, using a sharp knife rather than scissors, which tend to crush the stems. (Scissors work fine if thin stems. The anvil type pruners tend to mash the stems.) Plunge blooms in a bucket of tepid water to carry back to the house.

The water should be deep enough to come just below the flower heads. Use separate pails for each variety, or wrap each group in newspaper before placing in the bucket.

Indoors, precondition the cut flowers to make the arrangement last for several days. Wash the vases you'll need in hot, soapy water, rinse thoroughly with warm tap water, then fill with fresh water that is bath temperature (about 100 degrees F).

Add floral preservative to the water. You can get this at any florist shop. Without the preservative, bacteria will multiply, clogging the stem ends and causing the flowers to wilt. Place the stems in the vases and move to a cool, draft-free area. Leave there until the water cools to room temperature.

Then it's time to start arranging the flowers. But first check your fair premium book to determine the number of blooms allowed per arrangement and the classes you can enter. If the rules say six to eight blooms per entry, don't stick in ten or 12 or your entry may be disqualified. (This is also a good time to make notes about flowers you may want to grow next year for cut flower categories as well as arrangements.)

For themed categories, such as a holiday arrangement or formal table centerpiece, be creative. For these classes, the container and idea play into the judges' decision as much as the quality, choice, and arrangement of the flowers.

Recut the stems of soft-stemmed blooms under water, removing about one-half to one inch of the stem to allow better water absorption. Submerged leaves will decay rapidly, so be sure to remove all foliage that will be below the water line. Florists are no longer recommending that you crush the stems of woody plants, a practice floral arrangers--and fair exhibitors--have followed in the past.

To transport flowers safely to the fair, dump some of the water out of each vase into a larger container to avoid spillage. Bring this water with you to top off the vases when you arrive at the fair.

Pack arrangements upright in a sturdy cardboard box, using wadded newspaper to keep them separate. Do not let wind from open car windows blow directly on the flowers. Take extra blooms in case stems are broken or crushed during travel.

Give yourself plenty of time to get to the fair before the deadline for entering closes. Be sure to fill out each entry card completely. Then sit back and wait for the judges to announce the winners. One of them may be you! "

I strive to be 90% correct on my selections. Some days you are and some days you are not, that is just human nature.

I think we will do a good job after years of doing this, studying this and learning the fine art of selection and exhibition.

This county fair celebrates it's 160th fair this year so it is a long kept tradition for us in the states.

Long live the family farm and the county fair!

Ed Winkle

Happiness is...

Happiness is a good crop, a new grandchild, winning the tractor pull, playing in grandpa's office.

I judged 500 crop entries at the Clark County fair in Springfield Ohio yesterday and 300 FFA crop entries. That was about all I could handle. I was mentally tired after studying all the comparisons.

They had record entries and record beautiful crops. I couldn't believe the crop from there to home, I took the back roads home and slowed down and just appreciated the crop.

I better get more trucking lined up for this crop Monday because the trucks will all be busy and full.

Then we watched the little girls while their parents went to a local wedding, can you imagine 600 people at a wedding? They had to wait 40 minutes in line just to participate.

Becky brought Liam and Caoilin over, they all get along so well together. Caoilin has grown so much in one month. Liam showed his cousins our little secret, jumping on our bed. Rule number one, don't tell grandma. I think they heard us laughing next door. Rule number two, no falling off. Rule number three, don't hit your head on bed posts. I just kept making up more rules as they got rowdier.

Kevin woke me up when I realized he was standing in my living room at midnight. Grandma wrapped around one child, another on the floor, grandpa in is easy chair, all asleep. You should have seen the look on his face when I woke up, just observing and smiling.

Shannon said they sat beside my friend Stubby. Haven't seen him in years. Used to camp at his farm, really good guy and smart farmer. He taught me always pay the interest on your farm loan first. He farms north of Dayton with his brother.

Oh boy what a day, grandma and granpa are worn out. We have to go back to work to rest up!

Ed Winkle