Bee~ Journal of then...

[Beekissed]

Well, back from the travels....or should I say travails?

This week I:

Rented a rental car that was a dog in the snow...just as I predicted! We had a snow storm the next day in which it took me 1 1/2 hours to get home~driving 25 mph.

Quit the job that I took because it did not fit into my lifestyle at all...I found myself hurrying to get there and tense about trying to get home in time to be with the kids, etc. I moved to the mountains to get away from that feeling of better(not good)money but no time to spend with the kids. As I was PRN at hospice still, I just called them up and said I was available once again.....boss was thrilled and gave me another raise and elevated me to part-time status!

I felt soooooooooooooooo much better!

I drove across state to my old home place, found a truck to buy for a price I could afford and I believe it was a good deal. Its color and comfort doesn't thrill me....but, once you've had the best, everything pales in comparison, you know? Its what I refer to as "cheap" red but the boys totally approve and feel all manly driving it.

Got to visit with my folks and my one good sister and it was a good visit. The buying of the truck presented very many frustrating episodes of which I won't get into....its just enough to say I went a mile to gain an inch all day of the sale!

NOW....to use that truck to haul manure, hay, firewood, sheep, pigs, feed, dogs, lumber.....well, you get the picture!

 

[Beekissed]

HINT for today:

Slice strong tasting yellow onions thinly into a bowl and pour boiling water over them, drain and chill. They will be crisp and almost as mild as a large, sweet Spanish onion.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

HI Bee! Glad you had a safe trip! Glad you are back all safe and sound.

Good for you making the decision that's best for you regarding your job!

And congrats on your cheap red truck

 

[Beekissed]

Yep! Still in mourning for the best vehicle I've ever owned, but life goes on and so must we, huh?

I checked out your website, Quail, and can't wait til you add some more pics of the multitude you took today!


The truck will help me transport lambs........

The truck costed $3500, which was $1000 under Blue Book Value, which is peachy to me. Its a '97 Dodge Dakota with an extended cab and a 6 ft. bed. Its in great shape and it runs great....I will be praying that this continues!

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

How's this for a pic?

This is Lance. He will be up and on the site in the next few days, I hope!

 

[Beekissed]

That is the most beautiful turkey I've ever seen, bar none! I can't imagine anyone wanting to kill one to eat!

 

[Farmfresh]

Now I am jealous! What a beautiful bird Quail!

That is what mine should have looked like ... barring the weasel.

The truck sounds like just the ticket! I love a good bargain - under blue book - WAY TO GO!

Sounds like a good decision on the job front as well. If you had never taken the other job you would not have a RAISE now at the old one. Your other vehicle was probably VERY nice and sad to lose, but the new one sounds like a great fit for your lifestyle!

Now you need to build a sheep box like I did. I used cattle panels and hooked them together like a collapsible wire dog crate. (It looks like a wire box turned upside down in the truck bed, complete with a cattle panel top) I use ratcheting tie-downs to strap it down tight to the truck bed. The back has a gate the swings open when the tail gate is down. I covered it with a well strapped down tarp to help keep the sheep calm when hauling as well.
With a rubber mat in the floor and a little straw it worked great! Plus, since I used a collapsible dog crate for a pattern, it folds FLAT to store!

All in all some really good news!

 

[Beekissed]

FF, the cattle/sheep panels sounds like a great idea! If I didn't need to build some wooden panels to make the bed higher for more wood and hay hauling, I would definitely implement that one!

Since I need the wooden panels anyway, I'll probably just use them, though. One thing I don't like about modern trucks......no nice little holes at the top of the beds for inserting 2x4 panel sides! I will have to build a "fitted" set of racks that rest on the bed of the truck and overlap the bed sides....needless to say it will be a pain compared to traditional rack construction.

It will sure come in handy, though, so it must be made.

 

[Farmfresh]

I usually just fill the bed when hauling wood so I don't have so much weight on the load and I have never used truck racks when hauling hay.

We always stack it stems up on the bed level and then actually place the next layers flat, two bales butt to butt, so that the bale hangs very slightly OVER the bed rail then keep building brick style from there. With tight bales and good stacking we can average 25 to 30 bales on a truck. How many can you fit on with a rack?

 

[Beekissed]

I don't know yet but I intend to find out! This truck has no good tie down places except for a couple in the floor of the bed.....one can see the difficulty with tying down a load of hay! I don't think this type of truck was meant for farm usage, if you know what I mean. I intend to teach it otherwise!

The wooden racks will have to be in pieces that fasten together, as I will one day not have help to lift off a full set of racks. I'll put it down on paper one day with the boys and see how we will design it. Who knows? I may incorporate the cattle panels into the design!