pitw's living poor.

[pitw]

And I wonder why I'm poor.

[68Camaro]

ugh - was that a local soft spot that caught you by surprise? Did you have a large enough tractor close to pull you out or did you lose a day?

[pitw]

That was a spot caught me by surprise. Tractor was 10 minutes in coming and I actually had a great day except for my kid laughing his butt off. I managed a thousand acres that day so all was good.

[pitw]

Living poor means relying on yourself to get things done for cheap. This spring I bought a sprayer for $20,000 that the guys wanted $88,000 originally. They could find no one to buy it cause they themselves couldn't make it run as most depend on others to fix their problems for cash. I on the other hand just started working through it and it is now the top sprayer in my fleet with the least hours and runs like a charm[did 1080 acres with it yesterday]. One needs to be able to roll with the punch's as my lad about kicked me in the nuts Tuesday when he split the tank on a sprayer he was filling . Next day we had the old tank off


and a donor from an older machine made of stainless steel ready to mount


Total cost to me was $300 in wages as opposed to probably $10,000 if I had got a dealership to do it.

Even with my great day yesterday at work the highlight was finding a cool antler that I will turn into gold.

[pitw]

Living poor means getting your meat young and letting it grow for near nothing. The chicks showed up today.


They always send an extra per each 25 and this year we even got one extra Turkey on an order of 10.




After making each of them take a drink they is right to home.


This little girl was quite the gal as she wanted a close up but the photog is an idiot.


Just outside the chick house is


This fellow will change from 100lbs to 1400lbs in a little over a year.


Our meat bill is near nothing and with a 15 and 18 year old's lad's that's a feat not all can attain.

[pitw]

For entertainment when you live poor fishing is good. So I went fishing with my youngest and biggest fisherman buddy. 322 miles in an old Ford got us to the lake where we spent 3 nights and a couple+ days of fishing. We caught mostly Walleyes with a spattering of Northern Pike thrown in just to break the monotony.



We caught over sixty of this size and larger Walleyes. Donny caught a 15, 13 and 12 lb Northern pike of the dock.

There were scads of these black cormorants[I think] around along with Grebes, Pelicans, Loons, ducks and Geese.


Water was cool as ice was not many days ago.


Dang fish are great just outta the water as we did a Pike/Walleye taste test.


Even fish gotta put up with their form of Liberals.


and other little issues.


Never saw any rain on the trip but my rain gauge showed 4.25 inch's when I got home which is a life saver for my area. We were up much nearer the fires at Fort Mac and there was a lot of smoke in the air.

[pitw]

I sold that deer antler last eve for $75.

Today it has been kinda/sorta rainy which afforded mt the day off and with it I ran to several small communities within 60 miles of home as they were having community garage sales. Man is there a lot of stuff I don't need in this world. I did find a hotdog/homemade apple pie/glass of iced tea for $5. One fellow had 2 scroll saws and after jaw boning him for 10 minutes he gave me the one he used the most. So I bought his splitting axe for $5 and his pet taxi for $2. Then I found an old boy out of town who I spent an hour or two with who had sheds full and got invited back when the weather is better to go pick it. He had a whole whack of socket sets he wanted $4/per so I got 5 of them for $5 and a box with 73 wrench's in it for another $5. Was a good day as with my boys helping I need more wrench's. Had to give another $5 for the mechanics seat but they work wonderfully under a sprayer.

[wolvesdad]

So tell me again where the poor side of your living comes in? Everything i've read so far sounds like you live like a duke. A hard working Duke, but certainly no pauper!!

[pitw]

I was brought up to think if you lived within your means you were poor. The Joneses were rich with all their toy's and such. I prefer to stretch a buck further which affords me the ability to take 8 months off a year. I also live where opportunity is ample[and I try to make it ampler] which makes doing what I love easy. Poor ain't bad, it's mindset that can be bad.

[wolvesdad]

Exactly!! Were on the same wavelength!! Peace!

[pitw]

Looking for deals is tough this time of year for me as now is when I earn my living money for a year in just a few weeks. I did however get the day off due to rain yesterday so it afforded me the chance to go to an auction only 30 miles from home. The stuff they were selling was from an old fellow that died 20 years ago. He was a farmer/rancher and was legend in his meticulousness for looking after stuff. First thing I bought was the first lot of old lawn chairs, there were 8 of them and I got them for $10. I sat on one and I rented the rest out for $3 or a cheeseburger each. I then paid four dollars for a box that had a new telecommunication device that the kid had to try out immediately upon arrival home.


In the box was also a new ride for the wife.


and a new knife that is exactly like her old one that is about wore out.


I also bought a set of harness so the wife can pull a plow or whatever for $25. Last time I bought a similar item I sold it to a lady from the city for $900 so she could display them in her yard.
I got a set aluminum ramps for loading a quad or whatever in a pickup for $30. 5 old 5 gallon oil tin/steel pails for $5 that I will keep 3 of for boiling chickens in and sell the other two as they are fair rare. I thought I was buying a spray doc for $2 but I bid on the wrong box and got a freaking new lawn fertilizer that I sold for $10. Bought everything along one wall from the light socket to the door for $35 and sold 2 gopher traps that were in the huge pile for $40 to an idiot. There were tools/hammers, bolts and near everything in the pile that filled one truck. We then went outside where the rain had let up to go sell the old tractors that was my reason for going. The old 35 Massey with 7746 hours showing and the cable from the generator to the tach was missing so who knows the true hours sold for $4600 and it was in no better shape than mine that cost $1900. Then the reason I was at the sale a 165 Massey sold[I had wanted this all spring even though I bought one a month ago] and I quit at $5800[cause the clutch appeared very near the end of it's life and it had been the fellows work horse for years, still in great shape outside but could be wore inside] and it brought $6,400 with over 8,000 hours, the one I bought was $5,500 and has 2600 hours.
Then came the old trucks a 1980 Dodge that wouldn't start[I suspect old gas] that brought $4,700. Then a 1977 250 Ford pickup with a 300 inline 6, 4 speed manual that my 15 year old kid had fallen[prospectors animal] over tea kettle in love with. The truck had 74,000 miles on it and purred like a freaking kitten so I figured anywhere from 7 to 9 grand. They started at 2 and my lad who stands 6'5" put his hand up so everybody knew he was bidding and all the folk there just seemed to let the young guy have it for $2,900.
You see Donny has gone to auctions and such with me his whole life and is known as great helper and a friendly kid. He was so happy he then helped[he did it all] a 70 year old carry 20 cement blocks from the back of the quanset to the guys truck and even enlisted the help of his 19 year old buddy to carry and load a washing machine and dryer from the same quanset. The old boy told them if they ever needed anything driving by Rosythe to stop in and he's help them.Then to the amazment of no one at the sale a 15 year old jumped in his new truck and headed home.

The lad and his truck that he was washing[truck was clean] when I pulled in the yard 10 minutes behind him.

[Chief]

That truck is sweet. Green exterior with green interior, love it. Thanks for sharing again, pitw!

[68Camaro]

Don't think I've ever seen a behind the seat gun rack, but it makes sense. Back when this truck was new we were still driving around (in the midwest) with racks over the rear window. Congrats to Donny on his new truck!

[johnbrickner]

I can only add OUTSTANDING to all that 68Camaro and Chief wrote.

[wolvesdad]

I too was 15 when bought my first truck. $1700 for a 1971 Chevy pickup in blue with blue seats and "3 on the tree"

It was 24 years old when I bought it!

Your boy has the same smile I had!

Beautiful truck, and big congrats to your boy!

[wolvesdad]

Oh, and your electric carving knife looks almost just exactly like one I won as a boy when I was seven or eight years old at the electric co-op annual meeting

[pitw]

Cheap entertainment.
Friday I was down as far South as I spray, doing 270 acres of the 4,000 I do for this customer. We call it the Indian land as it is hard access, rocky, sandy and generally a real pain. I hardly ever get it sprayed without a wreck of some kind and Friday was no exception as my rear right tire on the sprayer came off on my third last pass[stud bolts all broke off from the chattering]. I decided to move my Kenworth 7 miles North and 3 miles West so I didn't have to haul the sprayer on that freakin goat trail again.
After two and half miles on the goat trail driving in 6th gear[KW has a 13 speed tranny] I come to a gravel road that has a speed curve coming from the East and on that curve is a jack rabbit loping along and it pulls in front of me as is it's right cause it did have the right of way. It's just loping along in front of me so I figure the race is on. I grab 7th and then eightth as the rabbit just keeps loping along in front of me with both ears up and turning to keep track of it's surroundings. I grab ninth and the rabbit pulls over to the left side of the road still just loping . I grab 10th and she lays back her left ear to reduce wind drag. Then I figure let's see what she's got and switch to eleventh and put my foot in her, the familiar throaty roar of the 400 cummins at full throttle sounds cool and that rabbit which is just outside my drivers door lays back the other ear and bears down. For 1/2 a mile she is running right beside me like there is no way in [L] this old truck is passing her. She had her buck teeth gritted and looked just like a 16 year old in his first drag race with determination written on her face. The gravel is flying behind her as she is throwing it up with every jump and it was the coolest experience of the spring. At the 1 mile mark there is a trail on the left hand side of the road that leads to a fellows yard. Just before this rabbit looks up at me and fella's I swear she winked at me. She turned left at full speed and her back slid out in a little drift as she made the turn.
Now you can watch youtube vids all day but you will never see something like this without being out in the outdoors yourself. That bunny made what most would consider a horrible day at best into the best day of the spraying season for me[by far]. I have this memory of a rabbit to go with my other rabbit stories as they have been some of my best entertainment through life. This prompted me to come home and order two of these.
http://www.mint.ca/store/coins/coin-pro ... 2aJLaKxnlo

[Chief]

Great post! You painted the scene with words. Happy Father's Day, sir.

[Bigjohn]

Always enjoy reading your posts, it was a happier ending than I initially thought the story would have. Growing up, rabbit stew was a regular dinner option. That rabbit was lucky that my pops wasn't behind the wheel

[deenz]

Great updates! Didn't see this on BS... so thanks for ensuring these are posted somewhere! Especially for a guy who lives in the burbs where chickens and everything else are outlawed by HOA rules.

[pitw]

HOA = ? I just live a simple life ad ejoy learning from folks so I try and share some of my simple life. Glad you and others seem to like some of my nonsense.

[pitw]

Got home yesterday to see this.

Donny and buddy changing the heater core in his truck. Does a fellow good to see younguns willing to do their own work.

The fellow with the baler and rake told me we wouldn't do any dessicating this fall cause he has too many wash outs that will just wreck my machine[I'm loving this guy] so he asked if $500 would be ok for the baler and rake. I reached in my pocket and pulled out the cash. I then got the baler home and washed it up and put it online for 5 grand[guy coming to look at it tonight]


new Holland 425


Then he ask's if I wanna buy a truck and I ask what kind. He says about a '62 International 2ton that got parked where it is 20 years ago. I suggest $200 and he held out his hand palm up, so I reached in the pocket again. When we picked up the baler I drove the equipment line and found my new truck.


Along with a few other things.







The fella says if I can sell any of his stuff I'll get half the proceeds. Living off the land so to speak is kinda/sorta fun.LOL
My oldest lad is running the sprayer today so I got time to talk on here before I start haying tomorrow.

[deenz]

HOA = ? I just live a simple life ad ejoy learning from folks so I try and share some of my simple life. Glad you and others seem to like some of my nonsense.

Home Owner's Association... a group that makes sure the houses in a neighborhood maintain some kind of uniformity so that all the houses in close proximity don't go to heck. 500 houses on anywhere from 1-5 acres.
This includes stuff from an architectural subcommittee making sure any new additions/structures make sense in terms of flow, to a fun committee that plans events (monthly beer/wine tastings, book clubs).
Mine's somewhat laid back in that we don't get a letter in the mail if we go 2 weeks without mowing the grass.

[pitw]

HOA = ? I just live a simple life ad ejoy learning from folks so I try and share some of my simple life. Glad you and others seem to like some of my nonsense.

Home Owner's Association... a group that makes sure the houses in a neighborhood maintain some kind of uniformity so that all the houses in close proximity don't go to heck. 500 houses on anywhere from 1-5 acres.
This includes stuff from an architectural subcommittee making sure any new additions/structures make sense in terms of flow, to a fun committee that plans events (monthly beer/wine tastings, book clubs).
Mine's somewhat laid back in that we don't get a letter in the mail if we go 2 weeks without mowing the grass.

Holy poop, really? Someone tells you what you can do on your own place? I'm thinking if anyone ever wants to start one of them here I best SSS first.

[pitw]

Quite a day here so I'll put it in this thread as some of it actually belongs here. Wife had committed to going chasing cattle so I had the afternoon[I thought] to go up North 30 miles to a small town sports day. They have a tractor pull every year for the locals and folks I can tell you if you learn to listen to these folk, you may learn something. Hard to beat the sound of these old girls doing their job and the little JD E running a small grain grinder





They had some junk tractors there too.



Had 3 pieces of home made pie the old girls made at home and were selling for $2 a slice, so I paid them $6.6666 a piece and told them to raise their prices. Watched a ball game and talked until I got dry tongue.

Got home so as I could go to a party with the wife which to my total unease had started at noon and I got home at 5. She had left to go pick strawberry's at a neighbors who was gone to the same sports day. She picked


in 25 minutes and made less than half into jam by 7.


The lad picked out a spider from the pails full.


I snuck out at 6 to play with an old 22 and even older scope. Came home to find mama skunk moving towards the yard from the North. With at least 9 little ones in tow. I opened up with the old semi in flock shoot mode and got 4 little ones dead and I don't know about wounded as they went into the long grass and our thick caraganas. Came to the house for the camera and by the time I got back, 2 of the little carcass's were gone. I waited 20 yards away and got another little one and then I managed to hit mama. Wife said while she was picking strawberry's at the neighbors he had to go out and flock shoot at a herd the same size.

So if I had just kept quiet I suppose I'd of had a pieceful evening, but oh no, mouth just had to ask,"What are you cooking for supper as you ain't done nothing else today"'
I'm now enjoying fresh berry's and popcorn on the couch and this allows me to come up with tomorrows adventure as she still has more cattle to work tomorrow.