Coffee Trailer

 When Emily's coffee trailer Windy was destroyed in an accident, I offered my shop during the winter to build a new one.  In late January, Emily and Chris backed an old dilapidated trailer into the shop to start the rebuild process.  The old trailer she bought had sat out in the woods as a guys hunting camp.  It was thoroughly rotten and moldy.  They totally gutted it and rebuilt it from the trailer frame up, reusing only the steel frame and the aluminum siding.  I enjoyed watching the construction progress and was amazed at the amount of work that went into the transformation.  I can attest that there is a lot of sweat equity in the rebuild!

The interior being gutted.  Even all of the wood studs and floor joists were replaced.

Some days I think the Hartters spent more time working at the farm than I did!  I enjoyed having them around.  The demolition took a couple of weeks, and then the real work started.  There were a lot of late nights, and the project seemed to be behind schedule most of the time. As with all similar projects, you keep running into unexpected challenges.  And a lot of thought was put into every step.  By the end of the first week of May it was totally weather tight and almost finished.  It still needed some interior and exterior work, plus all the equipment installed, but they pulled it home to finish it there.  Emily has named this one Ebenezer.

When I get the chance, I need to go see the completed trailer in action.  And maybe sample the wares.

I have completed my first year as a senior citizen.  The old farmers wife made me a meal of fried alligator and seafood pasta for my birthday.  Jack helped her make a green poke cake because he was sure that grampa needed a birthday cake on his birthday.  

I finished planting on May 13, but some of the crop struggled to come up through the crust that formed, and the cool weather.  I hoed a couple fields of soybeans, and ended up over-planting a half rate in one of them.  Then we found a field of corn with low population and slow, spread out emergence.  I decided to tear it up and replant when I got a good weather window this week.  I hope I am truly finished now.

Son #1, the boys, and I spent a Saturday afternoon hiking around "Firefly Woods".  The Koch girls were excited to show us around their new property, and we spent a lot of time in the creek. The kids all wore boots, but every one of them ended up filled with water.  We looked for mushrooms, but didn't find any.  There is a lot of work that needs to be done there, but I look forward to more adventures there in the future. 

Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.             I Samuel 7:12

April

 So April came and went!  It was a cool, wet month overall.  I had planned to plant soybeans in the April 10 - 20 time frame if conditions allowed, and then plant corn in the April 20 - 30 time frame.  When it got to be the 23rd and I still was not able to get in the field, I decided I would plant all my corn first, and worry about beans later.  As a hog farmer, I wanted some corn in the ground.  I finally was able to start planting corn on the 26th (Tuesday), and was finished by the end of the week.  On Monday the 2nd of May, I was able to get my first two fields of soybeans planted.  The rains came in Monday night and additional rains later in the week, so that was it for fieldwork for the week.

Early in April, my feed mill motor started making a noise that didn't sound good.  I was able to grind enough feed to last 3 or 4 days, then I pulled the motor and took it to the motor shop.  I gave them the deadline that I needed it back, but fully expected them to tell me it wasn't worth fixing and that I would need to order a new one.  This motor is a specialty motor so I knew it would't be in stock and with the supply chain issues I was expecting the worst.  Imagine my surprise when a day and a half later they call me and say the motor is repaired and could be picked up!  I had it back home and reinstalled two days before my deadline!  

Palm Sunday weekend we enjoyed communion at church.  But, I really don't think drinking a sip of wine out of thimbles is what Christ had in mind when he passed the cup with his disciples.  We were also able to attend two Easter Programs on Palm Sunday (afternoon and evening) that our grandchildren were in. 

Elliot and Pam hosted their annual Messianic Passover Seder and we were blessed to be invited this year.  It was very interesting learning about the Jewish meanings behind all the activities and how the Passover prepared for the coming of the Messiah.  We left educated, inspired, and full of good food.

Years ago I planted an almond tree that was supposed to be able to grow in our climate. In the past couple of years, I noticed a couple of small almonds growing on it.  This spring it was in full bloom, so I am expecting to get some nuts off of it this year.  Unless the squirrels show up and steal them before they are ripe.  This is a poor picture because of the cloudy weather we were having.

After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.                           I Corinthians 11:25