I remember quite vividly sitting here last weekend and thinking to myself how well things were going. I had just gotten my log splitter back and had the oil changed, a couple new gaskets, hydraulic fluid flushed and the carb cleaned out. Everything on the place was actually running well. I had started all the small engines and checked the oil on the vehicles, tractor etc.
Everything was fine and that in itself was a miracle. The next day I noticed one tire had went flat on my trailer. I said a prayer hoping that was going to be the extent of the repairs. The tractor died on me but all it took was a little cleaning on the battery posts and it was back in order. Even that 100 dollar brush hog seemed in tip top shape. All the grease fittings worked with no clogs. I was living a charmed life it seemed but I kept thinking the third shoe was going to drop. These things always happen in threes.
Then this morning the clutch pedal on my truck went clear to the floor and stayed there. Great.
I had the clutch and transmission fixed on it less than two years ago but I can't remember if he put in a new slave cylinder or not but whatever the case I am pretty sure that's what's wrong with it now. It's a pretty common problem with the standard tranny Fords. Not that I am the expert here or anything except I do get to rub elbows with several experts and they all said the same thing.
So now once again my truck is in the shop. We will see this might put a real damper on my ambitious fence project I had planned for this Spring now.
The good news is all 13 hives are still alive though. I went by the orchard hives this morning and both of them that had shown no activity last week were out flying. The ones by the garden and down in the back of the pasture were also out hitting the failed watermelon jelly I put in the hummingbird feeders for them. None of the hives looked like they needed a refill on the dry sugar either.
Since the discovery that all the hives were alive came after the terrible truck breakdown issue I am hoping that was the end of the breakdown cycle now. With my luck though the first two are too minor to count and I have two more on the way.
It's always something....
Keep Prepping Everyone!!!
Hang in there, bud - things will be better now. You'll see.
ReplyDeleteRP - LOL ya it's only money :)
DeleteAlways comes in threes don't it, good news on the bee front though.
ReplyDeleteJW - It sure seems that way to me too. Always in threes especially when it comes to repairs for some reason.
Deletebuddy - if it's not one thing, it's 3 other things. jam has been making "to do" lists since we got here and for every single day. i keep trying to explain to him that there will never be a day when there isn't a "to do" list. he seems to think there will be a magical day when everything is done. that's not homesteading. homesteading is "every single day there are jobs to do". good job on the bee front though! much love, bro, to you and yours, like usual.
ReplyDeleteyour friend,
kymber
Kymber - Oh ya to do lists never stop and I like them. Costly repairs though always put me in a sour mood.
DeleteI am being real gentle with the clutch on my truck as it is acting up a little. About everything I had broke last fall but it eventually stopped happening. The cold weather is hard on things or so it seems.
ReplyDeleteSf - I am getting to the maximum saturation level on equipment I think. Much more high maintenance machinery added and I won;t be able to keep it maintained I think. I really didn't need this right now as I really need to get the fence project going.
DeleteYay for the Bees! I believe Shakespeare said that troubles come like spies, not in singles but in troops.
ReplyDeleteTB - Well this is a good chunk of the danger period out of the way right now. Generally if they make it till the end of February around here they will survive and produce. I hope so cause I really need them to start turning a better profit for the place this year.
DeleteWhere are you located? Just curious if I could do hives up here around the KC area?
ReplyDeleteAtlas - You could easily keep hives near KC. I know of several at least around the outskirts that I can see from I-70 as you drive in from the East and on my right sidebar is a link to the beesource forums where many a KC bee keeper can be found making comments.
DeleteThat being said I know nothing about the various local regs in and around KC for keeping bees so perhaps it may not be legal in some towns around there.
PP,
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear your hives are all okay. Having problems in pairs stink!!!
At least it was a beautiful day :)