My Place: a CAT, Mahindra, and Ducks

[bindian]

I got tired of adding posts and photos to my various project threads, so I started a "master" thread here.
One last time, here is a link to flood photos from the last two weeks..........http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/237303-texas-spring-summer-thread-636.html post #6351.

It's been so wet here, I haven't been able to burn the debris pile from April's tornado. So, today in the MUD, I decided to clear out some elm and sweetgum trees to make room for a new, huge, burn pile. It's behind the duck pond and spoils pile.

What tickles me most is this photo...
My foot sunk 4 inches deeper than the CAT's footprint. Being in the bottom of ponds is why I bought the CAT. The photo just proves the CAT will be okay where ever I can walk. A couple of steps over, I had to stop and pull my foot and boot up from over 6 inches of muck. I almost fell over, carrying the camera.

The Big RED Beast had the grapple on the FEL to move the cut up trees to the new burn pile. She did alright in the mud, but with a load in the grapple, she sunk down too far. So I need to speed up my plans to buy a hydraulic thumb for the CAT. Basically the Beast just carried my camera, chain saw, saw supplies, and my water bottle today!

I bedded the CAT down for the night, on the duck pond's spoils pile. The steel, green and white post fence had four feet of water there a week ago Thurs. So I know the CAT will be dry, bedded down there.

hugs, Brandi

 

[lostcreekranch]

Excellent, looking forward to seeing progress on all your projects Brandi!

Looks like we may have some drying days this week and hopefully back to more normal rain patterns. My tractors haven't moved in 2 weeks.

 

[JerryK]

Glad you procured something else for Booger to sleep under, Sis... That clay looks like A LOT OF FUN...!!!

 

[EddieWalker]

Love the excavator!!!! Are you going to put a new window in and get the AC going? or does it have AC?

 

[two_bit_score]

Great Brandi! Looking forward to it!


TBS

 

[bindian]

Glad you procured something else for Booger to sleep under, Sis... That clay looks like A LOT OF FUN...!!!

Jerry,
Guess you didn't know. I posted it all on the Texas thread. I had to put Booger down 2 years ago this month. He was losing weight fast and couldn't get up to eat. I took him to the Vet. She kept him for a 3 days and ran numerous test. She thought it could be 3 different things. He was given electrolytes and other expensive stuff I don't remember. I arrived thinking he would be well, but the face on the Vet said otherwise. She never could figure out what it was. Brady and I suspected poison. She never referred to anything like that. Booger was just laying flat on the floor. He wouldn't move. His eyes open wide at his name and that was all. I laid down on the floor and stared at his eyes. He was hurting and he knew it. I could see it. I also saw all the years of him being a tractor dog flash by. The Vet sugested my worst thought when I asked what would she do.
She said put him down. She left and gave me time to say my goodbyes. I laid flat on the floor for a long time, staring into his eyes and saying so many times...........I'm sorry Boogie.

We left with Booger in a donated (by the clinic) cardboard box. They were all heartbrokened also. The Big RED Beast dug his grave. All the while I had my truck CD blasting out........The Noble Men of Kyle.........by the Fightin' Texas Aggie Marching Band. It took me like 6 months to get enough motivation up to make a cross. The cross has his name and nicknames..............Boogie and Mooch. He was Boogie to me and Mooch to Brady.

First photo of Booger. Here with my Ford 3055.


Numerous photos of Booger over the years, in no particular order. He was around 13 & 1/2 years old.



Last photo of Booger.....



Photos of his Grave. For 2 years it has had a soccer ball (his favorite) by the cross. Brady and I think it is buried in the silt at the fence. In the mean time, we put one of his footballs by the cross.

hugs, Brandi

 

[JerryK]

Sorry, didn't know.... I know how much you cared for him....

 

[bindian]

Excellent, looking forward to seeing progress on all your projects Brandi!

Looks like we may have some drying days this week and hopefully back to more normal rain patterns. My tractors haven't moved in 2 weeks.

Thanks. The Mahindra has been getting a workout in the mud, mostly hauling storm debris. Some filling and grading of the driveway so we could get in and out. It's my zero turn mower getting rusty.
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

Love the excavator!!!! Are you going to put a new window in and get the AC going? or does it have AC?

Eddie,
Thanks. I love it too. You mean the windshield? It's on a sliding frame up in the overhead. Gets too hot in there. It has sliding windows in the door and on the right side. It has a windshield wiper also, but someone (before me!) raised the windshield without disconnected the electrical connection! No A/C, but a heater I haven't tried to get working. Maybe next winter.............if it is COLD.
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

Great Brandi! Looking forward to it!


TBS

Thanks Two Bit.
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

Sorry, didn't know.... I know how much you cared for him....

That's okay Jerry. I had a cry fest uploading all those photos.
I did get a pound dog..............but she kept running off. Her name was Bell, as in Blue Bell, as she reminded me of Blue Bell ice cream.
Then never came back after breaking her collar while on the cable run.


Brady got a puppy that reminded me way too much of Booger. His name was Tucker. Booger wouldn't jump up on anything, but Tucker did. Tractor, CAT, trailer, pickup............he would jump up on it, where ever he could sit or lay down. He even got up in the zero turn mower's seat!
We think the neighbors shot him, but we have no proof.

hugs, Brandi

 

[mike69440]

Re: You get attached to your dog.

My wife is a Dog Breeder. It is one of her hobbies.

Breezy Ridge GSMD - Home

I do Mutts and second chances. They make the best buddies. Just got Jake (Cross between a Doberman and a Swissy, we think?) out of his dog house, raining pretty good outside and supposedly going to get 2 inches of rain tonight.

I hope the 130 tons of gravel I just spread over the last 2 weeks packs in and just does not wash away.

PS

Please don't assume just because you can walk on it you can drive an tracked machine on it. That is true if the ground is solid and packed below the surface. Drive into quicksand with a layer of harder ground on top etc and you are in trouble. If you break through the supporting surface, it can be like ice breaking on a frozen lake. Down you will go.

 

[bindian]

Re: You get attached to your dog.

Please don't assume just because you can walk on it you can drive an tracked machine on it. That is true if the ground is solid and packed below the surface. Drive into quicksand with a layer of harder ground on top etc and you are in trouble. If you break through the supporting surface, it can be like ice breaking on a frozen lake. Down you will go.

That can happen walking. You know it's bad walking on it, when your see the ground ripple or float up and down as you walk. I stay away from that stuff. Been here 24 years. I kinda know how the lay of the land reacts to being wet.................and where to stay away from while it is wet.
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

Sunday afternoon, the Mahindra managed to pile up all the cleared and cut trees.

Then the CAT finished attacking the last two trees. These two were married together. Saturday, just before dark, I started digging 1/3rd the way around it. It filled with water as I dug. As I was cutting the trunks from the stumps, it started pouring. So I called it a day for swamp logging and retired to the shop to work on the dumptruck.
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

Friday and Saturday was dry enough to get the Mahindra in and stack the new burn pile. The CAT ripped out the stumps, after I cut the trunk and the rootball flopped back into it's hole. She even pushed the stumps over and into the burn pile. Talented, she is!

This area is where my neighbors barbed wire fence was ripped out. He moved some corral panels until the fence can be fixed. This area was were the two huge oaks were uprooted by the April 24th tornado.

I used about 1/2 gallon of diesel to get this fire going. I got it going hot just before 3/4 inch of heavy rain hit. I then cut up the rest of the oak tree tops I had laying around and fed the fire. I even moved two other piles, during the rain, to fed the hot fire. I did have fun playing in the mud!

Here is the oak trunks I saved for firewood.

hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

I didn't get much done this weekend. Mostly because of the heat, some because of a head cold. I mainly mowed, but did a little ditch cleaning and spread bermuda grass seed. Was hoping to get some rain today. But got nodda.

The pond took a lot of silt. The white is all sand that moved in. The overflow culvert has finally stopped water going through it.
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

I know he won't replace Booger, but I got a new puppy. He is 5 weeks old. Booger has been gone 2 years now. His Mom is a German Shepard K9 and his Dad is Australian Shepard. I named him Snigglefritz. I call him Fritz for short............as he is a short German. :laughing::laughing::laughing:

hugs, Brandi

 

[GLyford]

My Aussie is right at 50 lbs., if he's only 5 weeks I'm guessing he will end up a hair bigger than that. They have a ton of personality.

It looks like he is paying you lots of attention, which I hope is a good sign that he will take his cues from you.

Suspect he'll be a lot of fun...

 

[two_bit_score]

I know he won't replace Booger, but I got a new puppy. He is 5 weeks old. Booger has been gone 2 years now. His Mom is a German Shepard K9 and his Dad is Australian Shepard. I named him Snigglefritz. I call him Fritz for short............as he is a short German. :laughing::laughing::laughing:

hugs, Brandi

Nice dog Brandi, congrats!

TBS

 

[bindian]

Thanks Guys!
hugs, Brandi