Good morning!!!!

[txdon]

Good afternoon. It will stay in the 30s all day.

My mom called with a unusual task for me. One of her cows drowned ???? and is floating in the water, at the edge of their pond. Sounds like a job for the grapple if it can be reached without the front tires sinking in the mud. Since it will be dark before I get there, it will be a Saturday project. Where is my cab! Brrrr. . . Just when you think you are retired (in a snow free area) and don't need to be doing tractor stuff in the cold.

 

[newbury]

Good afternoon. It will stay in the 30s all day.

My mom called with a unusual task for me. One of her cows drowned ???? and is floating in the water, at the edge of their pond. Sounds like a job for the grapple if it can be reached without the front tires sinking in the mud. Since it will be dark before I get there, it will be a Saturday project. Where is my cab! Brrrr. . . Just when you think you are retired (in a snow free area) and don't need to be doing tractor stuff in the cold.

Reads like a job for a GRAPPLE HOOK on a long strong rope. Don't sink the tractor for a dead cow.

 

[300UGUY]

15, going down to -2 tonight. Did more demo today at the building, managed to not injure myself.... It is interesting seeing the changes that were made in the building since 1880. One thing is interesting, they apparently painted floors at one time. Seeing as how it was probably lead based, we aren't going to sand that off and refinish it.

Have a good one!!

 

[dave1949]

Good afternoon. It will stay in the 30s all day.

My mom called with a unusual task for me. One of her cows drowned ???? and is floating in the water, at the edge of their pond. Sounds like a job for the grapple if it can be reached without the front tires sinking in the mud. Since it will be dark before I get there, it will be a Saturday project. Where is my cab! Brrrr. . . Just when you think you are retired (in a snow free area) and don't need to be doing tractor stuff in the cold.

30's might be a good thing where dead cows are involved.

That is an odd chore. Good luck with it.

 

[sixdogs]

It's a bit of a mystery. There just aren't any birds to speak of hanging around. The waxwings, ravens, crows are about all I've seen. I just walked down to the mailbox--woods along both sides of the driveway--and saw not one bird. Nice, sunny day, low 20's and mild breeze.

We don't have a cat, I don't shoot much at all and never in that area. I don't think they are being chased away. They just aren't there.

North of Bangor, I used to find them in the cedars and cedar bogs in late winter. Then on the first few days of sunny and warmer early Spring weather they just showed up. Never thought about it much but figured they just hunkered down for the cold weather. I've seen partridge dive into the soft snow in the woods in late winter and stay there.

 

[dave1949]

North of Bangor, I used to find them in the cedars and cedar bogs in late winter. Then on the first few days of sunny and warmer early Spring weather they just showed up. Never thought about it much but figured they just hunkered down for the cold weather. I've seen partridge dive into the soft snow in the woods in late winter and stay there.

I think that's where they are, in sheltered areas. Black-capped Chickadees (Maine's state bird) do have a tendency to just disappear from open areas in winter, into thickets and other dense growth areas. I remember a couple years back everyone was saying "where are the chickadees?" They come back to open areas when the weather improves. They should be busy in the woods picking mites and such off the trees anyways.

I think if you have the right cover near your house and feed regularly you will see more.

I have yet to see where a partridge dove into/climbed out of the snow. I keep watching for that. We have enough soft snow now that they could. There must be a vixen in season now, there are fox tracks all over the place. Must be party time.

 

[sixdogs]

Dave--if you are sledding though the woods and see the tips of an owl's wings impression in the snow--like they were taking off--that's where they plucked a bird out of the snow. Most likely partridge. I worked my field edges for partridge development and seeing them in the snow was very common. Peculiar.

On the fox tracks, we were sledding out towards Milo and in a big open and wind swept field I saw where a fox--maybe bobcat--had walked across what might have been a light crust on the snow. Anyway, as the weather warmed and snow blew around and the freeze/thaw thing happened those tracks formed into little pillars with the track on top and the "pillars" sticking 6" or more out of the snow. Not sure what to call it but it was odd because there were probably couple hundred tracks like that across the field.

 

[txdon]

Reads like a job for a GRAPPLE HOOK on a long strong rope. Don't sink the tractor for a dead cow.

Good advice. I'll go prepared.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...class-welding-project-652366-grapplehook2-jpg

Just 30 miles north it is snowing.

 

[deerseeker001]

-4 with low tonight -14 with windchill 15/20 below.

 

[dave1949]

6F headed to -1F by morning. It was a sunny day and low 20's, the solar system cranked out 29.2 kwh, but it never got very warm feeling outside.

I cleaned up some drifts this morning that were growing across the driveway and the dog walking loop that was drifted full 2+' deep in a couple places even though it hasn't snowed recently.