Wow!

I so often hear tales about lousy customer service. This morning I can say that I will brag about customer service! 

I called regarding the skid steer. 

I called the place we purchased skid steers over the years and talked to the Service Manager. He aske me some questions.
Did I check connections?
Was I sure it was just the battery?
What did we use the skid steer for?

I finally understood what he was getting at and I just got honest with him. I said I'd tried charging the battery and it wouldn't take a charge.
I don't know enough about wiring and told him so.
I said we use it every few weeks but needed it now to help fix the washouts on the driveway and to dig a hole.

I told him we didn't use it daily like other farmers who were feeding stock or cleaning feed yards. We used to, but not any more.

He said he'd call back with something regarding a schedule.

I decided it wasn't worth my time and headed out the door to take care of a few things. I felt dumb and stupid for not knowing the technical answers to the questions this guy asked of me. I suppose he thought I was a dumb woman. Of course I had told him this:

If it has an engine and doesn't start? I call a mechanic.
If it is a mule, horse, donkey, or dog, I can train it and handle it. Machines and I don't get along.

When I got back to the house, Rich said somebody called Seth was going to come out after work with a battery. He'd stop in on his way home.

I was flabbergasted.

So the Service Manager that had taken my call showed up around 7pm in his personal vehicle and toted a battery out of the back. He installed it and fired up the skid steer while chatting casually with us.

He explained that his service department has 9 techs and work for 25 techs. Our service call would have been extended to 3 to 4 weeks. He thought if it was a simple fix, he'd drop by with a new battery and we'd go from there.

He wasn't charging us for his time and he agreed that our driveway was rather 'rough'.

He spent another hour with us when I asked him about Rich's desire to have a brush hog attachment to mow pastures with. He brought in his work laptop and explained what would work for mowing a 72" swath across our rather weedy pastures. Rich thought he'd rather have a finishing mower than one that handled heavy brush. 

Seth instructed me to get a Battery Tender for the times we are not using the skid steer. This sounds like a win-win situation.

So Seth, went above and beyond to help out a customer. Amazing, right?

If we get the brush mower thingy, it will be something Rich can do and help me out immensely. Will he be able to do it forever? Probably not, but he can teach me and that makes that machine a bit more useful and solves most of my icky weed problem.

Hey, better than using the old fashioned 6 foot scythe I'd been using!

Here is a photo of one the pastures that is more open and level out back. This was in May before the weeds took over. My whacking with a weed whacker or scythe has been like putting tape on a hole on a ship on the ocean.

Catching up

Monday was my day for a lesson in how to administer a shot with the Osteoporosis medicine. 

First, let me say that the very idea of giving myself a shot daily was really not my idea of any kind of fun. I used to be deathly afraid of needles, but bearing children cured me of that.

So onward I bravely went to my appointment. Just about when I got there my Tire Pressure thingy went off with a little ding. I read the pressure on the tires and was alarmed to see 9 pounds difference in my front tires. 

Compound the stress of thinking about a shot and having to park in an underground garage that reminded me of all those movies ... where either a monster comes out or guys with blazing guns blow stuff up. Ewww.

My tire looked a bit low. So I decided that after the appointment I'd drive the half mile over to the dealer and get it looked at.

The nurses asked if I was nervous and I said "Not as nervous as I am regarding the low tire pressure!" 

The needle is so tiny! It is a micro needle and the hardest part of the whole thing was using the alcohol swab to clean my tummy. 

I left the dark, scary underground garage and pulled into the dealership. The service guy was nice and explained that there would be a wait for the lift. Next he told me [an hour later after watching the Drew Barrymore show 👎 ] that I had a faulty Tire Valve. In fact all of them were faulty but not bad. 

I smiled and asked him if it was the same valves as we replaced about 6 months ago. 

That through him for a loop. But I have to give the kid credit. He was polite and took care of replacing the faulty leaky one right away. I told him my appointment for 36K miles was next Monday and we'd address all the issues with the TPM system. 

I had to stop at the grocery store to pick up some pizza and milk on the way home. 
Jeeze. Don't you know it? Someone bumped into my front right bumper and bent the heavy rubber plastic around the fog light. 

Smacking forehead...

Tuesday was so bright and full of sunshine, but cold. I had to finish cleaning up the indoor pony pen and eeeks...drive the skid steer with its bucket full and dump it!

I braved that and then decided to get the old 4 wheeler out of winter storage. I put in the battery and got the old bird started. I noted that the front tires were soft.

I got out the Air Stick Thingy and tested the tires! No pressure! I got it to the Air Filler Up Thingy ... lo and behold. I got the tires filled correctly.

There was no stopping me now! It is pictured below just before I washed it. I filled the cart up twice with sticks and branches from the yard and drove it out to my brush piles.

I looked around at finding a UTV and I decided to forget it. I could replace my Subaru Outback for the cost of one right now and everywhere I looked the used ones were very pricey and new ones were all on back order.

After we were done with the yard work, I unhooked the cart and took Charlie for a nice little ride out back and around. He loves riding the 4 Wheeler. We go slow and enjoy ourselves.

Our CrossFit gym is doing a special summer class for Mobility and Balance. I sent off a message to get information on it. I do much better with daily exercise if I am with others. I do fine hiking on my own, but social exercise is a bonus for me.

Tires and engines. I really don't like them very much. But I feel that I accomplished a lot by driving the skid steer and getting the 4 wheeler ready for spring. Next up? I suppose the rider mower? EEEEKS!

I'm my own Hero

 Ahhh, the skid steer saga once more. I am mechanically dis-inclined. If things don't work, I toss up my hands and walk away. An engine is a mystery to me that I'm not even curious enough to investigate.

Since we had the episode last week of the skid steer not starting again, hubby said that he wanted me to go out and put the battery charger on it and to hook up the engine heater thingy.

I did find the battery and I did hook it up though it was a scary place inside the battery compartment. It is hard to see in there and basically I'm rather afraid of batteries.
My father always told us they'd blow up. Guess that stuck with me.

I recall the tech guy saying that I should charge it on the slower setting rather than the fast one.  I should put it on a maintenance trickle charger or just make sure to use it every so many days. All this I explained to hubby who said I was full of bunk.

So I went out and did it the way the tech told me to. It took two days [I didn't leave it charging overnight ~ it is parked near our huge bales of hay]. 

I got it started! I let it run long enough to warm everything up and then shut it off. I plan on using it this week to fill the bucket with manure from the two nights Little Richard spent in his stall and to fill it with the goat's old bedding. Once the driveway is no long mud-mush, I'll dump it in the huge compost pile.

I've run this thing before but it has been a while. I'd rather hubby feel good enough to use it. I really think it is too much machine for the piddly jobs I have around here. 

However, getting it running was a huge relief and I crossed off one big worry for the moment.

To celebrate, I put on my YakTraks and decided to see what the rain, snow and freeze did to the creek area.

The water did flow from the neighbor's pasture and run into the creek. In some places small dams were created by dead leaves.

I decided to sit and listen to the forest. What could I hear? I heard a chickadee, a bluejay, a hawk, and something walking on the land above the creek. It wasn't a human, perhaps it was a squirrel, coyote, or deer.

I just waited.

Now I should have had a long lens, but I didn't. But there was a deer! 
[Click on the picture to enlarge it]

Can you see the doe? She is almost so well camouflaged that I put an arrow on the photo pointing to her face.

It was a doe and a yearling! They must have smelled me or seen me move and off they went.

So happy little dance for me. I got the scary machine started and I saw some wildlife.

I think I need to make myself a superhero cape.
 

Just be quiet

Listen to silence

it has much

to say...

~Rumi

I'm in a philosophical mood today. Yesterday was quite the flop. Hubby needed to get out and run his skid steer and I got out his muck boots and walked out with him. I helped him climb into the skid steer and held his 02 backpack.

He hit the button and it wouldn't start. The maintenance guy had told me to start and use it every two to three weeks. I know I should have gone out and done it myself last week, but I met with fierce resistance from the other half.  He has forgotten that I used the skid steer for a year while he was recovering from his stroke and pulmonary emboli. 

I helped him get out of the skid steer and we headed back towards the house. He barely made it even with his little oxygen pack. I opened the door and with muddy boots and all, he collapsed on the couch while I hooked up the concentrator. I stuck the oximeter on his finger and watched as his 02 came up from 77 and his heart rate evened out.

He then instructed me to put the skid steer on a charger and get it fired up.  I am not comfortable about doing things like that and he is not up to it.

I then wondered why on earth are we even keeping that piece of machinery? Why not sell it and or trade it in for a UTV? 

I know how the discussion would go anyway. He is not ready to let it go. And who am I to discourage it? He feels he can still do stuff. 

I did suggest that he do more walking in the house than sitting and watching hours of TV so that he could get the ability to walk out to the shed to use his riding mower.

That was met with a look of distain and crossed arms.

So I decided to be quiet and not say anymore. If I can get that sucker running again, I'll just start it up and deal with it.

Eventually, I'll get things sorted. But for peace in the house, I decided to remain quiet.

His brain says he can, his body says no and he is fighting that idea. After all, wouldn't we all?

I put on my muddin' boots and headed out to take a short walk. 

The chickadees were singing. The crow called out, and a red tail hawk swooped over the meadow.

Listen to silence...
well there really wasn't any sounds of silence...

but I listened to the forest and it helped...

Welcome to March

The Skid Steer is...

BACK!

Well, it was here all the time but it is now back together and operable.



Ohhh what a good feeling. Justin helped, well...Justin did the work and I was the tool go-fer. Poor Justin, he asked for a particular type of tool and I brought back the 'thingies' I thought he wanted. I actually got it right most of the time and what a pleasant surprise. He didn't get frustrated.

I guess that is the difference between husband and wife teams.... and the old lady neighbor and the kind young neighbor man. 
Lauren and I laughed about that phenomenon and decided that if we the wives...broke something, we should ask the other spouse to help fix it.

Justin was having a hard time getting the metal tracks back on, we kept falling short by less than an inch. Justin suggested letting some air out of the tires.
How brilliant. We had it put back together in no time and parked safely in the shed. All of the tires had been low and was probably the cause of the issue in the first place.
Live and learn.

Of course Rich still insists that I was the culprit and remains quite touchy about the subject. Even when Justin explained that the other tires only had 30 psi of air in them when they should have 60, he would not relent.

Very low tire pressure will pop the bead off with side pressure from the metal tracks. However that pure and simple explanation wouldn't work and Rich just got more agitated.

I know this is frustration on Rich's part of not having the desire or the ability right now to get out and climb in 'his' favorite piece of equipment.

He even got angry and started yelling at me after supper when I asked if I should add diesel fuel additive. He slammed his hands on the table making his supper dishes rattle and grabbed his cane and oxygen, exiting the kitchen and sat down in front of the screen to watch his current binging program.
Some days it is like living with a bi polar person gone off the rails.

An hour later, he seemed to have forgotten all about it.

Winter Skidsteer Polar Vortex Storm

Well, that should cover just about all of it. At least what I am thinking about this morning.
Winter.
Well there it is. Winter is here. I would have preferred the snows without the storms and predicted subzero temperatures.

It was -25 F and calm yesterday morning. The sunrise was beautiful with purples and pinks. By 9AM it was only 14 below [well, that is what my smarty pants phone said as we no longer have an outdoor thermometer...which I will fix today..]. I did chores and Charlie went with me for part of the time. I must say, he is a sturdy little dog. But he is young too.
Dixie didn't want to come out of her hay bale igloo in the shed. I poked my head in there and it was pretty warm. 

By mid afternoon I got a text from Justin. He said he wanted to come down and put the skid steer tire on. 
Well we got the tire on. However, in order to put the tracks on, we needed to start it and lift it with the bucket and set it down...well, I won't bore you with the details but all of the rest of the work hinged on starting the skidsteer. 

I had it plugged in. It wouldn't start. We figured it was the battery. I'd recalled that Rich had said at one point that he probably would need a new one? Rich didn't recall that. 
His memory is fuzzy about most things these days. The last time he was in the shed he was frustrated because 'something' wasn't there that he had put there. I found the items in his truck later and told him ... well, that didn't go so well either.

[I have to keep recalling that Rich's anger that get's directed at me is not really his normal. It is the frustration, the pain, the feeling of helplessness from all of his illnesses that he can only express his frustration in the tone of anger. He used to be able to stomp out to the shed and fix everything himself. Not any more.]

Anyway.

The conclusion was we'd have to wait for better weather. Justin could open the battery compartment and charge the battery and we could finish the job. But it would be a while. 

Justin promised to plow us out during the next storm. He wouldn't take any payment, relaying that when they needed help, I was always there and I took care of all of their chores when they went on vacations. Even up.

So the skidsteer is stuck right there in the way. I can't get the big old truck out to get small square bales, but I have the monster bales to use.

It looks like a very cold wintry week coming up. 

And the Vortex is coming!

The Skidsteer saga continues. I told Justin at this point I'd rather hire someone to plow this winter. I'd get the skidsteer parked and send it in come spring time to get overhauled or just sell it.

Next Saturday it looks like it may get up close to 30 degrees. That will be the day to start the skid steer, charge the battery and finish putting the tracks back on it. 

For today, I'm getting the usual things in town and then parking the 'Ru in a spot to make it easier for Justin to plow after the storm. 
One day at a time.