The Archives - September, 2011
We're just a family following Christ, living in a ~95 year-old house out on the prairie (and yes, we do have peach trees), rearing a couple of Godly sons and all the while trying to not make the locals laugh too much at our attempts at farming. Poke around all you want and feel free to drop us a line anytime.
200,000 Miles in Eleven Years
In mid-2000, I decided that trying to run my own business did not mix so well with the regular stream of minor mechanical issues that are part of life with a 40 year old car (my 1964 VW Beetle), so I went shopping and bought a 2000 New Beetle with the TDI diesel engine (diesels were not that popular then - gas was still under $2.00).
We moved to the Middle West the next year, so my NB has spent most of its life here. It's been lightly rear-ended once (no damage), and hit a Very Large Racoon head-on which did over $6,000 of damage to the front end of the car (all repaired nicely). It's averaged in the mid-40s for fuel economy (the 416.4 miles on the trip odometer is from one tankful, and you can see I still have a ways to go before needing to fill up).
So anyway, I clicked over to 200,000 miles recently! I'm very thankful for the car, and even though it's had more reliability issues than it should have, it's turned out to be a good investment overall. I'm getting ready to rebuild the suspension, replace the exhaust system and do some other needed long-term maintenance, and with all that done, it should be good for another 5-10 years more, as long as I don't hit a deer or something larger...
2011 Corn Boil
We enjoyed having folks from my office out to the farm recently for a corn boil and day of fun on the farm. While we had all sorts of yard games set up, the kids spent most of their time hanging out with the animals in the pasture - they really enjoyed it!
End of the Road
Our older wooden structures are really starting to show their age... the old sheep/hog barn has been leaning precariously for some time, and I finally decided it needed to come down. A few tugs with a chain and the pickup were all it took. The boys stripped the tin roof and some of the better weathered barn boards, and we piled up the rest and had a huge bonfire.
The haybarn in the background will probably be the next to go. I hate that, but it would cost $30-40,000 to renovate it, and it's just not worth the expense (not to mention I don't have the cash!). Hopefully it will hold out until 2014, when it will be 100 years old.
Bether and Me
Ya'll drop us a line when you can, now!