CrazyGoatLady

I should have said Hydrant instead of pump. I think of it that way because of the pump handle. It drains all of the excess water out of a weep hole that is buried below the frost line. You probably already know that. I'll work on getting my terminology right! Anyway, it's saving our "you know what's" on having available water close to hand. Thanks for the info on solar heating. We have been looking into that as well and pumps or the building of one for the well also. We went from a well established farm a bit over an acre to nearly 12 wooded acres with lots of cleanup and basically wild, virgin land. The previous owner ran horses on it at one time, but many years ago and he is disabled. Still learning how and what to do in a completely different environment. Was ill prepared for this bout of icy weather

He's Boer and Spanish I know for sure. I know more of his bloodline on his dams side than the sire. I hope we aren't snowed in long enough to eat the birds... got a lot of meat in the freezer. Including a couple of hogs we took in December. I got one with a .45 colt revolver. I'm pretty proud of that

Thank you Frosty. I'll get together with Tommie and we'll figure a way to get them some warm water. You reckon for the chickens too? I don't want to speak this evil out loud, but we are forecasted two or three mornings of below zero temperatures. I don't think I've ever seen that cold in my life

Haha funny. I didn't know if you had seen this. Are the pictures of the goats visible? I got birds galore this morning. I'm gonna go broke feeding them, but I'll see to it they'll have food I have suet and nylar seed out also

Hey Frosty, I have posted a little to the Show Me Your Goats thread. I don't guess anyone has seen it or haven't commented yet. Thanks for the advice on water. This polar vortex type weather is a rarity for us so I don't usually have a lot of problems with water. I usually just have to break the top a few times a day and it's good. Now, it's freezing within 10 or 15 minutes. We installed a frost free pump in the pasture and that is one of the best things we've ever done. I would have to figure how to get hot water down there and keeping it hot. The pasture is a ways from the house. I've never heard of putting a ply wood disc in the water. Great information and great information for driving. Most people around here probably don't know how to drive in this stuff because we don't get much experience with it. 15° and its been snowing all morning. Real snow too. No sleet or frozen rain mixed up in it I feel the same way when I start complaining or feel sorry for myself. I hope your surgery goes well and I will keep you in prayer. Then you and all those grand boys can get to forging!

Oh my bad! I think I need better glasses. I zoomed in and I can see it. What lovely detail. Very beautiful. I will be sure to look more closely from now on

I use my butcher block brush and then I have a couple of the cheapo wal mart wire brushes. I got a long handled wire brush from HF, but I don't like it much. The shorter handle gives me better control on smaller pieces

Really nice work Les L. Wow! 102 years old. I look forward to seeing the frame for the picture also

Yeah it's getting hard to tell them apart. My nephew drives a metallic red '77 Chevy short bed Silverado with all black interior and beastly tires on it. It's got those old school rims that I can't recall what they are called for some reason. Anyway, sharp looking truck

This is my morning. And good morning everyone

Haha I got you. Heck I'm not a Ford enthusiast anyway. My brothers make fun of me cause I don't drive a Chevy. I'm actually a Dodge gal, but I couldn't afford a Dodge and the Ford was a good deal and a nice truck. Low miles and the price was right. I do like Chevys though. I learned to drive in my brothers '76 Chevy Silverado

Thanks! I might pick your brain. I'm always up for a conversation about any of that. I drive a Ford....haha

Hey Buck Face! Wonder what reaction I'd get out of that? HeeHee

Irondragon, ya'll were colder than us. It was 17° when I got out this morning. Sure glad you got your heat fixed. Daswulf, it's good you can keep your chicken water heated. We are on the learning curve for the new place and just scratched the surface for infrastructure. No heated anything. We have been spoiled with a very mild winter. It's gets into the 60s and 70s on a regular basis. Was not prepared because for us by this time in February, the real cold stuff is usually gone by now. Just an occasional cold few days. Maybe a late snow. Leather Bill, what kind of smithing are you into? I do mostly artistic pieces and some useful things. Nothing real technical. The coolest thing I've ever done was my first forge welds on chain links. Not pretty, but they were solid!

Hey there Bill! I hear you on this weather. It's got me hopping just trying to keep critters watered, fed and warm. I'm in North central Texas. I can't remember the last time it was this cold.

This is Molly. She will be 7 years old the end of this month. The chickens love to perch up on her back. That's Ciello the rooster. He's the most chill rooster I have ever seen. I have a new addition to the farm, but I don't have a good picture of him yet. 3 1/2 month old gorgeous little buck. Hopefully he'll make us more little bucks and does in the future. First time I've kept an intact buck in 3 or 4 years. Ok here he is. I hope y'all can see the pics. It says they loaded, but I started having a hard time figuring out getting pics to size right

Thank you guys. I feel really loved and I'm not "kidding". I just figured if I don't have any thing to add except encouragement to others, which I have been lax on, my presence here is kind of moot. But I see that I am wrong! And JHCC, just like arkie said, it's all of the above. Frosty, I didn't have any spring spronkers to show. Hopefully, I'll have some Autumn spronkers though. Thanks. Y'all have given me a good feeling in my heart

Wow. I got an email about your prayer request and wanted to respond. Then I saw this. Sorry I haven't been around and thanks for noticing my absenceI I don't have a shop set up so I don't have much to contribute to the site anymore. So I guess I just kinda fell off. Plus all the nuttiness in the world and the new place keeps me occupied. I'll try to drop in more often. I miss smithing, but it's not happening for awhile probably. I hope you can get back to it soon. I'll keep you lifted up in prayer

Mine too friend.

Really nice work! I would comment more, but my phone is about to die so I wanted to get a comment in real quick befor it does!

I don't know. Probably not much better than the expletives that came out of my mouth when I started seeing them! I ran one over with my truck and I thought it probably didn't kill it. But I found it a couple days later. That thing was about 2 ft. long. From what I read, that's pretty big for a copperhead. And yes sir. I have high boots. I wear them more often now than I ever have. Chimaera, I found a frog in the conex box where we keep the feed at this morning. Looked like the frogs in your picture. Sort of greenish gray. I saw what I thought was chicken poop. Weird since no chickens have been in there. I looked closer and it was a frog. I picked him up and he was pretty slow moving. I put him outside in the sun to maybe warm up. He didn't move much. But later on I checked on him and he was gone. I hope he's ok. No telling how long he'd been in there

Frosty, you're supposed to yell, "Hey bear!" real loud. That's what they do on tv. We have copperheads here at the new place. And tons of oak leaves that are perfect cover for them. I hardly ever saw a snake at the old place. Let alone poisonous ones like that. I was mowing trying to clean up the wild overgrowth. Came back and parked the mower. Next day, I was walking up to the mower and about had heart failure. There lay about a 14" long copperhead. Then realized it was dead and cut up. I guess it got caught up in the mower. I hope we can get this all maintained enough to cut down on those suckers come spring.

BillyBones, congratulations on the new edition! She's precious. I was cleaning out the loafing shed I'm thinking of using for my smithy the other day and I found a mummified rat in a plastic bag... made me think of your awesome little mouse. My rat would not be as cute as your mouse though Nice work from all you guys. Y'all are getting better and better all the time

I hear you. I don't know what I'd do without my critters. I might wither and die. Very nice knives. I envy you being able to forge yourself a matching set of kitchen knives. I don't think I have what it takes even though Jennifer in particular and other generous IFI'ers have gone to great lengths to try to help me. I like your work very much. I look forward to seeing your progress on the knives and all the other wonderful things you'll post here

Justin, it is a joy to follow your work. I wish I was half as good a smith as you are. The barbecue fork is killer.