Heard on a local radio station: ~"In a perfect world, Elvis would still be alive and all of the impersonators would be dead. "~
In my opionion, we are being picked on. The news said it was about zero degrees this morning in Omaha. And just 50 miles north of there our car thermometer said it was -18 degrees here on the big bottom. The big bottom being the six or seven miles of flat bottom land between the Missouri River and the hills. The base of the hills is where Tekamah was settled back in the mid 1850's. I was driving Miss Marilyn as I am want to do on winter mornings when she needs to traverse to Blair to pick up dogs.
Juli was going to put the kids on the school bus and come down to the home place and start hauling corn to Blair. The truck was loaded, plugged in, and ready to go. It stalled half way up our lane. Jelled up. A term given to the jelly like, (parafin base) substance that developes in diesel tanks on really cold days. It can't make it through the filters and clogs them. I thought adequate precautions had been taken to avoid this but I guess not.
Now 7 hours later I have the truck running and warming the fuel tanks in my shop. Cold weather does this kind of thing to farmers. It changes priorities. What started out as plans to move 4 or 5 thousand bushels of corn the 25 miles from here to Blair soon became a goal to some how get the truck back to the shed. 80,000 pound trucks are hard to tow on ice covered snow which is what we have. I got it running once and got it half way home. I then was able to tow it to within 80 feet of the first plug in you come to when entering the farmstead. The brakes locked up on the cold truck.
I started my knipco heaters blowing under the hood and two hours after that it would run well enough to let me drive the rest of the way to the shop.
Tomorrow will be a better day. Right?
If you are planning on attending Blogstock '08 please email me and put the word 'Blogstock' in the Subject: line. My email address is in my profile. We are beginning to make plans. I will develope a BS list (tee hee) from the emails so that we can make sure no one is left out.
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25 comments:
All this complaining you're doing means it really MUST be awfully cold there.
I had to go grab a jacket part way through reading this post. THAT'S how cold it is where you are!!
I feel for you all living there on the frozen tundra.
I'm about to die here as our days have not been getting out of the 40's lately.
It would feel like the tropics to you if you were here.
You & Marilyn would be slathering on suntan lotion and wearing shorts and tank tops and taking strolls around the block and commenting on how warm it was.
Meanwhile, I'd be bundled up with several layers including hat, scarf, and gloves, and that'd be just to go get the mail!!
:-)
A BS list? How perfect!
All I can say is, if ya want a good BS list give the job to an artist!!
You know me too well Peter.
Cliff
Sounds cold. Not like the balmy 24 we got to today.
I will try to attend blogstock. Should I invite Char?
Ralph
I am now thoroughly convinced that I could never live where it snows! I would have NO CLUE how to deal with a real winter!
i dont think spring is ever gonna get here..
ever..
remind me agian when blogstock is..cause i would LOVE 2 come with the fam..
Hi Cliff -- I remember those cold days up there. When we visited once the temp never got above zero for over a week!
I wouldn't know the first thing about ungelling the fuel lines and filters. My cousin said don't use biodesiel in cold winter.
I'm e-mailing for Mrs. Jim, Adi, and me, to come to Blogspot '08.
Thank you to you and Ralph.
..
ok i totally forget when blogstock is? can you let me know cuz i would love to bring the family but remember no golfing for the hubby or none of us will see you and ralph cuz my hubby will have you out 24/7!! lol
i feel horrible that i have been complaining how cold it has been here after reading your post. i don't miss that cold in ohio at all, now that i have moved i am totally spoiled and hate the cold period!! hope today goes better for you and your plans work out!
Cliff!!
I couldn't live there! :(
I hope it gets better soon for all of you.
Junie
Cliff,
I can truly relate to everything that you wrote. It also makes me glad that I am in Houston right now.
Have a big cup of cocoa and then go back outside again late March. Hibernation is the only cure.
Stay warm!
This Colorado native is missing the snow and the cold. I'm sick of the rain here in England!
Hey, the wonderfully witty and brilliant comment I posted last night didn’t save.
My lands Cliff. I hope you have double sets of long handles on, otherwise you might freeze off something you need. Last night it got into the single digits which is just plain too darn cold. Today it warmed up around 40 which is so much nicer!
I'm sorry you had all that trouble with the truck, but you knew exactly how to handle it.
You know that I plan to come to blogstock, WHICH IS THE 4th OF JULY FOLKS!! Some people just don't pay attention to important things do they? So go ahead and put me on the BS list.
Yes Rachel, you've been added to the BS list..... the other one.
It would be real cool to go to BLOGSTOCK...especially since I missed out on "WOODSTOCK" all those years ago!
But we're way down here in Florida so it seems an impossible dream! :(
Sure would love to meet some of the neat folks I've come to know through blogging!
(just daydreaming here...)
Junie Rose
Cliff, I decided there aren't enough layers to spend much time outdoors. I've always admired a guy who knows how to fix things - even at 18 below.
I always notice on the morning news that Tekamah is usually 5 degrees cooler than the rest of Northeast Nebraska. What's up with that?
It's been in the 40's here but today it will be up in the 60's. This is when I am grateful that I live in Texas.....Good luck with all that cold....
cliff now your not alone, ralph is showing signs of alziehmers too. check out his post!! lol
Love the quote *snicker* Hate the cold.
It's cold here and I'm just waiting for spring, as patiently as I can.
Good luck with your bs list.
Cas
Cliff ~ (Or should I say)... the new Max Yasgur? ~ It is more than obvious to me that Farming is NOT for sissys! But then again neither is having a Blogstock.
Do you think we could get a CD of Jimi Hendrix delivering his historic performance, which featured his highly-regarded rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner", a solo improvisation which became a defining moment of the 1960s to play at Blogstock? I was in Vietnam for the other one. I can just see all of those tents going up now! Just a thought! SEEMS appropriate to me for the FOURTH! Count me in with or without Jimi! ~ jb///
Here's some of my "hot air" to decrease those temps for you all!
Warning: Use sunglasses to shade yourself from the photo on my blog.
hmmm - well, it's no BS that I'm an artist, but I'm not sure I should be saying anything...I definitely know what I should not draw!
Alright! Stupid question, what is blogstock and where will it be? I tried to go look at your website about it and it would not let me in. Soooo, you need to tell me before I decide if I want to come.
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