I’ve had these kinds of days before. The day usually starts out on good footing. Today, for example. I was able to get the to get the town job work and other minor things done in the morning and started on the day’s farm work. After about an hour of steady getting things put away for the winter, I was thinking I’m really not getting that much done. That was my first mistake.
An energy pulse from the universe said, “He thinks he’s not getting anything done, we’ll show him what that really means!”
#1 Failure: Yesterday we tested out the chick brooder we bought at the auction, and to my surprise, it worked wonderfully – even the small red bulb under the brooder worked – the thermostat worked and was even linked to an exterior white bulb that lit up when the heating element was on and went off when the heating element cycled off – pure luxury. Since we didn’t get new laying hens, ours are 2-3 years old and really slowing down, so we ordered some laying hen chicks (pullets) set to arrive tomorrow. So I moved the brooder to the brooding building, set up a cardboard shelter around it to keep drafts out and even made a partial roof.
Then the brooder never warmed up. Eventually I turned it over to see if I could see what was wrong – and either due to moving it or energizing the heating element caused it to break. Fortunately our neighborhood electrician was parked nearby in an empty grain truck, waiting for a load from the combine in the adjacent field. I asked him if there was a special way to mend a semi-coiled heating element.
He told me where to go at his place to get the tools and connectors to fix it while he got loaded and dumped his truck in town. I retrieved the tools, but the wire was just too old and brittle and kept breaking whenever we tried working with it. So, that meant dragging it out and trying scrounge up working heat lamps, bulbs and necessary extension cords and a different enclosure.
#2 Failure:Â A couple of weeks ago I needed to put a new catalytic converter in on of the cars after the check engine light went on. The light went away, but now it’s back. I’m afraid it might have been the sensor and not the converter that was bad.
#3 Failure: The blower fan on the corn stove gave up the ghost. Needs a new one and will need some new wiring as well. It’s something I can do, but have to wait for the part to arrive in the mail.
#4 Failure:Â One of the tractor tires was low, so I was going to start it up and move it to the air compressor. I turned the key and pressed the silver start button and the starter cranked away weakly and I release the button and turned the key off, but the tractor kept trying to start and after about 45 seconds of cranking, the battery died. First step was trying to recharge the battery, but the battery freaked out the chargers, so something was amiss. By this time daylight was fading, dinner wasn’t even a thought and the kids were ready to be picked up at the bus.