Mad Dash to Winter

Late fall is a scramble here at the farm. Everything has the same deadline, the same super priority and the same penalty for not beating the cold, blustery, snowy weather. The penalty is usually way more work than you would have to do if you could complete the project while the weather was good or (my personal favorite) you get to go out in the cold, blustery, snowy weather and complete the project. The best part of working outside in the middle of winter is there is almost no discernable progress at the end of the day. Sometimes depending on the amount of snow or ice, things actually go backwards. So I try very, very hard to get everything done that we can while the weather is with us.

Currently, we are trying to get the gravel bank opened up and usable. This would be easier if the gravel bank weren't (as the name implies) on the side of a hill. Our dump truck is sporting four bald tires on the back where the rubber meets the road or should meet the road if there were any rubber. Couple that with rain every few days and the truck can find a dip or incline a transit would have trouble dectecting. Before you know it, you've blocked off the woods road to the gravel pit for the winter or perhaps the first dry spell next summer or maybe forever.