The Peach Business

 And other fuzzy occupations

       Every year, the Goodwife has a one day peach business, delivering peaches to our neighbors in Kansas. It used to be that we would meet the orchard’s van in Limon, transfer the peaches to our pickup, and haul to Atwood. 

    The business outgrew our vehicle, so now the grower delivers all the way to Kansas.  The Goodwife also has a partner, Sylvia, who takes care of the advertising and taking orders at her Garden Center.  So now, we show up to unload and distribute the fruit, collect the money, and beat the check she wrote for the peaches to the bank.

    Some of the boxes got soaked as the deliverers ran into the only rain in the country near Burlington.  Normally, that wouldn’t matter because they use a van.  But this year

    Oh well, all ended well, except the three boxes we ordered had to be used to fill late orders.  So we picked up our allotment in Limon at Heritage Days, where the orchard manned a stand.

     Meanwhile, back to the ranch.  Still waiting for rain, time to do some watering and rearranging.

     The trees are in the tires—wind protection.

      The piano that couldn’t get through the March snowdrifts got moved. 

       Here it comes out of the garage. 

        And into the shop.

 

      The poor old thing spent 30 years in WM's basement waiting to be restored.  No bets on how long it has to stay here.  The farmhand came off the tractor and the tractor back into the shop where it will have to be retimed.  That can wait.  On to other priorities.
     

      The grain drill needs a lot of work, new tires first off.

     This must be the McDonald’s hamburger of the pocket gopher world.  One other tire was chewed off completely except for the bead, which is full of wires.  Of the four tires, two were undamaged and aired up just fine.

      They are rather old-fashioned size, 6.00—16.  They are still available for implements.  Idea!  The Ford tractor has the same size tires and could use new ones.  The old ones on the Ford would work just fine on the drill.

    The Denver Boot comes to the farm?  No.  Just cheap blocks,

 while the Ford rims visit the tire-changing machine.  Did I mention it was about 100 degrees while I was doing this?  Just grab one of those bars in the right foreground. 

     An hour of files, grinders, and wire brushes, a spray paint can, and we're ready for new tires.     The job is still in progress. 

      Time to drop everything and go to the county fair to shave ice.