[AT] Pumpkins galore

[Mike Sloane]

They tell me that the leaves are turning up in the Buffalo area, 
Charlie. We had our first frost here in NW NJ last night. I had cut the 
grass near the wetlands across from the barn with the Int. 240U 
yesterday, and this morning it was sheet of white. But none of the 
higher elevations showed any sign of frost. It was 34° when I went up to 
the village for Sunday papers, but they say it will be in the low 70s by 
this afternoon. The walnut trees are shedding their leaves, but we had 
NO walnuts this year, which is the opposite of the last few years. The 
maple trees are just starting to turn, and I will be getting out the gas 
leaf blower that I dragged home from town clean-up in April. It wouldn't 
start when I got it (which explains why it was being thrown out), but I 
found out that the backing plate on the crankcase was loose (resulting 
in no vacuum to pull the fuel through to the combustion chamber). I 
tightened the screws, put it all back together, added some fuel/oil, and 
it fired right up.

I don't usually bother to fuss with the antifreeze in the tractors that 
are only used in the summer. If they don't pass the test, I just drain 
them out into 5-gallon pails for the Winter, then fill them back up in 
the Spring. That is probably not the recommended practice, but it works 
for me.

Mike

On 10/10/2010 8:26 AM, Charlie V wrote:
> As of this morning, fall is officially here.  The temperature at dawn
> was 31.1 degrees F. and Jack Frost had a very busy night.  Unlike many
> areas not too far away, there is not more than 10-15 % color change in
> most of the trees.  I suspect the next few days following this freeze
> will be a different picture with full color.  Due to the memorable
> weather for crops, harvests have been two to three weeks earlier than
> normal and very abundant.  The only crops still in the fields are what
> I think are soy beans and the not quite dry corn.  Some fields of corn
> still show faint green in the lower half of the stalks.  My lawn has
> made three to four inches of new growth every week through July,
> August , September and October thus far, and unlike some, I do not
> feed it with any fertilizer. Too bad lawn is not a cash crop rather
> than a debit venture.  With 3 1/2 inches or new rain this last week,
> some of my areas have standing water and will not be mowed for another
> day or two.
>
>
> Speaking of cash crops, this year has pumpkins by the hundreds.  The
> crop was fully ripe by late September (again two to three weeks
> early).  Driving along the roads there are numerous farms and
> vegetable stands that typically may have fifty or so pumpkins out for
> sale to the Halloween trade.  This year, entire front yards are a sea
> of orange, just filled with pumpkins.  It is a sight to see and
> remember.
>
> On another topic, I can not remember adding any water to any of the
> tractors this summer.  However, just in case I have a dose of CRS, it
> is about time to do the walk past 10 or 12 radiators with the
> antifreeze tester and confirm that all is well.  With memory not being
> infallible, I prefer " better safe than sorry".
>
> Charlie V. on the Eastern side of Western New York.
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