anndody

Here is the piece de resistance of john deere tractor love... I wanted to post it for you all to enjoy. I filmed it when I first bought my John Deere a few years ago. Here is the word on tractors: If you are moving to an "acreage", you need what they call in the industry an "estate tractor". Don't be like me, starting out on an el cheapo "Markmaster" tractor... Your life will be a living hell, if you get one of these cheap, mass-produced "lawn tractors"- trust me!! Let's say you're beyond that: "I believe I'll get a John Deere (or Cub Cadet, or Simplicity, Ariens, Sabre, or any other department store LAWN tractor)- if it's a major brand, I'll be fine!" Wrongo. Too small, too wimpy, too underpowered, too WEAK. "OK" you say. "I'll go the MAJOR route, and get a big, expensive, major-sized garden tractor!! Then, I can use the PTO, and run other attachments, and do all I need to do on my multi-ac...

Here is a great recipe, as featured in Cooke's Illustrated magazine this month. I guarantee you will like the results you will get, and the versatility afforded by using variations of this dough recipe: You can grill it in a pan (thicker crust), directly on the grill (make these really thin), or in the oven during the long Winter months. This is the first time I used this recipe- it turned out great!! Here is the ingredient list: 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 2/3 cup room temperature water 1 1/4 tsp. table salt 1 1/2 tsp yeast 1 1/4 tsp sugar 5 T. virgin olive oil 1 tsp. Kosher salt 2 T. whole fresh rosemary leaves, optional You need a stand mixer for this recipe- don't argue, it's just too wet of a dough to knead by hand. You need a Kitchenaid mixer anyway, if you want to attend Deere J's kitchen and how- to classes- just get one!! NOW! Mix the above ingredients together, reserving the sugar and yeast for last: sprinkle them on top. Mix on low to medium for about 1...

Here is what I did yesterday... all afternoon! I've got a few acres of woods, and many of the trees are now in need of being culled- dead trees, scrubby ugly troll-trees, lots of dead limbs, and... well, you get the picture: too many BAD trees! I got out the old John Deere chainsaw, and fired 'er up! I enjoy cutting trees, limbing them, and then "bucking up" the logs into sections. What I don't particularly like is picking up all the limbs, and transporting them into brush piles, and then loading all the logs into a trailer, and conveying them into my log pile by the campfire...but it's got to be done. I'm still sore! All over, since loading, dragging, and then again unloading whole trees is heavy, daunting work. But, as I see it, one reason we exercise is to have strong, functional, full-body fitness. And work like this is "the proof of the pudding"- you can either do it, or you can't. The wood could care less if you can run a "sub...

I live a vintage life. From the 100 year old farm house my wife and I live in, to my 45 year old Ford F100 green pick-up truck, the past is my day to day reality. Even the dog, Charlie, at fourteen and a half years, is nearly an antique! (Please note I spared my wife a similar comparison.) Seriously though, there's a lot of work and maintenance that goes into the upkeep of our farmhouse and various vehicles, including a JeepCJ5 and an old John Deere tractor. But it's satisfying work and it recaptures an era that should never have ended in the first place! Here in our valley in Wisconsin, we manage to hang on to that time when the pace was slower and life was simpler. At 55, I'm only a week away from my official retirement date as a mailman, but I plan to keep working for a few more years. Hey, I want my daughter to get the best education she can at the best college I can afford! In a sense, I think of myself as already retired... but working! Let me explain: No long...