Homesteading Notes

May 2005

Click here: Notes and Photos from May 2nd

In the last posting, I complained about Hamilton Supply and how they've had our brush cutter for the last 6 weeks and it still is not fixed. I had the Better Business Bureau send the form to file a complaint but Hamilton Supply did the one thing that would keep them in good graces. They complained to the manufacturer and got them to offer us a new unit. Wow. The service foreman asked that we pay a little for the repairman's efforts and that's okay. We had a little talk about the new age manufacturers and how some parts could not be replaced, duplicated or units repaired. They'd given up saying we had a brush cutter that could not be fixed. But that also means that when the new one breaks, it probably cannot be repaired. This will be another brand we will never buy again.

Waiting on a new brush cutter will mean more delay on clearing the site for the house. I don't think we can make much progress without it though. As it is, I must use old hoe and shovel to finish the garden beds. We've never been this late getting things planted. 

This was the kind of week where I couldn't find the hoe. I spent an hour today looking only to finally find it when I went to fill the puppy's water bowls. I'd moved Beau's water and used the hoe to smooth out the new spot. Right where I'd left it. I took the time to chop a bunch of the devil  bushes. They were crowding the pathways to where we could not walk through the area.  

This is the time of year when everything is finally growing and lovely shades of green. It is also a time for those little green worms. The ones that change into butterflies and moths later on. They first eat down all the tomato plants and any other baby plants they can get to. There have been a few baby grasshoppers but it does look that we may have enough tomato plants to have a good crop this year. The little worms ate almost all of the baby marigolds, they ate all of the sage. Guess that tasted really good. I had very little sage last year.

It has also been the time when the neighbor to the north of us fertilizes his pasture with ammonia. Cough, cough. They wait until the wind is from the north so it doesn't blow to their house but that just blows it on to us. The last little bit of rain did help to lessen the sickening odor. The cows are now out in the field and don't seem to mind. But it makes me really glad we don't eat any beef. 

We seldom see any Grackles, black birds that look like a skinny crow with a long tail that is flared on the end. Noise... they make unique LOUD noise. I like blue jay noise so grackles are no problem for me. I went around the corner of the house yesterday to scare up about 50 or so of them just everywhere. Eat bugs you sweet birds.

We've had a battle with a place called Hamilton Supply in Abilene, Texas. We took the brush cutter in for repair 2 months ago. They only charged $19 and said it worked just fine. It still wouldn't start so it went back. Two more weeks and they said that the almost $100 worth of repairs didn't fix the problem so they wanted to add on another $50 or better in parts and labor. The repair fellow, Boyd, has a  unique system of repair. Just change and rebuild everything until it does work. Okay, Randy calls and talks to the supervisor and they will get it working for under $100. So we wait the extra week and call. The fellow doesn't remember talking to Randy so I had to have Randy call them again. Now, it has been almost 2 more weeks. No call and I won't call them ever again.

My only way to get the gardens going without the brush cutter is by using the hoe and chopping away. Randy bought me some fancy clippers with the power gear that makes cutting easier. It's just not very easy to get down into the trench and cut down below ground level. The briar doesn't go quietly so it has been a lot of work. I keep hoping we'll get the brush cutter back and I can continue with the new garden but it doesn't look like that is going to happen. I think they are not capable of making simple repairs and we need to give it up. I already have the forms from the Better Business Bureau and have found another repair shop. We'll never ever go back to Hamilton Supply again.