The Horse Trader's Son

Heidi awaits judgement

Royal Oak is requiring a family to euthanize or re-home their dog because of an accidental head butt of a stranger, as an alternative to prosecuting the accident as some kind of dog attack. This is ridiculous and will be heart-breaking if they go through with it. Please sign this petition, it only requires a first and last name so its very quick. Since the dog in question is a Doberman, I can’t help but think that this is just breed discrimination.

Time is of the essence to save Heidi’s life. A final decision on Heidi’s fate will be made on February 9th, 2012.

Petition: http://www.saveheidi.com/limesurvey/index.php?sid=73841&lang=en

More Info: http://www.saveheidi.com/

Living on a farm, you get used to having to fix stuff from time to time.  Fences need mending, tractors and hay equipment need maintenance, plus the normal household items that need attention periodically.

Lately however we’ve been going through a rash of failures.  The electric fence charger, my son’s Silverado, our furnace, the wheel-horse mower, even the relatively new 360-degree mower all failed more or less simultaneously.

I’m normally fairly handy, but most of these failures proved resistant to my run-of-the-mill diagnostic efforts.  With the furnace, the problem is usually either the little vacuum pressure sensor or pre-circulation fan.  These were fine.  No ignition, although the circuit to the igniter was getting the full voltage, so I replaced the igniter.  Still no ignition.  Turns out there is a”limiter” switch on the side of the firebox that had to be reset, but I didn’t discover that until about my 5th day into the project.  My regular furnace guy (Ron Chevrette – great guy) was out of State.  Fortunately we’ve been facing moderate temperatures lately.

When a vehicle turns over but won’t start, you start looking for either the lack of fuel or the lack of spark.  I start by shooting a little starting fluid into the carb.  If that works, then I assume lack of fuel is the problem.  That didn’t work.  Spark check revealed that I wasn’t getting any spark.  But, since I had the services of my buddy Tim, who is a trained mechanic, we took a look at the injectors too.  Guess what?  No spark and no fuel injection! Called another mechanic friend – no idea what single component could fail to cause both a lack of spark and fuel.  A search through some Internet forums has me leaning toward an ignition module.  We’ll work on it again tonight.

The 360 degree mower was an easy fix – something was caught up in a belt or something – all I did was spin the motor by hand backwards, something came free, and now it starts and runs fine.  The Wheel Horse is a different matter.  The starter is supposed to “throw out” a bendix, which engages the flywheel and starts the engine.  It doesn’t throw out.  Fully charged the battery, even hooked up jumper cables from the truck, no go.  Replaced the starter, the new one does the exact same thing.  Note that they both work on the bench, but won’t throw out when installed in the mower.  Can’t find a short in the wiring, already cleaned the ground connections.  I’m still stuck for the answer to this one.

The usual suspects on fence chargers are either broken wires hitting the ground somewhere, or the capacitor (which is exactly the same as a flasher unit from a car).  The capacitor is working fine.  My wife and I walked the entire length and width of the pasture multiple times over the course of 2 weeks.  We cut down any weeds that even looked like they wanted to touch the wire.  We replaced rusty sections of the fence.  No matter what we did, the horses leaned into the wire, knocked down fence boards, broke down posts, and basically ignored the electric fence as if it weren’t there at all.

I had a short section of insulated wire that ran underground from the barn to the fence itself.  Turns out that was shorting through the insulation directly to ground.  Finally, one more problem resolved.

The one good thing is that I’ve been able to order parts cheaply on Amazon Parts Finder. I’ve saved quite a bit on the parts for the furnace, the starter for the Wheel Horse, and shocks and struts for my wife’s Saturn Vue. Yes, this is an affiliate link, but I wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t true.

Helmets and Beer for all. Credit: Red Frog Events/Warrior Dash

Well, after signing up for the Michigan Warrior Dash about 6 weeks ago, I thought I’d give an update on my progress toward my goal of even being able to finish “3.3 hellish miles.”  Most of my work has been with our new treadmill, a Gold’s Gym 480 Trainer from Walmart (click the link to see my review of this treadmill).

The treadmill has 8 pre-set workouts.  1-4 are “weight loss” workouts, 5-8 are “performance” workouts, designed to improve cardio-vascular fitness.  Since I was less concerned about weight-loss, I decided to start with #5, the easiest of the performance workouts.  ”Easiest” is a relative term, as I could not even complete this one.  After 14 minutes (all the workouts are 30 minutes in length) I had to cancel the workout and drop to manual mode, where I finished at a relatively easy pace of 3.4 miles per hour with no incline.

After that, I started working through the weight loss workouts, starting at number 1, which was easy.  The weight-loss workouts implement a pair of 1 lb dumbbells, and the treadmill signals you when to pick them up and when to put them down.  A few days later I completed #2, also fairly easy.   After a few more days (my schedule is to train 3 days per week) I completed workout #3, which was a little challenging but presented no trouble.  Finally, I got to #4, which completely kicked my butt, but I was able to finish it.  I decided to stick with this one for a while.

After about a month on number 4, I’ve noticed definite improvements.  I can finish the workout now without being completely wiped out.  The top speed on this workout is 4 mph, so I’ve started adding a few minutes at a medium jog (for me) of 7 mph, and can get through about 1/3 mile at this pace.  I’ve also lost nearly 5 lbs, going from 114 to 109 with no other conscientious changes in diet or lifestyle.  I’m almost ready to try to tackle workout #5 again, although I’m almost dreading that.

I still can’t climb the rope in the barn straight up, but I can use it to climb into the hay loft “batman” style, by walking up the stall wall.  I haven’t been able to climb a rope free-style since high school, but hope to achieve this goal by July.  We’ll see.

Why am I doing this?  For the beer.  And the viking helmet.  And the glory.  But mostly for the beer.

Every year we tell ourselves that this is the year we get back in shape.  This year we’ll start working out again, start running / walking / swimming – whatever we do for exercise – again.  For me it’s usually “this is the year I get back into Karate.”

Most of the time we start the year out with good intentions, but for many (myself included) life seems to get in the way.  The pressures of work, kids going to away to college, events at the high school, getting the hay crop in before it rains, etc.  There just always seems to be something competing for my time, and after dealing with these things every day, who has the energy to work out?

Well, this

The weather is a bit brisk in the mornings, but absolutely gorgeous the rest of the day.  Most of the bugs are gone.  The leaves are beginning to turn the brilliant reds and golds that create the fabulous color tours for which Michigan is famous.  It’s the best time of year for horseback riding.

The only thing wrong with this time of year is the fact that it is so fleeting.  The temperature gets colder.  The water troughs freeze.  And all those beautiful leaves turn brown and fall to the ground.

I watch other people – particularly those living in neighborhoods – struggle against the inevitable.  Every day they rake and bag or burn.  For what?  The next day there’s another layer of leaves covering their yard.  This goes on for weeks.

Some people take an easier approach.  They just run over the leaves with a mulching mower – preferably a riding mower.  Suffering from a slight case of chronic laziness, I tend to favor this tactic.  Besides, it’s “earth friendly.”

Still, I observe the futility of some of my neighbors, as they struggle in vain to keep their lawns looking neat and tidy throughout the season.  Folks, they call it “Fall” for a reason!  I was so moved by their untiring efforts that I wrote a little ditty in their honor.  It’s called Rakin’ the Yard, and it’s sung to the tune of the Rawhide! theme song.  Please check out Rakin’ the Yard on Authspot, where it’s been published.  Be sure to leave a comment, letting me know you were there.

Deano Day, courtesy of the Detroit News

As a young teenager on a family-run horse farm, I envisioned myself a cowboy.  What did cowboys listen to?  Why, Country and Western music, of course.  In those days, if you lived in southern Michigan and listened to Country and Western (it still had “Western” in it, not like today where demographic-minded marketing types have shortened it to simply “Country”), then you listened to Deano Day in the morning.  WDEE, also known as “The Big D” was on the AM dial at 1500, and there every morning you could listen to Deano Day play all the great hits of the time plus the classics, crack corny jokes, and banter with the listeners who would call in.

Deano didn’t mind telling it like it was, and sometimes his opinions got him in some hot water.  But that was part of who he was – a straight shooter who liked to have fun with his audience.

Deano’s career spanned not only the decades since then, but the United States, and the radio dial.   Lately he was hosting a show on the new WCXI AM 1160, of which he was part owner.

I’ve been a loyal fan of Deano’s for over 35 years, but it was just last year that I met him in person for the first time.  Mike and Christine, mutual friends, had arranged for Deano to provide DJ services for the wedding reception of other friends.  Deano was warm and humorous, and chatting with him took me back to those early teen years.  I’m grateful I had the chance to meet him.

Here’s what our friend Mike has to say

Deano Day was a kind of guy that we all wished we all could be: A kid that never grew up, a friend, a scoundrel, a voice on the radio, a guy with a big heart (literally and physically), my fish-en buddy, a guy that seemed to warm the room just with his smile, trouble with a capital T. A guy that just couldn’t get enough of his computer, friends, family, and wonderful wife.

To this day I will never forget on one of our fishing trips we ran out of gas. I had to pick up my wife from work. I knew I was in the dog house big time! Deano made the call to my wife from the boat and smoothed things out with her, Yes he had the talent to get away with murder. I shed a tear now not because he died I know god has a place for himbut because I know it will be a long time before we will be able to go out and play again.

His voice is silent now………….
Ah that voice, all I can think now is:
Good morn-en world I’m not afraid of you cus this is going to be a country day.
A country Deano Day WCXI Deano Day WCXI Deano Day.

See you when its my time to get there buddy.

Mike

Funeral and Visitation Information

• Sources:
  http://detroitcountrymusic.com/
  http://wycd.com/

My brother Kirk lives in Texas.  A true cowboy, if such a thing exists anywhere today.  He sent me an email with the following “Cowboy Rules.”  I’ve seen them – you probably have too.  They were originally written for Texas, but I believe they apply to people everywhere, if you can define ‘The Wild West’ more as a place in the heart rather than  a geographic region.  Kirk agrees.  What do you think?

1. Pull your pants up. You look like an idiot.

2. Turn your cap right, your head ain’t crooked.

3. Let’s get this straight: it’s called a ‘gravel road.’ I drive a pickup truck because I want to. No matter how slow you drive, you’re gonna get dust on your Lexus. Drive it or get out of the way..

4. They are cattle…. That’s why they smell like cattle. They smell like money to us. Get over it. Don’t like it? I-10 & I-40 go east and west, I-17 & I-15 goes north and south. Pick one and go. (note – for us in Michigan, make that I-96, US-23, and I-75).

5. So you have a $60,000 car. We’re impressed. We have $250,000 Combines that are driven only 3 weeks a year.

6. Every person in the Wild West waves. It’s called being friendly. Try to understand the concept.

7. If that cell phone rings while a bunch of geese/pheasants/ducks/doves are comin’ in during the hunts, we WILL shoot it outa your hand. You better hope you don’t have it up to your ear at the time.

8. Yeah. We eat trout, salmon, deer and elk. You really want sushi and caviar? It’s available at the corner bait shop.

9. The ‘Opener’ refers to the first day of deer season. It’s a religious holiday held the closest Saturday to the first of November.  (November 15th for us in Michigan)

10. We open doors for women. That’s applied to all women, regardless of age.

11... No, there’s no ‘vegetarian special’ on the menu. Order steak, or you can order the Chef’s Salad and pick off the 2 pounds of ham and turkey.  (OK, you might find a ‘vegetarian special’ in Michigan.  Fine – just try not to look so condescending at the rest of us when we order steaks and burgers)

12. When we fill out a table, there are three main dishes: meats, vegetables, and breads. We use three spices: salt, pepper, and ketchup! Oh, yeah. . We don’t care what you folks in Cincinnati call that stuff you eat. IT AIN’T REAL CHILE !!

13... You bring ‘Coke’ into my house, it better be brown, wet and served over ice. You bring ‘Mary Jane’ into my house, she better be cute, know how to shoot, drive a truck, and have long hair.

14. College and High School Football is as important here as the Giants, the Yankees, the Mets, the Lakers and the Knicks, and a dang site more fun to watch. (Lets not even mention our pro football team in MI)

15. Yeah, we have golf courses. But don’t hit the water hazards – it spooks the fish.

16. Turn down that blasted car stereo! That thumpity-thump crap ain’t music, anyway. We don’t want to hear it anymore than we want to see your boxers! Refer back to #1! (AMEN to that, brother)

As promised, I’ve started a page for comparing boarding facilities in the mid-Michigan area.  Only two entries so far, but I hope to expand the listings with reviews, ratings, pictures, etc.  Let me know if there is a farm you think should be mentioned.

As the son of parents who bought, sold, traded, and trained horses, I had plenty of opportunities to learn the proper way to fall.   Naturally, some of these were counter-examples.  Some time pursuing a rodeo career added immensely to my ability to fall with grace and style.  Since my rodeo experiences weren’t very financially rewarding, at least they were educational, and the better I got at falling, the better the entertainment I provided the spectators.

So why is it that all this falling experience didn’t prevent me from breaking my foot Thanksgiving Day?  I slipped off the snow-covered roof while replacing bulbs in Christmas lights.  Even doing my best “crumple and roll” didn’t completely save me.  I sit here now in my easy chair with my elevated foot in a cast, contemplating the surgery the Doctors say I’ll need to repair the Lis-Franc fracture.  And do you want to know the worst thing about it?  The entertainment value was completely wasted, as there was nobody around to see it.