Abandoned

Only a very short walk from my house

an old farmstead has lost its owner.

Only a few months ago cattle were fed from this big haystack.

A bachelor farmer lived here.

Look at the size of this saw blade.

He said he didn't need a wife 

"because he had a woman (that's me) running through his fields every day" 

Will someone take over this farm? 

Probably not.  Farming is hard and has few rewards. 

This fertilizer spreader shows how many years it has been dragged through the fields...it has picked up bailing twine that will never come off.  

And the water tank will never be moved to a pasture.  

 The Danes knew how to build fine cabins.  Cabins which have stood straight and proud for more than a hundred years. 

This one probably built by the same family.  

The granary is still full of barley.

It takes a lot of equipment to run a farm. 

There is order in a forgotten corner.

He will not leave his owner's house.  

I have known  him since he was a puppy, now he barks at me.  

Not to worry, a neighbor is taking care of him.  His brother has already moved over. 

Have a great weekend dear Friends, 

Gina 

They could save a life

Two pieces of wood and a string.

And a sturdy nail into each end could save a life.

I love our pond... but not in winter.

See those footprints, they are heading straight for the thin ice.
  

Part of our pond never freezes, near the deep Spring where the water temperature is 65 degrees year round. 

After thinking long and hard we decided to lower the pond for the winter months. 

Large machinery and a friend with precise maneuvering skills made quick work of the task. 

He even cleaned out the ditches which carry the water to our fields.  

The water flowed so fast that many fish became stranded.  I gathered them into a bucket of water and carried them back to the Pond. 

An old farm Disk sat in one of the corners, getting in the way when harvesting our fields.  

Because the  equipment could only lift the Disk so far,

Our Friend backed up his big truck until it was level with the disk. He backed the truck into the machine (not the other way around) until it was swallowed up. 

When I asked him if he was going to use it as a "sculpture", on his farm, our Friend surprised me by saying that "he would see if he could make it work again". 
Not much is wasted in this small farm community.  

If you live near frozen waters you must have one of these in the ready.  Wear it around your neck and if you should fall through the ice, these handles can pull you up and on top of the ice.  

Just in case and nearby our pond, a boat for the open water, a rake to reach with and what could be a lifesaver...a simple string with two wooden handles. 

By opening the spillway, we lowered the pond by more than a foot.

Much safer.

 It was minus 16 degrees Fahrenheit (-26.67 degrees Celsius) last night.

Now only a small pool open for the ducks. 

And then there will be Spring and Summer

and Fall, when I love my Pond.

Have a great week my dear 
Blogging Friends.

Gina