Barn jobs

Our works is not always defined by new construction. We service several farm accounts, which, in this area, is necessary if you want to remain busy all of the time. This first picture reveals my brother Tom waiting for the last piece steel to conclude the upper portion of the barn roof. We nail 2x4's into the rafters to serve as a nailer to screw the metal roofing to.

The second picture show us in the process of replacing a crumbling foundation. We have to go inside and do some bracing and hope that the

building stands when the old foundation is ripped out. A new foundation will be poured (if the wind doesn't blow the thing over before hand!) and hopefully this old barn will last for a long time. We have done several of these projects and we have never lost one, but sometimes you feel like holding your breath until it finally sitting on the new foundation.

We have to feed our brother Josh every now and them and we sure hope his arms don't give out! I enjoy working on these old building, even though it is hard work and the old dust bothers my allergies. I think sometimes of those commuting into Chicago or working with the noise of the factory while I am working in the solitude of the country. The road next the barn getting the new roof is traveled maybe 15 times over the course of the day. The only sounds we hear, besides my singing from time to time, are the sheep and the goats lined up at the fence calling out to us, hoping we might be kind and feed them!

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My dad has long enjoyed the hobby of scouring the area barns and ditches for the vesitiges of yesterday's farming equipment. I spent many a winter afternoon as a young lad holed up in the shop or barn fixing up these relics so that they could embark upon yet another journey in this late stage of their life, heading out east to be purchased by Amish and Mennonite farmers who will revive these old tools into 21st century farming implements.

I have somewhat of a love-hate relationship with old equipment. I enjoy history and I like seeing and learning about this old, horsedrawn equipment. I sometimes wish that I lived back in a simpler time that saw the landscape dotted by small farmsteads that were ran by families laboring together to live off of the land. These were not simple days, no doubt, for to survive required the sweat of the brow and the blood from wounds that were the result of hard, rigorous labor. Yet I have heard the old farmers sit around the tables at the local eating cafes speaking of getting together for the purpose of harvesting crops and raising barns. These days one rarely feels the need to know his neighbor, unless, of course, it is for the purpose of suing him when his dog leaves a deposit in the freshly groomed yard.

Yet I have a certain hatred for this old equipment. When one looks at my dad's barn full of old farming equipment, a quick, straight forward glance reveals the nostalgic impression of farming days gone by. You can smell the vesitiges of deisel fuel and boiled linseed oil liberally applied to old rusty chains and weather wearied boards. The smells of old twine and equipement would bring back a smile to many an old time farmer. I know better, however, than to be fooled by the Norman Rockwell-like display of American nastalgia, for when you turn your back, the old implements turn into snarling demons. Grease, rust, and grime are awaiting to soil your new pair of work jeams. Sharp, jagged lances of rusty iron are glistening with the thought of ripping clothing assunder and tearing gaping wounds into the flesh. Rust and corruption are giggling at the thoughts of the torn and lacerated knuckles that would dare to remove old bolts. Then there is the weight of the iron itself.... there is no plastic on these relics! No aluminum, no styrofoam, no, nothing at all that is easy to lift. It is just back-breaking, muscle-straining, fiber tearing sheer masses of incredibly dense and heavy iron. Yes, I carry the scars and wounds of fighting with these old dinasours, my dad, brothers, and I doing the manual labor of loading these things - staggering weights that would make a modern crane stand proud at the thought of moiving.

The first picture is a picture of a very nice McCormick grain binder. Cyrus McCormick first developed the first reaper, which took the place of using a hand swung sickle to cut the grain. The reaper slowly evolved into the binder when components (rollers, chains, tying device) were added to tie the grain into bundles with twine and a carrier was added to stack 5 or 6 bundles until they could be dropped off to make a schocks. Shocks varied from 6-9 bundles and they sat into the fields waithing for the threshing machines to separate the grain from the stalk. The threshing machines were first powered by steam and then later powered by a large belt driven by a pully mounted on a tractor. The binder was pulled first by horses and later by a small tractor. A steel wheel meshed with a series of gears powered the binder as it moved across the field.

I'll not be dishonest. I like to travel quickly, I enjoy air conditioning, and I like my electric powered wood working tools. I also enjoy using the computer. Yet for me real joy is derived as
I sink my hoe into my garden. I like to sit back and smell the freshly turned earth and listen to the sound of the corn growing in the ros. enjoy sharpening a plane iron and testing its edge on a piece of oak, smiling to myself as the keen edge takes off a whisker-thin shaving. I enjoy taking my dovetail saw and cutting some hand sawn dovetails to put a drawer together. Yes, I have a router jig, a dovetail router bit, and a router and I use them nearly exclusively when I want to put together a dovetailed drawer. But sometimes I like to turn off the radio, unplug the router, and take off my hearing protectors, and listen to the grating sound of a sharp saw cutting wood. Oh yea, there is then the feeling of the sweat beading upon my brow and running down my temple. It's labor, and sometime it hurts, but it is part of our portion that God has given us as we live out our days under the sun. And it is glorious...

Book review.

It has been several months now since I set up this blog. Even though I do not spend a lot of time on it, I have grown to enjoy sharing a few of my musings every now and then. Although my father in law prefers the pictures to my musings, I guess he will just have to endure this blog entry. No pictures!

I have thought I might add a couple of items for the benefit of those that take of their time to read this. The greater benefit of this blog, though, is that it serves somewhat as a journal. I have always enjoyed the concept of a journal, for it affords you the opportunity to go back and review your journey through life. I would like to share with you occasional book reviews, partly to inform you as to what I am reading and what I thought of it, but primarily to chronicle the shaping of my thinking in light of what I have read. ( I suppose I should print this blog off from time to time, and perhaps when my children grow older, I can send them to their room and make them read my journal as a form of severe punishment!)

The last book I finished was book written by S C. Mooney entitled "Usury - Destroyer of Nations. The consideration of a biblical view of economics has been something that I contemplated much the past couple years. While the content of this book was not so startling to me as I have pondered the issue of usury (or interest) the past couple years, I can honestly say that this book is far removed from what we see in our society.

Mooney discusses the topic of usury through the form of five chapters in this small paperback of 238 pages entitled: Definition of Usury, history of Usury, Survey of Biblical Texts, Popular Excuses for Usury, and Choose This Day Whom Ye Will Serve.

We live in a society that is established upon an economy that thrives upon debt and usury. I would suggest that most of us have borrowed money at one time or another and that many of us have opened up saving account that have netted us a small percentage of interest on our money. In other words, we have either paid or received interest. Loaning money for interest was a subject that I had never considered until recently. In fact, I am not sure that I have ever heard the subject brought up in any teaching session at church.

The Scriptures say much about usury, although all of the passages are negative. The children of Israel were commanded not to charge interest to one another. (Ex 22:25, Lev 25:35-37, Deut 23:19-20) In Psalm 15, David asks, "Who may abide in Thy tent? Who may dwell on Thy holy hill?" One of his answers: "He who does not put out his money at interest." Wise King Solomon instructed his son that "he who increases his wealth by interest and usury, gathers it for him who is gracious to the poor."

The children of Israel were greedy and decided at various times that they should charge a fee for the use of money. The prophets had stern words for them: "You have taken interest and profits, and have injured your neighbors for gain by oppression, and you have forgotten me." and "if he does not lend money on interest or take increase, if he keeps his hand form iniquity and executes true justice between man and man, he is righteous and will surely live." Ez 18 and 22.

Wow! This is some disturbing instruction, considering how even most of our churches probably have money stashed in interest bearing accounts. This has not always been the case. For centuries, the church has sharply spoken out against charging interest. In fact, a few early confessions actually list usury as one of the violations of of the commandment, "Thou shalt not steal."

I cannot in this place rewrite his book, but I commend the book as an interesting read and I personally agree with much within it. Mooney writes: "covetousness breeds usury. Covetousness is more than simple desire. For the righteous, the desire for good which he does not own is what motivates him to produce those goods, or to produce other goods which he may trade for the goods he desires. There is nothing wrong with such desires. Covetousness, however, is a desire for something that belongs to another, which one would acquire unilaterally - apart from any production or trade. It is the germ of thef. It is a lusting after that which one cannot lawfully obtain. Covetousness is conceived of evil motives. In the case of usury it emanates from a natural desire for wealth that is tormented by an antecedent despising of work. Wealth comes from work. Ultimately, all wealth comes from the hand of God. As it is His decree that we work in order to live, in our experience the wealth which we acquire in this life is gotten through someone's work. The usurer avoids work, for he is under the delusion that his "money" is working."

Hmm...strong words. I think this is a subject that the church desparately needs to explore.

We have had some splendid weather these past few days, with pleasant highs in the 70's and lows in the 50's. The sun has been shining and the humidity is low - just perfect weather for getting some things accomplished around the house. I have taken a couple weeks off from the shop to get some outdoor chores accomplished.

The garden is now planted and many of the crops are beginnning to poke through the topsoil. We are still harvesting rhubarb and aspargus and soon we will have some radishes to eat. There is Basil to begin to harvest and dry, as well as chives.

The fruit trees are just loaded with fruit. Considering the past two years have seen killing frosts during the bloom, I have ceased being optomistic about the need of finding bushel baskets to store a robust crop, but now I am hopeful that we shall enjoy some fruit this fall.

The raspberries are blooming as well, and are, in fact, loaded with blossoms. Saturday morning I cut in a new door in the brooder house and allowed the flock to go out to pasture. Within two hours, a wild cat had managed to scale the 4' high fence and killed two birds. The flock had retreated to the indoors and were in the corners huddling together when I came up to check on them. I am not sure that there is any way to circumvent the wild critters that would enjoys a tasty chicken for lunch, so I believe that I will put up a poultry netting to serve as a "roof" to keep the unwanted varmints out. Eventually, we hope we will have some grown roosters and hens to serve as protectors. Having 100 chicks growing by themselves without any natural protectors means that they are rather defenseless on their own. They are growing quickly, as the picture can attest to.

Of course, summer now marks for more opportunity for fun and advntures for the kids. I have purchased a bow and a bb gun for the boys, although they can't use it apart from adult supervision. For some reason, good sense and reason are not easily attained by young creatures of the human male species. Each year they learn a little more....

One of our favorite stories from last year involved our youngest son, Jesse. He and the neighbor boy were outside hacking down tall grass when the neighbor boy pointed out some poison ivy. Jesse, skeptical of his friend's ability to identify possible danger, ginergly put forth a finger and touched a leaf. There was no lightning strike, no noise, no pain - nothing at all had happened.

Thus began an argument often heard among children (but occasionally among those discussing great theological truths): "Is not!" "Is too!" Jesse, his confidence in his botanical recongition skills bolstered by the unharmed finger, grabbed some leaves and rubbed them up and down his legs in a defiant show of evidence supporting his claim. Had he any prophetic skills to go along with his botanical skills, he may not have engaged in such a display of argumentation, for by morning he had one of the nastiest outbreaks of poison ivy on his legs that you have ever seen. I trust this year, he may be a bit more careful. But then again....