Fixin stuff

Part of the rhythm of farm life is (1) work, (2) something breaks, (3) repair, (4) repeat. 

Something is always needing repair. Take, for example, the third link in our three point hitch. When Pape and Nathan first discover it has frozen up--a technical term--they decide to throw their body weight into a solution.

After an unsuccessful attempt, they then try liquid wrench.

Still not working, so we women come over to help. We all stand around nodding our heads: yep, it's froze up.

Then Amanda has an idea. What if we do this.

Pape says, "Good idea, Amanda, but do it like this."

Alas, it was all for naught. Still frozen.

But then a new big idea emerges: How about we all jump on it in a conga line?

Nope.

So Pape tries lighting it on fire. If nothing else, he'll destroy all evidence of our failed attempt at unfreezing.

The women go back to knitting. We have a short attention span.

The men try yet another big idea while we purl and knit.

Okay, all hands on deck again. Let's try the conga line one more time. Surely now it'll work.

Naughty third link. Still doesn't unfreeze.

Pape reluctantly puts out the fire.

In the end, it took $30 at a machine shop to unfreeze it. The upside is, at least now we know where the local machine shop is.