The Winch.......

TRAVIS...... This is for you!

Tom decided to switch out the winch on his 4-wheeler yesterday... I had other things I wanted to do outside which included a walk with the girls....

It wasn't long and Tom hollers "MOM!!!" ..... I am not liking the sound of his voice..... I detected anxiety. I knew what he was trying to do and so I was trying to be invisible.... It didn't work.

I went over to see what he wanted... "I just want you to watch as I take this apart so you can tell me how to put it back together......." OKAY! I really don't want to do this...... I don't even know "what" he is doing...

All I know is he has some parts that are his and some parts are Ryan's.... which at one time equaled one working winch... on Tom's 4 wheeler.

Now Tom's part of that winch is broke but Ryan's part still works so what I think he wants to do is put all of Ryan's parts back together and than switch out the mounts as we have to use Tom's as Ryan's won't work....

Confused? Me too!!!!

So Tom brought the winch into the house. We started in the laundry room on the bench. Parts were coming off... I am clue-less... I ask questions and he answers with a frustrated voice... (Like I should just KNOW what's going on) He tells me what the goal is... It didn't seem too hard....

LATER...... We ended up on the kitchen table with our project.... I now know every part inside a winch and how they go back together.... EVERYTHING Tom touched fell apart till every little piece was apart. There are springs, and gears and washers of many sizes that fit into other do-hinkies that had to line up with that which-a-ma-call-it and than got mounted to that thing but it had to be lined up just so to slip into place when holding this thing so it didn't slip apart again and than get the holes to line up so the bolts will pass through all the pieces to hold everything together.....

Did I mention the gear grease.... all over Tom, Me and the KITCHEN TABLE and anything else in the vicinity?

It took ALL day but in the end we got it all back together and back on the 4 wheeler and in working order..... NOW

Only one problem left to fix.... It unwinds but doesn't wind up.... He has been messing with it for about a month..... THAN he had a light bulb moment...... There is this thing that plugs in by the ignition... It came loose one day.. He shoved it on in a hurry... He pulled it off to examine it and one of the prongs was bent over. WALA...... Now it works......

He walked around calling himself an idiot for about an hour... IF it didn't make himself feel better... It did me... J/K ; D

He thinks I can fix anything and knows everything and at times almost demands it of me.... He depends on me to be his brain and mine and I don't have enough for myself some days let alone share... "sigh"

Not A Dull Moment!

Working in the yard in the spring, usually brings some unusual events that make it FUN where we dwell......


Lilly found an inhabitant under the cover of the riding lawn mower.... I thought she had a squirrel till I heard a mean growl..... I carefully lifted the cover till I exposed this little critter..... What a cutie!







He had to go find a new home as it was time to get the rider in running order...Tom changed the oil, charged the battery, beefed up the deck and replaced the bent up, distorted, twisted old blades. Put some gas in and she popped off on second try and purred like an old cat........



The lady where we buy the blades said "bring them in when they are dull and we will sharpen then for you" I said " I think these are beyond sharpening... He thinks his lawn mower is a brush hog..." Poor thing didn't know what to say ;-/

I was teasing Tom about our yard growing again this year... He said "No not this year...It's as big as it's going to get"

SO on that note, today we were clearing brush in the woods to make our YARD bigger..... I know, he can never make up my mind! Things change from day to day...Some days it's moment to moment.

Tom "seemed" pretty with it today.....we actually had a good time clearing brush. The girls were helping by pulling brush back off the pile ........ They are still learning. We all headed for the
house at the end of the day....



But I looked back as Tom wasn't with us... "Ummmmm I don't think that's such a good idea dear."



I got a few buckets and we got it all out. Had to use some of the Ducky's pond water. He seemed please with what burned before I came and ruined his fun... So it all ended well today!

Another Spring Day......

On nice days between the " rainy and snowy" days, we've been working in our yard. In the Spring we put all our energy into making it look as nice as we can... It's such good exercise after a long lazy winter and the result of all that hard work is so gratifying.......

Tom has designated himself BOSS this year... We've never needed a BOSS before... we've always worked well together as we think a like (use too) and just automatically worked well side by side without a word being said.......

He's kind of a confused, ornery, something flew up his butt kind of boss..... and I guess I have to admit, I'm kind of a disgruntle, under paid employee...... I think I heard him say something like..." Your so darn stubborn boy!" under his breathe... I SNICKERED to myself.....

I remain silent, with a pleasant look on my face and keep my body language non threatening, I ignore his attitude and work with him as best I can...... Some time's it lasts for only a short time and sometimes it's an all day thing... Depending on how confused he is....
At the end of the day, we admire all we have accomplished. He'll say "What a GREAT day we had.... I love you MOM and I love you my girls......" His face is soft and his eyes are full of love and his chest pops with pride!
And I'll say "Yes it was a GREAT DAY, and we love you too!......... AND I thank the LORD for getting me through another day.......

❤ ❢ UPDATE ❢ ❤

I have fun writing stories about my life with Tom and the girls......He LOVES reading them and laughs.... He say's I'm funny and I tell him I wouldn't have anything to write about if it weren't for him being such a clown...

He likes my stories as he likes to see our lives the way I write about it.... he knows he has bad times and episodes that he can not control... he doesn't like that.... so at the end of the day I write about the good things and fun things out of the day and we "throw away" all the bad........

To those who know Tom...know he's a "story teller"....... he always has been..... There is always truth in his stories but he takes truth and makes it a TALL TALE ;-)

Tom has such a desire to be a legend.... hence his tall tales... He's never been able to live up to being the person he sees himself as in his mind..... So he makes himself that in his TALL TALES.....

Tom IS digressing...that's how the disease goes.....meds can slow it but not stop it or cure it and for some, it just makes it worse.... It is what it is and we are learning everyday how to LIVE with it...... as it changes......

I try to keep Tom as safe as I can with out taking all he enjoys in life from him.... He told me before and time and again.... I love the woods and if something ever happened to me out there on one of my adventures... at least I lived the life I loved and died happy.........

I monitor how he is functioning and am prepared to do what I have to do....... but I will allow him all the freedom I can, for him to live his life the way he chooses, that doesn't endanger anyone else.......... I do my best to keep him as safe as I can.... the rest I give to GOD......

MOM Went Trappin'

To my surprise this AM, Tom said yes, when I asked if I could go with him to check his traps..... OOOPS! I mean..... "walk the trap line"...... He usually says... "It's to cold for you... what about the girls....you need to clean up the house.......blah blah blah...

So I jumped into some warm cloths and my rubber boots before he could change his mind.... He's been known to do that...... : )



Before you know it we were off..... The girls sadly stayed behind..... Maggie is great to take along but a little heavy for the 4-wheeler to ride that far and a little over weight to run that far....




Lilly can run and NEVER tire but doesn't pass the obedient test.... She'd be in a trap before you know it and than we would not only have a three legged beaver, four fingered Tom but also a three legged dog.....

I was prepared to do some "w a l k i n g" .......... because yesterday the girls and I "w a l k e d" 2 1/2 miles to where he was trapping and he said he had put on some miles too..... through the brush.....with a pack sack on his back..... and I thought "wow".... now that's a work out.


So we pull up to the first spot and take off our outer jacket and bomber hats.... Tom puts the pack sack on his back... tells me to carry the ax....I thought.. wow! here we go : )




I set off to follow the mighty trapper along the creek bed to check his miles of traps....we walked through a little brush and down a small embankment to the creek... there sat his first trap....out of the water... "darn water dropped" he said... we stared at it for awhile. Than he pointed out all the fresh poplar chewings and their caster mounds and than he decided to leave it... reset it tomorrow...

.
Okay let's load up our gear and head for the next.....OH!!!!!!.... that's all the traps on this
creek?




Back on the 4-wheeler to the next spot around the corner......we walked a little further this time........ I only had to get snapped ONCE in the face by a branch to know it's not a good idea to follow to close..... I'm a quick learner.... ;-)




We stop where he has his first trap on the creek bank....he looked confused... he says..."now did I pull that one? Where did it go?" I could see there had been at one time, a trap set there but there wasn't one there now.... He got a little upset. He couldn't remember......... I pointed out it was not there so he must have pulled it....but he pondered quit awhile 'trying to remember and just couldn't...he finally settled for what I said and we moved on...



The water had dropped a lot so his next two traps were out of the water... He reset one and pulled the other.... We walked along the creek on a deer run way for a total of about 1/4 of a mile both ways total........





I've figured out by now the trek along the creeks were not as far as I had imagined and you can't get lost as long as you follow the creek.....







Back on the 4-wheeler we head to the BIG BEAVER DAM... I know this one... we've driven up to it before and I've always looked at it in awe... these creatures built this massive thing... amazing.... By now I've peed on the ground... blew my nose in the air and spit. Y E S !!!!!! I'm one with nature...... Tom looks at me like "okay......and I'm the one with the problem?" Than he laughs!




We make our way through the woods to the edge of the beaver dam.... At one spot the water was RUSHING pretty hard through it... I'm thinking about hanging back as he heads across the top on the slippery, narrow, dam....toward the beaver house and rushing water....





He stops and looks back... I said, "I'll wait here for you"... He smiled and said.."come on, it's okay" aww man, I wish I had my life jacket... that water looks mighty deep and cold....one slip and in you go........






He helped me across the open spot where the water was rushing...I walked ever so slowly... We got to his trap and it had been sprung... Darn it he said.... so he reset it and I handed him the poles to place it back in the water.....



While he was monkeying around with it he started to lose his balance... I laughed and said...."is this where you stumble and fall in?" He said "YEP".... after some fancy stepping he caught himself just short of going all the way in...... We both had to stop and laugh.... It was a mighty close call and he would have been swimming with the beaver......




I was extra careful on the way back after laughing at him knowing my turn was next...... BUT I did manage to stay up right and dry....... WHEW!




One place left to go...... and I am having a blast...... I love the woods and Tom is quite entertaining..... There was only one trap on this creek too..... but on the way in he took a dirty fall.... "ka-boom"....... he looked up at me and we both burst out laughing..... did you break anything?" I asked....... "nope....and this isn't the first time I fell... something happens every trip I make... I just don't tell you... I have quite a timeout here by myself......




That was our last stop and now headed home....

Three Footed Beaver?

Oh My!!!! Looks like this fella lost a foot?????? Um mmmmm I've been thinkin' and I think I know what happened to his foot......

Tom left early this AM to go check his "trap line" All four traps that is...... He said he'll be home late as he had lot's of trappin' to do......

Well....maybe an hour later he was riding on back to the house.... I met him at the door and said.."done already?" He said "no, I got my hand in a trap"..... I asked calmly, "anything broken?" He said "no"...... He took his glove off and said " only one side sprung and got my thumb... I need it bandaged up so I can go finish....."

THAN I had the light bulb moment..... Tom's thumb......beavers foot.....Hmmmmm?

After I got him all bandaged and taped, a hot cup of coffee ......he said, "that's not all that happened either" I smiled and said, "oh?"

He said the poles he had in the back of the 4-wheeler to anchor his traps to..... were not there when he got to his first site.... had to improvise... He picked them back up on the way home to get his thumb bandaged.

He headed back out to do what he started to do but this time told me where he was going... I don't think he was feeling too lucky and decided to lean toward caution.... I suggested a life jacket but he declined....