Most years, the calendar is edging toward February before we get a good start in the shop. This year was no different. There is still some office work to finish up, but most days are spent in the shop.

We continue to slowly turn equipment through the shop as we prepare for springtime activities. There isn’t anything fun or glamorous about this part of the job. It is a lot of dirty, greasy, repetitive, hands-on, work. We try to get one piece in and out of the shop every couple of days. There are usually a couple of projects going on at one time so that there is something to work on while we wait for parts for the other project.

We have serviced a few of the easier pieces of equipment. First, we grabbed items that we had housed in the shop. We fixed them up and moved to winter storage. Then we went through the sprayer and a couple of tillage tools.

It wasn’t easy, but we finally found somebody with availability to sandblast the self-propelled sprayer. It left for a few days and is now back awaiting paint and primer.

Soon, the corn planter will come in for a more intensive work order. At a minimum, the planter needs new seed and fertilizer blades.

I’m hoping the work list dwindles quickly, but as I sit here thinking, there never seems to be a shortage for items needing maintenance.

There isn’t a lot else going on right now. The work day gets cut short a least a couple of days week as our 8^th grader is in the middle of her basketball season and my officiating season wraps up in a couple of weeks. We are still waiting to see if winter if going to show up this year. One forecast I’ve seen says cold and snowy March, while another said winter might be over.

Two of the three girls playing softball had outdoor practice last weekend. I think that is first for us in February!