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Thursday, October 8, 2009

An Eventful Day...

We had quite an interesting day today. Some of it was planned, some of it wasn't planned.
We finally got the peanut combine that we have been waiting for since January! There have been so many days that it was supposed to be delivered and it wasn't, that we were extremely happy to see it. We were worried that we would be picking peanuts by hand!

Here's the front of it. It's pto driven and is pulled by a tractor. It's an Amadas combine, John Deere doesn't make a peanut combine like this. I'm considering painting it green.

We also got our peanut dump cart delivered. The combine empties the peanuts into the dump cart, the cart drives to where the peanut trailer is parked, and dumps the load into the trailer.

Here's a picture of the peanut inverter. We've had it for a while, but I don't think I've shared a picture. This is what digs the peanuts out of the ground. It plows under the peanuts, cuts the taproot, and the peanut plants are carried up a set of roller chains. When the peanuts reach the back of the plow, a set of v-shaped rollers combine two rows into one, and the inverter spring rods "invert" or flip the peanuts upside down. The peanuts are on top so they can dry out until they get combined 2-3 days later.

Here's what some of our peanuts look like now. This variety is called "Georgia Green". We should be inverting them in the next few days!

We have also finally started defoliating our cotton! The defoliant makes the cotton shed it's leaves, and a boll opener does just what it sounds like, makes the cotton bolls open.

If it weren't for the heavy rains this Spring and having to plant the cotton so late, this would have been done one month ago.

This is the cotton field right behind our chicken houses. It has just been defoliated.

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Well, that was the good news of the day. The bad news occurred when I got home from the chicken houses this morning. I was cleaning the shower when Lance called and told me that our new house had been broken into. Whoever it was entered through a window that had been left open due to an extension cord running through it. They stole some of our builder's drills, drill bits, batteries, and a battery charger. They didn't get his big expensive tools because it looks like they had to carry it all out the window by hand. They stole $130 worth of our light fixtures, which hadn't been installed yet, and a medicine cabinet. They loaded it all up in our builder's wheelbarrow and wheeled it away! It wasn't enough to meet our insurance deductible, so looks like we'll be buying those lights all over again!
It's times like these when you're glad that you're best buddy is by your side!

Anyways, in better news...Here's some updated pictures of the house!
The painted tray ceiling/crown molding in the living room.

The "in-progress" tiling of the jacuzzi. The tile is called "Canyon Slate". All our bathroom floors have also been tiled with a color called "Raw Linen."

Bathroom cabinets and countertops have been installed. The countertop is called "Colorado Slate". None of this is as dark as it looks!

Our bookcases were just finished and set around the fireplace.

And here's the steps in our garage!
Hopefully we will wake up tomorrow with everything that belongs to us!

9 comments:

  1. I'm glad they didn't vandalize all your hard work and just took a small amount of stuff. Where was your best friend when that happened!
    Just kidding. Thanks for the peanut ed. I love peanuts and now I know a little about them. Deb

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  2. The house is getting so exciting to watch as it get closer to being finished. Your grandmothers were discussing moving you in today when granny was at my house. Mom

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  3. Caleb and I know your pain....when we first started remodeling our house we had a bunch of tool and other things for our house....the worst part about it for me was the felling of being invaded....but atleast know one was hurt!!

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  4. Stephanie,

    I'm sorry to hear about your house being broken into, but everything looks so pretty. I LOVE your tile. I have a question about the peanuts: Since we have had so much rain, will it hurt if the peanuts take longer than 2 or 3 days to dry? I love reading about your farm.

    Robyn
    Oneonta

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  5. To make the situation even worse, our builder discovered later that some of our outside door hardware was missing which means somebody has a key to our house! I just hope they're too stupid to realize it. We're going to have all the locks on the house changed.

    Janet: Me too. The lights can be replaced, but I can't stand the thought of someone walking around inside our house and we had no idea!

    Robyn: We've been told that we can let the peanuts dry for even up to 10 days. I'm just not sure what you do if it doesn't stop raining in those 10 days, which lately, that looks like a possibility! I guess the only problems with leaving them out in the field so long are if the deer or nosy peanut lovin' neighbors find them. Another problem is frost, if frost is forecasted, you want to leave the peanuts in the ground, they don't need to be on top of the ground drying.

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  6. That is just terrible!! We were very lucky that none of our stuff went missing while we were building....just some stuff after we moved in. :o(

    The house is gorgeous! Your living room colors look just like ours!

    I can't wait to see it in person!

    {{{HUGS}}}

    Robin :o)

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  7. I am so sorry someone broke into your new house Steph! We just had to go get our $250 trail cam from a friends farm because she informed us that her brother likes to steal things. I will never understand people who can do things like that.

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  8. Thanks for stopping by and I entered your name into my giveaway so Good Luck!
    Oh I bet you are getting so excited to get that house done.

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  9. What a buncha brazen jerks to rob you like that Steph.I'm glad they didn't take any more then they did, but the feeling of violation is what is bad.Is this going into your F&R diary? House is looking more awesome all the time.

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