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EPISODE 474 OUR FIRST POST PANDEMIC FARM SALE.. NOV. 13, 2021 sale for late John Smith

EPISODE 474     OUR FIRST POST PANDEMIC FARM SALE, Nov. 14,2021 (sale for late John Smith)


alan skeoch
Nov. 15, 2021




Winter weather on  the way but today was crisp and brilliant as Andrew and I 
motored north to our first post pandemic farm sale.

“Live auction sale for the estate of the late john Smith. Emergency #938198 Dufferin County road 18…Airport Road north of  Terra Nova”
Bob Severn,auctioneer”

“Mom didn’t want to come, Dad?”
“No….And I have an idea for her Christmas present this year.”
“What?”
“Wait and see.”


“Well, Dad, what interests you now we got here?””
“I think  the David Brown tractor…British made..not many around.””
“Don’t see it here”
“Must be out behind the barn.”


“Can’t go there right now…Bob Severn is getting revved up.”


“Let’s take a look in the stable…”
“Old style…wood stanchions and looks like this
was a small mixed animal operation….chickens, pigs and a couple of cows.”




“And sure as god made little green apples, here is the David Brown tractor.”
“Seems to need some work.””
“Keep a list…start with a pair of big back tires and smaller front tires…then maybe
a new engine.”
“One thing not needed….guess what that is?”
“This David Brown tractor does not need a new paint job.”
“Great paint!”


“Andrew, let’s get it.””
“Are you nuts, Dad?”
“You already know the answer to that.”


“What did you buy, Andrew?””
“This welding table and two heavy jacks…paint brushes, nails, blow torch…I bought a complete corner
of the workshop….more than we can load.”
“What about the David Brown tractor.?
“Sorry, dad, no space on the truck.”
“Now, that is a real shame…I was considering the tractor as my Christmas present
to Marjorie.”
“Didn’t you give mom a International Tractor for her birthday a few years ago?”
“I did…ran well for couple of years.”
“And this year you gave her a John Deere riding mower.”
“I did.   She will not let me drive it.  Says I will just put it through the weeds in search
of rocks and lumps of hidden cast iron.”
“Let’s hit the road…”


“This is John Smith’s sister, Joan, and family friend.  She was one of the smartest persons at the auction”
“Why?”
“There were more than 100 people at the auction…I only saw three Covid masks.  Joan wore one of them.”
“let’s hope this virus madness will end soon.”
“There are still some clouds on the horizon, Andrew.”

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EPISODE 472 THIS IS OLD DICK, GRANDDAD FREEMAN’S LAST HORSE

EPISODE 472    THIS IS OLD DICK, GRANDDAD FREEMAN’S LAST HORSE


alan skeoch
Nov. 2021



OLD DICK….REMEMBERED

“WHAT IS THAT horse skull doing up on the cross beam in the dining room?”
“That is granddad’s last horse.”
“Sick thing to do”
“Not really because I attach the skull to a touching story.”



THOSE WINTER EVENINGS ARE UNFORGETTABLE

“My brother Eric and I heard the story on a winter night when
we were all huddled around the wood stove while the night wind
howled and snow filtered through The window gaps.  We heard lots
of stories that way but the  tale of old Dick was so touching…so unforgettable…so revealing….”
“So what?”
“So, when spring came,  Eric and I walked though the bush to the burying ground and found Old Dick.”
“Your grandparents allowed you to put that skull up there?”
“No, that was my idea long after grandma and grandpa were gone…we gutted the old farm house….renovated
the place complete  with exposed hand hewn beams….which seemed a good place to put Old Dick as a reminder
of that winter story.”



WHAT STORY?   

This is the way I would like to tell the story.  The bare bones are true…the flesh of the story is mine.

“AS the Freemans got older, they reduced the farm livestock until the only living creature in the barn
was Old Dick.  He wasn’t used anymore but he was kept around because they loved him.  Or, at least,
I assumed that was the case.

Then Old Dick reached some kind of crisis where he could no longer function properly…perhaps he went lame,
or his teeth failed, …whatever.  Granddad had  to face a tough decision… he had to take action.  Miserable time.
Edward Freeman called up Angus Mcechern, a close neighbour and  they both walked Old Dick east to the
very back field…the burying ground. Angus led Old Dick by his halter.  Granddad carried the gun.  When they
got to the place granddad asked the dreaded question.  “Where should I shoot him, Angus?”   And Angus
pointed to a place somewhere on the skull.  Angus used his finger …”right here”

At the very moment granddad fired the gun.  Angus’s finger was still in place.
“Why did you do that..you could have blown my finger off.”

And granddad looked at Angus and said,  “If I didn’t fire then, I would not be able to fire at all.”

“You see my point?  You see why Old Dick is up there on the beam?”
“No, I don’t really understand.”
“Think about it…think long and hard…think about the old times when horses were an integral part of farm life…think
about the tough decisions that had to be made…think about Old Dick…and think what granddad Freemn meant
when he said ‘if I did not pull the  trigger then, I am not sure I would ever be able to do so.’

Empathy is necessary to understand.  You either have it or you don’t have it.  Empathy.


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EPISODE 471 “ICE IN THE BUCKET, ALAN, …YOU WILL NEED HELP.” “THEN J.R. ARRIVED” (CARTS) NOV.5,2021

EPISODE 471   “ICE IN THE BUCKET, ALAN….YOU WILL NEED HELP.” “THEN J. R.. ARRIVED”


alan skeoch
Nove. 5, 2021




“There is ice in the bucket, Alan.”
“So what.”

“Alan, this could be a bad day.”
“Why?”
“Sky is threatening…look at the cloud bank sweeping in like a tidal wave.”
“Seems a little dramatic.”
“How are WE ever going to get 4 Hawker’s carts from the barn to the road all by ourselves.”
“Tough job but ….”
“You need help.”

And then J.R. Grassby arrived…and the day turned out to be glorious.

(WHO IS J.R. GRASSBY?  ANSWER COMING BUT FIRST LOOK AT THE CLOUD…SINISTER)


“Sinister looking, Marjorie…like the end of the world was coming.”


WHO IS J.R. GRASSBY?  …THE ANSWER IS COMING.”

“Alan, just how are you going to get those carts to the road for the movie.  By the way what is
the name of the move?”
“Movie making is a secretive business Marjorie…they never tell me much.”


WHO IS J. R. GRASSBY?

“J.R. What are you doing here?  Your truck and loaders won’t get here until noon?”
“I came to give you a hand…I know you and Marjorie would have to get the carts to
the road alone.  …Thought you could use another pair of hands.”
“Great… And so we began moving the Hawker’s carts from the field and barn to 
the road.  Actually J.R. did most of the work while I took pictures and Marjorie got
tea and croissants ready.

J. R. GRASSBY IS A SET DRESSER…A SET BUYER…A SET DESIGNER.  VERY CREATIVE PERSON WITH
IMAGINATION.  J.R. ALONG WITH A HOST
OF PEOPLE HAVE TO MAKE A MOVIE BELIEVABLE.  THEY BUILD WHATEVER IS NECESSARY.
IN THIS CASE THEY NEED THINGS THAT ARE FRIGHTENING…NO, I CANNOT TELL YOU  THE FILM
TITLE.  I DO NOT KNOW IT MYSELF.  (we are at the rock bottom of the film industry)






  SO J.R. HELPED GET THE CARTS TO THE ROAD.

“Did you say helped Alan?”
“Yes.”
“What did you do?”
“I pushed a bit…and took pictures…”
“As usual.”
“Someone has to document this secretive business.”
“Do you think anyone ever reads your episodes?
“I hope so…this is Episode 471.  Means we have done 471 stories since the Pandemic began.”
“Why do it…why do the stories?””
“I have no answer that makes sense…except taking pictures is an excuse from pushing this cart.”
“I see your gloves are going for a ride.”
“Very perceptive…



“What kind of movie is it?””
“Horror movie…most things happen at night in a nearly dark decrepit market…that’s where the
carts come in…they will be “dressed” to look sinister.”  said J. R.


“You want a sinister look, how about a few skulls?”
“Possibly…but I like all those hanging plants best…dried, dead and hanging.”
“Anything else?”
“We’ll send a truck next week for a load….15 sacks with fake filling, maybe a barrel or two…lots of stuff. I already have around ten coffins.”
“Coffins?”
“Not a joyful movie, Alan…Dark, dark, dark”


“Nothing very dark in the house…unless a stuffed porcupine or spotted hobby horse makes the grade.”


“How about the boys up there on  the beam?
“Sorry.”


“Sorry, J.R. but ur Elephant Ear is not going with you.  It took us an hour or two to get it in here before
the frost hit.   It will spend the winter at the window.”


“Too bad Woody, the dog, is such a friendly animal…we need a dog who snarls and shows his teeth.”


“The truck arrived…and the carts were loaded in about 20 minutes and then the whole
entourage was gone.


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EPISODE 470 SPEAD THE WORD…STARTLING VISITOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS



EPISODE 470     SPREAD THE WORD….A SRANGE VISITOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS

alan skeoch
november 2021
(thanks to Thom Norris…and whoever created this warning)

Once again Thom Norris has sent a video that is startling.  Last time is was a
s steam tractor pulling 44 plows across the prairie.  This time you will be frozen
to your seat as a strange visitor arrives.



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EPISODE 469 DID WE REALLY TRADE 50 MOOSE FOR 274 WILD TURKEYS? (YES, WE DID IN 1984)

EPISODE  469     DID WE TRADE 50  MOOSE FOR 274 WILD TURKEYS?  (Yes,,,did so in 1984)


Alan skeoch
nov. 2021

alan skeoch
november 2021

MARJORIE SPOTTED THE FLOCK…BUT THEY SPOTTED HER FIRST

“Alan, quick get your camera…whole flock of wild  turkeys in the south field.”, as Marjorie got the
window down on a rainy Oct. morning.  The flock was immediately alert.
“They see us slowing down…they are moving away…FAST.”
“They have great eyes…better than ours.”
“And they have 360 degree vision…neck can swivel… hard to fool them.””
“How many are out there?”
“Maybe a dozen.”
“Can you spot the big Tom turkey…the male?”
“No, and in a few seconds they will be gone…they know we are not as quick.”
“They can run at 25 mph and fly at 55 mph.  Not many people know that.  They
think turkeys are toO fat to run and too big to fly.  Wrong on both counts.
“Strange how we see these flockS so often these days.  They were extinct in Ontario
for much of the 20 th century…Now they are almost common.”
“How many are there in Ontario do you think?”
“Professionals estimate 100,000…common.”
“How come?  How did wild turkeys get re-established while so many other
birds and animals are in decline?



HOW DID WILD TURKEYS GET REESTABLISHED IN ONTARIO?

“Was the return  of the wild turkeys natural?”
“Natural?”
“Yes, did they swim or fly across the river from Detroit or across the St. Lawrence River to Brockville?”
“No.  They got here in 1984 due to Dr. David Ankney, a retired biology professor at Western University…he
argued for a trade with American states that wanted some of our wild animals.. The trade took some time
but in 1984 it happened.   We got 274 wild turkeys.

1) traded 18 river otters to Missouri for wild turkeys
2) traded 120 Hungarian partridge to New York for wild turkeys
3) traded 50 moose from Alginqin Park To Michigan for wild turkeys

“That moose trade was expensive…50 moose for a few wild turkeys…Yuk!”

Then we released them in small groups in southern Ontario.  Only real wild turkeys…no  mixtures or domesticated turkeys.
The wild TOM TURKEYS Would not accept domesticated females as wives so those 274 had to be trapped in the forests of the USA.

“Let me see…you say 274 wild turkeys came to Ontario in 1984 and there are more than 100,000 here today.”
“That’s right.”
“Sounds untrue.”
“Not so.  Look around…easy to spot them if you look hard enough.  Some have even moved
to Muskoka and North Bay…northern places that had never had populations ever before.
They are here to stay.”
“What happened to our 50 moose and those river otters.?
“I have no idea…we could find out though.”

Wild Turkeys were worshipped by the Inca and Aztec people; 

In no time the whole flock melded into the fall field colours.  We never got close.