Mechanical woes, chicken nesters & spring cleaning

Check Engine flashed on the dashboard at about the same time as an unearthly squeal starting coming from underneath the hood and bonnet of the old, but reliable conversion van.  Rack the mechanical brain: alternator belt, alternator, tensioning pulley, water pump, engine belt, other pulleys, fan, air conditioning system.  Headlights dimming, battery gauge fluctuating; yup, I am going with alternator.  DH is traveling; I am working overtime at my ‘real’ job.  Perhaps the mechanic fairy will come to visit.  In the absence of his/her visit, I will be calling the shop in the morning hopefully their schedule will allow it to be fixed before I head home.  I am a fairly handy person and a half way decent backyard mechanic.  Attempting that kind of repair after working 12 or 14 hours will not be good for me or the van.  Sometimes it is worth scrounging together the cash to have someone else fix it for you.

Two days, two vehicles.  The little orange tractor was taken away yesterday to repair a problem with the hydraulic system, the correction of which was beyond my realm of mechanical ability.  I am certain given enough hydraulic fluid, a heated garage, some pneumatic air tools and a manual; I might have been able to figure it out.  But there is also that little issue of time.  That is one of those commodities I don’t have right now.  We are shorthanded at work and all of us have been working overtime.  The field where the new Christmas trees will be planted will not prepare itself.  Hand-digging the hill in front of the house for the new retaining wall would probably put both DH and I in the hospital.  Moving gravel and topsoil with a shovel and a wheel barrel, while great exercise would be much more efficient with the tractor.  Someday I will have enough time and not need the money so that I could enjoy the workout of hand-digging the next level of the retaining wall or carrying rocks across the field in the wheel barrel.

Mechanical problems aside, we are making progress towards spring.  Two new nesters were installed in the chicken coop in hopes of allowing our broody hens to become mommas, there were six eggs in one of them this morning.  The outdoor chicken pen has received its repairs after a hard, snowy winter, although since the snow hasn’t all melted no one wants to go outside.  The extra roosters have been removed so that the girls can get a little rest.  Cleaning out of the garage has begun to get a little more organized and to make room for the brooder box in the corner.  Last year I had the babies inside the house – what a dusty mess their mash makes.  This year, they will be outside! 

The salvaged, insulated pool cover was trimmed down to size and fitted over the greenhouse today.  I will be a week late in starting my seeds, but with even the slightest bit of sun the greenhouse is heating to at least 50 degrees and with the new cover it was still almost 60 in there when I left for work tonight at 10:30 p.m.  If all goes well with the repairs to the van, I will be stopping at the local supply store on my way home from work to pick up seed starting mix.  I combine ½ seed starting mix with ½ compost and our starts seem to do really well.