On the farm

I had an unexpected layover in the Midwest secondary to my encounter with the deer.  I am one of those very lucky people who have a set of in-laws they actually enjoy, so I didn’t mind.  A little farm work is excellent at taking one’s mind off unpleasant things like car accidents.

This weekend the guys were putting up a grain bin.  Before I met DH, I had no idea what a grain bin was.  I called every tall shiny round building on a farm a silo and left it at that.  They are not all silos.  Some are grain bins.  

This is a finished grain bin.  

This is a silo.  

If they look the same to you, don’t worry.  I still haven’t figured out the difference.  I just memorized which building is where on the farm so I didn’t make a total fool of myself when talking to the guys. 

The grain bin we were putting up that weekend was ten rings high.  It is supposed to hold 35,000 bushels or something, which is approximately a gazillion soybeans and a bazillion corn kernels.  Each ring is put on one at a time. Huge hydraulic jacks raise the installed rings and roof so the next ring can be attached.  

This is the central thing for the jacks.  

You should not mess with the hoses.  People get upset when you mess with the hoses.

If you are ever building a grain bin, I have some advice for you.  First, do not put one of the jacks where you plan on putting your door/platform/ladder.  If you do, then you will be installing the platform and ladder not on the ground level where it is nice and safe and not high, but in the air from a shaky ladder and loader bucket where it is windy and not terribly safe and very high. Then when you look down it will look like this.  This is scary.

Second, wear earplugs.  Four impact wrenches going at once will give you a heck of a headache. 

Third, do not take the jacks out, anchor the bin down, and then realize you left a stepladder inside the grain bin that doesn’t fit out the door.  Apparently, that will frustrate farmers.

Finally, hire my brother-in-law to run things. He’s a born leader, and he’s part Spiderman.