by Pa Rock
Weary Road Warrior
It's going to be one of those mornings!
The sun isn't up yet, but I have already been out and completed my morning chores and am now preparing for a long drive into Springfield, Missouri, (100 miles - one way), for some early morning lab work and a doctor's appointment. Unfortunately, the labs are "fasting," which means I will do the entire hundred miles on an empty stomach.
Yesterday evening I bucked twelve fifty-pound bags of Bentonite onto my dry farm pond. The centerpiece of the pond, which usually has a bit of water but has been empty for the past month or so, has been a large dead tree stump. I finally decided that the stump might be responsible for the pond constantly being dry, so I had my good neighbor, Rex, bring his tractor over yesterday and pull the stump out. Rex also did some smoothing work in the dry pond while he was at it.
Then yesterday evening I hauled twelve fifty-pound bags of Bentonite (pulverized clay) to the pond and spread it. Bentonite is regarded as a pond sealer, and I used it once before at another farm that I owned. Bentonite is reportedly a carcinogen, so I had to be extra careful in spreading it. Twelve bags should - ideally - cover 300 square feet, and I suspect my effort may have covered half that much.
I bought the Bentonite at the local feed store - and I will be going back for many more bags before the process is complete. Then, after some good rains I will see if my efforts paid off. The pond is in a beautiful setting, and it if were holding water it would make for a nice increase in the value of my little farm.
The young lady who sold me the Bentonite was particularly clever. She said they had two varieties - powder and granules - and asked which I preferred. I had no clue which was best, so I asked her opinion, knowing full well that she had likely never tried to seal pond. As I suspected, she had no special knowledge of Bentonite, but she did know how to find some useful information. After punching a few buttons on her computer, she replied: "I can tell you that this year we have had five-hundred-and-seventy-eight people buy the granules and only forty seven buy the powder. For my initial purchase I bought five bags of granules and one of powder. (I wanted to see the difference for myself.). Satisfied that the granules were cleaner and easier to work, my second order was for six bags of the granules.
And this morning I am worn out. But after getting back from Springfield I will head into town for more Bentonite. I've got to cover as much of that dry pond as I can before the rains finally arrive.
So, as you can see, it truly is going to be one of those mornings.
Have a day!
Weary Road Warrior
It's going to be one of those mornings!
The sun isn't up yet, but I have already been out and completed my morning chores and am now preparing for a long drive into Springfield, Missouri, (100 miles - one way), for some early morning lab work and a doctor's appointment. Unfortunately, the labs are "fasting," which means I will do the entire hundred miles on an empty stomach.
Yesterday evening I bucked twelve fifty-pound bags of Bentonite onto my dry farm pond. The centerpiece of the pond, which usually has a bit of water but has been empty for the past month or so, has been a large dead tree stump. I finally decided that the stump might be responsible for the pond constantly being dry, so I had my good neighbor, Rex, bring his tractor over yesterday and pull the stump out. Rex also did some smoothing work in the dry pond while he was at it.
Then yesterday evening I hauled twelve fifty-pound bags of Bentonite (pulverized clay) to the pond and spread it. Bentonite is regarded as a pond sealer, and I used it once before at another farm that I owned. Bentonite is reportedly a carcinogen, so I had to be extra careful in spreading it. Twelve bags should - ideally - cover 300 square feet, and I suspect my effort may have covered half that much.
I bought the Bentonite at the local feed store - and I will be going back for many more bags before the process is complete. Then, after some good rains I will see if my efforts paid off. The pond is in a beautiful setting, and it if were holding water it would make for a nice increase in the value of my little farm.
The young lady who sold me the Bentonite was particularly clever. She said they had two varieties - powder and granules - and asked which I preferred. I had no clue which was best, so I asked her opinion, knowing full well that she had likely never tried to seal pond. As I suspected, she had no special knowledge of Bentonite, but she did know how to find some useful information. After punching a few buttons on her computer, she replied: "I can tell you that this year we have had five-hundred-and-seventy-eight people buy the granules and only forty seven buy the powder. For my initial purchase I bought five bags of granules and one of powder. (I wanted to see the difference for myself.). Satisfied that the granules were cleaner and easier to work, my second order was for six bags of the granules.
And this morning I am worn out. But after getting back from Springfield I will head into town for more Bentonite. I've got to cover as much of that dry pond as I can before the rains finally arrive.
So, as you can see, it truly is going to be one of those mornings.
Have a day!
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