Today was the day when I had to spread fertilizer on the farm.

When we first moved out to the country, we learned that in order to keep the pastures healthy we have to put down fertilizer. That year, they recommended 6000 pounds of it.

This year it was a more modest 2000 pounds. The easiest way to do this is to go down to Southern States and rent a “buggy”. This is a combination trailer/spreader that you hook up to a truck, drive to the farm, hook up to the tractor, drive around, put it back on the truck and drive it back to Southern States.

For years this worked well, but for the last three years I’ve discovered that the buggy was broken when I tried to use it.

The first year the PTO had been bent to the point I couldn’t get it hooked up to my tractor (it wouldn’t slide in far enough). Last year the chain driving the belt that pulls the fertilizer from the trailer was broken.

Those two were fixed down the street at Gum Springs Garage, but it entailed disconnecting the buggy and hooking it back up to the truck.

This year the PTO wouldn’t turn the spreader. Luckily, my neighbor Jake was home and he was able to fix it for me (it was a missing pin). I gave him a bottle of scotch for his efforts (and others – Jake has saved my bacon more than once).