Some chores are better than others

RedneckContributor - July 26, 2022

I’m sure we all have chores we don’t really care for.  The thing I dislike the most, which I did Sunday, is cutting the bottom pasture in the heat of the summer.  The feel like temp was around 110 and I was out in the full sun sitting on a hot diesel tractor.  Being on a homestead, especially when the wife is off caring for her 100 year old mom & 102 year old aunt, well there are plenty of chores & lots of animals to feed.

One chore I love this time of year is taking the dogs out for a final bathroom stop before bedtime.  We currently have 8 dogs living with us.  This time of year is special around 8:30 at night.  The sun has set but it is not yet dark.  The sunset has faded to muted colors of normally salmon pink & light blues.  It is still warm out but not oppressively hot.  Actually, rather nice.  And at this time of day, as I sit on the back patio overlooking the back of our property, waiting on & watching the dogs , I get to watch the bats perform their acrobatics as they hunt down mosquitos.  They put on quite the show!  Kinda like watching the bald eagles… it feeds my soul.  With it seems like the whole world going to hell, it is nice to just slow down and appreciate nature.  The time of evening I’m talking about:

Anyone else have some chores that you really enjoy?

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Redneck, that’s a beautiful view in the early evening! Regarding chores I like better than others, emptying the basement dehumidifier water and applying mulch come to mind. In each case, I know that I’m taking care of things and minimizing the chance of future problems. I’ll see if anything else comes to mind. Great question.

 

Funny how we find great pleasure in chores that others might find bothersome.

I just love sunrises & sunsets.  Out here in the country we are blessed with many great views.

 

Nice.

I don’t like maintenance. I can and have built entire houses and a good amount of my income these last few years has been made fixing up old houses and I like that —but I really hate little fix-its, especially on something I just built! Not sure if I feel like I’m going backwards or what. I’m not excited at changing oil and such stuff, I usually get around to it tho…

Chores I like have to do with animals: feeding, checking on their welfare, doctoring, etc. When we had some land I really liked the pigs, chickens, cattle. Even the occasional bone-headed bottle calf. I did some outside work for a neighboring dairy and I kinda miss it, even the ice chopping and fresh cow rodeo parts. I took care of all the girls not in the milk string, from weaning to first calf and then in their dry period up to freshening (Pregnant cows were kept in a lot and when they calved someone has to get the cow & calf up where they need to be.)

 

I like maintenance when it is something I can actually do.  I’m not very mechanical but I have learned a few things thru the years, so I’m thrilled when I don’t have to pay someone to fix something.

Another chore I hate is repairing toilet leaks.  My big, old, stiff body doesn’t fit in those tight spaces found in most bathrooms.  I just paid to have a repairman fix one.

 

‘…My big, old, stiff body doesn’t fit in those tight spaces found in most bathrooms…’

Amen.

I have repaired or replaced too many toilets and sinks over the years. I hate it. I eventually realized the cramped spaces would be a lot easier if I didn’t have a head…that’s always the problem.

 

Ain’t that the truth !  🙂

 

I love doing repairs and maintenance that are cheap, moderately complex, and make a big impact. Those fixes really build my confidence and give me a sense of accomplishment. The other day I replaced the transmission fluid in the transfer case of my car. I had all the tools, it went smoothly with no hiccups, and I now have fresh clean fluid in there to prevent future issues down the road. Why can’t all car repairs be like that?

Another repair I need to do is to fix a small evaporative leak that is causing the check engine light to go on. I’ve done all the self diagnosing I can think of and now I have to turn it over to the professionals and pay them a few hundred to locate the problem. Those are the repairs that are just frustrating because it will probably be a cheap and easy fix but I just don’t know where it is.

 

A mid-priced ($200) OBDII reader will probably narrow it down for you and identify other problems that are below the radar for now.

 

Thanks for the suggestion! I will look into that. 

 

I love to work in the yard and don’t care how hot it is! It beats sitting behind the computer at work all day by a long shot! I will mow (using the Deere and a push mower), trim trees with  a pole saw and chain saw when necessary, and trim the hedges that cross the front of the house and extend down both sides. I’ll tend our little garden, and will soak through a couple of shirts a day doing all of this. It’s like therapy for me! But…I absolutely hate using the weed trimmer! It’s a great working and easy stating trimmer (Stihl). I just hate the noise, stinging bits of weeds and grass and the occasional pebble. I hate that my safety glasses constantly fog up in this humidity. I even hate adding new string to it. Unfortunately I can’t pick and choose the chores, and even weed trimming is better than sitting at this computer! My reward is a cold beer on the porch at sunset!

 

I too love working outside, but when our feel like tamp is 110 plus, I just can’t handle that safely.  Do your temps get that hot?  I find any feel like temp of over 100 dangerous, if I’m out in it for more than an hour.  I try to start early & finish most chores by around 1:00 on such days.

I use an EGO Power weed trimmer.  It is battery operated, not heavy and is silent.  Starts every time and the battery will last over an hour of full time use.  I have other EGO Power tools, so have an additional battery if I need it.  The new ones have auto feed, where you don’t even have to bump the head to get more line.  They also have a power feed where you stick the line into the head & push a button to wind up the line.  I know of no cure for the other issues.  I do hate the sting of getting hit in the face by objects thrown by the line.  My goggles fog up too.

 

Yep, we get the “feels like” 100+ temps all summer here. I’ve never had a problem dealing with it, though. My 1.5 acres is well shaded with huge live oaks. Plus I hydrate a good bit, take lots of breaks, and if I quit sweating I’ll eat a large dill pickle! It’s amazing what that can do to jump start the body in the heat!

That EGO unit you have sounds very interesting. I will definately have to look into it. I don’t have a lot to trim so a battery unit could be a big help.

 

Similar to your sunset watching, last night my wife and I cuddled up on the couch and watched an impressive thunderstorm roll through. The storm was far enough out that it wasn’t raining where we were but the flashes were incredible and lit up the entire night sky. We sat there for 10 minutes marveling at nature and it was almost better than a firework show.

I can’t describe it properly or do it justice, but it was certainly a lifelong memory.

 

My wife loves thunder and lightening storms too. When we lived in NYC on the 34th floor of our apartment building she would turn out the lights and turn chairs around to watch out the sliding glass door.

 

That would be quite the experience seeing it from a higher vantage point.

 

Me too!!!  I love a good storm.  Even if it is just a good rain, I’ll sit out on the back screened in porch to watch it, hear it & smell it.  I love the smell of a heavy rain.

 

I enjoy filling the bird feeders and seeing them flock back to them.  We have been slowly improving our outdoor space during these pandemic times and have 4 different types of feeders (normal seed, nyjer seed, nut and hummingbird) for a total of 7 feeders. So this is a chore of my own making. This time of year, they’re keeping me hopping to keep up.  And Redneck, I’m considering how best to put in bat house or two as well.  I recall them fondly in my youth as the signal to stop swimming in the pond.   I am hoping the bat house will naturally reduce the insect population as a win-win.  

 

I am blessed to have a nice bat population to handle eating insects, especially mosquitos at night.  I am even more blessed to have a huge population of barn swallows that do the same all day long.  Some crazy folks knock down their mud nests when they see them under a porch or overhang.  Crazy people!  I do all in my power to encourage these birds to build nests & I have them on all outdoor structures.

I can’t tell you the last time I got bitten by a mosquito on the farm.  I live out in the country surrounded by fields, woods & ponds/lakes.  Often I’m outside many hours a day.  Every day a bit before dusk, I am down at the pond feeding catfish & watching eagles… and never get bit.  When I sit out at night with the dogs, I never get bit.  Years ago, when we lived in a small town, you would get swarmed by mosquitos, especially at dusk or night.

 

Thanks for the testimonial for bat houses.  Putting it on my wish list.

 

One of my favorite chores to do is feed the animals. The weather has been nice around here the past few days, and being outside has been a joy. 

 

I’m with you.  Heck, I’d rather be around my animals than people.  🙂

 

I’m with you on that. I’ve found that animals tend to be a lot nicer than people 😂

 

When my old hands don’t work for what I want to do, I don’t like that and any job I do is not fun. When it’s not too hot or cold or smokey any chores outside are easy peasy.  Working in an N95 or just moving in over 120* F is a real buzz kill.  Wearing an N95 and moving in high temps is worse. I LOVE to feed and care for the animals and watching them is super fun to me.  Overall I try to be playful and grateful that I get to take care of our land and animals and see the sun rise as I start my day and set as we put up the animals.
Nice big sky Redneck! Lucky you! <3 
Also love to exercise the dogs….

 

Beautiful property!  When our temps get up to around 100 with very high humidity, I limit my hard work to early morning mostly and handle lighter chores in the late afternoon.

If you like that sky, you should love this one.

 

That is gorgeous land Sharon!

That skyline beats any city skyline Redneck!

 

My favorite chore is hanging out laundry on the line. Inside, laundry chores are mind-numbing. Outside, the time is filled with sunshine, breezes, birds, bees, butterflies, and throwing the ball for the dog between garments.

 

I like making small repairs myself. I like the mental challenge of figuring out why something isn’t working correctly, and then the added challenge of figuring out how to fix it. I’m a 70 year old woman, and I find myself dragging strange things to the hardware store since I don’t know the right lingo to describe what I need. My last trip was dragging a folding camp chair that just needed a new nut and bolt to hold a leg together. It’s a great feeling that I fixed it for a few dollars and did not need to buy a replacement. 

 

Way to go!  I also like learning how things work and at least trying to do or fix them.  I’ve done this with many things small and large including tiling, roofing, plumbing and electrical issues but also know my limits.  My attitude has always been that I can pay an expert or I can try it myself  –  if I don’t fix it, I’ll call the expert, but learned something.  Most of our reticence is typically fear – fear of messing it up (intimidation) and/or fear of judgement by others.  And we totally overestimate these consequences.  Learning takes  the willingness to try and then practice.   Prepping is like that as well.  The willingness to face the potential risks (pandemic, hurricane, etc) and dismiss the judgement of others when you act to mitigate them.  Then practice the process – which I admit, I’m not quite so good at doing in the prep area.