Another Craigslist sale... two, actually

 Cliff put the two little Olivers on Craigslist Saturday morning.  Within two hours they were sold, and I removed the ads.  Normally we won't do that until the money is in hand, but this man is practically royalty:  He's the vice-president of Central States Oliver Collectors, so Cliff knew he was good for the money.  He has about fifty Hart-Parr and Oliver tractors, but he didn't have a 550, and it's the featured tractor in this year's show.  He will send us pictures of it when he has it all prettied up.

What are they doing over there at the bench?  Can you read the words on his jacket?  If you can't, click on the picture to make it larger.

 Oh, it's a pile of money!  I love piles of money!

 He took the obligatory look at Cliff's prize 1855.

He told Cliff he has any kind of parts we might need for any Oliver tractor, at a much cheaper price than what the dealers ask.   

Goodbye, little tractors.  I really wanted to keep the 550, but I bet we'll run onto another one before long.  

random

Some Iowa guy on a tractor message board mentioned that he and his grandson were looking for a 550 Oliver that they could restore together; after checking with Cliff to see if it was OK, I posted Cliff's email address on the board and told the man Cliff had two of them, as well as a Super 55 (a similar tractor).  
He contacted Cliff and then they talked on the phone.  Cliff priced the best 550 for $3,500... it's my favorite, and the one he was going to paint next... and the more worn-out one for $1,200.  The man and his grandson drove all the way from Iowa to look at the tractors, and he talked like he'd be back after MY tractor, the good 550 Oliver; perhaps today.  No cash changed hands, however, and he hasn't called back.  
I haven't decided whether I want this guy to show up or not:  I personally talked Cliff into driving clear to Kansas to get that tractor!  It has power steering, something that's hard to find on an Oliver 550 tractor.  I've been looking forward to seeing it painted up like new.    
On the other hand, if both tractors, the cheaper one and the more expensive one, were painted and restored, they'd look identical sitting side by side.  What's power steering to me?  I don't drive the tractors around here.  For that matter, what's power steering to Cliff?  He wouldn't be using the tractor for farm work; he has a perfectly good John Deere for that.  So if the man buys my favorite tractor, it really doesn't matter.  
I should mention that Cliff has offered to call the guy and tell him he's changed his mind about selling that particular tractor.  I feel as though if someone comes all that distance (400 miles round trip) to look at a tractor, it wouldn't be right to back out now. 
We'll see if MY tractor stays or goes.  I'm going to assume that whatever happens is for the best, because that's usually how things work around here.  
As a result of posting Cliff's email on the message board, he also got a couple of inquiries asking whether he ever paints tractors for other people; they have seen the pictures of his 1855.  He is not so sure about doing this because he has no idea how to price his services. 


Yesterdays steak turned out just dandy, if a wee bit overdone.  It was tender and tasty.  
Iris is still sleeping in the bedroom.  She doesn't even get out of her bed until we are both out of bed, and at one point yesterday she was in there during the day, instead of in the computer room with me.  Who knows what goes through their little doggy-brains?  
Jody no longer has a headache and has forgotten she ever had those little nubbins of horns.  She already looks much better without them.  She is the color of a purebred Jersey, but the shape of her head shows her Holstein genes.  
Bonnie-the-Jersey-cow could be bred any time, but I haven't witnessed her showing signs of heat.  Come on, Bonnie!  Get with the program.  

Here's what it's like watching Cliff work on a tractor

Cliff bought yet another Oliver tractor today.  It looks pretty much like junk, but it runs just fine.  My husband loves a challenge, and he's already on it.  It was really cheap, and he'll no doubt make money on it later on when he sells it.  



As I watch this slideshow, it reminds me of a skilled surgeon at work.  What Cliff is trying to do here is get the choke cable out where he can work on it.  If you watch to the end, you will see him triumphantly displaying said choke cable.  Victory is sweet.  He told me it would have been easier if he had removed the carburetor first.  
"So why didn't you remove the carburetor?" I asked.
"I didn't want to." 
OK, whatever.
So many tractors, so little time.

Today

The daughter's girls are here for the weekend, so I woke them up for pancakes this morning.  They've pretty much vegged out in front of the computers all day.
I've spent my day keeping an eye on Bonnie-the-cow, who exhibits signs of stage one of labor; but then, she's been doing that for three days.  We opened up the back door of Blue's old stall so she can have some shade whenever she needs it, and she's been spending a lot of time in there.  This morning I told Cliff, "I'd hate to see her have a calf on that filthy stall floor."
Cliff stopped his weed-eating to say, "Get the wheel barrow and haul some straw out there to put in the floor; that'll freshen it up."
Thanks a lot, Cliff.
I did it, though, and Bonnie was so grateful, she laid right down in the first load I spread in the corner of the stall.  
I spent some time sitting with her in the stall, eating cantaloupe.  She was curious and kept on bugging me until I gave her a bite.  Big mistake, because then she wouldn't get her snotty nose out of my dish.

Then I talked Cliff, bless his heart, into fixing her up with a fan.  She loves it, as you can see, and stands in front of it to cool off.  She thinks she's the Queen of Sheba.

Cliff spent the better part of the day mowing and weed-eating, but he found some time to work on his latest tractor purchase, the Oliver 550.  I have no idea what he's doing in this picture.  I do know one thing he fixed, though.
  

When we bought the 550, it had to be started with a wire contraption.  Cliff figured out the problem with little effort this evening, and now it starts with a key!  This brief video would have been better taken outside, but this is what you get.  
Most of the parts on the Super 55 interchange with the 550, and Cliff is going to take axles and other parts from that tractor and put them on this one, his pet.  Once he's taken the best from the Super 55 and traded for the more-worn parts on the 550, he'll sell the older tractor.  It's mechanically sound, and he'll enjoy getting it in good shape before he sells it.  I'm fairly certain he will make a few bucks on it.  
Good Lord willing, the 550 will stay with us for awhile.