Just Bitching

[Magpie]

So, as some of you may have heard, NY had a bit of a "weather" happening this week.

My big old post and beam barn got in the way of a wee bit of wind...


Some of it came through my window, the entire roof wound up in the road blocking both lanes of the highway.

Down the hill, a car was trapped under a power poll, and my barn roof was between the soon to be arriving fire trucks and those poor people.

So... what to do? Be an idiot, and venture out in a storm, of course. But Its Perilous! "I can handle the Peril!" (no you cant, its too perilous!)

Ran to my tractor with the front bucket and..... nothing. dead battery. ran to my van, and drove it to the tractor and in the perilous storm, jump started it. (I know, right? Shocking behaviour)

I had one lane cleared and got all the traffic cleared out just as the Fire trucks arrived to the rescue... ONE guy on the truck says "thanks" as they go past.

I[m not sure what part of my barn it was, or why they were there, but the 6" long nails sticking up through the wood would certainly not have been healthy for the Fire trucks tires. I stayed out there until the road was completely cleared, and then went in to dry off and warm up. But there was no warming up, as there was no electricity, so no heat!
So, almost 60 hours later, the power comes back on, I now have a flat tired tractor, a hacking wheezing cough, and the lady in town at the diner says to me "I hope you never have children so you dont raise anymore like yourself"
It was all I could do to not tell her "And I hope the next storm comes around, you are in a car wreck under a pole, and the rescue squad is late getting to you because I'm leaving the debris to THEM next time"
So, there, I'm done bitching now.
May you all not BE jerks, and may you all not Encounter jerks.
Steve Magpie

[rolodave]

Great story about a good guy doing the right thing.

Upstate New York farmers are the greatest:

Max Yazgur and Magpie

[HARRYWALLY]

Here too, the hardest and toughest guys are always farmers.

You did what any normal person, who cares about others would do.

[Marshal]

I'm confused as to just what that lady at the diner thinks you did wrong there. The weather isn't under your control, you can't help what the wind destroys or where it blows the debris. And you're not rescue personnel so you weren't obligated to go out in the storm and put yourself at risk to clean it up. A lot of folks wouldn't have.

If anything the world could use a few more like you, and a few less like her.

[DoughBoy68]

Maybe the lady a the diner needs to become a farmer and get a grip on reality! Let's just hope she doesn't have any kids that turn out like her............

[sharptonn]

Sounds like a fiasco.

It reminds of some hurricane and flood memories I had just as soon forget.
Glad you made it through.
Mother nature. She can be hard on us!

[Gonzo4str8rzrs]

In the Navy we would have started that story with this is a real no sh*tter. Thanks for going above and beyond to assist others, that's special. Bless you brother

[Dieseld]

Thanks for showing how us farmers are. We are community people and do what it takes to help others.

Around here when it storms my phone goes off all the time about downed trees in the road. Big tractor with bucket and grapple along with a chainsaw not much stays where it fell

[Magpie]

For those wondering what I did wrong....

THIS particular farmer, is a transplanted NYC Jew, who apparently has no business living, let alone living in my neighborhood.
and before you ask, no, I DONT like my bagels with a schmear! (Hells, I'm such a lousy jew, I dont even LIKE lox on a bagel)

[Phrank]

Well, I'm certainly glad you came out relatively unscathed, that is/was a big old barn....

You went above and beyond, you looked out for others, without care for yourself, that's a whole whack of good vibes and good karma. And the Witch that rained on your parade, next time you see her tell her it was obvious she was out of the rain, as she didn't melt, and too bad the barn missed her, you wanted a pair of magic red shoes for the wife.

Good on you brother....