American Barn Stories website update 

Just done updating the americanbarnstories.net website. I added a, 'The Producer' button to the menu bar that offers some quick information on me and my production capabilities  and shows visitors who is bringing this site and energy to them. 

Also added to the menu bar is a, 'Presentations' button that offers people information on the one-hour presentations I do with the shows. If you have a group event coming up and need a speaker with a really nice one-hour presentation, check it out at this copy/paste link          http://www.americanbarnstories.net/#!the-presentation/c1up6

Otherwise 

Ran up to Art the Farmer's place late afternoon today to chainsaw a tree limb off of an electric fence line. Was too busy working before it got dark to snap a pic, but the pics below show the general area we were working in.


In this first pic you see the distance from the barn yard, we are at the far end of pasture number 3. There are six pastures on his 40 acre farm.
 

In this pic you can see the general area of the offending tree, it's on the far right side of the frame at the very edge. The Cottonwood tree itself is just beyond the right edge of the frame.

Here's the actual tree itself a couple of seasons back. Since then the closer limb came down and wasn't an immediate problem, but then recently the limb on the far side came down across the electric fence line between pastures 3 and 4 and had to be dealt with, so today we got 'em both cut up. Started cutting at about 3pm and had it done within a couple of hours, at almost dark. Arthur will get everything moved from the site with the help of his upstairs renter, whose father-in-law can evidently use the wood this Winter in his wood stove.  

 Another look at the closer limb with Art's Jersey cows grazing beneath.

So here comes another Wisconsin Winter and Arthur will do his best to keep going. But year to year the load gets heavier on him and his hopes of keeping the farm going are growing dim -- and he knows it and it's hard to witness. But we've become friends and I'll always do whatever I can to help him keep on. And I'll continue to bring his story to you as well.   

 

This real deal look at an old dairy farmer in the Heartland approaching the end of his run is something special on many levels. Through my presentations of the shows I know a lot of you are interested in all of this, so I'll keep going. I'll keep bringing you old barn stories and Art the Farmer stories and let's just see where it goes. 

Thanks for any inputs along the way, appreciate your interest in it all, 

More later,

      Tom