Two Silos Farm

I’ve continued working on the siding. Slow but sure and it will get done. Decided against renting the lift, as I’m working on this bit by bit. So we bought a second 8’ ladder for me to use.

We also got a new freezer (25’ chest type). It’s a Frigidaire, and I’m quite happy with it. Almost got a larger one, but it turns out the salesman either lied or didn’t know what he was talking about. I’d looked online and decided on the Frigidaire because I liked the divider system they had. Sure there were other reasons, but that was the deciding factor between this and a whirlpool based one. They all had two rows of baskets, this one has dividers. I was hoping for a 19 cu foot one at the time, and the local dealer only had the 25’ model. We looked around a bit, and then ended up back at the local place and asked if they could order the 19’ one for us. Salesman said yes, but then it would cost us the same as the 25’ one they had in stock. Then he says “what a minute, we just got some 22’ ones in, I’ll sell them to you for cheaper”. I mentioned that I didn’t think Frigidaire made one that size, and said that I would take it if it also had the same divider system in it. So the salesman goes out back, comes back and says “Yup, it’s what you are looking for” so I paid for it and arranged to have it delivered the next week.

We made room for it in the basement, but it was going to be a tight fit. It’s a good thing my husband was home when they showed up. The delivery crew got it unpacked, and hubby was helping them get it in the house when he said “what a minute!” Then he asked me if I got an Amana. I said “No” it was supposed to be a Frigidaire. The sales slip had the number for the Amana, but didn’t list a name. Since the salesman had assured me it was a Frigidaire, I had no reason to question the model number.

I called the store, and talked to the manager. He said he wanted to “make things write” so I told him I wanted him to order the 19’ model for the price I paid on this one. He said that would be ok, but then I’d have to pay an additional $50 for delivery. At that price, it was cheaper for us to go pick one up ourselves in the town farther down the road. I told him I was real upset about the salesman’s tactics (salesman had the day off) and manager again assured me he would make it right. Since he had already declined my suggestion, I told him to credit my charge card back and told the delivery men to take it back out.

They were chuckling to my husband, turns out this sort of thing happened before – salesman sold the customer a different model than they thought they were getting. If I had wanted an Amana, I would have bought it from the dealer down the street for this place, as they were cheaper. But that is not the model I wanted.

Hubby and I talked about it, and ended up driving into Sioux Falls and picking up a 15’ freezer for a lot less. We decided we would keep the 9’ we already had in the basement, instead of moving it to the shop, so over all, we have plenty of storage. I sure do like that new freezer. Now I can get to work processing some of our produce.

We had a bumper apple crop this year. Most are still on the tree, but we’ll have to get them picked pretty soon, before the weather gets real cold. I love the look of the tree with all the red apples. We had none last year. It got warm real early, and the tree blossomed before there were many insects out. Then it got real cold, and what may have gotten pollinated probably got frozen. I think we had 3 – 4 apples in total. This year I expect 3-4 bags of apples.

On the remodeling front, Hubby made the trim for the den. He used the pine boards from the floor in the kitchen (old dining room). I painted it off white, the same color as the ceiling, but now I’m not sure if I like it. Here it is ready to be installed.

And like I mentioned at the start, I’m still making progress on the siding. Don’t know how long it will take, I just hope the weather stays warm long enough for me to get it done. Vinyl siding is very hard to work with in colder weather. It gets brittle and some times cracks when you try cutting it.

I’ve had to start working on the sofit also. This picture shows a bit of progress there.