Getting Things Done BY NOEL STASIAK

Getting Things Done by Chief Noel Stasiak, US Navy Seabees, Ret.

The pandemic has slowed things down, that’s for sure. But you can sure get things done when all your extracurricular activities come to a halt. Now I’m running out of things to do, or at least things I don’t mind doing. The hard stuff or the not-so-much-fun stuff is still on the shelf.

I’ve had the opportunity to ride Becky more often, been working on the tractors, been trying to clean up all the junk lying around (for some reason things seem to accumulate around the farm). It seems like inside and the area around the barn has become a collection site. It’s starting to look like a museum. With extra time on my hands I’ve been hitting all the flea markets, yard sales and auctions. There’s not as many as there used to be before the bug invaded our lives, but now and then one pops up, especially away from the city. Of course, masks and social distancing is required but if it gives one a feeling of normalcy for a

little while. I can’t pass up a deal, so I have two or three (or even four) of just about everything you can think of... most of which I’ll probably never use.

I brought the motorcycle (I call it the iron mule) down to the farm and played with it for a while. It doesn’t like to go down those gravel roads, those rocks tend to make traction almost impossible. My gravel road is a mile long from the main road to the house and full of ruts and bumps. It’s a pretty intense little ride. You can’t go too fast and if you touch the front brake the front wheel wants to slide out from underneath you, and then you’d have about 750 pounds on top of you. I won’t do that anymore, the bike will stay in the city.

My team of mules were being ignored since I don’t have much open space or roads to drive my wagon, and they needed some exercise. My Amish friend Ruben offered to take them in for the summer on his farm. My wagon is set up for a single mule and Tom and Jerri are a team. Ruben said he could fix it so I could have a double tree so they could work together, which is what they have always done. He’s been keeping them in shape by working them in the fields and they have a lot more room to roam in his pasture.

I bought a new/used Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel 4x4 truck to haul the mules. It sets high off the ground and the wife complained that it was like climbing a mountain to get in, so I had to have some running boards installed to accommodate her and myself. The Suburban is a smoother ride but just didn’t have the power on the hills.

It’s been so hot and my time working with the mules has been limited to usually in the morning, if at all, but I still take time out to ride Becky. My daughter Christine came down to the farm with my granddaughter to visit for a day on a Sunday. They have both been locked down in the house since the crisis hit with Chris working from home and Bella doing the school on the computer thing. They were enjoying getting out of the house and both had an opportunity to ride Becky plus cruise around in the Polaris side-byside and check out the woods. Social distancing is not a problem on 76 acres - and no mask required. Unfortunately the side-by-side broke down in the woods on the trail and I had to pull it out with the new truck. Bella’s school friend came down with them and they both got to ride in the bed of the truck while I pulled the side-by-side through the jungle of woods and up and down some serious hills with Christine steering the side-by-side. It was an adventure for all of us. Grandpa’s farm was a nice respite from the craziness that’s affecting us all.

I took the mules and Blackjack, my donkey, to the vet for their shots and Coggins test, which took up most of a day. They seemed to enjoy the ride and the change of scenery. They are about due for a worming and a visit from the farrier. The horse flies are again driving the mules crazy, especially Chad, who is almost black and seems to attract the most flies. I feel so sorry for

him and nothing seems to work very well. I’ll be working around the barn and he’ll come running at full speed towards me, which is kind of scary, and slam on the brakes next to me so I can swat the flying beasts off his back. After smashing six or seven plump nasty horse flies with my hand, he’s happy and strolls off and I’m left with a bloody hand.

Just before the virus hit I started making homemade soap out of donkey milk and my intentions were to sell my products at mule festivals and mule sales. I set up at the Spring sale in Sedalia, Mo., (you may have seen my story in Mules and More about that trip) but since then there have been no opportunities to set up since everything was shut down or cancelled. The donkey milk is imported and I get it form a distributor out of Ohio. It’s already mixed and ready to melt and pour into molds. I add color and scents and wrap each individual bar. This is a fun hobby that’s not going to make me rich but is an enjoyable way to pass the time, especially during these trying times. By the time this gets published the Boone County Fall sale will be over, but next time stop by and I’ll tell you all the benefits of donkey milk soap. It’s what kept Cleopatra so beautiful.

I’m heading out to Washington State in the morning. My nephew bought a big house and some land up near the Canadian/Idaho border and I’m going to help them get moved in and check out the place for some fencing so they can have a mule or two. They also want some goats. They are retired cops and want to get away from all the hustle and bustle that’s going on. They’ve been living in Phoenix but say the heat there is just too brutal in the summer and getting hotter. I’ll be flying into Phoenix and then we’ll be driving some of their belongings to Washington, including a Harley or two which we plan to ride part of the way and trailer the rest. You don’t need a mask on a Harley.

I can’t wait to ride some mules up in the high country. Now I have a destination to take Becky, it would be a long ride but we like to stop along the way and smell the roses and maybe try out some interesting trails. When you’re retired, people think you have plenty of time to kill but when you get long in whiskers, time is of the essence and you don’t want to waste it. Getting things done doesn’t always mean work; it can be fun depending on your attitude. I’m always looking for an adventure and if I can’t find one, I’ll make one and I’ll get it done.