Winter Adventures with Broken Tractors, Stuck Neighbors, and Fire Department Calls - Farmer Mary Field Notes (Week 50, 2025)

December 12, 2025

Originally Written December 3, 2025

Well. Winter has arrived, and with a vengeance. It feels like we barely got past Thanksgiving, and we are in full-on snow mode. Our darling 9-year old daughter has been praying for snow (it’s literally on our hand-written prayer list) and they got their first snow day on what would’ve been their first day back from Thanksgiving break. To be fair, I think most of the state was shut down, but I thought you might get a kick out of hearing how our day played out. Plus, stick through till the end for a tasty and unusual recipe to try.

So the only thing out of the ordinary on my radar for Tuesday was to take the barn cats to the vet. Easy, right? Except Monday night, the forecast promised snow starting by 2am, which meant the road crews would have precious little chance to catch up before folks needed to get on the roads to start their days. Sure enough, one of our favorite bus drivers posted at 5:40ish that school was closed. I figured, this is fine, the kids can help me with chores, we’ll unroll two hay bales for the animals, they can come to the vet with me, we can have a slower morning, all good things. I get my coffee, catch up on the happenings on the social media, and then JD’s phone starts beeping–there’s an emergency and he and Ez have to leave immediately.

They bolt for the door and are gone in roughly five minutes, leaving Fiona and I to shrug at each other and re-plan our morning. We headed to the barn to feed the horse and turn him out, top off the hay for the breeding rams who are biding their time until next week when they can be with their ladies, and Fiona broke ice on the north pasture watering trough. After we caught the barn cats and parked them in their carriers in the tack room for a bit, we unearthed the sleds from the machine shed, and Fiona sledded while I worked on getting water to two other pastures. Frozen hoses, despite our best intentions, preventing me from getting one trough filled, and the other was fed by a solar-powered pump, but the solar panel had 4 inches of snow on it and it was cloudy, so no joy there, either. 45 minutes later, we gave up on water until it got up above freezing and opted to unroll a hay bale for the bulls. This, too, should’ve been easy, except the friendly bulls kept following us every time I stopped to pull hay off the bale. When we got to the end of the pasture, I had Fiona drive through the gate so I could run and pull it shut so the bull wouldn’t follow. Except when I pulled on the gate, it pulled off the top hinge and started falling sideways. Excellent. I wrestled it upright, chained one side, grabbed a wrench from the RTV, hooked the gate back on the hinge, and decided that was enough. Time to go inside to get dry and do something else for a bit.

Fiona headed down the driveway to help my mother-in-law with addresses and stamps for Christmas cards while I swapped laundry and ran the dishwasher. I’d planned to grab the cats we caught earlier and pick up Fiona from the grandparents’ by 11am to get to the vet by 11:20. Noooope. As I’m rolling from my house to the grandparents’ (all of 600 feet away), John calls to tell me that the road is a sheet of ice and there is a guy who got his truck stuck on said road and made it impassable. Our road is gravel on a good day, dirt on most days, and apparently all ice at this point. I call the vet, tell them I can’t get out of my driveway, reschedule the cats for the next day and head back to the house to pivot again. John and Ez, who have been with the volunteer fire department responding to two car crashes all morning, plan to come in from the other direction, bypassing the blocked part of the road, so I put my (wet) overalls back on, grab dry gloves and head to the barn to release the cats and warm up the tractor so John can rescue the stuck motorist on the road. They scoot back up to the house, John gets the tractor and goes *back* down the driveway, and I walk towards the east tree line where I can hike downhill to the road to assure the driver that help is coming. I explain that John is getting the tractor (“Is it a big one?” Yes.) He quickly hooks up the mega tow line, and hauls the guy (and his trailer) up the hill past the worst spot. Ez had come to join me, so we hike back up the hill, planning to get some lunch. As John brings the tractor back to the barnyard, I figure we might as well swap the forks on the front for the bale spear so I can grab a hay bale for the cows and then I’d attach it to the bale unroller after lunch. I get the bale and bring it up to the flat spot in front of the barn, but as I go to turn the tractor, it starts spraying liquid *everywhere*. Blown hydraulic line. I laid the bale on the ground and shut that sucker down as fast as I could, radioing John (who thought he was free for lunch) that something was wrong with the tractor. I shoved a random feed pan from the barn under the worst spot and stood there waiting. We couldn’t immediately figure out which line had gone, so we opted for lunch, and we’d come back to it after. It certainly wasn’t going anywhere in the meantime. Ez picked up Fiona from the grandparents’, tasty lunch was had, and we strategized our next moves.

I used the winch on the RTV to lasso the hay bale and pull it off the tractor’s bale spear, since the tractor wasn’t able to assist. Then, I unrolled hay for the mama cows and the ewes while John went to work on the tractor. That didn’t last long, though–he got a call from a neighbor that the same guy with the truck and trailer from earlier had gotten stuck *again*, but on a different road this time. So, John and Ez grabbed the tow strap from the trailer, hopped in his truck, and headed down the road. In the meantime, Fiona was folding laundry and taking care of the kittens in the garage, and I headed back out to sort out the water trough situation. I got the hoses running (albeit slowly) since it was over 32, and while the trough filled, I decided to shovel out my in-laws. About the time I was finishing up with water and shovel, the guys returned from their rescue mission, and Ez helped me drain the hoses and finish the last bit of snow removal. He and I headed to the next water trough, which, luckily, I can swap from solar to generator power, so I started the generator and sent him off to deliver tools from the RTV to John, who was back on tractor repair duty.

Water troughs filled, I requested pickup from a kiddo so I wouldn’t have to lug the generator back to the house, and had just enough time to change coats and boots before we needed to leave the house to ring bells for the Salvation Army at a local grocery store as part of a 4H service project. With all of the vehicle incidents that had already occurred, I wanted to leave at least ten minutes early. That ended up being a wise choice. Although the roads were dry, as we zoomed down the road, the kids suddenly pointed out a chunky palomino pony standing alone in the middle of a hayfield. Definitely not where it was supposed to be. Sigh. Pulled over, turned around, pulled into a driveway as close to the field as we could get. Knocked on the door–no one home. Slow rolled past it. Pony appeared super happy and not inclined to go anywhere, so I called John (mid-tractor repair) for a phone number of a friend who lived relatively nearby to see if he might know the owner (nope). So, we rang bells for 30 minutes, took years off of our hearing, chatted with folks passing by, grabbed some fried chicken and jojos for dinner, and scooted back to see if the pony was still there. No such luck, but hopefully that means that the pony realized dinner was back at its barn and went back where it belonged. By the time we got back, John was finishing up the tractor repair, the kids did speedy barn chores, and I got dinner set inside. Holy cow. What a day. The crazy part? It was a GOOD day. No injuries, nothing beyond our capacity to fix, everyone kept their good humor, we worked together, and we did some real good. I will take that any day. Maybe, though, winter could go a little easier on us from here on out?

Tell me about your snow day! If you’re anywhere in Northern Ohio, you got the same winter wonderland that we did, and I’d love to hear about it.

In the meantime, I promised you a recipe, and I might actually give you two. Neither has anything to do with snow, but one graced our Thanksgiving table, and the other the kids made on their last day of break. Check them out, see what you think!

Sweet Corn Pudding

This is another recipe I’ve had for ages, courtesy of Epicurious. It comes out like a cross between cornbread and a souffle–kind of creamy, custard-y, but more substantial, and the edges bake up really nice and it gets golden on top. Just lovely any day, really, and easy to whip up with a food processor.

Borrowed directly from Epicurious:

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 8
Temperature: 350°F (175°C)

Ingredients:

4 cups frozen corn kernels (about 19 ounces), thawed: 1 liter (1000 ml)
4 large eggs: 200 grams (approx. 7 oz)
1 cup whipping cream: 240 ml
1/2 cup whole milk: 120 ml
6 tablespoons sugar: 85 grams (approx. 3 oz)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature: 57 grams (approx. 2 oz)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour: 25 grams (approx. 0.9 oz)
2 teaspoons baking powder: 10 grams (approx. 0.35 oz)
1 teaspoon salt: 5 grams (approx. 0.18 oz)

Equipment needed:

8x8x2-inch glass baking dish or 2-quart shallow baking dish
Food processor or blender (for smooth texture)
Mixing bowls
Whisk
Measuring cups and spoons
Oven thermometer (recommended for accuracy)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter the baking dish thoroughly to prevent sticking.
In a food processor, blend all ingredients until the mixture is almost smooth, ensuring no large lumps remain.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish, spreading it evenly.
Bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the center is just set when gently shaken.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving to allow the pudding to firm up slightly.

Safety Notes: Ensure eggs are fresh and the pudding reaches a safe internal temperature. Avoid overbaking to prevent dryness.

Substitutions: Use unsweetened oat milk or almond milk for a dairy-free version. Replace sugar with a natural sweetener like maple syrup or honey, adjusting to taste. For a gluten-free option, use a gluten-free flour blend.

Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat covered in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 20–30 minutes or until warmed through.

Pro Tips: For a richer flavor, use whole milk instead of half-and-half. Let the butter come to room temperature for easier blending. If using frozen corn, ensure it is fully thawed and drained to avoid excess moisture. For a smoother texture, strain the batter through a fine-mesh sieve before baking.

Persimmon Tart with Sage Sugar

The other fun recipe I have for you came about because I needed a way to use some persimmons we impulse purchased. They looked gorgeous, and then I had no idea what to do with them. Total sucker. I had some puff pastry in the fridge, so I figured maybe some kind of tart with the puff pastry? Google suggested this not-too-sweet option with sage sugar. Um, yes! I brought my lavender plant and my sage plant inside from the garden, so I even had fresh sage to work with. The recipe was so fast and so easy that I handed it over to the kids, and they made us some gorgeous treats. Recipe borrowed from Suitcase Foodist!

Ingredients

5-6 Ripe, Firm Fuyu Persimmons
1 Box of Frozen Puff Pastry, defrosted according to the instructions on the package
1 Egg
1 tablespoon Water
1/2 cup Cane Sugar
5-6 Fresh Sage Leaves

Method

Chiffon the sage leaves into thin ribbons and add to a small bowl with the sugar. Set aside.
Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Divide the puff pastry into 4 equal parts and place on a baking sheet - one that is either greased with butter or on parchment paper.
Give the pastry some pricks all over with a fork. Mix together the egg and water until frothy and brush over the pastry. Put it back in the fridge on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.
In the meantime, core the persimmons (just like you would a tomato) and slice into thin rounds. The thinner the better. Make sure the lovely flower is showing when you slice.
Pull the pastry out of the fridge and arrange the persimmon slices on top of the pastry. Sprinkle about a tablespoon of the sage sugar evenly over the top of each one of the 4 sections.
Pop it all into the oven and bake. Start checking it after 20 minutes. The pastry will be doing its puffy thing and starting to turn golden, the sugar will melt and the fruit will start to soften right up. When it is the right shade of golden-brown, pull from the oven and let them sit for 5 minutes on the hot baking sheet before removing them to a cookie rack.

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