May 2021 - 20

NOTES FROM THE FARM
Taking out an old tree while navigating credit card scams
hour or so.
Scams, fraud and other
JERRY MILLS
Mills Apple Farm
jerry@millsapplefarm.com
misdemeanors: The vultures are
flying! This week I had three instances
of potential internet thievery.
My credit card company caught
Pushing out Granny Smith:
Yesterday as I was coming in from
pushing prunings, I cut through an old
unpruned Granny Smith block. There
was a sickly tree. The soil was soft. I
set the blade of the track loader about
two feet above ground level and made
a run at the tree. It leaned over. I lifted
as I pushed and it popped out of the
ground, roots and all.
I dropped the blade, set it in float
mode, tilted it forward a bit and
backed up. Dirt displaced by the
eruption moved back toward the hole.
By rolling the blade as it approached
the hole, I was able to fill it perfectly.
A couple of runs across the pile and
the tracks pressed it down. There is no
sign a Granny lived there for 42 years.
That went so well, I pushed out the
whole community.
Parkinson's patient's kick:
There comes a time, as the disease
Forty-two-year-old Granny Smith tree headed into retirement at Mills Apple Farm, Marine,
Illinois in spring 2021. Photos: Jerry Mills
progresses, that people like me begin
to have violent dreams. Violence, as in
as striking out or kicking. This comes
toward the end of a sleep cycle during
the rapid eye movement (REM) period.
My dreams always involve kicking.
You would be surprised at how
accurately I can kick an attacker
squarely in the face, usually while lying
on my back. This continues until I
awaken or Marilyn wakes me. The good
part is that I seldom feel terrorized.
One 5-milligram melatonin tablet,
taken at bedtime, usually prevents
these dreams. Melatonin is a natural
substance already found in the body.
Safe to use. I take a second pill if sleep
is not going well and I wake up after an
the first one and sent an alert. Their
records showed $91 due for something
I did not order, but from a company
where I had recently placed orders.
Then they made up a nice invoice and
sent it, but it was not from a business
address. I called the card company. We
closed out that card and were issued a
new one.
The next day an email arrived from
someone else acknowledging an order
for a fancy Nikon camera and an HP
laser printer. Charges, with postage
and shipping: $1,100! Then a fake
Amazon email came acknowledging
the order and announcing March 8 as
the delivery date.
These charges have not appeared on
my credit card. We think they were
blocked by the old card that we canceled.
It pays to be careful. I get potential
scams every day wanting me to
" call back " or click a special button.
Sometimes it is hard to resist. Don't be
easy pickings. VGN
Notes from the Farm
A collection on what's worked and what hasn't
Experience the wisdom, humor
and practical advice from
well-known Illinois grower and
marketer, Jerry Mills, throughout
his time in agriculture!
GET YOUR COPY TODAY!
bit.ly/vgn-farm
Help a great cause!
A portion of the proceeds from book sales will be donated to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Disease Research.
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May 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May 2021