You Ain't Nothin' But A....

...Hornworm!

If you have tomatoes be on the lookout for these little blighters. They are hard to spot and you will probably see the damage before you see the caterpillar. Also look for their droppings; they are much easier to spot than the little green buggers. These transform into hummingbird moths, but don't let that prejudice you into sparing them.

Tuesday Torque: Charles Mohrle, WW II Fighter Pilot...

He flew P-47s.  2000 Horsepower.  That qualifies for a Torque post!  You are going to love this visit with a great man.

Hurry Up, Those Chickens Are Waiting!

                                    Back To The Old Grind!

Roaring Twenties Music: The Flip Side, Dance-O-Mania!

Roaring Twenties Music: Old Man Jazz, May 1920

This is one of the hot ones from a century ago.  Susan and I actually have a copy of this record in one of the cabinets, but we never posted it to YouTube.  The All Star Trio recorded this toe tapper.  My old cat Brat would have liked this one!

Weekend Steam: Take A Trip And Never Leave The Farm!

Merle found some good ones for us again, in far spread locations.  Thank You, Merle!  The first one is in Australia.

Australian steam locomotive 3801 - Adhesion tests - Cowan Bank - May 2020

"Home to an eclectic mix of historic equipment - with an emphasis on Midwestern lines - the Illinois Railway Museum has something for everyone to enjoy. Whether you’re into diesels, steam engines or electric traction, there’s no shortage of action on any given day! In this program, we present a compilation of various trolleys and trains that you may encounter on a visit to the IRM. For more information, please visit: http://www.irm.org."

Solar Panels Are Almost Done!

We nearly have our solar system ready to work.  An electrician has to do some final hookup and then it will be up and running.  Running the trencher was a little worry.  There is a water main, our water line, a phone line, and a 7200 volt line that is buried.  No problems, though.

Brass Man Bart: Them Basses, Plus A Bonus!

Here's Brother Ben, aka Brass Man Bart, playing one of his favorite marches.  He plays eight parts, seven of them on his euphonium. 


The bonus is the Brass Man on his harmonica, the instrument that started it all for Ben.

Potato Tower Is Progressing Nicely

                                                     Time will tell if this works for us.

Tuesday Torque: No SIAM Show At Evansville This Year

This Covid thing is going to knock out many of the little shows around the country.  A year with poor gate receipts is a hardship.  NO gate receipts is a disaster.  Insurance and other expenses go on.  Get out to an engine show if one is close to you, and show your support for the hobby.

On A Lighter Note...

...Life must go on.  Don't let them wear you down.


                                    Back To The Old Grind!

You Are Not Paranoid

They really are coming to get you. NYC, this weekend.

35 year old man murdered while washing his car

NYC cops watch while man is beaten  Interfering would be police brutality, sure as the World.

We're Doin' The Green Thing!

Susan and I made a leap and are installing solar panels. It sounds like a good deal, and it is a bit exciting. This is why we have been doing extra chainsaw work and digging exploratory holes in the yard.

Weekend Steam: Norfolk And Western 611 Returns To The Mainline!

Click the YouTube logo in the lower right corner to go to YouTube and read the writeup with 611. Great Catch, Merle!

Roaring Twenties Music: Love Nest, Recorded By John Steel, May, 1920

Chestnuts This Fall!

The flowers are thick on our chestnut trees this year.  Chestnut dressing at Thanksgiving!

Wheat's Out

Beans are in!

Brass Man Bart: Repasz Band March On The Euphonium!

Ben's Comments: The Repasz Band March was written in 1901 for the Repasz Band in Williamsport, PA by Chas. C. Sweeley and arranged by Harry J. Lincoln. The march has been performed millions of times and is considered by many to be among the top 100 marches ever written. The Repasz Band was founded in 1831 and is the longest continually active band in the United States. My performance of this march covers 10 parts. The tuba part is played on my Eb tuba, the Eb cornet and 1st and 2nd alto horn parts are played on my Eb altonium, and the 1st and 2nd cornet, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd trombone, and baritone parts are performed on my Bb euphonium, shown in the video. Hope you enjoy this. Please like, and please subscribe. Thank you. Brassman Bart

Brass Man Bart On The Harmonicas!

Brahm's Hungarian Dance Number 5.



Ben's Comments: "Brahms Hungarian Dance #5 is a folk tune written down by Brahms, along with a number of other folk dance tunes. This particular tune is primarily in harmonica minor, part of it is in major, and about two bars are in natural minor. I play this in the key of A with a harmonic minor harmonica, an A major harmonica, and a Paddy Richter harmonica in the key of C, which allows playing in A natural minor. This number won me my first blue ribbon at the Iowa State Fair Harmonica Contest.
Please enjoy. Brassman Bart"

Making Hole Again

We had the various utility people locating for us again, and the water line from the meter to the buildings does not have a copper line, so it cannot be located.  We had to do it ourselves so we can avoid trouble. 

Easy-does-it when you are getting close! Tomorrow, another digging project!  No need to join a gym!

Tuesday Torque: Impressive Startups!

Watch the second one bounce around!  I do believe it should be tied down a bit tighter  Spotted by Merle.  Thank You, Merle!

We're Keeping The Saws Warm

Susan is my swamper when we are doing work with a chainsaw.  She watches my back, drags brush, loads firewood, etc.  She came out to check on me the other day and did not have her safety gear, so she shot a little video from afar.  This is how it should look if you are watching, and not part of the work.

                                 
                   More to do this week.  Back To The Old Grind!

Weekend Steam: Trains, Trains, And More Trains!

You keep picking them, Merle, and we'll keep posting them!  Thank You!

Roaring Twenties Music: Whatcha Gonna Do When There Ain't No Jazz? Esther Walker

This number came out in May of 1920 and was recorded by several artists.  I found one on YouTube by Aileen Stanley, but the record was warped badly and they were playing it on a machine with poor sound reproduction.  Esther Walker does a fine rendition. 

Godiva Has Settled In

I hope her feelings aren't hurt too bad when it is time to move on.  She will be a fine companion for someone. 

She enjoys a little lap time every evening, and goes to her kennel for meals and bedtime just like the rest of the dogs.

She likes the sunny spots on the floor.  Dogs figure that out pretty quick.

Chicago Is...Listen To The Aldermen

Holy Cow!  Profanity Warning.

Chainsaw Appreciation

We're hitting our outdoor work just about every day.  We cleaned up a patch of honey locust and are now pushing back an edge that has grown out with leaners and mis-shapen trees.  Here we are starting on a snag, after I tapped on it to see if it was solid enough to stick a saw into.

We don't trust snags.  Drive in a wedge to tip it, and it is likely to lift the hinge apart rather than bend it.  I put the loader against it for a gentle push.

Surprise!  It is a mostly solid, very dry, black oak!  This will be good wood for the stove next winter.  It just needs to be cut, split and stacked in the barn.  No drying time needed.

Tuesday Torque: Root And Who?

Root and VanDervoort!  Made in Moline, IL.  This is a brand that was sold by John Deere.  Go Here to read a very good historical writeup about these great engines.

Stay Sharp!

There's a lot going on this week.  Plan every move; have an escape plan. Throw chips, not dust!

                                                           Back To The Old Grind!

Roaring Twenties Music: Alcoholic Blues Helps Set The Mood!

The Alcoholic Blues was introduced in 1919, and was popular in sheet music, piano rolls and discs.  Susan and I still enjoy singing this one.

Brass Man Bart: Polka di Basso, by E. C. Ramsdell, 1896

Brother Ben has assembled another performance with his tuba and euphonium.   These are really great, Ben!

Weekend Steam: Classic Railroad Action!

Thank You Merle! We appreciate your picks!

Sighting In One Shot At A Time

I'm checking out a new-to-me rifle in .308.  It came with a scope already installed, so I set up at 25 yards and fired one shot.  It was high and right, so I measured, made adjustments and put it away for the next day. At 100 yards, slung up and settled into Natural Point Of Aim, I got a good trigger break when my breathing brought it to the center. I measured, adjusted, and couldn't resist another shot.

 1 1/2" high at 100 yards.  Next shot will be at 200 yards, and then deciding how much correction to dial in.  Good rifles are a joy.  Going prone with a sling is great therapy.

Diggity Doggone

We watched the camera, and the drain line coming from the house was mostly plugged.  We washed it out and ran the camera again, finding two broken places under the slab on the west side of the house.  Concrete saw and jackhammer for the next step.  Aargh! (The hole is filled and the sod is settling.)

Hot Diggity!

Most people are trying hard to return to normal, at least out where we live.  The plumber is coming tomorrow and our latest hole-in-the-yard is waiting for him.  That was a lot of dirt to move by hand, but at least it was moist and easy to dig.

The Mt. Vernon Public Works guys were in front of our veterinarian's office, widening the driveway and installing a new culvert.

One of our local acquaintances has a trackhoe and bulldozer business.  He met a truck as he passed one of our farm fields, moved over, and the soft shoulder pulled him into the ditch.  His luck held and his hoe did not roll over, but it was close.  He had to knock some trees out of our little shelter belt in righting his machine, but we are ready to retire those trees anyhow. 

He had it ready to load up again when we left him. I hope all of our readers can see normalcy at the end of the tunnel soon.

Tuesday Torque: Armstrong Corn Shellers

These machines will develop a kid's work ethic and he will feel great, pulling his weight on the farm. Susan and I shot these photos and video segments at Pinckneyville last October.