We have three fosters right now in addition to our own dogs, and we stay busy putting them in the dog yard, doing leash walks, and playing with them on their new exercise equipment. This is Titan jumping through the hoop. There are also lots of trips to the Vet. In the last week we have had two of the fosters and our little Skipper to the Dr, and also took the two barn cats in for vaccinations.
Jamie VanDyke's FFA team will be making their third trip to the FFA National Convention in October after winning the state FFA Forestry Contest at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.
Jamie's team took top honors at the sectional contest that was held at Sam Dale Lake State Park on September 11. Jamie and his team stayed after the contest for a tutoring/review session and they have been working hard so they might go to the national contest again. In 2016 the Olney team placed third in the nation; a remarkable achievement for kids from corn and bean country.
Tree ID
This year the contest consists of a written general knowledge test, tree identification, timber measurement, equipment identification, map interpretation, tree disorders, and chainsaw troubleshooting and knowledge. Contestants at the national contest are also individually interviewed by judges.
Sycamore; An Easy One!
Team Photo Credit, Jamie VanDyke, Richland County Schools
The 9 HP Sears Economy Engine that we collected in Eastern Kentucky nearly forty years ago is now sitting on a proper drop-center cart! During its working life, the engine was bolted down on timbers in its mill shed, but a cart makes an engine much easier to move and to show. Gary Bahre put the Sears on cart he built with Case separator wheels and wooden timbers, but it stood too tall, and was hard to crank. A high center of gravity also made the Sears worrisome when it was being trailered. Gary can breathe much easier now when he takes it to shows.
Mr. Mahnke of Mahnke Motorsports is the artist who stitched this all together. He is also the builder of the rod for Gary's 8 HP Bessemer.
Stay tuned for updates. Gary is planning to have this rig painted before cold weather arrives, and then it will be ready to show.
Ruger is offering one of the best looking firearms they produce this week. It is a 5 1/2" Super Blackhawk with a fluted cylinder, in .44 Magnum. I have one of these, and it is a joy to shoot. This revolver was sent to a distributor in 1989 and was returned to the factory for unknown reasons. This fine shooting iron will sell mid-day Wednesday, September 27, 2017. CLICK HERE to read the full description and to place your bid. $721
I worry about little stuff. If crops weren't being picked now, everybody would be talking about the drought. The ground cannot be dug easily right now, and there are critters who will soon need to dig in and disappear for the winter. Turtles are patient and persistent, but when you see them digging in dry soil to lay eggs or to overwinter, it pulls at your heart a bit. We might get rain next week...
I saw on the 'net that some angry, offended gal got all bent out of shape because she saw a display featuring cotton plants and bolls in a store. She got offended because it reminded her of slavery; at least that's what she said. There's a darn good chance that it didn't remind her of work, because I don't think she has ever worked a real job. Her profile picture on a popular Internet page shows her reading some poetry by Maya Angelou, so she is probably more about feelings than producing.
I can look at reminders of work and not get angry. I've cleaned old appliances, moved big old chest freezers out of farmhouse basements, helped change crossties and pack ballast, taken care of quadraplegic college students, fought fires, changed driveshafts and clutches on the side of the road, and worked behind a pulling unit on 95 degree days, and I don't get all pissed-off when I see reminders of the hard work. I am glad that I was able to be a wage earner for more than fifty years, and I don't have much patience for freeloaders.
My folks were sharecroppers in the Fifties and Sixties. That was hard, and I am glad they broke out of it. If you want to know hardship, be a young couple without the money to pay bills and have your milk cow drop over dead. The Cotton Boll Gal doesn't know crap about hardship, or hard work. Here's a good song, just to remind us all that privilege, no matter your color, can be advanced by hard work.
Ruger is offering a pair of P95's from 2001 with consecutive serial numbers! These are manual safety pistols in 9mm, and the proceeds of this auction will go to benefit Wounded Warriors Outdoors. This is a rare opportunity for Ruger fans, and this pair will sell mid-day, September 20, 2017. Click Here to read all about it and to place your bid. $1275
I've been enjoying some of the early Beverly Hillbillies shows. I don't remember what was going on when this series started, but I actually missed the first one, so this is a real treat.
For many years I have been cutting difficult trees on state sites, and making each one a lesson for the site staff. I have explained many times the steps to cutting a tree; why we do it the way we do, and how to cut one without being hurt or killed. So, Monday I was at one of those sites, and this is what I found. These are classic "Cut the tree on an angle so the stump can push the tree over!" stumps. I have yet to see a stump reach up and push on the bottom of a tree. What stumps like this do is either cause the tree to barberchair, putting that tree up in the air so it can drop on you, or letting the tree slide off the stump, when it will decide where it is going to fall, based on how the weight is distributed after it hits the ground. I have seen people smashed by both scenarios. Shoulda saved my breath, I guess.
I just retired for the second time this year. My contract work was more intense than I thought it would be, but it was very satisfying. The new District Forester at Fairfield is up and running. I think she will do great things in the years ahead. Mel Gerardo was the first DF at Fairfield. He was a Marine vet, and he fought at the Chosin Resorvoir. I have eternal respect for him. He left Fairfield to run the state nursery at Anna-Jonesboro, and he was superb in that job. Rick Moore was the second DF; then Gary Stratton, who was my boss while I worked at Fairfield. Jenny Lesko is the new District Forester, and she has a solid foundation with her education at Notre Dame and Purdue. I think she will do great things in District 19, Fairfield, Illinois.
Anyhow, which of these do you think fits my mood tonight?
Yep, I feel good! Bobby's song is a downer, and it is great to be permanently unemployed!
Ruger is offering a 22/45 Competition model from 2000 this week. The 22/45's are lighter than the metal framed Mk series pistols, and we seem to shoot our 22/45's more than we do our all metal Rugers. This particular pistol has a damaged rear sight blade, and Ruger will replace it before shipping to the winner of this auction. It will sell at mid-day, September 13, 2017, so Click Here to read the entire description and place your winning bid. $456.22
The most interesting part of this video for me is seeing the operator hit the 'Match Starter.' which was used on some of the early big gas engines. The writeup says they are using caps, and that would probably be more dependable than Ohio Blue Tips matches. What a great save!
I was on my way to this little patch of timber to do a TSI marking for the landowner. I would make a pass and come back to the truck and listen to the news.
Our good engine friend Gary Bahre visited Old Threshers at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa this year, and brought back a couple of good grinder photos for us! These grinders used to be on every farm and were used for sharpening mower sections. A cow's gotta eat!
Gary and Debbie Stratton of Dahlgren are the recipients of the 2017 Illinois Outstanding Tree Farmer of the year. This award presented by the Illinois Tree Farm Committee is sponsored by the American Forest Foundation and recognizes private landowners for their achievements in managing and modeling sustainable forest management. Their goals, like many Tree Farmers, are to enhance wildlife by maintaining a healthy forest and utilize forest products to supplement their income. Tree Farms across the nation are annually recognized for their efforts promoting sustainable forestry.
The Stratton's tree farm consists of 197 acres and has been in a forest management program for over 35 years. Timber has been professionally marked for harvest on 3 separate occasions, thinning and crop tree release practices have occurred throughout. A cabin was built using harvested lumber. This property is a mix of forest and non-forest habitats with 3 wildlife watering ponds, six 1/2 acre wildlife openings planted with annual/perennial food plots and nesting/brood rearing habitat. In addition, over 2 miles of hiking/access trails and several miles of temporary firebreaks necessary for controlled burning of invasive plant species are being utilized. This multiple use concept makes it possible to manage and maintain a sustainable forest with the added benefits of hunting, fishing, hiking, wildlife/bird watching and mushroom hunting.
Photo and text courtesy of the Illinois Tree Farm Committee; used with permission.
Merle is doing great work finding and previewing steam videos. This one shows the largest operating triple expansion engines in the world. There are two of these babies, and each one pumped 19 million gallons of water per day from the Thames. They are close to the size of engine that was used in the Titanic.
I'm down to the last few days of my post-retirement job, and much of it has been revisiting old cases. The Tree Farm people would turn white as a sheet if they saw how their sign is being displayed, but this is one of my favorite landowners. He started working with timber in my district in 1956, and passed away just two years ago. He planted a bunch of trees over the years on several different properties. He was a tanker in Europe in WWII, but he never told me anything about it, other than he went to reunions every year. His daughter is selling off the properties one-by-one, and there will be many happy new landowners because of his work over the decades.
Here's a special one this week; an engraved Ruger New Vaquero in .357 Magnum caliber, made in 2007. Click on the pic to enlarge and take a good look at this beauty. It sells mid-day, September 6, 2017. They don't come much nicer than this! CLICK HERE to read all about it and to place that winning bid. $1312
I became a wage slave in September, 1965, and in the years since have been unemployed a total of two weeks. I retired at the end of February this year, but it didn't last long. My boss called up and asked me to come back on contract to do some work that had to be done before they could get a new hire in; so I did. I wound that up last week, and will spend the next few days showing the new District Forester around the Fairfield and Olney forestry districts. Anyhow, here are a few good work songs to celebrate.
I got behind a farm truck the other day as the corn harvest in Southern Illinois began. He was raining an impressive bunch of corn shucks as he sped down the highway. I am guessing this was a load of ensilage. Does anybody have a better idea?
Firearms; Col. Jeff Cooper's Rules 1. All guns are always loaded. 2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy. 3. Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot. 4. Be sure of your target and what lies beyond it.
Knives 1. Never cut toward yourself. 2. Always cut away from yourself. 3. Never cut yourself.
AND If you drop a knife or gun, let it fall!
Chainsaws
1. Always wear your safety gear when running your saw: hard hat, eye, face, hearing protection, cut resistant protection for your legs, heavy boots, gloves (depending on work conditions).
2. Safety devices on the saw must be in working order: front hand guard,chain brake, chain catcher, throttle lockout, and right hand guard.
3. Hold the saw on the ground or lock it between your knees for starting. No 'Drop Starts.' Set the chain brake before cranking.
4. The engine must idle reliably without turning the chain.
5. The chain must be sharpened properly, including properly set depth gauges.
6. The chain must be adjusted to remove slack and still run freely.
7. The operator must understand the forces on different parts of the bar as the saw runs: push, pull, kickback and attack.
8. Both hands must always be on the saw when the chain is running. The thumbs must be wrapped around the handles. Both feet should be firmly planted on the ground.
9. The operator must always know where the end of the bar is, and what it's doing.
10. Don't let the upper (kickback) corner of the bar contact anything when the chain is running unless the tip has been buried with the lower corner.
11. Let off of the throttle before pulling out of a pinch on the top part of the bar.
12. Make a plan for every tree you cut. Assess hazards, lean, escape routes, forward cuts, and back cuts. Evaluate the forward or backward lean, and the side lean of every tree you cut. Know your limits.
13. Clear your work area and your escape path of brush, vines, and other hazards that can trip you or catch your saw.
14. Escape from the bullseye when the tree tips. 90% of accidents happen within 12 feet of the stump. Go more than 15 feet, and stay out of the bullseye until things stop falling.
15. Keep spectators away more than twice the height of the tree in the direction it will fall.
16. Don't cut alone.
17. Keep your body and the swamper's out of the line of the bar in case of a kickback.
18. Set the brake when taking over two steps or when moving through tripping hazards. Keep your trigger finger off of the throttle when you are moving.
19. DO NOT operate a chainsaw from a ladder! Operating with your feet off the ground requires special training.
20. Do not cut above your shoulders.
21. Springpoles must be shaved on the inside of the apex between the ascending and descending sides. If the apex is higher than you shoulders, stand under the springpole and cut it low on the descending side. It will release upward, away from you.Leaning and heavily loaded poles that are too small to bore cut for a hinge should be shaved on the compressed side until they fold.
22. Do not cut a tree that is holding up a lodged tree. Do not work under a lodged tree. Think about a mouse trying to steal the cheese out of a trap.
23. Instruct your swampers and helpers to NEVER approach you from behind or the sides to within the reach of your saw when you are cutting. If you pull out of a cut with the chain running, or have a severe kickback, the swamper can be killed if he is coming up behind you!
24!! Quit When You Are Tired!
25!! Pause and review; reflect, when you are being pushed. You may be pushed into danger. Do not let pressure cause you to ignore safety rules!
Cutting dead and rotten trees is extremely risky, and your safety always comes down to basics and following the rules. Build a good hinge, even if there is just a thin shell to work with. Support the back side of the hinge with wedges if the tree is punky or hollow before you cut out the back. Don't fight side lean or back lean when cutting unsound trees. Release it quickly and get away from the stump. Tell your co-workers what your steps are before you crank your saw. You will live long.
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