Weekend Steam: Pulling Hills Equals Stack Talk!

There's some great video and stack talk in this pick by Merle. Thanks, Merle! Another good one!

This Is The Bees' Knees!

Brass Man Bart: Ta Ra Ra Boom De Ay!

I love this!  I think you will, too!

The Hard Part Of Having Pets

Black Bart had a long life, and a good one because we took him in when he showed up as a feral Tom cat. He's been on heart medication since 2008, but his ticker wore out last week and he went downhill pretty quickly. Finding him hidden with Brat's owl doll told me that he knew it was the end. He was ready to go see his old friend.

Rest In Peace, Jeff Quinn

Sad news.  We have been reading, watching, and learning from Jeff for many years. 

Tuesday Torque: Smok'em If You Start'em!

I swear I could smell the smoke from some of these!  Too bad about the banners, but I love the smoke and noise.  Note that a 4 cylinder motor hitting on half sounds like a John Deere until the other two start hitting!  Thanks Merle!

Shade Tree Mechanic Saves Hundreds Of Dollars With...

...his doggy toenail trimmer! Really! WOW!



Back To The Old Grind!

Plant Your Turnips, Wet Or Dry!

Today was Turnip Day!  Get busy if you missed it!

Weekend Steam: Fully Fitted Freight, 1957

Bennett Brook Railway

Filmed in 1957, this industry sponsored film illustrates the efficiency of express freight trains and how they link manufacturers with their customers across Britain. The service featured in this film, the 4.48pm Bristol to Leeds, provides a typical example of merchandise being transported at high speed by British Railways. We also get to learn a little about the men who do the work as well as the goods they handle.

Thank You For The Pick, Merle!

Eating Well

Brass Man Bart Blows His Bugle!

How To Be A Bad Logger!

The step cut, or as I call it, the domino cut, can be useful to a logger, and to landowners who must cut trees.  It is illegal to use per OSHA regulations if you are using it to drop trees like dominoes as one tree pushes the next.  It is a stunt that loggers like to do, just to show that they know how, and it will get you run off of a job real quick if the boss catches you playing dominoes. The usefulness of this cut is that it holds a tree steady for you until you are ready to push it or winch it over.  It is really handy when you have edge trees that are heavy to the outside of the timber, and you need the trees to fall in.  Driving wedges is tiring, especially on a hot day.  Set the tree up and then push it with equipment to make your day run a little easier.  Here is a pecan tree that Susan and I set up, followed by a tree that was harvested several years ago on the edge of our timber.  Jason, our logger, set it up a bit differently than I do, but the mechanics and the results are the same.

Tuesday Torque: Visit Boonville, Indiana!

We have always enjoyed the time we spend at the Boonville show.  It is on next weekend and there should be a good turnout, since there aren't very many competing shows this year.  Here are a few of the machines we have watched over there.

Not Every Show Is Cancelled!

Old Threshers at Mt. Pleasant, Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion at Rollag,  American Threshermen Association at Pinckneyville all have had to cancel their main shows this year. What's a person to do? Go to Boonville, Indiana next weekend! They are having their summer show!  I hope it goes well!

                                                          Back To The Old Grind!

July 24, 25, 26 (click)

Roaring Twenties Music: Let The Rest Of The World Go By, Henry Bur

Released May, 1920.

Swiper's One Year Adoptiversary!

All of the dogs we foster are special to us, but the seniors really tug at your heart.  Swiper was found wandering the streets of a major Midwestern city and luckily, he was pulled into foster care very quickly.  We had his teeth done, spent just a little effort making sure that he was housebroken satisfactorily, and fell in love with this sweet old boy.

He went to his new home a year ago this weekend. We called and had a great visit with his family yesterday.  He gets the best of care and is very happy being the senior dog in a pack of well behaved Schips.

More Interest, More Shooters

Social unrest, mobs and riots have sparked new interest at the Carmi Rifle Club.  People are coming to Pistol League to practice regularly and we are getting new members. Many are now realizing they may have to defend themselves in their home or in their car when traveling.  The interest is not just in little pocket pistols for concealed carry.  This week we laid out a variety of single action revolvers, lever action rifles, plus pump and double barrel shotguns. Those who are new to shooting are limited in their knowledge of "cowboy" guns.  TV westerns were cancelled more than fifty years ago, and the guns that have fascinated old timers for decades are a new and novel tool for a large segment of the population.  We grew up watching westerns where revolvers were loaded, shot, unloaded and reloaded, cartridges were stuffed into the gates on Model 73s and 92s, and shotguns had ears. Operating these guns is second nature to "Boomers," and we are only too glad to coach those who want to learn how to run them.  We started everyone on .22s, then moved up to .38s and .44 Special. The shooting was impressive, with very few misses shooting guns that were a new experience. Good Times!

Weekend Steam: Coal Fired 16 mm Gauge, Cute!

Merle keeps picking 'em!  Thank You, Merle!  This is a cut little engine!

Silly Dog Tasks

We are having fun with the foster Schips this year, and learning new tricks to teach dogs how to be good companions.  Godiva is really fond of me, but she lived in a kennel, not a home, and she needs to be monitored closely for her housebreaking skills.  She does not like rain, she does not like the heat of the day.  She might make a little puddle and want to come inside.  You gotta learn each dog. 

Our strategy is to carry Godiva to the far end of the dog yard until we know she has done all of her business.  Little Lisa Marie needs encouragement to walk because of her knee surgery, so I take a dog under each arm.

They love the extra attention and this little effort is paying off with both dogs. That's Sisko watching the festivities.  He's wondering how come he's not getting a ride.

Brass Man Bart: Hot Time In The Old Town Tonight....

...Holy Cowbell!  Eleven tracks on this one!  Great Stuff, Ben!

Tuesday Torque: You Turn The Crank, Colt Provides The Thrill

For only 60 Gs, you can own one of these.  Rural King has one of these in their current ad, and the family of True Blue Sam is going to let the readers have first crack at buying this fine machine. CLICK HERE to buy!

Grist For The Mill...

Grain Elevator, Charles Konowal, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

Back To The Old Grind!  Many Thanks To Engineering Johnson for this pick!

Weekend Steam: The Welsh Pony Under Steam, After 80 Years!

This is a great video.  The Welsh Pony last ran in 1940, but in June this year it came back to life!  Many Thanks for the pick, Merle!

Hickok45 Introduces Pistol Caliber Carbines To New Shooters

Hickok's videos are always enjoyable to watch, and they are great instructional videos for new shooters and geezers, too!  Pistol caliber carbines and rifle caliber pistols are great for those who like to load their own ammo because a handloader can tweak the performance of the ammo to fit the firearm.

Brass Man Bart Strikes Again...

...With a couple of old railroading numbers. Great Stuff, Brass Man!

Do Not Go Into A Mob...

Do not let a mob stop you.
If a mob stops you, be alert for people touching your vehicle.
If they attack your glass, this is your last chance.  You have to fight and drive.
The people in the mobs plan to stop you, remove you from your car, and beat you to death.

Joe Rinaudo's American Fotoplayer; Hang Onto Your Hat!

Joe Rinaudo has a YouTube channel where you can go if you need to energize.  This is a California Gold episode to acquaint you with this maestro.

Water Main Project

Our county's water company is upgrading its crossings with the CountryMark petroleum pipeline, and we had a good show out of it at the south end of our property. Everything was well coordinated and the pieces fell in place with no problems.

Tuesday Torque: Starting And Running Old Engines...

...with great sound! Hearing old engines come to life is always a joy.  Many Thanks To Merle for another great pick!

Socializing The Fosters

Godiva (the blonde Schip) moved upstairs many weeks ago and has made great progress.  She has assimilated into our pack and now we are worrying about hurting her feelings when she moves on to her forever home. Last week we brought Betty Boop (above) and Sisko upstairs.  We move their kennels into our bedroom at night and we weren't sure if we would get any sleep the first night.  They cried for quite a while, and Jack tried to hide in a corner to get away from the noise.  The next night it took just a few minutes, and last night they settled down quickly.  Housebreaking is coming along great, and all three of the fosters respond well to their names.  We will be putting new writeups about these dogs on Midwest Schipperke Rescue's Facebook page this week.  There are always more people wanting Schipperkes than there are dogs, but that allows us to place dogs in the best homes for them.   If you are wanting to adopt a Schipperke, fill out an application with Midwest Schipperke Rescue and submit it to Michele Kasten at Schipnut58 (at) yahoo (dot) com.  Back To The Old Grind!

Roaring Twenties Music: Margie, Original Dixieland Jazz Band

This is the recording that started Margie on the road to fame.  It was written by Con Conrad and J. Russel Robinson of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, who recorded it in 1920. The song was named for Eddie Cantor's five year old daughter, and Eddie recorded it in 1921, where it stayed on the top of the charts for several weeks. Vaudevillian Frank Crumit also had a very popular recording, and the song has been covered by a multitude of entertainers. The piano roll is a QRS recorded by the composers.

Is That A Good Luck Charm In Your Pocket... (Repost That Bears Repeating!)

or a disaster waiting to happen?  Is your .380 going to throw lead when you need it to do so, or is it going to choke on pocket lint?  We had company over the weekend, and I asked the husband if he had cleaned and lubed his pocket pistol lately.  Nope!  I said, "Give it to me and I will take care of it for you."  I guessed it would be worthy of photos and I was not disappointed.  Lint on the trigger, lint stuck to the side of the magazine and inside, too.

The barrel was fuzzy.  It definitely needed to be disassembled.

The slide catch and the hammer were both loaded up with lint, and also the mag well.

The underside of the slide was also covered in lint and a bit of powder residue.  So, we know this pistol has been fired and put back in its holster dirty after the last range trip.  I cleaned up all the dirt and lint and then lubed the little LCP II properly, even using my special blend of grease on the rails so the lube doesn't run away.

Our carry guns are not magical talismans.  They are tools and you should attend to them on a regular basis.  Guns have reciprocating and revolving parts that need to be oiled or greased to run properly, in spite of the torture tests that gunwriters love to do.  Pockets, pocket holsters, and lint all wick away oil.  The gun you lubed two months ago is probably dry by now.  The need to clean and lube is double for little pocket guns like the LCP and LCP II.  They are light, and require a firm grip to operate properly.  If you do not keep them in top operating condition, they are likely to fail you when you need them most.  You also need to practice with these little guys regularly, and make sure your grip is up to snuff so you can empty entire magazines without getting stovepipes.

Just in case you haven't read it, Grant Cunningham's article on lubrication is linked:   Here.  Be serious about your ability to defend yourself.  Criminals think about their work all the time.  We should do the same for our safety.

Weekend Steam: C & O 1309 Arrives At Cumberland, Maryland, 2014

Many Thanks to Merle for sending his great picks!  I will have to do some research and see how this project is progressing.

Serious Sandbox Skills!

The county water company has a big project going.  The EPA decided that all the water main intersections with Country Mark's petroleum pipeline should be upgraded.  You can see the water main in the wall of the trench; it crosses just above the oil pipeline.  The upgraded line passes under the pipeline and is enclosed in a steel casing that is 60 feet long.  They had to dig a long trench 8 feet deep to put that in, and it has been interesting to watch the process.  We have a little slide and video show we will post later so you can share in the excitement.

Brass Man Bart: El Capitan March!

Brother Ben has posted a new one, and his description lists seven instruments that he plays.  I am also hearing a cymbal and a triangle in this, so now he is doing percussion, too!  Great Stuff, Brass Man!