Load Of Honey Locust

That was a quick load of almost dry wood.  It's been down all summer and checks out at 25% moisture.  A couple of weeks in the stack and it should be good to go. 

 

Sad October 23 Last Week

 Jerry Jeff Walker passed away a week ago. Not everybody knew his name, but who doesn't love the song Mr. Bojangles?  That is a great legacy, and he did so much more.  Al Jolson passed away on the same date 70 years before in 1950, shortly after returning from entertaining troops in Korea. My favorite Jolson song is whichever one I am currently listening to.  

Weekend Steam: Variety Steam,...

 ...courtesy of Merle! Great Picks! Scoot the slider over to 40 seconds on the first one.

Time To Gather...

 ...your hedgeapples! Supposedly, they repel spiders.  I don't know about that. If you are wanting to grow Osage-orange for bow making, let the apples soften up, and break them up in a bucket of water.  Sow the seeds in rows you have worked up and stand back. You want them to come up thick to force straight growth, then thin to get diameter growth.  

Brassman Bart: K-K-K-Katy!

 Brother Ben knocks out a great one for our listening pleasure. Everybody loves this song!

Tuesday Torque: Ancient Engines, Starting Up And Running

 Another great pick by Merle!  Thank You!

They Are Already Out, And Voting!

The Wheels On The Train Go 'round And 'round!

Back To The Old Grind!

Weekend Steam: First Firing In Forty Years

 Merle's Pick this week!  There aren't many details in the writeup and I wonder if they had this boiler inspected before they pressured it up. They had a few leaks that I think an inspector would have made them correct, but who knows. I've read enough about boiler explosions that I would have insisted or gone far away.  Anyhow, it's good to see one going that could have mouldered away. Thanks, Merle!

Carmi Rifle Club NRA Day After Action Review

 The Carmi Rifle Club usually has two events for the public in May and June every year.  We start out with Women On Target, and then in June we do the NRA Day.  Both events are popular. The Covid Lockdown shut us down earlier this year, but we were able to organize for NRA Day in the Fall. There is safety instruction, shooting a variety of firearms that our members provide for the day, lots of fun and cheeseburgers for lunch!

                                             Mike and Valinda Rowe providing instruction.

                                                Valinda explains scoring a bullseye target.

                                                               Punching out the X-ring!

             Club members bring an impressive selection of pistols, rifles and shotguns for participants.

                                        Each station was one-on-one with expert instruction.

                                       Who's having more fun; the shooters or the instructors?

We have these kids shooting at 3/4" suckers at 50 feet with .22 rifles, and when they can handle that we have them shoot at clay pigeons on the 100 yard berm. We show them how much holdover to use and tell them to keep their eye on the target so they can observe the bullet splash. One of the kids broke some clays and then started popping the pieces. He said to me, "It's hitting right between the crosshair and the first dot."  Wow!

                                                            A good time was had by all!         Photo Credit, Sheryl Woodham

Brass Man Bart: Bugle Call Rag

Tuesday Torque: 805 Road King's Latest Triumph!

 Well, it's not a Triumph, it's a Briggs! Road King has been working on this neat project for two years, and now it is up and running. Click it over to YouTube and give him a Thumbs Up!

Weekends About Work

 American Threshermen had their Fall Festival over the weekend at Pinckneyville. These shows celebrate work, and people love it!  We had a call from our friend Gary, who showed the Falk 5 horse engine there this weekend.  It ran for two days solid, and it ticks along like a new one.  It got a lot of looks, and he also showed his little Plunket engine, which is unusual and quite rare.

The grinder is a video we shot at Pinckneyville in 2009, and it is still getting views. I don't know why, because most grinder videos die a quiet death.  This one keeps plugging along.  

Back To The Old Grind!

Weekend Steam Part Two: J & L 58 Restoration

Weekend Steam: Merle's Back! Norfolk and Western Articulateds!

 We really missed you while you were gone Merle! Good to have you back!  Thanks for the pick!

Another Ash Tree Bites The Dust

 We watched this tree decline for two years, and the woodpeckers have been working it over.  It dropped all of its leaves this week, the ground is dry so cleanup should go well. We will split it small and burn it this winter.

Brass Man Bart: Tiger Rag!

Get Up Before Sunrise!

 The Moon was just below Venus this morning. It was beautiful! Old Jack needs frequent walks and I get to enjoy the stars and planets at both ends of the day while I walk the old dog. 

Tuesday Torque: What Will You See At Pinckneyville?

 Boonville, Indiana had their Fall show over the weekend and Pinckneyville, Illinois will have their Fall show over the upcoming weekend.  You never know what you will see, because exhibitors make their own choices for what they will bring.  Many of the machines at shows are unique, like this homebuilt tractor with John Deere, Ford, IH, and Wisconsin parts in it. 

Git Wood!

 Cut those stumps down low when you are cutting firewood! You will be through here again with your tractor or utility vehicle, and the weeds next year will hide that stump. You might hang up, damage your undercarriage, or roll over when you hit a high stump, so cut it off close to the ground and bevel the edges. Your bush-hog will appreciate the effort, too!

 Back To The Old Grind!

Weekend Steam II: Firing Up The 150 Case!

Weekend Steam: J & L 58 Locomotive Restoration Details

Roaring Twenties Music Recorded A Century Ago! Avalon, by Al Jolson

Brass Man Bart: Arkansaw Huskin' Bee, by Arthur Pryor, 1899

Grounds Maintenance

 The weather for working outdoors has been fantastic and we have been hitting some tasks that have been on the back burner. This one is a big one. The dam has had trees popping up and getting out of hand. Whoever taught us that trees grow slowly did not know what they were talking about.  This cypress is nearly a sawlog, and luckily, we were able to put it on the dam and not in the pond. 

Bug, October 5, 2020

On a cold, wet February night in 2004, I had to go to my office after hours, and Susan rode along. On the side of the road I saw a couple of eyes in the weeds and stopped, backed up and shined the headlights to discover a very wet kitten. I hopped out to pick it up, and it ran, so I had a brief chase in the mud running it down. As we continued to the office, Susan said, "This cat has a broken leg." That was a downer, but Susan tried to make it better by telling me she would take the cat to the vet in the morning so I wouldn't have to kill it.

When I got home from work the next day we still had a cat, and it was wearing a cast! Susan related that the vet looked it over and said, " I believe I can fix this cat! The poor thing sure took a tumble." Took a tumble? We had to name her Bug after hearing that. She still likes to sit with her broken leg out; kind of like Chester on Gunsmoke.

Bug passed away last night. Sixteen years seems too short a life for a good little friend like Bug.

Tuesday Torque: Old Fashioned Corn Picking!

 I kinda like the two row New Idea pickers, but they had a big disadvantage.  Opening a field was something that still had to be done by hand, or by a tractor mounted picker. The huge advantage of the New Idea pickers was that no operators joined the Nub Club by maiming courtesy of the rollers.  Tractor mounted corn pickers wrecked a lot of arms when the farmer tried to move stuck corn stalks in the rollers while running. 

Persimmons Say...

 Prep those snow shovels.

                                                            Back To The Old Grind!

Home Fires Burning

 We lit up October 1; the earliest we have ever fired up the stove. We have a pretty good stack of wood in the barn, a bit at the house, and plenty to cut now that weather is cooler.

Weekend Steam: J&L Number 58, The Rolling Ingot

Shine On Harvest Moon!