"All The Snow Has Turned To Water,

 

                                            Christmas Days Have Come And Gone." John Prine

Brassman Bart: Twentieth Century Rag

Tuesday Torque: A Radial Treat! Guiberson Diesel!

 Merle found some good ones for us this week, radial diesel engines! You can see a bit of information about these by clicking the YouTube logo and viewing on YouTube. Thank You Merle!

Good Weather The Next Couple Days...

 Time to make some firewood!  Here's one from two years ago. 

Back To The Old Grind!

Golden Morning Sun

 

                                                                   Click The Pic To Enlarge.

We enjoy that special time in the morning when the sun rises and the golden light hits the top of trees and works its way down. The geese often entertain, and this morning we had turkeys darting around amongst the trees. 

Weekend Steam: American Steam Locomotives When Steam Was King

Here's a great one for quiet time on Saturday morning. Merle spotted some 8mm films from the 1950s that have been digitized, and they are fun to watch while you plan your day and drink your morning coffee. Thank You Merle!

The Piano Guys: All I Want For Christmas Is You (Lego version)

 Here's a fun one; requires watching!

A Merry Christmas Treat

A good friend called today and had treasure for us. Her husband found three big clumps of oyster mushrooms and  they gave one to us! Susan separated them, cleaned them, and sauteed them in ghee. We had 1/2 of them with Christmas Eve dinner, with pork loin and a salad with the last of our garden tomatoes. The bedtime treat will be fruitcake bars made by Patti. There are just enough for one more Christmas.  Thank You Sally and George! Merry Christmas!

A Socialist Calls Hannity...

A John Prine Christmas, John Prine

Silent Night All Day Long, John Prine

O Come, All Ye Faithful at Westminster Abbey

Merry Christmas From The Family, Robert Earl Keene

I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day

I Saw Three Ships, The Piano Guys

Brassman Bart: A Christmas Bonus From Brother Ben!

Tuesday Torque: Let's Treat Ourselves To Some Winter Steam!

 Merle spotted this, and it's too good to wait for the weekend! Thank You, Merle! Merry Christmas!

Good Christian Men Rejoice, London Philharmonic Orchestra

A Work In Progress

 Sunka arrived underweight, and we are struggling just to hold even. He will like a food one day, and the next turn up his nose. At age 15, being skin and bones is bad. We don't want his organs to fail. Otherwise, he is a happy, and well adjusted house dog now. Susan made some new treats for him with graham crackers and sardines, and he likes those. They are high calorie, too.  It's not a Grind; it's a joy. 

Angels We Have Heard On High, Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Bring A Torch, Jeanette Isabella, Mannheim Steamroller

Weekend Steam: Kory Anderson Fires Up His Case 150!

 I had the good fortune to meet Kory last year at Rollag and got to visit with him a bit.  He's a genuine nice guy, and a real Iron Man.  Thanks for the great pick, Merle!

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, John Prine

Here's Something You Won't See Every Day!

 Lisa went to St. Louis today for her follow-up appointment at VSS. She checked out OK, but is going to stay on meds for a while in case of residual infection in her bones.  As we left St. Louis we were behind a load of walnut logs.  That was a nice treat. 

Away In A Manger, Emmy Lou Harris

Adeste Fideles, Luciano Pavarotti, Montreal 1978

Snow Zoomies

 Dogs get excited by the first snow. Sorta like kids.

Yuletide Songs by Brassman Bart

Carol Of The Bells, Rousseau

Tuesday Torque: Oilwell Supply Engine, by Small Engine Mechanic

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Christmas Day 1961

Some Children See Him, James Taylor

Fixin' To Pull Start A Hickory?

                                                             Back To The Old Grind!

O Holy Night / Ave Maria, Lexi Walker - The Piano Guys

Santa Baby, Eartha Kitt

Deadly Spring-Loaded Hickory!

 Susan and I put that hickory on the ground with a cut that will be new to most of our followers. It worked great, and we pulled it off the stump with a come-along rather than the tractor.  We have the video processed and we will start the upload at bedtime. It should be up in the morning and then we will post it here on the blog. 

And Here We Go!  It finished uploading about 4:30 this morning so you can watch it come down with your morning coffee! 

Weekend Steam: Winter On The Durango And Silverton

What Child Is This? Lindsey Stirling

Merry Christmas Darling, The Carpenters

Another Little Load

 This stack was a white oak log earlier today. Freshly split white oak smells delicious!

While out in the woods bringing the white oak rounds in, I spotted a hickory that had tipped over and lodged.  I shot a little video about it, and we will go back tomorrow to take it down and shoot a video showing the process.

Git Wood!

 Susan and I split a nice pile of wood tonight.  Good weather tomorrow, so maybe we will do it again!

Angel Eyes, Emmy Lou Harris

Brassman Bart: African Beauty, Composed By Arthur Pryor

I'll Be Home For Christmas, Anne Murray

It's A Marshmallow World, Dean Martin

Tuesday Torque On The Home Front: Fun With Diesels!

 Machines that set a while seem to turn into adventures.  We bought our 4WD Kubota tractor in 2014, and the old 2WD Kubota mostly sits, just getting started once in a while. I topped up the tank today, put a hot battery in it, gave it a little glow plug and cranked it up. Have you ever had a Diesel start up and run away? That little 3 cylinder fired up and roared, going faster and faster. I pulled the throttle back and it kept revving.  I pulled the fuel cutoff and it kept going. Finally, it slowed and sputtered to a stop. Somehow, fuel had accumulated in the intake, and luckily, the engine didn't blow. That will take a little detective work to find the problem. Anyhow, then I noticed that fuel was dripping at a fairly good clip under the fuel tank.  I shone a light and fuel was leaking at the fuel outlet pipe on the bottom of the tank.  I set up  a couple of five gallon cans to catch fuel, got a spout ready to stick the fuel line in when I pulled it off the filter, wiggled that fuel line loose, and the outlet pipe fell out of the tank. Joy. Diesel fuel was flowing fast, and I could barely get the spout under the tank to catch most of it.  I saved a little better than five gallons, and ran only a couple on the ground.

Tuesday Torque: Derek Gets His 1963 Buick Wildcat Ready For The Auction!

Feeling Nutty?

Back To The Old Grind!

Christmas Time's A Comin', Bill Monroe

Lisa Is Home!

I brought Lisa home on Thursday after a four day hospitilization. The good doctors at VSS in Manchester, MO saved our little girl's life. We still do not know what caused the infection in her right leg, but it is healing and the swelling is down. We will go back in a couple weeks for a follow up appointment. 

Lisa's left leg is shaved for her IV port, the right leg was swollen so tightly that it was breaking open. That happened after she had gone on oral antibiotics, which turned out to be less than was necessary. Below are the good doctors who saved Lisa, from the website of Veterinary Specialty Services, in Manchester, Missouri.

                                                        Click To Enlarge.

Lisa is feeling much better now!

Jingle Bell Rock, Bobby Helms

Where Are You, Christmas, Faith Hill

Weekend Steam: How To Light A Battleship's Boilers

 Merle found another great one. This makes a traction engine look like a toy. Thank You Merle!

UPDATE: A personal note to us from John In Philly, who has a great deal of experience working down deep in ships.  Thank You John! 

John in Philly

6:49 AM (3 hours ago)

to David

There is a whole string of pretty good videos about the inner workings of the battleship  New Jersey. 

I spent eight years on active duty in the Navy, and with the exception of two years on shore duty, I worked in ship engineering spaces for all the rest of the time. 

This led to a career working as a civilian employed by the Department of the Navy at the Philadelphia Shipyard. 

I worked there as a Marine Machinist, not a machine shop machinist, I worked as a mechanic in the enginerooms and firerooms of the Navy's ships when they were in the yard. 

I was there from '81 until the yard closed in '95.

About halfway through that time I changed jobs and became a Systems Inspector, that meant that I criticised the work of others, and I had sign off rights for machinery testing. Both jobs were awesome. 

And both jobs included going to sea with the repaired ships and testing the repaired systems all the way up to full power. 

And going full power on a fossil fueled large aircraft carrier is complicated and requires a lot of complicated machinery to work as designed. 

During that time I was in the Active Naval Reserves, spending my drill weekend and two weeks a year being in the Navy.

The boilers on the Iowa class battleships were controlled superheat boilers. 

Let's talk some numbers. 

The operating pressure was 600 pounds per square inch. 

The temperature of 600 pound steam was 489 degree F, and if you want more energy you have to send the steam through the superheater side of the boiler, and use the burners you see on the boiler front to raise the temperature of the saturated steam up to a max of 850 degrees F. 

The temperature of the superheated steam is controlled by the fuel oil flow to the burners, and it is independent of the steam flow. 

Propulsion boiler technology changed post WWII and the boilers on modern steam driven ships don't have boilers with separate superheater burners. The modern boiler sends all the steam through one passage and the superheat temperature is a function of steam demand. 

Normal steam pressure also went up post war, the 600 PSI plants doubled their pressure to 1200 PSI. 

I spent a large part of my working career deep inside the machinery spaces of ships. 

The video sparked some great memories. 

Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree, Brenda Lee

We Missed Tuesday Torque, So Here's Some Makeup!

 I think you will like Derek. Pop some corn and pour a cup of coffee!

Blue Christmas, Elvis Presley

Brassman Bart: The Cubanola Glide, by Harry VonTilzer

 Here's another great one by Good Old Brother Ben, aka Brassman Bart!

The Way You Get Big Bucks...

 ...is to let the little ones alone. Let them get to know you, too, if you have the time to be in the woods.

Christmas Canon, Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Holly Jolly Christmas, Burl Ives

Hard Candy Christmas, Dolly Parton

I'm Back

 

I've been in St. Louis with Lisa at Veterinary Specialty Services. She has a bad infection in her right foreleg and is undergoing IV therapy.  It appears she is recovering now, and she will have a CT Scan tomorrow to see if there is something in her leg/foot. A holiday weekend during Covid restrictions is a bad time to have a sick dog, but they are taking care of her.

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year, Andy Williams

Silver Bells, Dean Martin

Weekend Steam: Great Dorset Steam Fair

 Thank You, Merle, for another great pick!

Christmas In Prison, John Prine

 "Sweeter than saccharin at a drugstore sale." We miss you, John Prine.

Just In Time For Thanksgiving! Our Pumpkin Patch Escapade!

Just in time for Thanksgiving, we broke open some pumpkins and Susan has been cooking them. A pie went into the oven tonight! Watch the slide and video show to see the results of Susan's pumpkin patch. Pumpkin Pie recipe is at the end of the video! Alternate title and description! My Wife Planted A Pumpkin; You Won't Believe What Happens Next!

Brassman Bart: Hosts Of Freedom by Iowan Karl King

 The Brass Man's notes: Hello! This week's music is a number written by Iowa's own Karl King, “Hosts of Freedom”. Originally published in 1920, this music is 100 years old this year, and is public domain. The town band I played in when I was a teenager always played this number every summer, and when you listen, it may sound familiar, especially if you have ever played in a small town band in Iowa. The music is available as a free download on bandmusicpdf.org, and is very nice to listen to. All parts in this video are performed by me, and I hope you enjoy. Please like, please share, and please subscribe. Thank you. Brassman Bart

George Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation

 "Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us. And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best. Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789." G. Washington

Tuesday Torque: Many Cylinders!

 Do you get nervous about the tie-downs on these engines holding?  This is edge-of-your-seat excitement!

The Governors Have Instructions For Your Thanksgiving!

Gather Your Groceries! MMM! Cranberry Shortcake!

 Back To The Old Grind!

Firearm Season

 The last time I went hunting was 1999.  That hunt lasted maybe fifteen minutes and I haven't had the desire to go out and kill another.  This year, one of the neighbors who always hunts isn't able to go and they depend on venison for most of their meat, so I volunteered. I have seen quite a few bucks, but I'm not buck hunting.  All of them have been less than mature and not trophy size or quality.  The does I've seen so far all have their babies with them, and I'm looking for one that won't leave orphans. If I don't find what I want Sunday, there are four more days coming up in two weeks.

PS: I went over to the farm today and saw some good ones.  There were a couple of does without babies hanging out by the barn, and there was a very pretty 8 point buck that I saw a couple times.

Did You Notice The Proliferation Of Pepper Spray Attacks This Year?

 Here's some useful information for you to digest and think about!

Weekend Steam: Picton To Moss Vale, NSW

 Merle is really good at finding the exotic locations.  Thank You, Merle!

No More Walks With Jack

 

Old Jack had been going downhill for the last several months. He had back pain, hip pain, weakness, and then kidney failure.  The old boy was 14 plus years old, but still enjoyed going out, but he was often falling down by the end of his walk. Skipper left us last week, too, at age 18 1/2. 

Brass Man Bart: Bell Cow Novelty March

Tuesday Torque: Thumpers; Big Single Cylinder Engines!

 Another Great Pick By Merle! Thank You, Merle!

You Can't Live Without Them!

 

Back To The Old Grind!

SUV RVing: Mountain Climbing In The Wind River Range

 SUV RVing is one of our favorite YouTube channels, and we often watch Tristan during dinner at our house.  Here is an incredible hike/climb he did recently.  

Weekend Steam: The Romance Of Indian Railways, 1975

 Another Great Pick By Merle!  Thank You, Merle!

I Remember A Couple Of These Places!

 Many years ago Susan and I visited Chicago to visit relatives and to do a museum crawl. We navigated to Columbus Foods to buy bulk soapmaking supplies.  It was a bad looking neighborhood.  Creepy, Scary.  The house next door had chain link with razor wire around the top and pit bulls on the porch. We rang the bell and had to talk through an intercom. They told us to get back in our car,  leave the way we came without taking any side streets, and phone in an order. We also lived in Eastern Kentucky for several years and that looks quite familiar. Poverty, welfare, alcoholism, Mountain Dew teeth, and now Fentanyl. Holy Crap.  There is a lot of beauty in Eastern Kentucky and we have some great memories, but we also saw too much of the trouble there, too. 

My Buddy, Frederic Fradkin

Brass Man Bart: Dixie Doodle Dandy March

Brother Ben found one that I had never heard before! The Brass Man is cranking out a lot of good music for us, isn't he?

Tuesday Torque:Get Out On The Water While The Weather's Nice!

 1909 Waterman; Thank You, Merle!

Twelve Months On Gravel...

 ...does not make a good year! Gravel eats them up.

Two new skins this week, then Back To The Old Grind!

Weekend Steam: I Don't Want A Pickle...

...Just Want'a Ride This Motorcycle! Thanks, Merle, For A Great Pick!  Short and long versions!

Looking Up

Looking up means you will trip once in a while in the woods, but it is a necessary habit for all woods workers. Never sit down, or even pause under snags or trees with dead limbs.  Soon it will all be on the ground. 

                                                          That one would have smarted!

 

Too True

Brass Man Bart: Barnyard Blues

 You are going to love this one!

Tuesday Torque: Where Did The Modern V-8 Come From?

 I think it is fascinating that Ford isolated his team and made them work with outdated equipment. They worked it out, though! Interesting thing about patterns and casting is that antique engine parts are quite difficult to duplicate today. Foundry practice has changed over a century, and special techniques have been lost to the modern pattern maker.

Makes Me Feel Sorta Small!

 

Back To The Old Grind!

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!

Calling All Possums!

 

Brass Man Bart: Alexander's Ragtime Band

Tuesday Torque: Historical Look At River Rouge

Hazard Mitigation/Firewood Gathering

 We gather firewood year round, and we especially appreciate wood that is close to the house and easy to process. This black oak snag was a good one.  It just needed a bit of extra thought for safety's sake. 

Good Advice For Street Goblins...

 ...depending on donations for pizza, porta-pots, bail money.

Back To The Old Grind!

Weekend Steam Part II: Confessions Of A Train Spotter

 Many Thanks to Engineering Johnson for spotting this one!

Youngstown, Engine 58!

 The Youngstown Steel Heritage Foundation is located at 2261 Hubbard Road, Youngstown, OH 44505. Their mission statement is to preserve Youngstown area's steel industry history and heritage on their 1.2 acres of land.

58 was originally built by the Jones and Laughlin Steel Co. by the H.K. Porter Company in 1937. It is a 23" 0-4-0T with 15x16 cylinders, 33" drivers, a traction effort of 16,700 lbs, and in working order it weighs 93,000 lbs. It worked the J&L's Pittsburgh Works mill moving ingot trains around. In 2015, Youngstown Steel Heritage Founder and President, Rick Rowlands, purchased the locomotive from a private owner in Middlefield, OH. After a full restoration, J&L 58 ran once again on March 24, 2019. On select weekends, it gives rides to the public. ----------------------------- Thanks for watching! Please hit that subscribe button and like this video! Enjoy this video! There is more to come!

" I will send hornets before you."

 That little quote from Exodus has been a favorite for many years. It happened.  Our burglars came back, and examined the Weber Grill sitting outside the garage.  It held a secret, and the heinous perpetrators got a nasty surprise. 

Roll That Beautiful Bean Footage!

 Susan rode along for a couple of rounds with our farmer today.  That was a huge thrill! One more 40 to go.

Brass Man Bart Is Hunky-Dory!

 The Hunky Dory Cakewalk!

Good Outdoor Work Weather This Week!

 We were busy outside most of the day, and lit a brushpile at dusk. Good times, for sure.

Tuesday Torque: Trust The Man Who Wears Blue Flannel!

 We are going to look at a few Avery tractors firing up, and note that a blue polo shirt does not mean the same thing as a blue flannel shirt. 

We Burn 'em or Let Them Rot

 Fun to watch, though!

Back To The Old Grind!

Weekend Steam: Building Jupiter and 119

Got Milkweed?

 One of the commenters on our Monarch Butterfly post mentioned that there might be readers out there who don't know milkweed. It's so common to us that I didn't even think about that, so we are correcting that right now.  I even found a couple more caterpillars this morning. It's a thrill.

Brass Man Bart: By The Light Of The Silvery Moon

A Job Well Done

Susan's pumpkin patch is picked, except for a big Cinderella pumpkin that is still very green. We had a couple kinds of squash with dinner today, and also some nice watermelon. The foxtail got out of hand, so we are going to mow it down, till it in, and hope that it sprouts so we can kill it out with a pre-Winter tilling. You are supposed to follow pumpkins with a legume, so we have some planning to do.  Maybe a big patch of green beans?

                                          A job well done means Back To The Old Grind!