I'd Probably Just Go To A Tool Rental...

 ...but here's how you can make your own! Thanks for the link, Zeke!

Back To The Old Grind!

Weekend Steam II: Rollag, 2004

 Here's a  good reminder from Merle that Rollag is only a few months away. You better be making your reservations!  Thanks, Merle!

Weekend Steam: George White Engine On A Sawmill

 Lots of good stack talk!  Many Thanks to Merle for the pick!

Keeping Sunka Dry

 Old Sunka takes some time to take care of business, and we had thunderstorms this evening. You have to keep that umbrella over him!

Fiber Optic's Coming!

 A few more days and we will unhook the rusty wire!

Brassman Bart: Hosts of Freedom by Karl King

That's A Start

 We burned all but about 1/2 dozen sticks, and have a start on next winter's wood pile. 

Tuesday Torque: America's Most Radical Pickup Truck, Jay Leno's Garage

A Couch Is Not A Holster!

 Your firearms need to be under your control at all times. When you have company come, do not leave guns loose in the house where an unauthorized person may come in contact with them. These little safes are inexpensive and can be staged conveniently in your home. If a gun is out of your primary safe, it should be on your body or in a staging safe for safety's sake. 

Take Time To Enjoy Spring

 

Watch the birds and wildlife, smell the flowers! Back To The Old Grind!

What Can Instagram Do For You?

 We have been traveling vicariously with Tristan and his bride all over the West. They are good at taking us to remote, lonely places with incredible views. In this video, he shows us how social media has changed the dynamics in popular places. Follow SUV Rving on YouTube for some real wilderness thrills.

Weekend Steam II: Case Hill Climbing

 The J.I. Case Company used hill climbs to promote their engines a century ago.  It is something that not many engines or operators can do. Watching the engine back down with the front wheels coming off the ramp makes me jumpy. As you start down you change the engine over to Reverse, and use the throttle to stop. It would be easy to screw that up and have a runaway, or do a somersault.   Thanks for the pick, Merle!

Weekend Steam: Stationary Steam

 Thanks, Merle!

Filmed at the Hollycombe Steam Fair in Hampshire.

Garden Is Looking Good

 The garden is doing well, but we have rabbits or chipmunks eating the sweet potatoes.

Nasty Cherrybark Oak

The shooting club where we hang out had a nasty removal problem. The good part was there are no high value or dangerous targets, so I took a couple saws and attacked it. The tree that is still standing has a widowmaker hanging, and a contractor with a bucket truck will be needed for that. Don't go looking for takedowns like this one. Run the other way if you see one!

Brassman Bart: Invercargill March

Tuesday Torque: Bam-Bam-Bamford!

 I love seeing engines from around the world and seeing how they start and run. It seems that engine enthusiasts seek the same thrills no matter where they live. Thanks for the pick, Merle!

Harvest No Agave Before Its Time!

 We learned a few things from these videos!

Back To The Old Grind!

Weekend Steam II: Humble And Sons Portable Engine

 About twenty of these were built around the turn of the Twentieth Century, and three remain. This is a break-in run of a newly restored engine.  Thanks, Merle!

Weekend Steam: Steam At Speed!

 Check your blood pressure before you watch this on a big screen! Many Thanks To Merle!

Bore Cut Basics

 We have a video uploading now. It will be up early afternoon, so check back.  And here you go!

The Joy Of Big Radial Engines!

 I had a brief free airshow thrill! Most of the crop dusters in recent years are turboprop powered, but a Pratt and Whitney radial was pulling this Ag Cat biplane yesterday. You gotta love the sound of these great engines.

Brassman Bart: El Capitan March by John Philip Sousa

Tuesday Torque: Updates From Jay Leno's Garage!

 Fascinating looks at a great variety of machines!

Poppies Need Disturbance

 Our poppies have been dwindling the last few years. Iris, daylilies, peonies and euonymus vines have been getting thicker in our flower beds, crowding out our poppies. We are thinking over our options, but it looks like digging out a bunch of plants and herbiciding some of the unwanted plants is in our near future.

                                         Back To The Old Grind!  We miss you, Scooter!

Weekend Steam II: Hard Pulling!

Thanks, Merle! It's good to see how they operate in other places.

Weekend Steam: Berkshire Doubleheader...

 ...with Nickel Plate 765 in the lead.  Great Pick, Merle! Thank You!

Speaking Of Big Birds....

 Our resident geese are having fun flying up on the house and then taking a running go, gliding out to the pond like kids going down a water slide. The dogs do not appreciate the feet flapping overhead.

Three For Three, And Now Turkey Season 2021 Is Done

 Three good friends asked if they could hunt this Spring, and all three have now bagged a gobbler. One needed two days to coax one in, the other two were brief one-morning hunts. I'm impressed, especially with Susan who now calls in owls. It's fun and just a little spooky.

Brassman Bart: An Arkansaw Huskin' Bee, by Arthur Pryor

In Flanders Fields, 106 Years Ago Today

Tuesday Torque: 1904 Waterous Fire Engine

 It's good to note that steam powered pumpers continued to be made and used for many more years. This must have been one of the very first uses of a gas engine in fire fighting equipment.  Many Thanks, Merle!

Pumpkin Patch 2021

 Susan is running a great garden this year. Yesterday and today we worked on pole beans, and today we sprayed the weeds that have come up in the pumpkin patch. Susan has made her hills and has about half of it planted already. 

Back To The Old Grind!

Tom Got His Turkey!

 Our friends Tom and Ray both hunted for a gobbler this spring.  Ray got one in the first season, and Tom got his today, in the final turkey season for Spring 2021 in Illinois. The birds were taciturn yesterday and would not even talk to Tom, but this morning they were all chatterboxes, and Tom had his choice of three good birds.  Well Done, Tom!

Women On Target 2021 Is In The Books

 We had a good time at Carmi today. Women On Target was canceled last year because of the vid, but we forged ahead this year with a good turnout. There was even more interest this year in pistol use, especially ones suitable for home defense and concealed carry. Our members were glad to help, and we ran more than an hour longer than we usually do at these events. There was lots of comparison in shooting .380s, 9mm, .38s, and .45 in pocket pistols, compacts, and full size pistols. The target you see, shot on the indoor .22 range scored 100 with 8 Xs. Another lady, new to shooting, shot a 100 with 3 Xs. Folks are serious about their shooting!

Weekend Steam II: 1943 Locomotive. A Comment....

 ...tells us this is a German locomotive taken by the Russians after the war. The scenery is incredible. Thanks, Merle!