Buddy is our newest foster Schipperke, coming to us from quarantine at a veterinarian's office. Buddy was surrendered because of life changes in the owner's life, and he is a sweet dog. He appears to be housebroken and he likes to cuddle up to us on the couch. We will be learning more about him in the days to come. He should be an easy one to place in a new home.
Don't get too excited, this is a boring video! This is a necessary task we do before we light up in the Fall and again about halfway through Winter. A dirty chimney will catch fire, and possibly burn your house to the ground, so, pre-empt trouble and clean that chimney before you fire up in the Fall. Do not wait until the flue is not drawing well; that is inviting trouble! If you do let your chimney choke, it's a sure thing that smoke will be belching into your living room every time you open the stove, and an inch of ice will be on your roof so you can't go up there!
This busy display was next to the sawmill at Boonville, making firewood out of slabs off the green chain. The proximity of the blade to hands has always made me a bit nervous, but it's no problem if you maintain your attentiveness while working. The fuel pump was not working on the engine so the operator was adding fuel to the carburetor reservoir while the engine ran. Risky.
Susan and I made a trip over to Boonville, IN on Friday and had a few great hours before we hurried back to take care of the dogs. Beautiful Day! The sorghum shack smelled heavenly.
Thanks, Merle! That appears to be mostly good info. Compounding was tried and used for a while, but superheaters improved efficiency without the problems of compounding locos, and the steam era finished out with simple engines.
Maytags hold a unique place in the old engine community. Unlike other old engines, you will hear many disparaging remarks about Maytags. I am not saying what I think because it is almost like making a political opinion known. Thanks, Merle! We are treading on dangerous ground here!
Lira (previously Licorice) came to our Southern Illinois home nearly a year ago to be a foster dog and to learn how to be a pet. She has had a long road adjusting to being part of a family and a pack, but she is ready to move on, and she did Sunday! Lira is now several hundred miles away in her new home. Many thanks to the kindhearted lady who drove to adopt Lira. It is a great match and good times are ahead.
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The current Engineers and Engines Magazine features this show in Alberta, Canada, and it is worth looking at. This part of Canada saw steam come in near its peak, and countless acres of prairie suddenly became farmland producing wheat. It is much different from the progression of farming in the eastern U. S. and the Midwest, where mechanized agriculture developed during the Nineteenth Century.
The video is a news report from one month ago, and I will add some videos from previous years below that.
Also doing some repairs, such as adding new hangers. These gutters were installed in 1979, so a little maintenance is to be expected. Just because you are not too old to climb, you must not forget that you are too old to fall! Keep that belt buckle centered while you work.
The cistern at the end of the concrete was there in 1903 when Susan's g-grandparents bought this place. A log cabin stood where this house is, and we used that cistern until 2000 when the water main came through our front yard. Water seemed like magic then! We moved to the farm in 1980, and pumping down the cistern and cleaning it was one of the first tasks we had to do. We learned the importance of clean gutters from that chore.
....after the long, hot dry spell we had during the summer. We might get a little rain Thursday night/Friday morning.
Thanks, Merle! That little one-lung engine would gasp at the big sycamore rounds we just put away in the barn!
AI would be much better if real humans narrated, but Oh Well, or words to that effect. This is a new one on me, and I will be looking it up. It looks like a good trip to take. Many Thanks, Merle, for the tip!
I wish this video showed some details, but this is what you get with shorts and reels. I looked for this guy on YouTube with no luck. Anyhow, this is a little Case portable engine that has had running gear added so it is a little traction engine. This would be a fun little engine to show, and easy to truck down the road. Many Thanks, Merle!
I keep coming back to the same thought on using .22 ammo for self defense. Buy premium ammo. Bulk ammo (for me at least) is where dud rounds occur. Find what works for you and use the bulk ammo for practice only. Also, micro pistols do not work well with old, arthritic hands. Don't buy a tiny little pocket pistol for your elderly mother. It will not work!
Here's Gun Sam:
We have been watching the goldenrod come on for several weeks now, and it is really bright, and in many large patches as we drive through the country. Ironweed is scarce this year, but boneset is abundant. Be sure to hang some to dry for treating cold and flu treatments come winter!
And of course we must listen to Voices Of Music!
Merle sent a short video (Thank You, Merle!) about this railway, and when I look on YouTube there are more videos about it than you can shake a stick at! I grabbed a couple, and I hope you like them. There is no "Coast Daddy, Coast! on this trip!
...in both time and space. This beautiful bur mill was working at an engine show at Harrodsburg, Kentucky back in 1978 or 1979. Neat fact placing it for us is the Hagen gas engine in the background, just over the belt running the mill. It is a rare Kentucky built engine with a unique carburetion system. It's unmistakable, making for an easy engine identification quiz.
Here's a collection of photos we have from Midwest Old Threshers at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa from the 1950s into the early 2000s. If you have followed this blog for a while you will recognize many of the pictures.
Please note the pretty little Gaar Scott engine at 1:40 to 1:43. This engine belonged to Everett (Pat) Holtcamp of Winfield, Iowa. I remember seeing this engine in the Iron Men Album many years ago in a column by Gil Johnson of Wisconsin. Pat's two daughters were running the engine in his photo. I looked for it, but could not remember what issue of Iron Men it was in, so I did a Google search for Gil Johnson, Dairyland Driftings, and that column was number 1 in the results! Here's the link to it. Farm Collector owns the Iron Men archives now, but you can go have a look. 16 HP Holtcamp Gaar I did some searches looking for Pat's obit, but could not locate it. I did learn that his home burned in the early 90s, severely injuring him, and killing Gertrude, his wife. Sad news like that hits you as if it just happened...
Here's a better look at the Gaar Scott in action, from my 1966 issue of Iron Men Album. Farm Collector's scan is poor quality.
Cooler weather should be moving in next week and we will push ahead with this sycamore project. Hickory and black oak trees also await!
We never tire of sunrise and sunset. It's a new show every time. This thunderhead near St. Louis provided a little crepuscular ray action the other day.
Merle picked a Must-See for engine lovers. Coolspring Power Museum is a collection that will overwhelm your senses. There is more history than you can imagine, and you should look up videos online to get a sample, then plan your trip to Pennsylvania. Thanks, Merle!
There are a few pieces from up high that I can pick up, but nearly all of this sycamore has to be handled by the loader. Rolling those big chunks around on the splitter is enough of a challenge for this old man! The moisture is checking out around 50%, and you can see free water come out when the wedge digs in. This will take a few days.
After all the excitement about Big Boy 4014 this year, we need to remember Number 844, the only steam locomotive that was never retired, and also run by Union Pacific. According to an interview with Ed Dickens, the 844 needs some work done on it, but steam locos are known for their high maintenance demands, and I am sure U.P. will be featuring 844 again. It is a beast of an engine! Many thanks to Merle for this!
Thanks, Merle! One of my favorite engines! This Corliss pumped water for the city of Marshalltown, Iowa for many years.
I shot this low quality video way back in 2008:
And this one in 2010!
..."Jim Bridger, the legendary mountain man and storyteller is famously credited with that quote. According to historical lore, Bridger made the remark following a surgical operation. At the Battle of Pierre's Hole in 1832, Bridger was shot in the back with a Blackfeet arrow. He famously carried the three-inch iron arrowhead embedded in his flesh for nearly three years before a doctor, Marcus Whitman, finally cut it out during a mountain man rendezvous in 1835. When the doctor expressed amazement that the deeply embedded wound had never become infected or septic over those three years, Bridger casually dismissed it with his trademark humor, replying, “Meat don’t spoil in the Rockies.”
Watch the following video and remember, if you are going to be shot with an arrow, make sure you are in the Rockies!
There are no CCI Stingers in this video, but from earlier videos I know that Stingers are very close to Federal Punch in performance. The Punch ammo has a flat nose, and that enhances the wound channel, but in 22 LR, that is still not large. I have been shooting both, and they work well on varmints around the homestead. 22 Magnum really hurts your ears if you don't have ear protection, but the performance on critters is amazing. Notice that there are a few references about functioning in a semi-auto with 22 Magnum. There are no problems with functioning in a revolver. The Ruger Wrangler now comes in convertible form, so a budget friendly option is there for you if you want the 22 Magnum option.
Shelling corn with a hand cranked sheller was a daily task in farms all over the country. An old corn sheller was always one of the things you would see at a farm estate auction. I haven't cranked one in years, but we still have a few in the barn, and some hand cranked bur mills, too. Many Thanks to Merle for spotting this one.
Holiday for many, just another day for others.
Big news for the Sandbox at Rollag. Head north!
Fixed it! Sorry about the wrong vid!
Get yourself over to Mt. Pleasant, Iowa for Old Threshers this weekend. The weather is forecast for a little cooldown on Sunday, so no excuses. There is more to see than you can do in one day. Traction engines, antique tractors, old gas engines, steam locomotives, and much, much more. If you are a middle aged man, do not stand close to the stage in the saloon when the girls are singing. They will pull you on stage to embarrass you!
This photo is from Dana Close Jennings' book, Old Threshers at XXX, published in 1979. I like to show this because my brother Ben and his son Mike are in it.
You might catch a ride in the caboose. Climb up to the cupola for a great view as you circle the grounds.
Many Thanks, Merle for spotting this one! It took a bit of genius level thought to put this together.
Occasionally you will have to deal with trees that are big springpoles, loaded with energy and ready to knock your head off if you cut one of them wrong. Nipping in the inside middle of the bend works if you don't have to work above your shoulders. Take too big of a nip and you will have your saw pinched, so that can be a problem. I have been using a different technique that has worked for me every time. Make a face cut down low on the inside, and then make a vertical bore cut behind the face cut to establish the hinge without taking out much of the tensioned back strap. As you do this, go easy and work the saw in and out, because the compression will try to come down on your chain and bar. You will feel it, but you can stay in charge. After you have the hinge made, stand back as far as you can and cut the back strap. Do not stand in line with the stem, because it might kick back. Practice this on a safe tree and you will be ready when a real challenge comes along.
Drive an old vehicle and you will have to deal with brake repairs. A brake line was dripping on the old pickup and another adjacent line was nearly rusted through. After removing both of those lines, the entire brake system was full of air, so after replacing the lines we began bleeding at the far end of the system and worked our way back. A patient assistant is a must, and you must get out from under after several pumps to replenish the brake fluid in the master cylinder. You may have to touch up the bleeding after you have made the full round, but you can do this. The old beater is back on the road today! Replace the protectors on your bleeders to keep them from clogging with road grime. (PS, This is the easy part after removing rusty brake line fittings and assembling new line into your system!) (PPS, Do NOT use incandescent trouble lights under your vehicle while working with brake fluid! That stuff will light up your garage. The Studebaker garage in Swedesburg, Iowa caught fire many years ago when a light bulb broke. The mechanic was under a car and barely escaped.)
