Tuesday Torque: Some Oldies But Goodies!

 Many thanks for the picks, Merle!

NRA Women On Target Day

 We had rain and cold temps at the Carmi Rifle Club, and a small turnout, but we had a good time anyway.  Half of the day was indoors on the rimfire pistol range, then we had some great cheeseburgers off the grill, and shooting all afternoon.  The sun came out to take off the chill, finally!

Potato salad, Big Thick Cheeseburgers, chips, cookies!

Weekend Steam: Propane Is Neat, No Smoke, No Soot, Lights Right Up

 

Give Up Your Hydraulic Splitter?

 I won't be switching.  Working up firewood by hand takes energy, and then you have to go pick up another load and do it all over again.  Dad told me that if you have a good hand shucking corn, you unload for him. If he shucks and then has to unload, he won't be able to shuck like he did on the first load. I gave up splitting by hand at 58 because my right elbow couldn't stand it anymore. This is a beautiful axe, though. It's hand forged and made just for splitting wood.  The handle is hand made, by splitting the hickory rather than sawing. That insures that there is no runout in the grain, which can wreck your day on a tough chunk of wood. Anyhow, if you look up this axe on line you will see that one can be yours for $600.

Wednesday Windage: Changes Coming With The 4473?

Tuesday Torque: Engines On Show Grounds, From Someplace Or Another

 Suggestions from Merle. Thank You, Merle!

Making Wood!

 Susan and I have seen exactly one mill like this, in Michigan.  I wonder how many there are in the U.S. 

Back To The Old Grind!

Update: I found the original video on YouTube>

Weekend Steam II: Pawnee Oklahoma Steam And Gas Show, 2025

 A lot of gas, but there is some steam in there, too. From Someplace Or Another.

Weekend Steam: Early Traction Engines at 2019 Pageant Of Steam

 The Birdsall engines are different from other traction engines you will see. They use a driveshaft to move power, which is unique as far as I have seen. 

Here's a really good look at the driveshaft side of a Birdsall.

B-B-B-Buzzards!

Turkey vultures are enjoying themselves at our place. They circle around over us throughout the day. Our timber provides a good updraft when the wind is moving, and they surf the edges. Every morning they will roost in this dead tree to sun themselves. We admire from afar!

 

Wednesday Windage II: New To Me Things On My Old Contender

 We have a nice selection of 10 inch barrels for the Contender, but I have been wanting a barrel in .223, and you gain a lot of speed if you move up to a 14 inch barrel. I found a good one online at a fair price and have it sighted in.  That extra 4 inches of bull barrel is heavy! I ordered a kit to install sling swivels to the gun, and now it hangs easy on the shoulder.  Stick your support arm through the sling, hasty sling style, push out with your shooting hand, and this rig is steady like a rifle!

Wednesday Windage: Pairing Handgun And Rifle Cartridges

 Here's another good one from Tim Sundles of Buffalo Bore Ammunition.

Baby Owl Update

 We are checking the yard every time before we let dogs out. This morning the little owl was gone from the yard, but I soon spotted him back up in his tree. I am amazed! 

Tuesday Torque: Tioga Tractors, Have You Seen One?

 This is a rare, maybe totally extinct tractor. I have never heard of or seen one of these. Many thanks to Merle for spotting this one!

Excitement In The Dog Yard!

A barred owl fledgling hopped out of the den today.  We set up fencing immediately to keep it from the dogs.
 

No Retirement For This Faithful Friend

 We're cranking out two pots a day, plus a few cups of instant.

                       Back To The Old Grind!

Weekend Steam II: Minne Out In The Wild

 Many Thanks to Eaton Rapids Joe!

Weekend Steam: Oldest Paddle Steamer In Australia, PS Melbourne

This is one I stumble across, and it is great to watch.  It is the Paddle Steamer Melbourne, plying the Murray River at Mildura. It is a much different layout in the engine room than American steamboats!

No Log Too Big!

 Once in a while a really big log will come into a mill, too big for the carriage, too big for the blade to cut through. Sawyers would use this method to bust a log in two so it could be sawed. Powder is a bit pricey nowadays, so don't let your trees go over-ripe on you!

Wednesday Windage II: Caliber Choices For Bear

Wednesday Windage: Tom Grieve On Gun Controllers

Tuesday Torque: Big Patina!

 This is a great one, Merle!

Five, Count 'em, Five!

 Our resident nesters are the proud parents of five little fluffs! Doing their annual Spring Grind, raising young'uns.

People's Good!

 How far would you drive to adopt/save a dog you have never met? Today we have an adopter choosing one of the hoarding case Schipperkes after driving 1100 miles, and then he will be driving two days to go home. Happy Trails!

Susan has been coordinating adoptions from southern California to Willow, Alaska since late January, and is about halfway through 51 dogs plus 12 pups born to two of the adults. Seven of the original 58 were adopted from the county shelter.  

Dogs will be moving east in the weeks to come. A family is coming from Havre, Montana soon, and three dogs will be making a road trip to Minnesota. We have adopters wanting for Schips up and down the east coast and scattered about flyover country. We are working on transport solutions.

Midwest Schipperke Adoption Application Link

Hiving A Swarm

 Our next door neighbor called, needing help with a swarm of honey bees. I set one of his hive boxes under the swarm and cut the dead branch holding the swarm so I could fold it down. I shake the bees off and into the top of the hive at the end of the video, which was shot by my lovely Susan.

A swarm in May is worth a bale of hay, a swarm in June is worth a silver spoon, A swarm in July, Let it fly!

Weekend Steam: Southern Pacific Daylight

 

Thank You, Merle! Great Suggestion!

Dangerous Red Maple Photos!

 Our neighbor lady took some great photos of the drop and shared them with us today.  Here are my picks!

IT'S GOING! Dangerous Red Maple!

 Our neighbor's red maple was getting more dangerous by the day, with a dead, rotten top, plus many dead limbs. The wind was from the southeast to help us, so today was the day. It was a 44 segment tree, and it tipped with two 1" wedges, minus the saw kerf. So about 1 1/2" times 44 segments equals moving the top over 66" to the tipping point. Susan heard it pop while I was bringing up another wedge, and warned me. Glad she did that! I did not hear it!

Wednesday Windage II: Failure To Fire

 Tim Sundles offers some good thoughts about failures to fire. We shoot bulk 22s of various brands, so we get a few. We have had the firing pin rebound springs wear out on a few guns, Mk III Rugers, and 10/22s, and that will cause failures to fire, and slow burns resulting in stuck bullets. Those tiny springs are good to keep on hand if you can keep track of them!

Wednesday Windage: Dusty Bagged A Turkey!

 Dusty was out early Monday morning and he texted us at 9A to let us know he got what he came for!  We are thrilled of course.  He was out Sunday evening to listen for gobblers as they settled in for the night, and they had all moved half a mile north. A little time the day before pays off when turkey hunting.

Tuesday Torque: The First Motorcycle, 1/2 HP, Hot Tube Ignition!

 Many Thanks to Merle for spotting this gem!

Spring Turkey Season

One of our friends is coming to hunt this week for a gobbler, so of course this evening, NO turkeys were talking around the homestead. Well, they have to be somewhere around here....

Back To The Old Grind!  Photos if he gets one!

 

Weekend Steam: 1770 French Cugnot

 I remember reading about this leap in technology when I was still in grade school. It is amazing that it worked with that heavy pot boiler hanging on the front end!

Like Old Times

 I got a call for a shade tree case. I haven't had one of those since I retired nine years ago! It's a white pine that I stuck in the ground when this property belonged to a friend, who was growing Christmas trees.  I rode the planter and my friend was driving the tractor. That's long ago, and the Christmas tree operation is no more, and now this tree is next to the house of the current owner. He called me because recent winds made this tree tip over. Just out of sight in the pictures is the septic tank, which knocked out a large part of the root system.

This fork is too far gone to correct by taking off one side, and it has a large area of included bark. Not Good,...

...because that fork leans straight on to the porch on the east side of the house. There is no imminent danger, but eventually it will want to split off with a strong south wind. 

The coup de grace. That tip it got from the wind pushed the top over ten feet and brought up a big hump of root on the west side.  It's too much to pull back and heal over, especially with the septic tank on the west side.  It will be an easy takedown.  

The North Barn...

 ...appears to be groundhog free! Kind of a good thing, but also a sad thing. The possum is occupying the inside den.

Wednesday Windage, Videos From GunBlue490

 

I have followed GunBlue for many years, and he shares lots of valuable knowledge.  Susan and I at least have the dog part well covered!

Make A Proper Hinge,

 ...and DON'T CUT IT OFF! You will see people who keep cutting when a tree doesn't go. If you made a proper hinge, keep your saw away from it. This tree should have been disassembled from the top with a bucket truck. Lucky that someone wasn't smashed.

Tuesday Torque: One Of A Kind, American Tractor

 Early in the Twentieth Century, nobody knew just how a tractor should be built. It took many years before industries settled on the formats that still work today, and of course, tractors are still changing.  I saw this one at Rollag, Minnesota a few years ago.  Thanks, Merle!

Here are some photos I got of this unique machine at Rollag in 2022.

Why Do I Make Chainsaw Videos?

 The fellow in this video is a certified arborist out on the west coast, and he does a lot of tree removals, and makes a lot of YouTube videos. He should know how to drop a leaner without it barber chairing, but west coast fallers, and it seems most arborists won't bore/plunge cut the trees they cut. The primary key to prevent barber chairs is to establish a hinge of proper thickness before the tree is released and set into motion. That requires bore cutting.  There is real resistance to bore cutting, even though it is an easy skill to learn, and it is a technique that sets us apart from the axe and crosscut saw methods. I hope to keep preaching the use of proper, safe methods while I can still crank a saw.

Back To The Old Grind!

Here's the link to the full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhYggnpWYJs

And the video embedded.

Weekend Steam: Let's Make It A Steam Lorrie Weekend!

 Thanks, Merle!

Weekend Steam: Another Steam Lorrie

 

Thanks, Merle!

Change Of Seasons

 

The stoves are cold and gardening has begun!  Onions and cabbages are in the ground.

Assess Weight and Lean Properly

 I have heard through all of my forestry years to go up to a tree, hug it and look up to see which way it leans. You will see trees going in unexpected directions on YouTube videos when people listen to that advice. Put a heavy nut on a string, or use a straight stick for a plumb to assess where a tree wants to go.  View it from two sides and you will have the info you need to drop a tree where you want it, and be in a safe place when it falls.

Wednesday Windage: Revolutionary Rifle Tactics

 We never heard about this in history classes.  Disney ran a short series about the Swamp Fox back around 1960. I doubt it was an accurate portrayal, and I don't remember any of the episodes, sixty six years after!  Here's History Underground.

Tuesday Torque: Six Cylinder Fairbanks 2-Stroke

That's impressive! Six power strokes per revolution! Thanks, Merle!

A Good Stiff Drink...

....for work well done! Here we have a very nice young walnut surrounded by lesser trees impeding its growth. Look at your timber with a critical eye and these decisions are easy. The sap running from the grapevine was a nice little bonus.

 

Back To The Old Grind!

Weekend Steam: Sandaoling Coal Mine Railway

 Contrary to the caption on this video, the engine is not ejecting cinders. The Sandaoling coal mine is low quality coal that throws lots of cinders when the engine is in a hard pull.  It is dramatic!  Many Thanks, Merle!

Weekend Steam: Steamtown, Scranton, PA

 Suggested by our steam and gas friend, Merle.  Thank You, Merle!

Here's their website. (Click)

Wild Critter Behavior

 Remember those groundhogs from the other day?  I put them on the dam so our migrating turkey vultures could feed and clean them up. Today, they were covered up with dry grass that had been scratched up from around them.  You can see the tail peeking out on this one.  I think that is cat behavior, so I am guessing that a bobcat has claimed them.  The grass is keeping the sun off, so they shouldn't spoil for a day or so.  I will keep an eye out, but bobcats are mostly nocturnal and invisible

Tough Spring Flowers

Our daffodils were all looking sad and bent over after a 15 degrees Fahrenheit night.  I thought they were goners.

Today they were standing all the way up again, looking pretty and proud.

 

Wednesday Windage III: Tax, Serialize, Register, Criminalize...

 ....Pritzker's at it again! Tom Grieve provides a good update.

It's like we are living in a script by Mel Brooks.

Wednesday Windage II: Dealing With Barn Busters

 Groundhogs are legal game until the end of March, when a two month pause happens while they raise their young.  I have been watching. Today was sunny and relatively calm, and I spotted one at the north barn. It's a 110 yard shot from the dog yard, and the .308 bullet took the first one from the back of the right ribcage and out the opposite shoulder. I went up to retrieve it and checked inside the barn. Another groundhog was sitting just outside its hole, but my eyes were still dazzled. The groundhog went down its hole before I could line up with my .44 Vaquero.  I stood behind a post and waited. It popped back up, but just showed the silhouette of the front of its face beyond a straw bale. Well, bullets go through straw pretty well, and at 20 feet the iron sights worked just fine.  Two groundhogs in one day!  

Wednesday Windage: The Mighty .22, Tim Sundles of Buffalo Bore

 This video is a new upload, but I recognize the content, so YouTube must have taken down the original and Tim had to delete something. Oh Well. I have had very good luck with Ruger products, and others at the rifle club have had several problems with Browning Buckmarks. I have  added after market internals to some of our Ruger Mks, and our latest seems to be settling in at a 4 pound trigger, so I will be getting some Volquartsen parts to improve that.

We had nasty cold and wind, and I have not been out to shoot lately. It's going up to 60 today, so Spring is on the way. 

Tuesday Torque: SIAM's Second Annual Winter Crank-Up! Evansville, Indiana, March 14

 We all were very fortunate. The weather was perfect for this event, and the next day a nasty squall line blew through, bringing dangerous winds and cold temps. 

The chili was awesome! It was thick with homegrown, home ground beef, all made from steak!  

Works For Chicken Feed!

Back To The Old Grind!

 

Weekend Steam II: A Cute Little Loco!

 Merle is sending all of us to Hungary today to enjoy a pretty little engine and railroad. It looks to be about a two foot gauge, so I bet there is some oscillation in the cars.  Don't try to read while you ride!  Thanks, Merle!

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Weekend Steam: Spark Show at Rough and Tumble, Kinzers, PA

 Pretty Neat, Merle!  Thank You!

The Spring show is coming up in May, and the Summer show in mid-August.   Rough and Tumble Website

The Annual Show Is On!

One of life's big thrills is seeing the start of a season full of flowers. Our daffodils never disappoint.

We have several varieties, so we do a lot of looking and admiring. 

Ranger is thinking...."Should I?"

 

Dropping A Tree; A Review Of The Steps

I recycled a couple of videos from last year, trimming them down and focusing on the process.  An after action review is at the end, to reinforce the lesson.

 

Wednesday Windage: How Many Groundhogs Can You Eat?

 Holy Cow! I went up to the north barn today to get the utility vehicle and walked up on a groundhog who exited stage left under the east end of the barn. I retrieved a camera that I had in the barn, and there is another groundhog living in the west end, and a possum, too. There has been much to much digging going on in the old barn, so I must spend some time and deal with these little vandals. I note that the little earth movers like to come out in mid-afternoon as well as the morning. I have scouted a couple of good spots where I can break up my silhouette with trees. Years ago I would lie on the ground behind a log, but now I think I will use a folding camp chair and a monopod rest.

These little video segments can be good dry practice for you. Use a laser practice pistol, play the video full screen and sit back about 8 feet. Try to pop the laser dot in the vitals every time the groundhog appears. They never give you much time!

Tuesday Torque II: Why Two IHC Tractor Lines?

 Very intersting, Merle!

Tuesday Torque: 1912 Hart Parr

 One of three, 40 HP. Oldie but Goodie! Thanks, Merle!

Country Joe McDonald...

 ...passed away Sunday, March 8, at age 84. Country Joe was at Woodstock, and that is where he became a solo artist when he was asked to get on stage and take up some time.  He performed his famous cheer and the Fixin' To Die Rag, featured in the film and on the LP of Woodstock.  

During the 1970s he recorded his War War War album, but never performed it for audiences.  It didn't sell well, and in later years when people wanted it, it was not available.  Joe tried to get his publisher to reissue it, but they weren't interested, so he recorded the whole album again, live, in Canada in 2007.  It is a fine album, and you can listen to the songs on YouTube.  It was for sale on Joe's website, and I don't think you will be able to get it now that he is gone. Country Joe was a good guy.

Here is the 1970 recording of the Man From Athabasca, and the 2007 live recording.

Weekend Steam: 1915 Triple Expansion Engine

 Merle spotted a beautiful 1915 vintage triple-expansion marine engine that resides in a museum. It's turning, but no steam.  This engine replaced the original engines in the 1863 ironclad, HMS Scorpion. It's a beautiful piece of machinery.

And, here is an operating triple expansion engine in the SS Jeremiah O'Brien, one of the two surviving Liberty Ships from World War II.  About 200 of these engines are sitting on the ocean floor.

The Third Deer Will Test Your Eyes!

 I was seeing two deer until I was ready to hit the Export button, when I saw movement from a third.  See how long it takes you to see it!

Wednesday Windage: TC Contender

Tuesday Torque II: Big Bessemer Go-Buggy!

 Thanks again, Merle! I would be nervous riding the front end of this contraption!

Tuesday Torque: Cam-Stopper

 Merle sent a rare one. Cam Stoppers had a different method of governing the engine speed.  I have heard of them, but have never seen one in the flesh. Thanks, Merle! Even today, engineers are trying to find the perfect engine design.

Weekend Steam II: No. 1 Stirling...

 ...worked from 1870 to 1917. The first and last of its kind. Thank You, Merle, for sending this one!

Weekend Steam: Steam Lorries!

 Steam lorries made a few appearances in the Iron Men Album many years ago, but if you didn't take that magazine, you probably never heard of them.  Great machines! Many Thanks to Merle for spotting this vid!

Swashbuckle Safely

 None of us are Errol Flynn.  Use safe techniques when running your saws. Make a plan for every tree. Wear your protective gear. Start your bore cuts with the bottom corner.

Chainsaw safety is serious business. There was a man killed just west of us in Jefferson County, Illinois, when a tree he was bucking came down on him. You always have to be looking for a tree to fall, roll, or kick back on you. Branches that fling when a tree comes down will aim right back at the stump.  Study those safety rules on the left side of this page, and review them frequently. Click This Link.

Challenges, Heroes, and Joy In Dog Rescue

 

Meet Fizzgig, one of the young Schipperkes rescued in Eagle Point, Oregon on January 6 of this year. Many people had to step in to help in this rescue. Jim Hamilton, Eagle Point Chief of Police, contacted Midwest Schipperke Rescue in Illinois for help, and veterinarians, techs, and other volunteers were organized in just a few days. Fifty eight live dogs were seized from a hoarding situation and were taken to the Jackson County Animal Shelter. The youngest dogs and their mother were soon taken in by a local volunteer*, and those dogs have all gone to permanent homes.  One of them is Fizzgig, the beautiful little guy in the photos.  His adopter flew to Medford, rented a car, met our Oregon foster volunteer, adopted Fizzgig and drove more than 1200 miles, an 18 hour drive, to take him home.

As remarkable as this rescue operation was, it is not over. There are still about forty young adult dogs who will be adopted over the next several weeks.  Every adoption will be made by good folks who step up to make a trip to help a dog. We have applicants from coast to coast, and volunteers will be transporting dogs east. Adopters will then have to travel to a central location to get their Schipperke. It is an unusual situation for a little regional rescue organization, but so far, things have been falling into place, and the adoptions so far have been successful.

*God Bless our volunteers out west. The family who took in those pups has made countless trips to their veterinarian with numerous problems, and has had to coordinate with adopters to meet at a remote location for meet, greet, and adopt, plus handle the paperwork for Midwest Schipperke Rescue.  The breeders who are handling the newborn pups are doing hard work, too. The dogs that came out of the hoarding house all had health issues such as worms, giardia and coccidiosis. Many people would have given up on the pups and watched them die one by one, but the pups are thriving now.  

A court decision gave the dogs in the county shelter to Midwest Schipperke Rescue. The dogs have been moved from the county shelter to Dogs For Better Lives, a service dog training facility in Medford Oregon.  From Michele Kasten: "Midwest Schipperke Rescue has given the trainers at Dogs for Better Lives the green light to assess any of these dogs that may fit into their service dog training program! Dogs for Better Lives trains hearing assistance dogs, autism assistance dogs and facility dogs that help physicians, teachers, counselors, police officers and child advocates. The organization trains shelter dogs as well as purpose-bred dogs to become service dogs. A Hearing Dog is a career that schipperkes could be well suited for and also allows clients that prefer a smaller dog the chance for one that fits their home better than a large breed dog. We are hopeful that one or more of these dogs has this unique opportunity, it would be a win-win!" 

 Many thanks to Fizzgig's new Mom for sharing his photos.  You can see more of Fizzgig on Schipperke Country on Facebook.

Lira And Glenda Are Part Of The Pack!

Lira and Glenda have been in the basement for not quite two months.  That's long enough for these good little girls, who have taken to being housebroken really well. The skunk that strayed into their dog yard forced the issue of taking them upstairs, so we have been busy. 

We set up kennels and an ex-Pen for them and have been teaching them in and out of the large upstairs dog yard.  They are loving it, but we are using leashes for a few days while they learn the new routines. Glenda has a new home to go to in the near future. We have held off on placing Lira, and she will be ready soon. She is losing her timidity now that she is part of the pack.