Yard Work

Mom and I did some pruning on her trees this week and admired her new ones she is growing. This is a Kentucky coffeetree we planted in September '07, when it was about one foot tall.
This beauty is a swamp white oak that Dad stuck in the ground in '03 when it was a 4" seedling. He laughed and said that he would never get to enjoy its shade. He watered and fertilized it, and had it up close to his knees before he passed away in 2005. We measured it today and it is 17' tall in seven growing seasons. These trees were planted to get the jump on the ash trees dying when the emerald ash borer comes to town; and we know it will.

Unique Mogul 10-20 Tractor

This 1917 Mogul truly is a unique treasure. It spent all of its working life in a building running a corn sheller, instead of being on a farm, eating dirt, mud, and wearing out before its time. The second owner kept it under cover, and the current owner takes it out and shows it, so it is seeing the great outdoors more now than it ever has. Working indoors was good for this old girl, and the head has never been off to have the valves ground. Yes, this tractor is 100% original, and I doubt that you could ever find another like it. It started with one pull the day I watched it run at Pinckneyville this year.

Old Threshers Slide Show

I missed Old Threshers this year after attending thirty years straight, and forty times in my life. I hope to make it next year. This slide show appeared on YouTube courtesy of morepowernow16, and it gives us a good look at some of the engines on display this year.

Determine Which Is Your Dominant Eye; Courtesy Of Ruger Firearms

Ruger keeps knocking them out of the park with their series of useful videos for shooters. This is an easy method to discover which is your better eye for aiming, and I suspect that many people who have trouble shooting are using the wrong eye. We need to keep in mind that things can change as we age. I developed problems seeing iron sights in my mid-forties, and that has given me incentive to shoot more because it is not as easy as it once was. Recently I found that I am developing a cataract in my left eye, and I am glad it is not my dominant side; of course it is just a matter of time before the right eye does the same thing.

You can meet Lori Petoske at the Gun Blogger Rendezvous this week and learn all kinds of important things about the Ruger line of fine firearms, so for Heaven's sake, sign up with Mr. Completely and hit the road to Reno.

Monday For You?

No Grinding Today!

August e-Postal Scores

Curtis Lowe has posted the scores of Mr. Completely's August contest, which you can see by clicking here. The turnout for August is disappointing, and I hope more enter the September contest, and save the rooster. (Based on an actual event out here in the sticks!)

The current contest is a good one for applying your best tactics in order to maximize your score. The prescribed distance is 25 feet for pistols, but you can shoot at any distance you want/need, and your score will be adjusted. Say for instance that you are shooting 3's at 25 feet, but at 20 feet you can score 5's. Well, 20 feet will give you a scoring factor of 80%, which gives you 4's, which are better than 3's any day. Or maybe you are an extra steady shot and can make 5's at 30 feet. Your 5's would then be increased by 20% to 6's, blowing away the competition, unless some hotshot can make 5's at 35 feet. It's a good contest for experimenting to make your best possible score. If you can't make it to a range, set up a BB gun range in the basement or garage and have at it. Every entry you send in gives you a chance in a random drawing for a $50 gift certificate from Cheaper Than Dirt, so for Heaven's sake, get out and shoot!

Weekend Steam: The Six Ain't Quite Fixed!

On the scene reporting by a True Blue team member on the ground at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa: Narrow gauge locomotive Number Six is still in the shop and was not running during the first two days at Old Threshers this year. The dedicated railroad volunteers have really been knocking themselves out re-assembling the old girl, since they received the repaired boiler not too many months ago. You should visit the Midwest Central Railroad shop to see the progress first hand if you make it to Iowa this weekend. (Update: The shop crew thinks they will have Six up and running this weekend. Number 9 had a shakedown run Friday after some repairs, and needs a bit more fixing before it is ready to work.)

These first two photos of the beloved Baldwin Mogul are publicity shots from the Midwest Central from the 1960's.

This shot was taken at the 1987 show as the engine was being readied for its first run after a major overhaul.

There is Mrs. True Blue Sam leaning out from the front door of the lead car one evening at the 2006 Labor Day weekend show. Engines Number 9 and 16 will be packing the load this year, so you can still have your train rides. Below is a video posted by SemperVaporo of Engines 9, 6, and 16 at the 2007 show.

Midway USA Is On Board For The GBR!

Midway USA has joined in to be one of the sponsors for Gun Blogger Rendezvous V! Click over to Mr. Completely for the details. Anyone who is part of the gun blogging community is being offered a discount for products from Midway until the middle of September. You don't have to be a blogger; anyone who looks at the blogs is invited! The Rendezvous starts on September 9, so you can still jump in for this get-together of the blogging community. Sign up at Mr. Completely's Rendezvous blog, pack your bags, and a shooting iron or two, then hit the road to Reno.

Crankin' It Up

This week we are revisiting that artful Vaudevillian, Frank Crumit as he performs one of the real classics of the Roaring Twenties, "Crazy Words, Crazy Tune." Frank was at a real disadvantage in the years before 1925, when his expressive voice did not come through well on acoustic recordings. This is one of his best, and you can hear him strumming along on his ukulele as he sings.

UPDATE: I just noticed that this record is the 350th posting on my YouTube channel. No Oscars yet, though. My YouTube views are now past 830,000, which is much more impressive than the numbers for True Blue Sam. My blogging may not be very good, but at least there is a lot of it.

Bringin' The Message

We had a forestry workshop for landowners last week over near Albion, IL, and most of the speakers brought Power Point presentations with them. I brought wood and chainsaws. The weather was perfect for being outdoors, and folks would rather see live action than watch a slide show.

The best part for the audience was when I flooded my new saw on a warm re-start; that was good for a laugh. It is amazing how many people own a saw, but have no idea how to make the basic cuts for dropping a tree, and no-one in the crowd had any personal safety gear to wear when they run a saw. I hope the lessons did them some good.