Ruger is offering another New Old Stock Mk I Target pistol this week. It was built in 1982 and has been stored in the Ruger vault ever since. This Mk I is a beauty, and I can't help but think that Ruger is getting to the end of these treasures. CLICK HERE to read the full description and to place your bid. This fine .22 LR pistol will sell mid-day Wednesday, May 22, 2019. $581.15
Here is a very fine flying boat model with six engine nacelles with twelve propellors. I kept thinking, "No Way," but it flies! You will enjoy watching this one.
I spotted baby raccoons in a den tree last week, brought the camera out on the tripod and shot 25 minutes of video. I whittled that down to 6 minutes, and if a helicopter hadn't flown over there would have been no excitement at all. Oh, you could see a little movement, but mama wasn't home, and the kids were bashful. I took three screen shots and that pretty much shows the action.
Last week we looked at the Union Pacific 4014 Big Boy, and how do you top that? I can't think of a way, so we are going to the other extreme and looking at an old, toy steam engine. This little Weeden engine is about 90 years old. Remarkable! We have videos in line from Merle, but after the Big Boy I am feeling a bit giddy and in need of a reset.
Enough of that! Here's a good pick from Merle, and suitable for the day we turned on the air conditioning. Hoo Boy; we let the fire go out Tuesday and now we are running the AC.
A swarm of bees flew in today. I used to have several hives, but quit beekeeping thirty-five years ago when stings began sending me to the Emergency Room. Susan took up beekeeping about five years ago, so we have equipment that is ready to set up.
Susan is not doing any lifting right now, so I set up a couple of supers, suited up and started clipping branches to reach the swarm. Susan mixed up sugar syrup to keep the bees quiet and tucked a sheet into the entrance on the hive.
The swarm dropped into a box while still hanging on the branches and I placed them in front of the entrance, misted them with sugar water, and they began their march into the hive. We checked them at sundown and all of them had moved in. The best part is neither of us was stung!
Chainsawing and fire fighting were about the most enjoyable activities when I was working. There was a city dwelling greenie that got into IL DNR in Springfield who started making policies. One was that we had to document and justify any trees cut down on state sites, and also document that a tree was planted for every one removed. What a pain!
It should have hit me sooner, but once a tree is dead, it is technically no longer a tree. It's just a post sitting in the ground; so I quit doing the paperwork for it. I never got called on it, and the troublemaker eventually moved on to another agency.
There was a lot of dead wood overhead on this one, wasn't there?
Swiper came to us over the weekend from a shelter nearly 500 miles away. Swiper is an elderly dog, coming up soon on his 14th birthday. He has been to see the Vet already, and he will have his teeth cleaned next week. He is in isolation for a couple weeks and we have determined that he is well housebroken, he walks well on leash, and he is a mellow old boy.
Midwest Schipperke Rescue has many applications from possible adoptive families, but if you are interested in giving this old boy a home during his Golden Years, go to Midwest Schipperke Rescue's website and submit the one page application. (The link to the application is at the bottom of the web homepage.)
Ruger's offering this week is getting plenty of interest. It is a 1982 vintage Mk I Target pistol in .22 Long Rifle that has been sitting unused in Ruger's vault for all these years. It will sell mid-day, May 15, 2019. CLICK HERE to read all about it and to place that winning bid. $1025
Firearms; Col. Jeff Cooper's Rules 1. All guns are always loaded. 2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy. 3. Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot. 4. Be sure of your target and what lies beyond it.
Knives 1. Never cut toward yourself. 2. Always cut away from yourself. 3. Never cut yourself.
AND If you drop a knife or gun, let it fall!
Chainsaws
1. Always wear your safety gear when running your saw: hard hat, eye, face, hearing protection, cut resistant protection for your legs, heavy boots, gloves (depending on work conditions).
2. Safety devices on the saw must be in working order: front hand guard,chain brake, chain catcher, throttle lockout, and right hand guard.
3. Hold the saw on the ground or lock it between your knees for starting. No 'Drop Starts.' Set the chain brake before cranking.
4. The engine must idle reliably without turning the chain.
5. The chain must be sharpened properly, including properly set depth gauges.
6. The chain must be adjusted to remove slack and still run freely.
7. The operator must understand the forces on different parts of the bar as the saw runs: push, pull, kickback and attack.
8. Both hands must always be on the saw when the chain is running. The thumbs must be wrapped around the handles. Both feet should be firmly planted on the ground.
9. The operator must always know where the end of the bar is, and what it's doing.
10. Don't let the upper (kickback) corner of the bar contact anything when the chain is running unless the tip has been buried with the lower corner.
11. Let off of the throttle before pulling out of a pinch on the top part of the bar.
12. Make a plan for every tree you cut. Assess hazards, lean, escape routes, forward cuts, and back cuts. Evaluate the forward or backward lean, and the side lean of every tree you cut. Know your limits.
13. Clear your work area and your escape path of brush, vines, and other hazards that can trip you or catch your saw.
14. Escape from the bullseye when the tree tips. 90% of accidents happen within 12 feet of the stump. Go more than 15 feet, and stay out of the bullseye until things stop falling.
15. Keep spectators away more than twice the height of the tree in the direction it will fall.
16. Don't cut alone.
17. Keep your body and the swamper's out of the line of the bar in case of a kickback.
18. Set the brake when taking over two steps or when moving through tripping hazards. Keep your trigger finger off of the throttle when you are moving.
19. DO NOT operate a chainsaw from a ladder! Operating with your feet off the ground requires special training.
20. Do not cut above your shoulders.
21. Springpoles must be shaved on the inside of the apex between the ascending and descending sides. If the apex is higher than you shoulders, stand under the springpole and cut it low on the descending side. It will release upward, away from you.Leaning and heavily loaded poles that are too small to bore cut for a hinge should be shaved on the compressed side until they fold.
22. Do not cut a tree that is holding up a lodged tree. Do not work under a lodged tree. Think about a mouse trying to steal the cheese out of a trap.
23. Instruct your swampers and helpers to NEVER approach you from behind or the sides to within the reach of your saw when you are cutting. If you pull out of a cut with the chain running, or have a severe kickback, the swamper can be killed if he is coming up behind you!
24!! Quit When You Are Tired!
25!! Pause and review; reflect, when you are being pushed. You may be pushed into danger. Do not let pressure cause you to ignore safety rules!
Cutting dead and rotten trees is extremely risky, and your safety always comes down to basics and following the rules. Build a good hinge, even if there is just a thin shell to work with. Support the back side of the hinge with wedges if the tree is punky or hollow before you cut out the back. Don't fight side lean or back lean when cutting unsound trees. Release it quickly and get away from the stump. Tell your co-workers what your steps are before you crank your saw. You will live long.
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