The Great Outdoors: Nasty Little Blighters

You have seen Emerald Ash Borer mentioned here several times, but it is very seldom that you will see one of these little pests, even though there are billions and billions of them.  We have been splitting ash firewood, and a few of the nearly finished pupae have been rolling out from under bark as we work.  They are all of 1/2" long, but boy do they leave trails under the bark.  The trees are doomed when you girdle them under their bark by chewing away the cambium and sapwood.  Here is one of them, cradled in the palm of my hand. We have our work cut out for us this year, taking down dying ash trees and making firewood.

Do You Carry At Home?

Listen to Massad Ayoob in this new video, and then update your methods if you have not done so already.  100% of home invasions happen at....home!

Weekend Steam: Merle Spotted Some Sad News

The virus is far-reaching, and engine shows are being cancelled all over the country this year.  Union Pacific Railroad has made a sad announcement.  I hope that all of you who wanted to see the Big Boy got a good look last year, because it won't be touring this year.  Thanks, Merle.

How Do You Handle Carpenter Bees?

We tried a little experiment today.  We have carpenter bees every year, and they are destructive; boring holes into your house to raise their young.  I primed a couple of .44 Special cases, added a bit of Herco powder, put a card on top of the powder, filled the case with Cream Of Wheat, and placed another card on top of the Cream Of Wheat. We went out to try them and the bees were not out in the cold, but we found a couple of red wasp nests being built under the eaves.  These loads smoked 'em, and with no damage to the paint. Gotta load a bunch now.  Murder Wasps, Look Out!

Poppy Weather

Poppies have a hard time.  The weather likes to be disagreeable when they pop out.  Last night we had heavy rain; 1.7 inches with lots of thunder and lightning.  Tonight we've had a couple of storms blow through along with a half minute of hail.  Enjoy them quick! They're calling for frost Saturday morning, and we are thinking of building a fire to maybe keep frost off the garden.

Tuesday Torque: 25 HP Otto and 3 HP Backus

Chris Epping has some amazing engines. I wish he told a bit about them, but watching is still good.

Addition to Blog List

I just added Minuteman Review to the blog list. It's a pretty good site, and the trouble was deciding if it is a blog, forum and reference, or a place to shop.  It is all three, so you will find it under each of those headings on the left side of this page.  Thank You, Jay, for bringing your site to my attention!

Low Life

Susan was out doing yard work today and found this, a not-yet-stale remnant of a beer on the pond bank.  We are guessing that the trespass occurred yesterday when we were both gone for part of the day, and our return caused a hurried exit-stage-left.  It's a bother that we can do without.  We have had more than our share of trespassers and we make a good effort to nip it in the bud every time we catch one.  Every one is unique.

This one, during a deer season last year was wearing a hat with the Illinois State Police logo on it.  I don't know if he was in ill-mannered State Cop, or just managed to cop a hat from one, but it didn't gain any points for him with me. 

It looks like we will be doing some things to tighten up security a bit more.  Back To The Old Grind!  And carry at home!

The Towering Potato

We saw a potato tower at a friend's house and Susan had to try it. She built it all herself, except for pounding in the fence post uprights.  Life is an adventure!

Weekend Steam: Visit The Illinois Railway Museum...

...at Union, Illinois!  The museum is 55 northwest of Chicago, so Southern Illinois residents have a long drive to get there, but it is definitely on our list.  This is a good one, Merle!  Many Thanks!  Click on the YouTube icon in the lower right of the video to watch on YouTube, where you can read the description and comments.