Digging, Always Digging

 Do you ever wonder about which tools were invented first? I've thought for years that the hammer would be first, but there is also a good chance it was the shovel. Pick up a stick and you can use it to reach, to push, or to dig. Deuteronomy 23:13 tells us to carry a stick so we can clean up after ourselves.  We never get done digging, until we're really done, and then somebody else gets to dig for us.  Anyhow, the dogs are liking their stepping stones, and they will give us a safe path to clean the dog yard when it rains.

Back To The Old Grind!

Weekend Steam: Barn Fresh Steam Traction Engine?

 This is a rare occurrence!  This engine went from the barn to running with very little work. During the 1950's and 1960's you would hear about this type of find, but you sure don't expect it today.  The Minneapolis had been idle for 60 years. Remarkable! Posted to YouTube, November 2018.

The Iron Ranch

The Iron Ranch

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"Here is a 1910 Minneapolis 22hp steam tractor that we recently picked up. We found it in Eastern Oregon and it last ran in the early 1950's. Everything was in great shape, so with a little work we had it running again for the first time in over 60 years. The engine is 22hp #6423 and it lived its entire live in a roughly 10 mile zone until we found it this fall. Even now, it is only a few hours away from its original home. Aside from being local, the tractor is almost entirely original, having the factory jacketing, original whistle, original pressure gauge, and some original paint too! We are very excited to continue tinkering on this amazing engine! I hope you guys enjoy it too! And for those who ask, yes we know the governor is not working. We had to disconnect it because of an issue that we discovered upon initial fireup. We left it temporarily disconnected in order to be able to test run the tractor and have a little fun before we ran out of daylight. We will be fixing this before it's operated again."

Roaring Twenties Music: Japanese Sandman

 Whispering and Japanese Sandman are a couple of the best songs in the world for Fox Trotting, and we play them often.  Paul Whiteman recorded both of these classics in August 1920.  We featured Whispering last week, and here is Japanese Sandman, with a bonus of Nora Bayes in a second video.

Brass Man Bart Performs Wait 'Til The Sun Shines, Nellie

 Ben knocks out another good one!

How Many Ash Trees Will You Be Cutting?

 We have a bunch of them! Ash pops up all over the place, especially around edges, so we will have a good supply this winter of stove sized ash that needs just one split. Remember that these edge trees are usually way off balance.  Don't get your head knocked off by a barberchair.

Tucker Carlson: When Do We Get Our Country Back?

Tuesday Torque: Revisiting Old Threshers At Mt. Pleasant

 Midwest Old Settlers And Threshers is one of the shows that is cancelled this year, but they will be back. Here is a nicely restored Reid oilfield engine that I recorded in 2009.  Susan and I were fortunate to see engines operating in powerhouses when we lived in Eastern Kentucky. The Reid is pretty neat because it is a 2-stroke cycle engine.  Instead of the crankcase being used for intake and transfer to the combustion chamber, Reids use a charging cylinder running parallel to the power cylinder. They have their own sound.

Rick: Listen to the John Deere at 24 seconds as the operator cranks it. You can hear the atmosphrically operated intake valve snorting while the engine is at low RPM. Thanks for the question in Comments!

At Least It's Not Plumbing!

 We're reshaping a corner of the back yard to improve water flow away from the house. The old Ariens has been busting clods for forty years!

Back To The Old Grind!

Emerald Ash Borer In The Local News: My 15 Seconds Of Fame!

  John Ross of WSIL TV 3 called yesterday and then came right out to do a brief interview and look at emerald ash borer damage to trees.  We got lucky and found some really good galleries for the camera. 

https://wsiltv.com/2020/08/21/the-u-s-forest-service-is-sniffing-out-emerald-ash-borers/

Roaring Twenties Music: Whispering, by Paul Whiteman

Paul Whiteman and his orchestra recorded Whispering on August 23, 1920.  It went to Number 1 for eleven weeks, and stayed on the charts for twenty weeks, selling more than two million copies.  It is one of the songs that made the Twenties roar.