Another Sign Of Spring!

 

Tuesday Torque: Biggest IC Engine In The World?

 It looks like it could be! Thanks, Merle!

Hey Kids, How Many Buzzards Can You Find?

 I see three! This Spring we have two nesting pairs of turkey vultures in our outbuildings. Good Times!

We are really pleased to see our red-headed friends come back from the Rio Grande. 

Here You Go! (Click the picture.)

Illinois Is A Cluster Migraine

 Illinois passed an "assault weapon" law in January, and multiple lawsuits are being used to fight it. We will have to wait and see what happens. This video shows one of the effects of the law. Even a basic Ruger 10/22 is illegal. (and much, much more) Click it over to YouTube to read the comments. Many here in Illinois have not studied the law enough to understand the consequences. Most County Sheriffs say that they will not enforce this law, but the IL State Police are forging ahead, and are targeting small gun shops around the state. Pritzker drove half of the FFLs out of business a couple years ago and now he is going after the rest. 

Weekend Steam II: Steamers Pull The Sled!

 This is a great one Merle! A repro Holt crawler, and I have never heard of it! Holt and Best are California brands, and a long way from the brands I grew up around. Click The Screen Shot for the video on YouTube.

Weekend Steam: Sir Nigel Gresley

 Recently overhauled, there are some great videos of this beautiful engine. Many Thanks to Merle for spotting it!

Spring, Voices of Music

 Always good for a listen!

New Foster

We picked up Rufus yesterday. His owner passed away a couple weeks ago. Midwest Schipperke Rescue made arrangements to take over Rufus' care and placement to a new home. He is still traumatized. He was taken from his familiar surroundings and was neutered, vaccinated, and had a dental done with eight extractions. His unkempt toenails were trimmed while he was out for his surgery. He is well housebroken, and sleeps through the night. He has several cushy beds to choose from and his own private dog yard for his frequent walks. He will be seeing our vet for some bloodwork and evaluation. He is at least eight years old, probably more. He is a sweet little boy. 

One of Midwest's volunteers picked him up in northern Indiana and brought him to Illinois. Dog rescue cannot happen without good volunteers. 

 

Cleaning Iron Skillets And Pots

I saw my dad do this many years ago to clean iron that was too crusted to scrub. We accumulated a bunch of skillets, Dutch ovens and pots over the years and decided it was time to do something with them. A good bed of coals does most of the work, so this is a job to do during the day when you can let the fire burn down a bit. Put in some iron, open the draft, and ignore it for an hour or two. We like to scrub the pots with stainless chain mail and dish soap, then Susan rubs them with lard and seasons them in a warm oven.  

Daffodils Just Keep Going!

 This has been a stellar early spring for the daffodils. They have stayed pretty for weeks; much longer than usual.