November Rose

Tuesday Torque: Selections From Old Threshers

This video starts out with the Page Diesel engine at Mt. Pleasant.  The sound and rhythm of this engine is always a joy to experience up close.

Bonneyville Mill, Goshen, Indiana

Back To The Old Grind!

Crankin' It Up: Two Black Cats Host Two Black Crows

We come back to this one every Halloween, and I still get a few laughs out of it.

Halloween Mood Music; Pt. 2, Dance Macabre by Saint-Saens, Played By Horowitz

A Little Mood Music For Halloween, Pt. 1

We used to go watch Sanford Lee, aka Professor Barnswallow T. Farquar, at the Log Village at Old Threshers every Labor Day weekend.  He plays the part of a patent medicine huckster, performing songs and magic tricks for the crowd.  This year he did his 500th performance at Old Threshers!  He and his Mrs. are modern day Vaudevillians, travelling and performing in Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, and Iowa.  Here is one of my favorite songs, from his album, The Last American Minstrel, published in 1992.

Feel-Good Moment

Alcoa Akhbar!

Weekend Steam: Visit The Engine Room Of A Liberty Ship

This is the Liberty Ship SS Jeremiah O'Brien, in operation.  How many ships like this sailed the Atlantic during the War?* How many men, how many tons of war materiel crossed the ocean in ships like this one?  Click the YouTube logo on the video to read the description of the boat and the trip it is making.




*Henry J. Kaiser built 2751 Liberty ships for the war effort. He had not built a boat before 1940. (CLICK)

The Value Of Planning Ahead

 It looks like a typical pole barn/machine shed but it is pretty special.

The treated posts and trusses are purchased, but the shortleaf pine 2 x 4s and 2 x 6s holding the tin came from trees the farmer planted himself about sixty years ago.  He has thinned his trees three times, making fence posts and lumber for home use with every thinning.

He still has a beautiful patch of pines and plenty of leftover lumber.

Denny's Right; We're Doomed

There are probably a lot of people who won't admit that they read the Grouchy Old Cripple, but every American should.  Denny posted a couple of good writeups yesterday, and if you haven't been reading Grouchy, you should start with these.  Living In Atlas Shrugged, and Americans Are Stupid.  He says what needs to be said about the current state of affairs in our dying country.