Grasshopper 1100 Hours Repair

 Darn good service, down there in the dust and grime. We have been mowing two places with the Grasshopper since 2006, so we can't complain.

Susan has work now! Back To The Old Grind!

Endless Cleanup

 I keep blaming the mess on Bradford pear, but in reality, it is the fact that these are yard trees. Out in the timber you can leave the tops to melt down. In the yard, every stick needs to be picked up so you can mow again, and the grass is growing. These limby sons of guns do keep you busy, though. Next is splitting and moving wood to the barn.

We Celebrated Arbor Day

 Terry Wheeler and Michael Brenner of McLeansboro are two foresters/forestry contractors who are huge promoters of forestry in Southern Illinois. They organized a second Arbor Day celebration in McLeansboro because of the great success we had last year. All the third graders from the county were brought to the planting site, divided up into seven groups, and then each group planted a tree. It was a great learning experience for them. I was busy the whole time and didn't get any photos, but given the way things are going, I prefer not to be taking photos of other peoples' kids. Anyhow, here is our little Earth Day celebration video. You can do many wonderful things with a tree after you cut it down, so for Heaven's sake, plant one when you can!

Weekend Steam: Coal Fired Steam Cycle

 If a person wants to learn a bit about operating a steamer, this video would be a good starting place. Many Thanks to Merle for sending the link to this one!

Cuteness In The Dog Yard

 I have been hearing squirrels making their little purring noises in the hickory den tree. This evening I saw five of the little flea factories racing up and down and around their home. I came back out with a camera, and was able to catch two of them exploring outside their den. 

Impact Injury!

There are some obvious safety violations here, which you can figure out from the list of safety rules in the left column. Nobody should be within twice the height of the tree in the direction it will fall. It is a bad idea to pull a tree over with humans. We have seen many videos where the human rope pullers cannot match the weight of the tree wanting to go in the opposite direction.  (Facebook video)

Tuesday Torque: Carthage North Carolina

 This video provides a look at the big engine show in North Carolina. Merle sent a link to a short from this video by East Terminal Railway. Many Thanks, Merle!

Weekend Steam II: ATSF 2966

 Many Thanks, Merle! She's a beauty!

Weekend Steam: Grabbing A Message

 Thanks Merle! Most youngsters today will never see this being done. It used to be common, and I have actually seen it at the Milwaukee depot in Washington, Iowa.

The Weather Took Down A Few Bad Trees

We spend time every Spring watching radar on our computers or phones. Sometimes the storms run over us and sometimes they miss. We have some limbs down, but have no real damage to our timber. I have seen limbs torn from trees that had been topped in the past, and that is to be expected.

This tree was in McLeansboro and it needed to come down. This is the type of tree that can really bite you when you have to drop it. It's always a good idea to give trees a few love taps to see if they might be hollow and dangerous before putting your saw them.