I Hate Graveyards....

John Prine, October 10, 1946- April 7, 2020.





John Prine in the Rolling Stone.

Tuesday Torque: Some Nice Tractors And A Chance To Improve Your Collection!

Aumann Auctions move a lot of old iron, and you should watch one of these auctions online.  You will be astounded at the prices old tractors with steel wheels bring nowadays.  Aumann gets good iron in these auctions, and serious collectors follow them or go in person to stay in touch with the hobby. You can click on the YouTube link in the corner of the video to read Aumann's writeup, and you can visit the auction site HERE.  This auction is postponed due to the quarantine, so keep an eye on Aumann's site for updates.

Enjoy The Benefits Of Working From Home

No commute, you just have to dress the top half, you don't have to wear shoes, you can go out and enjoy your flowers at break time.  All that, and you will stay on the right side of the sod!  It's almost like not grinding at all!

The Eyes Still Have It!

Heading over to the farm this morning I was going down the gravel, parallelling the creek, and spotted a raccoon up the pin oak just right of center.  I don't know why I saw it, but I sure did, and stopped to shoot a couple photos.

That sure looks like an uncomfortable place to take a nap.

Weekend Steam: Double Your Pleasure With Double Headers!

Here is 21 minutes of joy, picked by Merle just for you!  Many Thanks, Merle! 

Don't Bring Lulu!

                                                                     Click Pic To Enlarge.

Schipperkes have come and gone, and a couple more have come in.  We still have four foster Schips and it looks like we will have them for another month.  This pretty blonde girl is Lulu, an adult who raised pups in her previous life before her owner transferred the dogs to Midwest Schipperke Rescue.  We are handling Lulu regularly to socialize her because she is somewhat fearful of people.  She has a home waiting for her in another state, and she is going to stay with us until the lockdown is over. Illinois' rules appear to allow transferring foster dogs, but we don't want to take chances catching Covid, and we sure don't want to be stopped in another state and possibly lose a dog.  Lulu's fur in her ruff is much softer than black Schips. Giving her shoulder massages feels as good to us as it does for her.

The Great Outdoors: Bad Branch Angles and Included Bark

Narrow angles in a tree are weaker than wide angles, and joints with no ridge have bark included between the branches.  The included bark not only keeps the two sides from growing together, as the tree grows the branches push against one another and eventually will push the tree apart.

This problem is quite common in shade trees, partly because of tree species choices and partly because shade trees usually don't have enough competition for sunlight, and they spread rather than growing up straight.

They may break up in storms, or on a dead calm day, like this Bradford pear tree.

The wounds caused by these breakups are huge, and the tree really needs to be taken down before rot makes it even more dangerous.

Ignore the warning signs and you probably will be going out in a storm to open up your driveway.  When pruning for timber production, the first pruning done is to make young trees merchantable when they mature.  It may just be a nip or two to make a young junk tree into a valuable tree.  Shade trees are similar.  That early pruning can make a tree a good, safe neighbor for you.  Failing to do those cuts can cause damage and inconvenience in the future for you.

Ruger's Auction To Benefit The Scholastic Action Shooting Program

                                                                           $2525
Here's a neat one from Ruger!  It is a straight pull bolt action Mini-14, made in 2000 for sale in the UK. It is brand new and has never left the factory.  It is stainless, with a Zytel stock, rubber butt pad, bayonet mount, flash suppressor, and one 5 round magazine. You are not going to find one of these at the local gun shop, so CLICK HERE, read all about it, and place your bid.  This fine little rifle will sell mid-day, Wednesday, April 1, 2020.

Tuesday Torque: Novo Engines With Water Pump Are Rare!

We sold our 8 HP Novo to our friend Gary many years ago, and he put it back in running order pretty quickly in spite of some challenging problems.  It came with a two cylinder, single acting water pump that is still frozen up tight, so Gary has not put it back with the engine.  I looked around on YouTube and I can't find another like it, though I did find this 6 HP model with a similar pump arrangement.


Farm engines often survived because they were stashed away in a shed or barn, but industrial engines were parked out in the weeds or sold for scrap when their useful days were done.  Maybe some day Gary can figure out how to make that iron move again without breaking.  It's a challenge, that's for sure!

                                                         That's Snaggle, a fine little cat.

New Gun Owner? Watch This Before You Unbox It!

Be Sharp!

We have a bunch of cleanup to do in the yard, and wood to cut for next winter.  File away those bright spots.  They don't cut, they eat power, and they make the chain wear. A good edge is invisible. Back To The Old Grind!

Weekend Steam: Myanmar; Engines Blessed By Buddhist Monks!

Merle is knocking them out of the park every week!  Many Thanks, Merle!