Hillbilly Highway: The Road Out Of Appalachia

 Susan and I lived near Highway 23 in Eastern Kentucky for several years, and witnessed the cars with Ohio and Michigan plates coming to visit every summer.

Laurel Wilt: An Imported Disease Wiping Out Sassafras....

....And spicebush. This deadly fungal disease came from Asia, in wood, as have many other forest pests. It was first found in 2002, and is now killing the sassafrases in our timber in Southern Illinois.

There is a reddish sassafras tree just to the right of the driveway, and a dead one to the right of it. Another is behind the one with fall colors. This Spring, all three of them are dead.

University of Kentucky has a good post (click) you should read about Laurel Wilt if you are a forest owner or just a tree lover. 

Spicebush is a site indicator of deep, rich, moist and well drained soil at the foot of slopes and adjacent to streams. Spicebush means that you can grow excellent black walnut, Shumard Oak and swamp chestnut oak. Foresters get excited when they find spicebush. The twigs traditionally have been used to flavor meat from wild game, especially groundhogs.

Sassafras roots and bark have been used for centuries to make Spring tonic and root beer. 

Cicadas On Our Pear Tree

 Periodical cicadas come out in huge numbers and they do serious damage to new growth on trees. We know from experience that they love to poke their eggs into fruit tree twigs. Oh Well, or words to that effect. It looks like we will have a good number of pears this year in spite of the little songsters.

Tuesday Torque: Big Superior Oil Field Engines

 Merle found a good video of a fellow starting his 35 HP Superior.  I do not recommend rolling these big engines with your feet. If they kick back, you will be thrown and you will have broken bones. It happens! This is a Facebook vid, so it can't be embedded, so click this LINK  Many Thanks, Merle! I will post a few more Superiors from YouTube, maybe even one of my own!

This Week's Assignment

 Take it easy, give dogs some lap time, try to move up doctor appointment.  No Grinding! No Driving! Slow walking. 

Second-degree (incomplete) heart block: With this type, your heart’s impulses only get to the lower chambers some of the time. The types of second-degree heart block are:

• Type I, also called Mobitz Type I or Wenckebach’s AV block: This is a less serious form of second-degree heart block. The electrical signal gets slower and slower until your heart actually skips a beat.
• Type II, also called Mobitz Type II: While most of the electrical signals reach your ventricles, every so often, some don’t. Your heartbeat becomes irregular and slower than normal. This form of second-degree heart block is more serious and may warrant a pacemaker.

Durango and Silverton Is Running Again!

 Spring is here and the trains have begun running again! Plan your trip to Colorado. Many Thanks, Merle for the reminder!

Song Of The Cicadas

 

The cicadas are still emerging from the soil, even as the early ones are dying off. I flip them out of the dog yard as I see them because I don't want the dogs eating them. That would make for unpredictable gut issues! A few more days and the music will disappear

Weekend Steam: Indian Narrow Gauge!

 Many thanks to Merle for finding new places to go and sights to see!

In Need Of A New Lightning Whirler...

 Last week I was fine. Now my heart is ticking at thirty. It's a three week wait to see the cardiologist.

Thirteen Year Peridical Cicadas

 We saw this brood in 2011, 1998, and 1985. With a bit of luck we will see them again in 2037. They will emerge whether we do or not!

Tuesday Torque: Dave's Auto Center, Dimpled Pistons!

 

Emerge, Reproduce, Die, Repeat...

                                                   Back To The Old Grind!