Don't Mow Those Milkweeds!

 You probably know that Monarch Butterflies are in trouble. Monarchs need milkweeds to reproduce successfully, and there just aren't enough of them. The researchers don't seem to know why, and I think this problem began with genetically modified beans that tolerate glyphosate herbicide.  You don't see any milkweeds in bean fields like you used to.  Monarchs prefer to lay their eggs on milkweeds far from the edge, so the roadside milkweeds are not preferred, but that is what they are using at our place.  Leave 'em be.  You can mow those areas after frost when the little critters have moved on.

Brass Man Bart: Excelsior Gallop

 Brother Ben has run off to the circus. I feel just like I'm under the Big Top!

Barberchair In Minnesota News

                                           Photo Credit: Redwood County Minnesota Sheriff

Regular blog readers here know that I am always pushing proper falling techniques. Failure to make a plan for dropping trees makes every one you drop an accident, and sooner or later that will catch up with you.  This tree was cut from the tensioned side until it split lengthwise, gained elevation, and fell on the operator.  He paid a horrible price, being trapped for four days before he was rescued. Here is the link to the report:Chainsaw Accident

KARE 11 posted a video on their news site:

I think it is worth noting that the fire department personnel took two hours to free the man from the tree.  Moving a tree off of someone is not a simple thing, and I doubt that the firemen have had training in special chainsaw techniques. Study the Chainsaw Safety Rules on this blog, and click on the Chainsaw label to access all of our posts about chainsaws and dropping trees. 

Lift A Log Video:

No Days Off When You Retire!

 

                               

                                                  There's Somethin' Doin' Every Day!

                                                            Back To The Old Grind!

Weekend Steam II: More Things We Miss This Weekend

Weekend Steam: What We Miss This Weekend

Brass Man Bart, The Billboard March

Meet Sunka!

 Sunka is a 15 year old Schipperke male who has outlived two owners.  He has been in a private kennel for two months since he became homeless, and now that Betty Boop has been adopted we had room to take Sunka in. It is difficult to find a home for a 15 year old dog, so he will probably be a permanent foster for us.  He is a perfect little gentleman, but he is deaf and mostly blind.  He navigates around the dog yard very well and is enjoying life here already.  The other dogs are being kind to him, even energetic Sisko. Many Thank Yous to all who have donated to Midwest Schipperke Rescue! Your generous donations  provide healthcare for Sunka and other lifers in the Midwest family.

Digging, Always Digging

 Do you ever wonder about which tools were invented first? I've thought for years that the hammer would be first, but there is also a good chance it was the shovel. Pick up a stick and you can use it to reach, to push, or to dig. Deuteronomy 23:13 tells us to carry a stick so we can clean up after ourselves.  We never get done digging, until we're really done, and then somebody else gets to dig for us.  Anyhow, the dogs are liking their stepping stones, and they will give us a safe path to clean the dog yard when it rains.

Back To The Old Grind!

Emerald Ash Borer In The Local News: My 15 Seconds Of Fame!

 John Ross of WSIL TV 3 called yesterday and then came right out to do a brief interview and look at emerald ash borer damage to trees.  We got lucky and found some really good galleries for the camera. 

https://wsiltv.com/2020/08/21/the-u-s-forest-service-is-sniffing-out-emerald-ash-borers/

Roaring Twenties Music: Whispering by Paul Whiteman

Paul Whiteman and his orchestra recorded Whispering on August 23, 1920.  It went to Number 1 for eleven weeks, and stayed on the charts for twenty weeks, selling more than two million copies.  It is one of the songs that made the Twenties roar.

 

Diggin' Taters

Plus, OKRA! We are living the good life!

 

Tuesday Torque: Revisiting The Debut Of The 8 HP Bessemer

 Four years ago this fall, our friend Gary Bahre made this old basket case run.  It was just a very poor parts kit when he got it, and it is really fixed up well now, and could go back to work if Gary had a mind to do that.  History of this engine:  Found on a farm in Lawrence County Kentucky in 1976, brought to Illinois in 1980, this engine held a mailbox by the side of the road from 1992 until 2014. Gary Bahre took it on as a project and has made a basket case run again. During this engine's working years it powered a sorghum press at Martha, Kentucky. It had water in it during a freeze, and the water jacket was broken. When we bought it there was a big, ugly brazing job holding the water jacket together. Gary Bahre cleaned that up so it hardly shows now. The farmer continued to use this engine until the rod broke; we guess sometime during the 1920's. It sat outside and rusted until I saw it in 1976 as I was going to a timber marking job at Martha. My wife and I went there after work, bought it from the son of the man who originally purchased and ran it, and we loaded it in the back of our AMC Rebel station wagon.

The Devil Wears LaCrosse

Walking old Jack Dog yesterday morning I observed a track in the driveway that didn't belong. It was narrow, not a car, tractor or utility vehicle. I turned around and looked behind me; the log splitter was gone. It happened sometime after 10 PM and morning, and one of the neighbors told us that he had something setting off an alarm around 2 AM.

I found footprints. The thief walked in on the old section of road, and in the dark walked through mud.  The tracks are plainly LaCrosse rubber boots, but the mud did not print the size rectangle. They should put serial numbers on them and register all buyers, I guess. The County Sheriff came out, took photos and notes, and we sent him documentation for our splitter, on the long chance that they encounter it somewhere.  I have long held that thieves don't steal anything they have to work with, so the thief probably had a buyer lined up.  We had lots of storm damage locally, so our machine is probably helping some buyer of stolen goods work up a tree.

 

It was a good machine.  We have been using it since the fall of '09, and it has helped send many trees up the flue. It was full of gas and had clean oil; ready to work.

Brass Man Bart: The Old Grey Mare

Brass Man Bart: Colonel Bogey!

Another one you will love from Brother Ben!

Brass Man Bart: Ta Ra Ra Boom De Ay!

I love this!  I think you will, too!

The Hard Part Of Having Pets

Black Bart had a long life, and a good one because we took him in when he showed up as a feral Tom cat. He's been on heart medication since 2008, but his ticker wore out last week and he went downhill pretty quickly. Finding him hidden with Brat's owl doll told me that he knew it was the end. He was ready to go see his old friend.

Brass Man Bart Blows His Bugle!

Swiper's One Year Adoptiversary!

All of the dogs we foster are special to us, but the seniors really tug at your heart.  Swiper was found wandering the streets of a major Midwestern city and luckily, he was pulled into foster care very quickly.  We had his teeth done, spent just a little effort making sure that he was housebroken satisfactorily, and fell in love with this sweet old boy.

He went to his new home a year ago this weekend. We called and had a great visit with his family yesterday.  He gets the best of care and is very happy being the senior dog in a pack of well behaved Schips.

More Interest, More Shooters!

Social unrest, mobs and riots have sparked new interest at the Carmi Rifle Club.  People are coming to Pistol League to practice regularly and we are getting new members. Many are now realizing they may have to defend themselves in their home or in their car when traveling.  The interest is not just in little pocket pistols for concealed carry.  This week we laid out a variety of single action revolvers, lever action rifles, plus pump and double barrel shotguns. Those who are new to shooting are limited in their knowledge of "cowboy" guns.  TV westerns were cancelled more than fifty years ago, and the guns that have fascinated old timers for decades are a new and novel tool for a large segment of the population.  We grew up watching westerns where revolvers were loaded, shot, unloaded and reloaded, cartridges were stuffed into the gates on Model 73s and 92s, and shotguns had ears. Operating these guns is second nature to "Boomers," and we are only too glad to coach those who want to learn how to run them.  We started everyone on .22s, then moved up to .38s and .44 Special. The shooting was impressive, with very few misses shooting guns that were a new experience. Good Times!

Silly Dog Tasks

We are having fun with the foster Schips this year, and learning new tricks to teach dogs how to be good companions.  Godiva is really fond of me, but she lived in a kennel, not a home, and she needs to be monitored closely for her housebreaking skills.  She does not like rain, she does not like the heat of the day.  She might make a little puddle and want to come inside.  You gotta learn each dog.

Our strategy is to carry Godiva to the far end of the dog yard until we know she has done all of her business.  Little Lisa Marie needs encouragement to walk because of her knee surgery, so I take a dog under each arm.

They love the extra attention and this little effort is paying off with both dogs. That's Sisko watching the festivities.  He's wondering how come he's not getting a ride.

Bad Attitude Valentine: T For Texas, Jimmie Rodgers

Bad Attitude Valentine: I'll Never Fall In Love Again, Dionne Warwick

Bad Attitude Valentine: Sharp Dressed Man, ZZ Top

Bad Attitude Valentine: Wild Thing, The Troggs

Bad Attitude Valentine: Spanish Is A Loving Tongue, Emmy Lou Harris

Bad Attitude Valentine: You'd Be Surprised, Billy Murray

Bad Attitude Valentine: Don't Bring Lulu, Billy Jones and Ernest Hare

Bad Attitude Valentine: Darlin' Cora Is Gone, Flatt and Scruggs

Bad Attitude Valentine: Redneck Girl, Bellamy Brothers

Bad Attitude Valentine: Fox On The Run, Tom T. Hall

Bad Attitude Valentine! Down In Honolulu, Al Jolson

Bad Attitude Valentine! Huggin' and Chalkin', Hoagy Carmichael

Bad Attitude Valentines! Frankie and Johnny, Jimmie Rodgers