The Piano Guys: All I Want For Christmas Is You (Lego Version)

 Here's a fun one; requires watching!

A Merry Christmas Treat!

A good friend called today and had treasure for us. Her husband found three big clumps of oyster mushrooms and  they gave one to us! Susan separated them, cleaned them, and sauteed them in ghee. We had 1/2 of them with Christmas Eve dinner, with pork loin and a salad with the last of our garden tomatoes. The bedtime treat will be fruitcake bars made by Patti. There are just enough for one more Christmas.  Thank You Sally and George! Merry Christmas!

A John Prine Christmas, John Prine

Silent Night All Day Long, John Prine

O Come All Ye Faithful at Westminster Abbey

Merry Christmas From The Family

I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day

I Saw Three Ships, The Piano Guys

Good Christian Men Rejoice, London Philharmonic Orchestra

Angels We Have Heard On High, Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Bring A Torch, Jeanette Isabella, Mannheim Steamroller

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, John Prine

Away In A Manger, Emmy Lou Harris

Adeste Fideles, Luciano Pavarotti, Montreal 1978

Yuletide Songs by Brassman Bart

Carol Of The Bells, Rousseau

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Christmas Day 1961

Some Children See Him, James Taylor

Santa Baby, Eartha Kitt

O Holy Night / Ave Maria, Lexi Walker - The Piano Guys

What Child Is This? Lindsey Stirling

Merry Christmas Darling, The Carpenters

Angel Eyes, Emmy Lou Harris

I'll Be Home For Christmas, Anne Murray

It's A Marshmallow World, Dean Martin

Christmas Time's A Comin', Bill Monroe

Jingle Bell Rock, Bobby Helms

Where Are You, Christmas, Faith Hill

Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree, Brenda Lee

Blue Christmas, Elvis Presley

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year, Andy Williams

Silver Bells, Dean Martin

Christmas In Prison, John Prine

 "Sweeter than saccharin at a drugstore sale." We miss you, John Prine.

Just In Time For Thanksgiving! Our Pumpkin Patch Escapade!

Just in time for Thanksgiving, we broke open some pumpkins and Susan has been cooking them. A pie went into the oven tonight! Watch the slide and video show to see the results of Susan's pumpkin patch. Pumpkin Pie recipe is at the end of the video! Alternate title and description! My Wife Planted A Pumpkin; You Won't Believe What Happens Next!

Brassman Bart: Hosts Of Freedom March by Iowan Karl King

 The Brass Man's notes: Hello! This week's music is a number written by Iowa's own Karl King, “Hosts of Freedom”. Originally published in 1920, this music is 100 years old this year, and is public domain. The town band I played in when I was a teenager always played this number every summer, and when you listen, it may sound familiar, especially if you have ever played in a small town band in Iowa. The music is available as a free download on bandmusicpdf.org, and is very nice to listen to. All parts in this video are performed by me, and I hope you enjoy. Please like, please share, and please subscribe. Thank you. Brassman Bart

Brass Man Bart: Barnyard Blues

 You are going to love this one!

Shine On Harvest Moon!

Brass Man Bart: Alexander's Ragtime Band

Hazard Mitigation/Firewood Gathering

 We gather firewood year round, and we especially appreciate wood that is close to the house and easy to process. This black oak snag was a good one.  It just needed a bit of extra thought for safety's sake. 

Brass Man Bart Is Hunky Dory!

 The Hunky Dory Cakewalk!

Got Milkweed?

 One of the commenters on our Monarch Butterfly post mentioned that there might be readers out there who don't know milkweed. It's so common to us that I didn't even think about that, so we are correcting that right now.  I even found a couple more caterpillars this morning. It's a thrill.

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 lifer 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.

Adopters Are Being Checked Out...

... for Godiva and Betty Boop, and it appears that they will be going out the door.  They don't know that their lives will soon turn upside down again.  Sisko is oblivious, too, that he may soon be moving on.  It is going to hurt us more than it hurts them!

Back To The Old Foster Doggy Grind!

Brass Man Bart: Colonel Bogey!

Another one from the Brass Man you are guaranteed to love!

 

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.

Plant Your Turnips, Wet Or Dry!

July 25 is Turnip Day!  Get busy if you missed it!

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!

Brass Man Bart: Hot Time In The Old Town Tonight!

Now with More Cowbell!

Ruger Mk III Loaded Chamber Indicator Replacement

If you have a Ruger Mk III, you know the frustration of periodic jamming due to the Loaded Chamber Indicator.  We like to blame bad ammo, but the LCI usually has a hand in the hangups of empty cases.  It is annoying when you are being timed, and even more annoying when you are using your pistol to instruct new shooters.  TANDEMKROSS sells a drop in replacement to solve your frustration, but making the switch can have its own frustrations.

Here are the parts from two Mk IIIs, one from a steel barrel, and the other from an aluminum Lite model.  Changing the parts on the steel guns is easy.  Disassemble the barrel from the lower receiver and you will see the little steel pin barely protruding from the underside on the left of the barrel.  Tap on the bottom of the barrel with a non-marring mallet, or hickory hammer handle, and the pin will work out.  After it is out you can remove the LCI and insert the replacement hole-filler. 

The problem in changing arises if you have the Lite model.  The aluminum grips the steel pin and it will not come out.   I had our Lites apart three times trying to remove the pins with no luck.  Here is how you do it.  Put a cutoff disc on your Dremel tool and very carefully attack the LCI.  Be careful so you don't mar the finish. The LCI has a metal part on the upper side, and after you have the polymer part removed, let the cutoff disc ride against the metal part  and cut a groove into the pin.  Use good lighting.  Use a small screwdriver to pry the pin out a bit, and then you can grip it with some tiny pliers and remove it. 

We have run our guns since making the change and they have not choked since.  Using a Dremel tool on your guns is usually not recommended, but in this case I had to make an exception. 

Brass Man Bart Does A Couple Of Railroading Numbers....

....on the Harmonica! Plus a banjo track!  Great Stuff, Ben!

Is That A Good Luck Charm In Your Pocket...

or a disaster waiting to happen?  Is your .380 going to throw lead when you need it to do so, or is it going to choke on pocket lint?  We had company over the weekend, and I asked the husband if he had cleaned and lubed his pocket pistol lately.  Nope!  I said, "Give it to me and I will take care of it for you."  I guessed it would be worthy of photos and I was not disappointed.  Lint on the trigger, lint stuck to the side of the magazine and inside, too.

The barrel was fuzzy.  It definitely needed to be disassembled.

The slide catch and the hammer were both loaded up with lint, and also the mag well.

The underside of the slide was also covered in lint and a bit of powder residue.  So, we know this pistol has been fired and put back in its holster dirty after the last range trip.  I cleaned up all the dirt and lint and then lubed the little LCP II properly, even using my special blend of grease on the rails so the lube doesn't run away.

Our carry guns are not magical talismans.  They are tools and you should attend to them on a regular basis.  Guns have reciprocating and revolving parts that need to be oiled or greased to run properly, in spite of the torture tests that gunwriters love to do.  Pockets, pocket holsters, and lint all wick away oil.  The gun you lubed two months ago is probably dry by now.  The need to clean and lube is double for little pocket guns like the LCP and LCP II.  They are light, and require a firm grip to operate properly.  If you do not keep them in top operating condition, they are likely to fail you when you need them most.  You also need to practice with these little guys regularly, and make sure your grip is up to snuff so you can empty entire magazines without getting stovepipes.

Just in case you haven't read it, Grant Cunningham's article on lubrication is linked:   Here.  Be serious about your ability to defend yourself.  Criminals think about their work all the time.  We should do the same for our safety.

Brass Man Bart: El Capitan March!

Brother Ben has posted a new one, and his description lists seven instruments that he plays.  I am also hearing a cymbal and a triangle in this, so now he is doing percussion, too!  Great Stuff, Brass Man!

Brass Man Bart, Them Basses, Plus A Bonus!

Here's Brother Ben, aka Brass Man Bart, playing one of his favorite marches.  He plays eight parts, seven of them on his euphonium. 


The bonus is the Brass Man on his harmonica, the instrument that started it all for Ben.

Tuesday Torque: No SIAM Show At Evansville This Year

This Covid thing is going to knock out many of the little shows around the country.  A year with poor gate receipts is a hardship.  NO gate receipts is a disaster.  Insurance and other expenses go on.  Get out to an engine show if one is close to you, and show your support for the hobby.

We're Doin' The Green Thing!

We are in the middle of installing a set of solar panels!