I Can't Get OUT!!!!!!!

Last night we had a pretty strong storm hit our area, and thankfully we didn't have any damage, BUUUUUUUUUUTTTT........... When I went to the barn to find the cordless skill saw, I found this instead.

So when I saw this I called Dad and said "We need clean up on isle 7." and he said "What?????" I told him that it was time to fire up the chain saw, so we got to do a little tree cutting. OHHH I almost forgot to mention that this tree was covered in poison Oak!!!!!!!!!!! Excuse me while I scratch my back against the bed post...........
After we got it cleaned up we asked our neighbor Ron if he would push a dead tree over for us with the front end loader of his tractor, since the tree that fell over the road pushed it over a little. He came over and tried, but on the forth try we heard a LOUD "SNAP" from the front end loader!!!!!!!!!! From what I could tell we/he sprung the hydro cylinders on the tractors front end loader!!!!!!! I am hoping this will be a easy fix, but I am not so sure.
Then after that Dad and I did a little finish work, Dad wanted to cut this little tree that was bent over, while I walked up the road, and picked up limbs. I was about 100 yards out when I heard another "SNAP" and then a "UGGGGG!!!!!"!!!!!!! So I cut out running and found Dad lying on the ground. Apparently the tree had snapped backwards when he cut it, and when it did it hit Dad in the side of his left knee!!!!! OUCH!!!!! I think he will be ok, just a little sore in the mornin.

My First MIG Weld, and NEW Forge Idea

Well after Dad and I got the welder set up........... Well actually I set it up while Dad read the book on how to set it up. LOL We started up the welder and I got to use it first!!!!!!  "Photo's??????" you ask..... OF COURSE!!!!!!!

OK. So my first MIG weld looks like a cat crawled up there and used the bathroom. :(   BUT..........

This one looks pretty dog-gone good!!!!!!!!

So What will be my first project with the welder???????? Well how about a new forge??? A few months ago I was thinking of building a mobile forge so on hot summer days I could move my work out side under a shade tree. Then I figured that it would cost to much, but the last time I was a metal supply in Columbia, Ky my good friend Dave talked me in to buying the steel for the new forge. So because I listened to Dave I left there owing Dad $50.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  OHHHH WELL. That was about 5 months ago, and that metal has been just laying around the shop, and makes a good thing for me to stub my toes on. Well today I got out the now rusting metal, and started drawing a design.

HMMMMM. The drawing looks like something off of Mythbusters!!! LOL I would LOVE  to have their jobs!!!!.......... OK back to the forge. Now that we have a welder that I can use, I will be making my first mobile forge. I like the design. What about you???????

NEW TOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

About 2 weeks ago Dad decided to finally buy a MIG welder, and today it came in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Here are a few photo's of it.

I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!! I have used it just 3 times and already I am a better welder than Dad!!! :D Dad says that he could weld better with the stick welder.
Got to go get some thing to eat so I can go do some more welding!!!!!!!!

Does any one have some extra gun powder?????????

So I might be called a little crazy at times, but I need about 15 pounds of black gun powder. Why you ask........... Well I you might not want to know, but if you have to know, I need it to blow up this.

This log jam is making it VERY hard to go down the creek. SOOOOOOOO I know of only 1 way to get it out, and that is to blow it up!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So if you live with in 100 miles of Alvaton, and you hear a loud boom, you know where it came from. :)

LOL Just kidding, but I do need to figure out how to get rid of this log jam. Any ideas?????

The Barn Is FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well we finally got the barn finished, it only took us about a year to build it...... As I have heard Dad say for many years, it took longer than I thought. hahahahaha :D
Here is a photo of it with the wagon in front.

  

Folk School!!!!!!!!!

Hey yall, I know that my last blog post wasn't that exiting, but I think this one is...... At least for me!!!!

Last year my good friend Dave went to a school in North Carolina called John C Campbell to learn some new blacksmithing techniques. When he got back he told me all about JCC, and was trying to get me to go, but at the time I didn't have the $$$$ to go, for the classes are a little high. So now after working for the Mennonites I had the $$$ but I didn't have the inspiration to go, UNTIL....... The other day Dave e-mailed me and told me that he was going to go to JCC 5 times this year, and was wanting to know if I wanted to go with him. That way we could split the cost of the trip. I looked in to it, and I found that 2 of the 5 classes he was going to were the ones I had originally wanted to take!!!!! There is another class (#5) that looks interesting, but as it stands now I won't have the $$$ to go, but I am working on that problem.

If you have never heard of  John C Campbell Folk School, don't feel bad neither did I until Dave told me about it. Here is a link telling a little bit about the school https://www.folkschool.org/index.php?section=articles&article_cat_id=5&article_id=5

Also Dad is thinking of going to a class, he will be learning to build a casket........ Not exactly what I would want to spend a week doing.

Got to run for now.

New Laptop!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well I finally bought a laptop!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is a HP Pavilian g6 350Gb harddrive, 3Gb memory, and a 15.6 screen. So far I like it..........I should since I spent over $600.00 for it!!!!! OUCH!!!!!!!!!
"Photo?????" you ask. Well here it is!!!!!

So what do you think???? Notice the 2012 screen saver, if you don't allready know it, I am a BIG believer in the 2012 dooms day thing.

What a view!!!!!!!

Here are some photo's that Dad took the other morning. Enjoy!!!!!!

UUUGGGGGGGGGG..................

As the title says "UUUUUGGGGGGG".
 I finished my first week work at the Mennonite community, and it was a good week. One day I cut up to 180 boards with a hand saw!!!!! MAN OH MAN, was my arm tired by the end of the day!!!!!On payday I was paid in cash, and $200 of that was in $1 bills!!!!!!! LOL That was a WAD of cash.
Now this morning I woke up with a sinus head ache, and runny nose, I just figured it was allergy's, so I went on to work. But around 1:00 I started having chills and was getting dizzy, and weak. I called Dad and told him that I didn't feel well, and my strength was all but gone.
 When I got home I found out I had a low grade fever. So I have a nice head cold with allergy's on top of it, hopefully I will be able to go to work tomorrow, because........well I would like to have the $$$$$$$$ LOL
So I got to get some rest,
     CYA

WHAT A DAY!!!!!

Well today was a different kind of day. First off, our neighbor Ron called and said that 6 of his Black Angus calves had gotten out and needed help getting them back in. So Dad and I helped out, and we both ran about 1 mile chasing a CRAZY calf over the hill, and though the woods........ Isn't there a child's poem that starts like that...LOL We got 4 in, 1 got away from us, and the other we haven't even seen.
 After that Dad went to Bowling Green, and I worked in the shop. Well about 3 hours latter Ron calls again and said that he found one of the calves and need some help. Not having my drivers licence and not having a car, I jumped on my bike and pedaled about 1.3 miles (I haven't been on my bike in about a year), and then ran like a mad man (Like I am) chasing this calf once again down the road. After about 1 mile of very vigorous running he got away once again, and we haven't seen him since.
So I had quit the day......And I will probably get to do it all again tomorrow, for I promised Ron that I would help him look for those other 2 in the morning, and then help him move the other 4 back to his farm.
 I am absolutely whore out and I have to get up EARLY in the morning.......So why am I on the computer typing........I haven't a clue