Author: WJG (Page 1 of 13)

Retired in God's country!

Insurrection!

After the J6 Capitol riot, the propaganda Media and the left weaponized the word insurrection on a daily basis. Anyone even remotely connected to the events of that day was tracked down, thrown in prison (now called “disappeared”), and, in some cases, left to rot in cells without due process. Donald Trump himself was accused of “inciting an insurrection” or even “leading an insurrection.” But suddenly, NOW they have a problem with that word.

Has their hypocrisy risen to the level that they think we don’t remember?

https://x.com/TimJGraham/status/2017345205112860878

The Insurrection Act is a U.S. federal law that empowers the president to deploy the U.S. military and federalize the National Guard to suppress insurrection, domestic violence, or rebellion under specific circumstances.  Originally enacted in 1807 and signed by President Thomas Jefferson, it serves as a statutory exception to the Posse Comitatus Act, which generally prohibits the military from engaging in domestic law enforcement. 

Legal Authority and Conditions
The Act allows presidential use of military forces in three main scenarios:

  • When a state requests help (via its governor or legislature) to suppress an insurrection within its borders (10 U.S.C. § 251). 
  • To address unlawful obstructions or rebellions that make it impracticable to enforce federal laws through normal judicial processes (§ 252). 
  • To protect constitutional rights when state authorities fail or refuse to do so, such as during civil rights violations (§ 253), a provision used by Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy during school desegregation. 

Historical Use and Recent Context
The Act has been invoked around 30 times, including during the Civil Rights Movement, the 1992 Los Angeles riots, and labor disputes. It was last formally invoked in 1992, making the current period the longest in U.S. history without its use.

The reality is that it is long past time that the act be declared, since what is playing out now is exactly what it was designed for – infinitely more so than when grandmas walked into the capital 5 years ago. And the longer that they delay, the worse the outcome will be.

But, that IS the plan of the leftists, isn’t it?

As this has been playing out, the Minnesota government, via Attorney General Keith Ellison filed suit in federal court to halt the ICE activities (Operation Metro Surge). The result? “Based on the record before the Court, a factfinder could reasonably credit that Plaintiffs’ sanctuary policies require a greater presence of federal agents to achieve the federal government’s immigration enforcement objectives than in a jurisdiction that actively assists ICE.

It couldn’t be any clearer than that.

UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES
The (once again) unhinged left should be happy. Prior to the court ruling, everything seemed to be going according to plan. Instead of ICE quietly collecting CRIMINALS, with the cooperation of local authorities (like they did under Obama and previously), their swelled numbers are now REACTING to widespread obstruction and interference by authorities and protesters. Interference that creates chaos and confusion, and necessitates the abbreviated training and vetting of the officers. It is playing out as a classic example of ‘cause and effect‘ – and is now getting people killed.

Some other unintended results?

  • Instead of simply criminals, now because of the interference, ALL illegals immigrants encountered are being swept up – greatly swelling the numbers that ICE was originally intending to apprehend and deport.
  • Many people are getting fired for their participation and/or celebration of the riots – or vowing to deny service or care to those that do not agree.
  • It is now being reported that gun sales are spiking as well so is sure to create even more problems down the line.

NO LIMIT TO HYPOCRISY
And now, to protest against border enforcement, showing ID to prove you belong, and restricting access, the solution is to erect borders, checkpoints and vetting for each person passing through. I thought this was from the Babylon Bee but reality is evolving much faster than BB can parody the ridiculousness.

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Nothing exposes the hypocrisy of the left any clearer than this. Added to that is you won’t see any coverage of this in the MSM. Thereby the faithful can deny it and once again claim it is misinformation. Because they are so morally superior, any information that detracts from their message, can and should be dismissed.

However, recently released (Feb 2) polling suggests they are losing the argument. Repeating their mistake of being on the wrong side of all the 80/20 issues, this one may cost them dearly in the midterms.

Key findings:

  • 73% say entering the U.S. without legal permission is breaking the law.
  • Americans support deporting those here illegally by a 2:1 margin (61–34).
  • 54% want ICE enforcing federal immigration laws and removing illegal immigrants.
  • 58% oppose defunding ICE—including majorities of Independents and swing voters.

Defunding ICE is Politically Toxic

When voters are told Democrats want to defund ICE or even shut down the government to stop ICE from enforcing immigration law, the political fallout is immediate and severe:

  • The generic ballot flips from D+4 to R+0 if Democrats oppose ICE.
  • If Democrats force a shutdown to defund ICE, Republicans take a 2‑point lead; that’s a 6-point shift away from Democrats over a single issue.
  • Swing voters shift a staggering 16 points toward Republicans under a shutdown scenario.

The message is unmistakable: Democrats are far on one side of an issue where voters are in strong majorities on the other.

Americans Believe the Border Crisis Is Real…Except for Democrats

Across the electorate, illegal immigration is seen as a serious national problem…except among Democrats, who are the only group claiming it is “not a problem”:

  • 64% of midterm voters say illegal immigration is a problem.
  • 71% of swing voters say it’s a problem.
  • 97% of Republicans and 60% of Independents agree.

Democrats stand alone in insisting otherwise.

The bottom line is that if leftists truly believe our immigration laws suddenly need revisions after decades of enforcement, (just like both Trump and Obama have suggested), they should be lobbying their lawmakers (congress) to address those issues. As it stands, the current administration is fully empowered to enforce those laws – just as previous administrations have done without the hypocritical hysterics going on now.

But, the best part after all this nonsense?
Donald J. Trump will STILL be your president for 3 MORE YEARS!


Living Under ICE

Yes, what is going on in MN is tragic. It didn’t have to be this way. It’s NOT that way in other parts of the country where authorities are cooperating with ICE as they perform their duties, enforcing the laws (passed by congress) as they have been doing for decades. Memphis, with a democratic mayor is a prime example.

And YES, when Obama deported millions, it was much quieter and smoother because everyone was fine with it. The ICE of that era wasn’t facing nonstop hostility, opposition, violent threats and the obstructions that are now playing out daily in Minnesota. Opposition fueled by “leadership” fanning the flames to distract from his crimes trying to avoid the inevitable jail cell he’ll soon be occupying.

Those opposing their actions (often also illegally) are also being dealt with severely – as a result of the environment they are now operating in.

Frankly, I don’t see it changing. I doubt that those opposing can accept that THEY are the cause of the mayhem – when they repeatedly rely on MSM reporting that continually reports only what inflames, agitates and divides, rather than all of the pertinent facts that details what actually happened. This lady does a good job summarizing the insanity of getting yourself killed to support their goals. If you ignore all else, LISTEN to what she is saying!

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That’s why Good was initially described as just a panicked mom trying to get home. Then, Fry amended that to say she was simply executing a “3-point turn” – to turn around (on a 1-way street). That’s why Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia was originally reported as an innocent “Baltimore Dad”. That’s why the 2nd victim in Minneapolis was just reported as being murdered by ICE – without any detail that he was part of a mob attacking the officers and in that scrum he assaulted them with a shovel. That’s why they never include the photo of Pretti approaching the armed federal officers with his gun drawn IN HIS HAND. They simply claim he was disarmed. Was he? They wrestled the drawn gun away that he approached with, but does that assure that he had nothing else as they were struggling with him on the ground in the midst of a riot? Nor, will they mention this was his 3rd violent encounter with ICE operations in the past 2 weeks. If nothing else, Pretti will be an ideal example of what NOT to do with your carry permit. It’s already preached mercilessly in gun classes to NOT do what he did and now they have (no longer) living proof.

So in my view, the options are to stand down, let them enforce the laws and see peace restored -or- if you prefer, continue the obstruction, agitation, threats and intimidation – only to see the government response get even harsher, with more people killed. As long as the law is on their side, they will be justified and is why Trump and Obama both stated that if those laws are faulty, then Congress should address them, rather than ignore them, as the previous administration did that initiated this chaos we are seeing today.

Again, I don’t see this happening. But I did predict this outcome and that has much to do with why we now reside in Missouri. It wasn’t so much what the government was doing. Elections usually take care of that. It was more about how we saw people reacting to it. We could tell 3+ years ago that things were not moving in a positive direction and could clearly see the dark clouds on the horizon that has completely engulfed the state now.

Beyond the loud and intimidating minority causing all of the problems (then and today), WAY too many are sitting on their hands, hoping to not offend those that have been completely brainwashed by their leaders and the MSM.

And because of that silence, we are all witnessing the result.

ICE under Obama

The stories now are that ICE is “disappearing” (arresting) innocent citizens. But, when you dig into the details, you always learn that the “victim” was actually resisting and impeding their efforts, which is of course illegal. The other factor that is never considered is that this landscape was what ICE walked into from DAY 1 – simply because DJT ordered it.

Under Obama, ICE activity was never disputed, wasn’t met with citizen opposition and hostility. So, their retort is that under Obama, this turmoil wasn’t happening. And on that point they are right – BECAUSE there wasn’t the constant opposition and obstruction we see today. Compare the reaction now with what occurred when Obama was doing the exact same thing.

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If you dared to watch this video, realize that Chicago was a sanctuary city when this went down – and Chicago authorities were NOT cooperating with ICE. Knowing that, I’ll ask. Where were the whistles? Where were the car alarms? Where were the mobs of outraged citizens obstructing their attempts to apprehend much lower level criminals than are being targeted in MN now. These were mostly petty thieves and DWI offenders. Yet in MN, they are defending child rapists. Someone explain that logic to me.

The turmoil today is a direct result of the lawless opposition to the very same actions Obama orchestrated without any such resistance. The tactics being used now directly REFLECT that opposition.

“But, but, but, Obama wasn’t disappearing citizens or terrorizing families”.

Oh yes. Yes he did. Your trusty MSM just hid it from you – like always.

Under Obama, 56 people died during encounters with ICE officers. Obama still stated that he would enforce the law, despite the tragedies, and carry out the deportations of illegals. It was his duty.

56 civilians died. There were no violent protests. No hotels broken into and vandalized. No roads blocked to obstruct ICE.

The anti ICE movement began in MN the very day Trump was originally inaugurated 10 years ago.

“We are doing this walkout to show solidarity with the families that are being ripped away from each other by ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement]. Obama, the deporter-in-chief, approved of having ICE agents deport people who crossed the border after May 2014”

https://fightbacknews.org/articles/hundreds-minneapolis-high-school-students-walk-out-protest-ice-raids-and-deportations

But then, the anti ICE crowd gained mainstream traction in June 2018 following controversy of the Trump administration family separation policy. Yet, on the very same topic in prior years, this was Obama’s response.

“Ultimately, our nation, like all nations, has the right and obligation to control its borders and set laws for residency and citizenship. And no matter how decent they are, no matter their reasons, the 11 million who broke these laws should be held accountable.”

2010: President Barak Obama

Just like in years prior:

“So, I think we’ve got to have tough conditions. Tell people to come out of the shadows. If they’ve committed a crime, deport them. No questions asked. They’re gone.”

2008: Hillary Clinton

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Instead of addressing violent opposition, he was awarding medals to the very people now under fire for doing exactly what they were doing back then. Oops.

Yet again, the weak minded, blinded by TDS, are doing the bidding of those praying to return to power – since the alternative is that many of them will be taking up residence in jail cells. If this continues, more will surely die as a result.

Not that any of them will care.

We Conservatives Aren’t Silent …Just No Longer Being Heard.

Not my words but says it all…

Here’s the truth no one wants to admit:
It’s not that conservatives refuse to explain ourselves… It’s that the explanation is rejected before it’s even given…
Today, being conservative doesn’t start a conversation….It ends one…
Before a word is spoken, motives are assigned.
Before a policy is discussed, character is judged… you are labeled as..
MAGA EXTREMIST who is…

  • racist
  • homophobic
  • uneducated
  • dangerous
  • driven by fear or hate
    And hates immigrants…
    No curiosity….No questions…. No listening…
    Just conclusions…
    And it’s why so many conservatives feel like they’re constantly defending their humanity instead of their ideas…
    So let me say this plainly …without outrage, without theatrics:
    Most conservatives didn’t vote for a personality.
    We voted for outcomes….we voted for pro America policies…
    Here’s what that actually looks like. What we actually stand for…
    🇺🇸 Border Security & Public Safety..
    We supported enforcing the laws already in place…
    That includes:
  • ending catch-and-release
  • restoring border control
  • prioritizing the removal of criminal non-citizens
    In 2025, enforcement policies resumed, border processing changed, and removals restarted…
    That isn’t cruelty…. It’s the belief that laws matter and communities deserve safety…
    Oftentimes the left uses this and warps this belief into hate.. because manufactured hate is easier to debate than logic..
    🇺🇸 Lower Costs & Government Accountability
    We voted for relief from a cost-of-living crisis that crushed working families… which we are already seeing in our groceries, gas, energy and soon… housing…
    That also means:
  • challenging runaway federal spending
  • pushing back on unchecked pharmaceutical pricing
  • reducing regulatory waste..
    When groceries, housing, and prescriptions become unaffordable, policy stops being academic…
    It becomes personal… and this administration is putting policies in place to make it happen.
    🇺🇸 Energy Independence & American Jobs
    We supported restoring domestic energy production and removing regulations that strangled growth…
    The result:
  • increased U.S. energy output
  • reduced energy pressure
  • less reliance on hostile foreign nations
    Energy policy affects everything …food prices, transportation, utilities, and national security…
    🇺🇸 Smaller Government & Constitutional Limits
    We believe power should have boundaries…
    That includes:
  • limiting federal overreach
  • returning authority to states
  • restraining unelected bureaucracies
    That’s not authoritarianism…or extreme..
    It’s respect for constitutional balance… something we use to all believe in..
    🔥 Why This Still Isn’t Accepted…
    Because explanation doesn’t lead to dialogue anymore…
    It leads to moral judgment…
    Hatred is a powerful tool…
    Instead of hearing:
    “Help me understand why you believe that,”
    we hear:
    “That makes you a bad person. MAGA EXTREMIST!”
    You cannot heal division by refusing to listen…
    You cannot claim tolerance while assigning malice to disagreement…
    🇺🇸 The Part Everyone Misses…
    I didn’t vote out of hate.
    I didn’t vote for a tribe.
    I didn’t vote because I was told to…
    I voted for:
    border enforcement,
    public safety,
    energy independence,
    lower costs,
    and constitutional government.
    And the majority of America did the same which is why Trump won by a landslide…
    You don’t have to agree with me…
    But if we can’t explain our reasoning without being demonized, we’re no longer debating policy …we’re eroding our ability to coexist…
    The once tolerant left has morphed into a party of hate and division…
    And that is a problem…

I will add that I certainly didn’t vote for the mob rule that is taking over entire cities – disregarding established laws, the rule of law, or any election results that did not go the way they wanted.
https://x.com/MrAndyNgo/status/2011894313014476914

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Added to this is that those doing the accusations are now “high” from the constant gas lighting they’ve been subjected to over the past several years. They somehow fail to recognize everything they’ve been told has been thoroughly and completely debunked and the leftist leadership and MSM simply continue to feed the next approved narrative that will also be proven wrong within days. They have become ignorant and expendable pawns of the global cabal seeking to return to power.

A prime example occurred back when Charlie Kirk was senselessly murdered. In an exchange where I asked for proof of why leftists were so elated, I was provided a video that was a hodgepodge of extremely bad editing (likely cobbled together on some dude’s iPhone), where the spoken parts are stitched together and don’t come close to lining up into anything even close to authentic. When they couldn’t even try to get the video to mesh with the audio, they pixelated it so bad, you’d swear it was from the 60s/70s.

The Babylon Bee couldn’t make a parody video this bad. I expected Godzilla to wonder onto the horizon at any minute. This was supposed to be the proof? Seriously?

I’ll just pick one of the quotes from that “story” where Kirk mentioned being apprehensive getting on a plane with a black pilot. You could do the same with all the other points as well. Below is the actual dialog where that line was selectively snipped.

The problem for those seeking a return to power is that too many have now opened their eyes to what has been happening, and they can no longer block the truth from emerging. They are desperate to regain power because the further this goes, the more that is uncovered (and that has been happening at an astonishing pace), they know many of them are destined to be wearing prison stripes soon. Personally, that is too lenient for the ruin they have brought on this previously great nation, families and relationships.


Not “Good” at ALL!

As the newly released video footage now makes unmistakably clear—shown from multiple side angles and, tragically, from the body camera of the officer she struck—Renee Nicole Good put her vehicle in reverse, aimed it toward a uniformed officer, and stepped on the gas.

https://alphanews.org/breaking-alpha-news-obtains-new-footage-of-ice-involved-shooting-in-minneapolis/

She wasn’t confused or scared. She abandoned her own children to protest against those investigating children that don’t exist – except on a ledger. That was her decision. No one forced it. No one orchestrated it. No one else controlled that moment.

Yet before the facts were known—before the video was released—elected officials lined up to condemn law enforcement anyway. The media followed suit, predictably mangling the truth. That part is nothing new. We are now watching governors, members of Congress, and mayors openly tell a lawful federal agency to “eff off.”

Let’s be clear about what that means.

They are cursing ICE — a legitimate law-enforcement agency created by Congress and charged with enforcing federal immigration law, particularly against criminal aliens who are in this country illegally. The same actions they’ve done for prior administrations going back decades. No one protested their actions back then because it was THE LAW.

Only now, because those laws were universally ignored the past few years has the problem become so big, and it is DJT that is resuming those actions, it is now causing so many who cannot accept that they LOST the election to lash out violently – AGAIN!

The defense of Renee Nicole Good and the simultaneous attack on ICE by figures like Tim Walz, Jacob Frey, Eric Swalwell, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and sympathetic police and prosecutors in places like Philadelphia signals something much deeper than disagreement over policy.

It signals hostility toward law and order itself.

These leaders aren’t merely excusing the behavior of those who align with them politically. They are confronting—aggressively—anyone who disagrees with them. When they tell ICE to “eff off,” they are telling every American who wants safe neighborhoods, drug-free streets, gang-free schools, and honest elections to do the same.

In other words, the average American who wants to wake up tomorrow in a country with less crime than today—that’s who they’re talking to.

They have no use for law and order. So they exploit tragedy. They weaponize grief. They turn the reckless actions of one individual into a rallying cry against the very people sworn to protect us. A mother died—not because of police brutality, not because of racism, not because of ICE—but because she made a violent, reckless decision to use a vehicle as a weapon against an officer doing his job.

You keep hearing those petulant children repeat that “enough is enough”. Enough WHAT exactly? What they fail to grasp is that is exactly what the VOTERS decided in November ’24.

The majority of voters decided they’ve had enough of the godless, fraudulent and irreparably damaging policies forced upon them by a now proven corrupt administration. Instead, in a landslide, they elected Trump to do exactly what he is doing – while exposing all of the previous corruption to the light of day.

And when the Left can’t stop that advance of truth—they’ve chosen violence. We saw this coming, and is why we no longer reside in the crazy state of Minnesota.

Chapter 2:

I’ve spent days trying to find the words that make sense about what is going on now but this poster absolutely nails it and I’ll use her words to summarize these points.

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Santa Claus?

I recall seeing this analysis years ago. It’s what happens when someone has too much time on their hands – and use it to ruin a good thing for others. But, perhaps, you can use it as a response to the whiny teenager who is protesting that Santa didn’t deliver the trendy goods that they wanted.

But it can still be entertaining to those of us who don’t follow those philosophies.

Original source: sirius@wam.umd.edu (The Human Neutrino aka Linda Harden)
Original Title: IS THERE A SANTA CLAUS?

However, a newer wrinkle I’ve noticed are the clever rebuttals. Again, too much time on their hands but can appreciate the thought and humor they put into these replies.

Rebuttal-1: (Jim Mantle, Waterloo Maple Software)

Rebuttal-2: Several key points are overlooked by this callous, amateurish “study.”


Out The Window(s)

If you (like many) are worried about the “end-of-life” announcement about Windows 10 (or earlier versions), but cannot upgrade to the newest Windows due to supposed issues with your older hardware, I’d recommend watching this video to get the REAL story behind it all.

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In summary, your hardware is likely fine. It just lacks the “chip” required for Microsoft to completely take over your computer and basically spy on you 24/7, logging your photos, files, keyboard strokes, websites visited, and physical location as you go about your day – all to enable their AI induced utopia.

Microsoft will claim (of course) that their new operating system is more secure, faster and eliminates many of the threats present today, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Here is another view of the situation:

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And if you need more persuading, this explains the migration of Microsoft’s mindset from being stable, secure, and everywhere to now being the all-controlling, $ub$cription-based behemoth that monetizes and controls everything you see and do, weather you wanted it or not.

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And don’t think you are immune operating on the IOS (Apple) system. They’ve long been guilty of following the same model. They own you and dictate everything you do as well.

Down here on the farm, I have embarked on a journey to rid ourselves of all of that and is so far going well, with most all of our primary devices now running (much faster and more stable) on Linux. The Linux distro has pretty much everything we need and for those very few apps that still need to run on Windows, the dual boot option can return to Windows in those rare instances when needed until Linux alternatives can replace them.

For our journey, I selected Linux Mint as our best option. My UNIX coding expertise is nearly 20 years old now – and was never very good to begin with. The other reason is not everyone spent their past “coding in the basement”, and I wanted something that Sherry could seamlessly switch to without too much trouble.

After converting 4 laptops and about 7 desktops, here are the pros and cons.

PROS

  • Of the many Linux “distros”, Mint seems to be the friendliest to novices and has many of the features for complete computing built right in, without needing to purchase additional software for office apps, security (virus protection of VPNs) and most all of your computing needs.
  • I am installing Mint parallel to the existing Windows install with the dual boot option so if you absolutely need to run Windows, it is still there and simply can be chosen from the boot menu at startup.
  • All of your existing files and folders remain intact and can be accessed via Mint from the Windows partition.
  • So far, Mint has been running flawlessly. It seems much faster and is certainly more stable than Windows ever was.

CONS:

  • Probably the biggest issue I am having is getting certain apps (written for Windows but not Linux) to run. There are a number of “tools” (Wine/Bottles/and others) to allow this but none seem to do the job completely so will need to boot back into Windows to use those apps. But those instances are now extremely rare, as most everything is done via a web browser. Also, many apps offer a Linux installation so you don’t need Windows at all and for those that require it, there are plenty of Linux friendly alternatives.
  • As user friendly as Linux Mint is, I still had to recall some of those long forgotten IT skills from my former life and guessing those without that history will have their eyes glaze over as some dude who has never left his parents basement explain how easy it is.
  • Related to that, out of the box they claim Mint automatically enables the dual boot option needed to revert/run the Windows OS but so far, in my case this has never worked and I had to tweak the grub (boot) files to get it working as they claimed.

After converting most of what we use often, my next step is to try and resuscitate some older laptops I have laying around – just to see how they respond. But so far, I am finding each conversion easier as I progress through it. I am even contemplating offering conversion services for the rural folks down here where money is extremely tight and IT skills are few and far between.

I’ll complete my conversion and work out the bugs before I hang that shingle out however. By then, it will be long overdue to also escape Google – Gmail (ugghh!), YouTube, GoogleOne, Drive and the rest of their empire, along with Gemini, their AI utopia flavor.

Sawmill Skills? or a Smokescreen?

A forklift is a forklift. This one is much bigger maneuvering in a muddy uneven minefield, but I seem to be recalling enough of it to make all you former Tonka Truck owners jealous.

I think Tonka Trucks must have hit their “big time” very soon after I was of age as I don’t recall ever owning one. I think I was more of a Hot Wheels guy. I do recall touring the Tonka factory in Mound on some school trips. My younger brothers owned several though, that I am sure to have messed around with in the glorious mud. Those were the days!

Continuing the sawmill saga started a few days ago.

I didn’t get called back to the sawmill yesterday because the regular guy was back in the loader. I think it was a combination of being caught whipping around on the 4-wheeler later on Tuesday (when he claimed he had a bad back) AND seeing that Herman found a suitable replacement so easily. Kids these days…

Today being Thursday, I didn’t expect them to be operating but as I was finishing up breakfast for everyone, I was surprised to find Uriah, one of Herman’s sons, at our front gate asking if I had time to work a few hours. So much for my plans.

  • First off was a flatbed trailer loaded with large crates of apples that needed to be unloaded. The Amish are very community oriented and Herman ordered apples for their entire group so had 7 gaylords + a 55 gal drum loaded with apples waiting in his yard. I jumped on the loader at the mill and drove it down to Herman’s place to complete that task before returning to the mill. All of the other Amish were clopping by in their buggy’s all day heading for Herman’s to pick up their allotment. There will be a lot of canning going on soon in those households.
  • Back at the sawmill, 3 of Herman’s sons were going to process more cedar logs to complete an order for cedar posts they started previously. After cleaning up the yard a bit, I headed to the field behind the mill, where the cedar logs are “stacked” (more like dumped).

Check out how that went:

Apologies for the motion sickness. The camera was
mounted to my glasses and my head was on a swivel.

Once I had the mill head loaded up with enough logs to keep them busy for hours, I did some more clean up and was getting ready to hop back in the golf cart and return home.

Just then, a 1-top pickup swung in pulling another long (empty) flatbed trailer. It was a local farmer picking up his 3 bundles of 1x8s. This wasn’t something I’d normally be doing but the boys thought it would help to get those bundles out of the way so I agreed – after warning the farmer I was a rookie on the loader.

Of course that meant moving/shifting other bundles out of the way to get to his, but I managed to get them all loaded without damaging his truck or trailer.

All-in-all, it was quite a bit of “practice” – on my day off and I got home just in time to feed the feral cats their dinner and the chickens their afternoon treats.

One HUGE perk of all this is that while picking up the logs in back, I found one that was only 10 feet log that was embedded within the 16 footers. The boys said they couldn’t use it for that order but instead agreed to saw it up for ME. I requested 3″ (thick) by however wide they can manage out of that log (and it was BIG – a good 12″-15″ wide at the base). At home, I’ll be trimming off 3″ slices,1/2″ at a time and will be able to complete trimming out our house with that aromatic cedar. I’ve already completed the living room with what I had, but have the rest of the house to complete and was looking for a good deal on cedar before I could do any more. This will be ideal!


Sawmill Stand in

Yesterday, I stopped and talked to my Amish neighbor, who operates a sawmill across the road and south about 1/5 mile from us. Getting my answer about a future lumber purchase, he asked if I wanted a job. I laughed it off and we talked some more about stuff. As I was leaving, he said again “about that job…”.

It turns out, their loader operator tweaked his back and can’t work for a spell. They had someone else filling in there yesterday and I told him I would be willing for a few days/week if needed. That fill in yesterday wasn’t welcomed back because as I was feeding the chickens this morning, the regular loader operator (with the bad back) came down the driveway (very gingerly) on a 4-wheeler to inquire if I was ready to go to work. I was somewhat startled it was so soon but nonetheless told him I’d be right there.

Despite 30 years in IT, I’ve operated plenty of forklifts, skid-steers and the like over the years but never a big loader. But the concept is the same. The loader has big forks and you move a load just like a forklift would so no worries.

Within 20 minutes, I was in the seat and moving logs. It’ll take some time getting used to the controls and the weird steering but I figure by the end of the day, I’ll get a handle on it. Until then, I am just going slow.


Now home reflecting on the day, I was pretty happy how it turned out. Yes, I wasn’t anticipating “working” today so it messed up some plans I had and I really had to scramble to get all the critters fed and tended to. We have 1 hen with a broken femer (thigh bone) with her full leg in a splint plus another catatonic hen near death, not to mention 15 other healthy chickens, 9 feral cats, 2 domestic cats and the 2 dogs – all on “exotic” diets but I got it done.

The loader (above) is straightforward – just bigger than anything I’ve operated before (except for semi tractor/trailers). Yes, this was my first time operating them so I just took my time and was careful not to knock anything over or drop a log on anyone.

Issues (with the loader) I am working through:

  • Controls are opposite what I am used to. Typically, in similar equipment I’ve used, the lever to the left is to lift up and down and the one on the right is for tilting the forks forward or back. On this old Cat, they are opposite so that’s going to mess me up until I can retrain myself.
  • Invisible forks. You really can’t see the tips of your forks so need to rely on the boys (and their hand signals) to properly/securely lift the load. With the raw logs, it’s not a big deal but for the finished product (all securely strapped to blocks/pallets), you surely don’t want to dump one (and I never did but came close once before I recovered).
  • Articulated steering. Instead of a set of wheels (front or back) turning, the loader pivots in the middle to steer. This causes issues whenever you turn the wheel. Even standing still, if you turn the wheel, the entire front end (including what is on your forks) shifts side to side so you need to be mindful of that. As the day went on, I got pretty used to it and actually used that behavior to shift uneven loads side to side to my advantage.
  • Visibility is terrible! Adding to that is that it is an “Amish” sawmill and safety protocols are nonexistent with stray logs laying around at odd angles making maneuverability difficult. Moving logs with a much larger machine than I am used to (forklift) through that minefield made it challenging but I simply took it slow and steady with my head on a swivel. As the day went on, I cleaned up all those hazards and made it much easier to operate.
  • Let’s just say this Cat has seen better days.
    • No parking brake – when you stop to get down you need to drive the forks into the mud to keep it from rolling.
    • It has AC but I doubt it works since there is no glass in the front windows. The biggest problem with that is the deafening roar from the mill. Next time, I’ll be bringing ear protection. My ears are still ringing now.
    • Need to frequently add oil to the transmission to be able to shift it.
    • Likely low on hydraulic fluid as well, as the fork “tilt” would sag forward considerably so you need to constantly reapply the tilt (back) to keep your load on there.

Other than that, I have the luxury of running back home whenever needed to tend to things there. As long as I have the “head” of the mill supplied with the right logs to keep them busy and haul away the slabs (the outside pieces w/bark from the first cuts) to the burn pile and any finished stacks/pallets moved to their proper place, I am free to come and go.

It’s actually ideal and is exactly what I was looking for down here. The mill only operates 3 days/week (usually Mon-Wed) so the rest of the week is free for me for “farm stuff” and the commute there and back can be done in the golf cart.

I think I am going to like it. A major drawback is the unexpected timing. I’ll likely only get tapped when the regular guy can’t make it – which will always be last minute. However, they are extremely accommodating of my schedule. Today, I had to run into Summersville to meet a delivery truck for some produce we ordered (a monthly thing) but it coincided mostly with the morning break. In the afternoon, I had an installer coming out for a new internet provider and he came soon after we broke for lunch. Tomorrow, I have to run to Houston for my prescription and a few other things and Herman (the Amish owner) just said “we’ll work around whatever you have to do”.

And being Amish, they have l-o-n-g breaks. A half hour in the morning, 90 minutes for lunch and 20 minutes in the afternoon. Why so long? They are Amish so none of them drive – they walk everywhere, and only recently have they started to wear shoes/boots after going barefoot most of the year.

But, I really enjoy these guys. A good portion of them are Herman’s sons. He has (I believe) 16 kids, and we’ve always gotten along with them quite well – always a wave whenever you drive by. They tried to buy the farm we bought but it was out of their reach so they talked the seller into lopping off the “back 40” that they purchased, leaving the 20 acres we bought. I look forward to getting to know them better (as much as that is possible).

Hard workers? You wouldn’t believe how hard these “kids” work wrestling these logs around. It’s also sort of fascinating seeing how they “process” the logs.

See for yourself:

The pay is nothing close to what I was accustomed to but that wasn’t my goal. It’ll be more cash available for our needs but I wouldn’t make a career out of it. One thing I stated when Herman asked me was that I didn’t want to take anyone’s job away. They need it more than I do.

Thankfully, I am retired but this will keep me busy when I need to feel useful.

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