Brush control
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| Asian bittersweet climbing up a fishing pole. |
Yesterday was another day of cutting brush followed with cut-stem application of herbicide. Much of what I am cutting has been cut before and is multi-stemmed.
I don't inherently dislike multi-stemmed trees that sucker. They have a place and a function. When they are outside of their place, then they are a weed.
Today will be more of the same.
Breaking down pallets
It takes time. My biggest concern is being mindful of nails.
One of the newer pallets must have come from Asia. One of the stringers that the slats were nailed to was extremely heavy and figured. It would make good knife handles or, maybe, cutting boards. I will get a mass density and some pictures today, God willing.
The days are getting shorter
I am noticing. I cannot get as much done.
The leaves are falling. I can see the squirrels in the walnut trees.
I saw five deer yesterday.
Heritage turkey breeds
I am contemplating adding a small number of turkeys to our operation.
My preference is toward the more natural colored breeds like Bourbon Reds, Narragansett, Bronze or Black Spanish primarily to not attract attention from predators. Much of what I end up with will be heavily influenced by what will be available in May of 2027.
Do any of you raise or know of people raising heritage turkeys? All thoughts will be appreciated.
I got an email yesterday
One of my readers stepped up and volunteered to lead "a Project" at the local high school. The team of students planted three apple trees on the school property.
He sent me an email with some pictures.
One of the (many) things that I think he did spectacularly well is that he gave the students ownership.
A cynical thought
The mainstream media is reporting that the chances of the Republican candidates has evaporated and that they have zero chance of retaining control of the Senate and House of Representatives.
My first thought questions their basis. Polls are totally trash. Many people who plan on voting refuse to answer random phone calls.
My more cynical thought is that if the Democrats don't crush the Republicans in the midterms, they have a "set-up" for rioting just like we see in France. They can claim "The Republicans stole the elections".
Regardless of which party wins, pray for America.
Bonus link When somebody promises violence, take them seriously.
A thought from Seth Capehart
"You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with"
If you want to improve your life, be more selective in who you spend time with on-line as well as in meat-space and watch on TV.
We raise turkeys for Thanksgiving on our small farm. We had some Narragansetts one year, hoping to create both seasonal food and a sustainable flock. They are as mobile as wild turkeys and roamed the entire neighborhood - a radius of 1/4 mile - at will. They roosted in a maple tree near the pasture. One Thursday a neighbor came over and asked for $600 to reimburse repairs he had done on his car because they walked on top of it. That Saturday they all went to the processor.
ReplyDeleteNow we buy a production breed called Artisan Black from McMurray Hatchery. Poults arrive in mid-June, spend 2 weeks in the brooder, and the rest of their lives rotating around the pastures. Beautiful birds and our customers rave about the flavor. In fact, all our birds this year are reserved by previous customers. While they can fly up to the barn roof, they are quite docile and haven't left the farm. They are not inexpensive to buy as poults and we are going to get some extras next year to see if they will breed.
An odd note: One of the hens is totally blind. We named her Helen. I carry her over to the feeder and waterer several times a day. So far she is growing well and is only slightly smaller than the other hens.
The left-wing media psyop about polls has reached hysterical levels this year. But it is powerful. I have several conservative friends who are convinced there will be a blue wave because their intellect can't overcome the media's drumbeat of propaganda. Most people can't resist the psyops because they are not taught to be skeptical, or even questioning, of authority figures. I blame the public schools.
Thanks for sharing the info. All of it.
DeleteI agree 100% with the last paragraph.
It's hard to say, honestly, we've still got a couple weeks, I suspect The Apprentice star might pull a trick out of his sleeve the next 2 weeks.
Inflation is killing them, the wars are killing them, the E-files are killing them, a lot of things are killing them... but the God's honest truth (and I think they're counting on this) is the alternative is really honestly and truly that much worse to contemplate. I believe a lot of people will hold their nose and chose red. Vice-versa as well, but I don't think they actually have the numbers (bell-curve). They have the cheating, and my guess is they're going to, and Trump's going to try to catch them.
Regardless of the outcome, I believe we are going to see fireworks from Nov.4th all the way to God only knows...
A lot of interest at our local early voting station. My wife and I spent an hour in line waiting to vote. At least the weather was pleasant for a change.
ReplyDeleteSome of my Republican friends have told me they aren't very interested in voting this time. A bit angry where MAGA leaders have changed priorities. I reminded them without their vote, they were automatically voting for the opposition. I also reminded them how fast things can change. Washington Congress does not wait for formal votes anymore. They claim a mandate and change with no debate or votes amongst them.
ERJ, Leigh at Five Acres and A Dream has kept turkeys in the past. You might do a search of her site to see what comes up.
ReplyDeletePolls seem to me to be very much driven by other matters than the actual opinion of the voting public. The fact that they are used to "driver participation" rather than reflect a point in time suggests they are as much a tactic of electioneering as everything else.
That said, they may reflect reality. But it is not a given that they do reflect reality.
Polls exist not to judge opinion but to shape it and form it. And since the pollsters are just like the media....servants of the communist left...they lie in service to their masters.
ReplyDelete"They can claim "The Republicans stole the elections""
ReplyDeleteYou of all people are going to type that with a straight face? Give me a fuckin break lmao.
The polls have shown el-Sayed with a 3% point lead over Rogers for the last month.
DeleteAOC, a woman not known for Mother Teresa-like generosity, transferred one-million dollars from her campaign fund to el-Sayed's.
Very puzzling. Why would she do that?
Maybe the polls are shit-for-data. Maybe el-Sayed's campaign cannot overcome his "aura" and his history.
Do you expect them to say "Oh dang! We lost. Ya beat us fair-and-square" and go back to fighting chlamydia in Detroit and chaining themselves to bulldozers? Really?
Stealing elections is a Democratic Party specialty. You need to explain the Wayne County mafia illegally concealing their vote counting area at TCF Arena on election night in 2020 so they could insinuate 300,000 bogus ballots into the official count.
DeleteSeveral famous photos show Wayne County workers putting up white particle board over windows which would have otherwise allowed viewing the election fraud. No one was ever held accountable, but the Wayne County mafia didn't get a repeat chance in 2024 and - Voilà! - the election outcome flipped.
Hopefully it will be too cold for “street actions” in november. I will be very surprised if there isnt violence. If they lose “ the rethuglcans stole it”’ if they win “ now we can punish them”. The only consolation I have is that the loudest foulest mouth “ progressives” I know tend to be “ kittys” who will talk crap but wont come out to do something.
ReplyDeleteJust a thought for dealing with rioters- hose ‘em down. Not necessarily blast ‘em down with 3-4 inch hoses, just get them very wet. I bet that soaking wet rioters in the cold might be inclined to go elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteInvasive vines here along the St. Joseph River are a constant problem no matter how much hacking is done.
ReplyDeleteToday's lead story on crooked polling, in Fox News and other media:
ReplyDelete'Democrats furious after pollster boosting far-left candidates admits fabricating surveys: ‘Absolute scumbags’
One Democratic strategist called for the firm, Wedgewood Polling, to be prosecuted'
By Elizabeth Elkind - October 21, 2026 11:26am EDT
The lede:
"Wedgewood Polling, which billed itself as an election survey company, released a statement Tuesday night admitting it used "fabricated numbers" for an "experimental project to demonstrate the vulnerabilities, lack of oversight, and overall low barrier to entry in the modern political polling industry."
The group's polls were cited by Abdul El-Sayed's campaign amid a high-profile primary race against Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich. The nonpartisan polling aggregator Political Polls also cited Wedgewood in the Wisconsin gubernatorial race, showing socialist Francesca Hong having an edge over Republican candidate Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis.
McMorrow said Wedgewood's numbers led to her donations drying up and reporters having "hounded" her with calls to drop out of the race....."
Carl Cannon of RealClearPolitics posted an article this morning which explains why they refused to aggregate Wedgewood Polling and an earlier scam, Median Strategies:
Delete'Why RealClearPolitics Didn't Fall for the Fake Polls'
By Carl M. Cannon - October 22, 2026
Mr. Cannon makes a very provocative observation that some of the poll fakery going on is actually aimed at manipulating the prediction markets, rather than skewing actual political outcomes.
Today's understory on crooked polling: the FCC is planning to punish networks for publishing deceptive polls. From POLITICO, today:
ReplyDelete'Brendan Carr takes up Trump’s ‘fake polls’ fight
The FCC chair’s threats could mark an expansion of the FCC’s authority, which has not historically involved policing political polls.'
By John Hendel - 10/21/2026 12:45 PM EDT
The lede:
"Brendan Carr warned broadcasters Wednesday to vet their polling carefully, suggesting his Federal Communications Commission could punish outlets for sharing results the administration believes deceive viewers.
The warning comes less than two weeks ahead of the November midterm election and will likely inflame long-running concerns that Carr, as chair of the FCC, is improperly jawboning media companies over coverage opposed by the Trump administration.
“During this election season, there has been a significant surge in entirely Fake Polls and Suppression Polls designed to do nothing more than interfere with the regular functioning of the electoral process and alter the normal patterns of voter turnout and enthusiasm,” Carr wrote Wednesday on X. “Broadcasters are advised to avoid engaging in News Distortions or running Broadcast Hoaxes by airing Polls that would violate their regulatory obligations.” "
That's funny, as the previous administration explicitly pressured the social media companies to distort the news and cancel opposition voices during the 2024 campaign. I would not characterize as "improper jawboning" the present caution to the media (arm of the Democrat party) against presenting known false stories as news.
DeleteI raised Jersey Buff turkeys. Filthy animals. You think chickens are bad, you're in for a treat.
ReplyDeleteDucks were mild in comparison.
I think the polls lie just like they did for the 2016 Trump win.
ReplyDelete"Pallets must have come from Asia", I brought home a wooden crate shipped from India. It was nice sawn lumber boards, good for shelving I thought, It rained on it several days before I could take it apart. Surprise ! it fell apart in chunks? Bob T.
ReplyDeleteBeen breaking down pallets for firewood and project wood for years. Have used the air compressor powered nail knocker to remove nails to preserve boards. For firewood, I only breakdown oak pallets now. I chainsaw the thinner cross pieces. The long "beams" are cut with a chop saw. Any nailed sections are cut free and tossed in the bonfire pile. Nail free sections are saved for cooking fires/camp fires. It's free wood but that doesn't mean you're not paying for it.
ReplyDeleteIf you were ever cynical about the polls, you ought to check out Jeff Childer's reporting on a FAKE polling firm, here:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.coffeeandcovid.com/p/scooby-did-wednesday-october-21-2026
(skip down to the essential news header)
Milton