Category: Personal

More workshop Tour: The Myford ML7 lathe

In addition to my Sherline mill, the other main machinist’s tool I have is a Myford ML7 7×20″ lathe. The lathe is fitted with the Quick-Change Gearbox to allow selection of longitudinal feeds and thread cutting without having to fool

More carp, live ones this time, and an eagle

The other day, I was walking along Alder Creek, which runs behind our property here in New Dundee, and I happened to spot a group of around 40 carp, just swimming gently to keep up with the current. The water

Power chute control for John Deere 185 snow blower

My JD185 lawn tractor can be fitted with a snowblower attachment. The one I have has no part or model number; it is just called the “38 inch snowblower” in the manuals. At the driver’s seat there is a crank

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Fate of the Turtle Nests

It’s been months since some snapping turtles laid nests in my yard, and I can finally report on how things turned out. A few weeks after the eggs were laid, I found some evidence of digging at one of the

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Tororo-Aoi Pods Ripening

The seed pods on my tororo-aoi plants have started to mature. As this happens, they turn brown, dry out, and develop splits along their five lengthwise ridges. The seeds inside are probably dry and ready for storage for next spring.

Tororo-Aoi (and other) Flowers

My tororo-aoi plants have started blooming. So far, only the transplanted plants are big enough to bloom; the direct-seeded ones are just getting to the point of thinking about producing flower buds, and the plants from the seeds from AliExpress

Surprise Tororo-Aoi Sprouts

About a week ago I planted the tororo-aoi seeds I had purchased through AliExpress into our front garden. I had previously had no success sprouting them indoors, and decided as a last try to direct seed them where my other seeds

Tororo-Aoi Growth

The tororo-aoi seedlings I showed in a previous post have been in the ground for a few weeks now, and, except for the one destroyed by forces unknown, all have grown several true leaves and are 10-15cm (4-6″) tall. I

Oh, Snap!

Alder Creek runs along the back of our property here, for about 60m (200′). The creek is in a small valley, perhaps 6m (20′) deep with a fairly steep embankment. Over the past week, we’ve had (at least) three snapping

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Tororo-aoi sprouts

I previously mentioned purchasing some tororo-aoi seeds from two suppliers, and I planted five of each to see how well they sprout. After a week in a covered tray on our enclosed porch, all five seeds from Richter’s have sprouted.

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