Neanderpundit

next time you want to rant about people driving distracted, think hard about this.

yes. That’s a J-37 bug, purpose made to clip to your thigh. (I think the designation became a J-45 once it was attached to the leg clamp)

I know some of you have spent some serious cockpit time. Think of all the shit going on in the cockpit of a WWII vintage plane, and now, in addition to that, and the E6b, and the notes on the kneeboard, add a telegraph key. And not an iambic paddle, either, a real j37 that you have to make the dits and dahs yourself, pay attention to the receive, make notes, fly the aircraft.

Some people can do more than one thing at a time. Some people can fly a fighter aircraft, keep track of their fuel and speed and distance travelled, watch their ammunition, and keep an eye open for bogeys while communicating via telegraph, and others cannot. If you’re one of the ones that cannot, don’t. Don’t break bad on the ones that can.

the Abarth commercial? The one with the woman in the black dress?

I just saw my daughter’s Easter outfit. Yeah, it looks a lot like that.

I’m gonna need a lot more ammo. The zombie hordes will have nothing on what’s gonna end up scraping at the walls of this house to get in, before long. may G-d have mercy on my soul.

Have a wonderful Easter, folks, I’m gonna go out there and try to convince the Creator I’m worthy of the salvation he has offered me. Wish me luck, it will be an uphill battle.

This is what it looks like on the inside. The plastic baffle was from the original filter, the only thing unmolested.

I always have the foam around, and the cover pops neatly into place. I got a lot of mowing done so I know it works fine.

Tilling was another challenge; the old Troy Bilt was recalcitrant so I pulled the filter… to discover the carb and the top of the engine was full of fuel.

This has happened before, the brass float pinholes and it’s usually a couple minutes work with the torch. Except this time it’s been soldered so many times it may not even float.

I don’t have high hopes for finding a float; this is a Lauson Engine (A company that later became Tecumseh) and I figure I’m going to have to order it. So I go to the local hardware store and show the counterman my float.

And he returns in two minutes with a plastic replacement. I pay for the float and head home. A quick oil change and five minutes later, this 45 year old piece of lawn equipment is purring like a kitten, and tills my garden to a consistency approaching flour.

I have the original paperwork that accompanied this tiller, including a letter indicating the ship date signed by the manager of the company itself, sent to my uncle in September of 1967. he ordered it in August, sending a cashiers check for just over $300. Calvin farmed a 6 acre strawberry farm with this tiller until he died.

Every season I use this, I think about Calvin opening the crate and assembling it for the very first time. I try to take care of it the way he did.