When money is at its tightest that is when something totally out of the ordinary is going to happen and it’s then you wonder why on earth you didn’t have a reserve of funds sitting in a savings account.

Last week, while working feverishly trying to beat the rain and get the hay put up and either sold and on trailers or stacked high in the barn, my daughter in law calls and says the clothes washer in the laundry room was flooding out all over the floor!

Oh my heck, I don’t need this right now!  I’m in the hay!  Why is this happening?  I drop everything and head over to see what was up.  She was trying to get the wash done in order for their family to go on a camping trip for the weekend and she was frantically getting things done.  She did not need a flood in the laundry room either.

I turned off the water at the water source taps and then began looking for where the water was coming from.  There was water on the floor, but not an over bearing amount.  She had turned off the washer when she noticed the water.  I thanked her for doing that.  The washer had just started its agitation mode when the water began coming out, that was her observation.  So, I turned on the agitation again and sure enough out comes water from the bottom of the washer.

I turned off the washer and began looking for a way to take off a panel in order to see what was going on inside around the tub.  I could not see any way possible to pull off a panel.  No screws or twist head locks, nothing.  It looked to be a one piece covering on the entire washer.

Without being able to get in to see what was going on, I told her I would have to  look into it after the hay was done and that the best we could do right now was to drain the water and have her use our washer to do her laundry and get ready to go camping.  She was alright with that and so we put the washer into spin mode and spun out the water.  No additional leakage was seen at that point.  And I headed for the hay fields.

Two days later, the hay is all put up and life is going to get back to normal for me.  She and family all headed for the camping area and had a great time.  Normality is once again about to come knocking.  But then I realize I have to try and fix a washer I know nothing about.  I can’t afford to have a repairman come what with $100 visit, $75 per hour labor, parts that cost me twice what they cost him…I might as well go buy another new washer, right?

So my mentality says, try to fix it yourself and then if you break it beyond repair, go buy another new one on credit.  After all, I don’t have enough money in my pocket for a 12 pack of beer, yet alone a new clothes washer.

I call up and talk to them about me coming over on Monday to take a look at the washer and hopefully fix it.  Sherry and I talk about “what ifs” on part costs etc. and decide our plan is to hopefully have enough money to pay for the part(s), if not, the banks will be closed for the state holiday tomorrow, I am to write a check, which won’t be cashed until Wednesday and by then we will have money in the account.  Things are looking up, sort of.

I take one last look at the computer for the parts diagram for our model of washer and one last look at how to get the front panel off the washer.  A simple flat blade screwdriver pushed in between the front panel and the top on a line straight with the edges of the lid and pop, bingo, the front panel comes right off.  I am feeling like a tried and true repairman at this point.

I can see the entire workings of the washer and so with my flashlight I study all the parts.  The agitator drum, motor, drive belt, electronic sensors, hoses, mounting brackets and other assorted do-hickies that make the thing work.

AH HA!  I see water in the bottom of the pan, under all the stuff that makes it work.  I grab a towel from her laundry basket and mop up the water.  All the water that I can reach that is and I make a mental note as to where the water is that I can’t reach.  That information could come in handy when I turn back on the water at the source and begin to fill the agitator basket.  I will be focused on looking at hose connections, the bottom of the basket and all around looking for leaks.  I really am feeling like the Maytag man right about this time.

Well, Bears Butt, let’s take a minute and go back home and take another look at the breakdown schematic and parts listings so we know what we are looking at and we will be able to call the part by its real name and not “this thingy here”.

Back home, the computer writeup I am using says to start with the very most simple things and work your way into the more serious stuff.  One item at a time.  There is a smallish hose that comes from somewhere near the top of the agitator tub and runs down and plugs into a little plastic box on the outside of the agitator tub.  It says that sometimes little stuff can plug up that hose and cause a sensor someplace to miss read the water depth and suddenly water will pour out onto the floor.  HMMMMM, could this be the problem?  I need to remember to take some fine wire with me to push up into this tube and clean it out.

Next is a “flood hose” and one way “flood valve” both mounted at the top of the agitator tub and of course away and behind everything so I can’t see anything but the “flood hose” coming down the outside of the agitator tub.  OOOO, there is a bad feeling coming over me about this “flood hose”.  After all, we did have a mini-flood the other day.  The “flood valve” could have malfunctioned sending a flood of water down the “flood hose” and sprayed all over the bottom of the washer causing the flood in the utility room.  How will I get to the “flood valve” to replace it?  Do I have to take the entire agitator tub out in order to get to it?  Is it an integral part of the agitator tub?  Knowing my luck it is and I will be forced to go buy another washer, because for me to get the agitator tub out I will destroy any likely hood of ever getting it put back together.

I look more closely at the diagrams and then decide it’s time I went back over and turned on the water and set the dial to begin filling.

I remembered the wire and when I got there I cleaned a smallish bit of “whatever” out of the little tube on the side of the tub.  Then reattached it to the little plastic box.

Another quick glance with the flashlight beamed on an intense focused beam under the workings and at what little water still rested in the base of the washer.  I reached up and set the setting on “small load”  and turned it on.  Water began immediately pouring into the agitator tub.  My focus was again underneath the workings looking for dripping water.  Nothing yet.  Maybe it needs more water depth and the pressure will send a stream squirting out from the culprit defective part.  Still nothing.  the tub is half full and then it starts to agitate.  Still no water dripping out.  I let it go awhile and continue to stand on my head until all the blood in my body is settled there, still no drips.  I decide I need to set it on “Large Load” are really pour the water into the tub for maximum pressure.  I spun out the water and reset to the large load.

It seemed like I was going to drain Willards’ holding tanks before it finally kicked into agitate mode and still I had not seen one drop of water come out of any of the hose fittings, tub seal, itty bitty hoses or anything.  Maytag man began to think deeply about things at this point.

The other day when it was leaking the tub was very full of clothes and the water was right up to the tip top of the agitator tub when I looked in from the top.  That’s it!  What’s it?

In her hurry to get the washing done in order to go camping she over filled the tub with too many clothing items and then when she put it on “large load” it over filled causing water to jettison out the one way “flood valve” and into the “flood hose” and cascade out onto the base of the washer until it became over full and had to spill out onto the floor of the laundry room!  Yep!  That’s what this Maytag man is saying.  And so, with it agitating I called her into the room and told her what I had done and that no leaks were present and that I surmised the overfilled tub and subsequent spillage onto the floor.  She said she probably did over fill it because there is no “do not fill above this line” on the inside of the agitator tub.  She will be more careful in the future.  I thanked her and she thanked me back.

Both of us had a feeling of  this whole ordeal being a “blessing” and it certainly is.  No out of pocket expenses and my not having a story to post on bearsbutt dot com just got done.

Maytag man Out!

Bears Butt

July 20, 2012

Today is a very special day for us here in the big town of Willard.  Old Fat Duck has pulled together an event called “Let’s get Big Bill to rendezvous” and just as the name implies, we are gathering to shoot clay pigeons on the farm and the proceeds from the event will be sent to Big Bill to help defray some of the expenses for him to hopefully join us for the Willow Creek Free Trappers, 29th anniversary rendezvous!

The old Duck is being very stingy with the prize money, however he is offering 3 places to win.  $30 for first, $25 for second and $20 for third.  That is what we are shooting for and the rest will go to Bill!  I hope we have hundreds in attendance.

We talked yesterday about the number of pigeons he has on hand and I believe he said he had 5 cases.  If that isn’t enough then we will throw up beer cans for the rest of the event.

My camera will be with me and I hope to take some pictures of the event and the happenings to post up here later.  It will be a fun event!

Later!

Bears Butt

July 22, 2012

Well, Bill done read what I wrote this morning and already made a comment!  Thanks Bill, that was mighty nice words you said!  Thank you!

But now for the update.  I’m not sure if I should put up a few videos on You Tube or right here, but I know one for sure I will put up right here.

There was a very nice crowd that came to the event.  Duck always has interesting and fun trap shoots and this one was nothing but the best.

Bones was on hand to keep track of all the misses and the hits and Fat Duck pulled the cord to let the birds fly.  Of course when it was Ducks turn to shoot he turned the controls over to No Grimace to let the birds out of the house.

The crowd was a good one, with only those wanting to have some fun showing up.  Who else would interrupt sleeping in on a Sunday morning than a bunch of folks who want to have a great time outdoors?

I wasn’t able to get everyone on snapshots but I got quite a few with this short video clip.

IsEveryoneHavingFun

There were a lot of people who said things like “Bill, get your butt out here”!  Others who said, “Bill, this double is for you”!  And then they would shoot their two shots and sometimes they even hit the birds!  The Weasel even said that if Bill didn’t get out here he was going to kick his butt.  I’m not sure how he would do that if Bill is clear out East and Weasel is clear back here.

Anyway, I just had to put this one on here because it sounded so much like Bill saying the words coming out of Baby Boys mouth.

BabyBoyBlessYourHeart

I’ll try and post some more on Youtube and I’ll let you all know what the links are.

Thanks for the fun time Fat Duck!  Bones!  Thanks for keeping tabs on all of us.

Bears Butt

July 22, 2012 p.m.

Yesterday I spent a good amount of time helping to stack some 400 bales of hay on a couple of trailers for some good people and after word I realized my cell phone (case and all) were lost!  Panic stricken, my thoughts immediately went to “the phone is inside one of those trailers”!

When helping to stack a trailer you don’t have much time to do much thinking or standing around.  It’s go, go, go until the job is done.  The folks on the ground are picking up the bales, walking to the trailer and throwing the bales at you.  You have to grab the bale as quickly as you can and do something with it, even if it’s wrong.  Hopefully what you do with it is actually helping to keep the trailer and the stack organized and filling.

So, here I am with a missing phone and I just spent the last hour and a half loading these two trailers.  Where else would my phone be?  Deep within the bowels of that stack of hay bales, no doubt about it.

I turned to Wapiti and asked him to call my cell phone, which he promptly does and he says it is ringing.  I walk slowly around the two trailers listening intently within the stacks for that tell tale sound of the ringing…..nothing.  One of the owners says that if they find it when they unload they will either send it to me through the mail or will drop it by on one of their trips to Idaho.  I’m relieved somewhat by that and wish them a safe trip back to SLC.

Tracker and I begin to walk slowly across the field we had just picked up the hay from.  Wapiti continues to redial.  As Tracker is approaching one of the crossing points into the field, he hears the phone and then sees it laying in the field still in it’s case.  He holds it up and says, “It’s for you”!  I take it and answer it “Hello!  It’s me!”  And I hear Wapiti on the other end say, “I’m glad!  Let’s go get a beer”!  Which we did and everyone was happy.  End of story.

The last phone I lost went into the creek and is probably bubbling near some catfish lair.

Bears Butt

July 21, 2012

Where did the name “Indian Tobacco” come from?  A question that was asked of me twice yesterday, by two different people.  I did not have the answer and so “the all knowledgeable one” went into action.

When Lewis and Clark were on their travels across the wilderness of America, they encountered Native Americans all along their route.  In a lot of cases those people would bring with them trading items to show that they meant no harm and so Lew and Clark would trade them something they had for what the Native Americans had.  L&C usually had beads and shiny mirrors and an occasional strip of ribbon to trade.  And the all but common in the Native American world was a small leather pouch that contained tobacco.

I found many times a note that Lew wrote of such trading.  Although I did not make note of the date that notes were written, so there may have been only one note written and I read it on many sites over and over.  However, it did not look like the same note.  Nuff said.

It is my surmization (good word huh?), that is was either Lewis or Clark that first coined the bag of tobacco as “Indian Tobacco”.  The curiosity of where these Native Americans were getting this “good stuff” lead them to be shown the plant from which the leaves were picked and dried and crushed to make the stuff they packed into the peace pipe.  A plant commonly referred to as Yellow or Curly Dock.  I’m sure there are a whole ton of other plants from which the leaves were dried and made into tobacco as well, but this baby stands out.

This is a picture I took several years ago of a very large stand of Indian Tobacco.  And this shows you just how bad a field can look when the plant is not kept in check.

I had always grown up thinking it was the brownish red seeds at the top of the plant that gave it its name, but it is not.  I did find out that some people who claim to live off the land, I’ll call “herbologists” for a lack of calling them something else use the plant for several purposes.  One site said they use the dried reddish brown seeds as a replacement for coffee.  Another grinds those same seeds up and makes a flour out of them and mixes it with normal all purpose flour and makes Indian Tobacco cookies out of it.  And other sites give detail as to the leaves being smushed up while green and rubbed over areas that have been hit with poison ivy and stinging nettle.  One said “When the nettle goes in, out comes the dock”!

Medically speaking, the Native Americans also used the pulp of the leaves as medicine to either cause a person to “up chuck”, or to calm their nervous stomach down or to give them a quick purging.  My research found that the leaves contain something  considered an “emetic” (inducing vomiting) and as a natural Alkaloid that contained substantial amounts of  Labeline a substance that is used to curb peoples desire to smoke and that there is a lot of research going on that is investigating that same product to help with other addictions and even hypertension.

To me, all of the above means one should be careful if they are going to ingest either the leaves themselves straight off the stem, or make a tea from them or put the dried leaves in a meal, that the amount they use just might not give them the desired result.  I can envision a person with things happening out both sides against the middle.

This might also lend credence to the saying “Turkey Squirts”.  Did that turkey just ingest some Curly Dock leaves?

On a positive note my extensive research also showed that the plant can be eaten like spinach, either raw or boiled and that the root is also edible and that it contains one heck of a lot of iron.  So if you are anemic and don’t mind taking the chance of using up all your bathroom tissue paper you might just consider this plant as a savior.  Please don’t do it on my account.  Get with your doctor on that one.

So, bottom line, it is my thinking that our buddies Lewis and Clark were the ones who first called this plant “Indian Tobacco”.  I’ll stick with that one because it was the white man coming to America that called the Native Americans “Indians” in the first place.

Bears Butt

July 17, 2012

We have been working hard in the fields lately trying our best to get hay into bales and into other peoples barns before any rain had a chance to hit.  We have been pretty successful so far with just short of half the remaining field to cut, rake and bale.

I’m always trying to think of bigger and better ways of doing this job and do it with less man power.  My latest thoughts have been on a way to cut the hay, dry it and bale it all at one time.  So far that piece of equipment has not been invented.

So, I went on line and started to look for equipment that just might help a guy out and found this one that bales and loads the wagon for you!

What do you think of that?!!!!!

Here is another!

Bears Butt

July 15, 2012

God put some amazing things on this earth and in so doing He created something for everyone.  And I’m not sure why some people think up crazy things like what you are about to see, but they do.  Do they just have too much time on their hands, or are they students who think outside of the box.  At any rate, here is a very interesting link I found.

In case you think this link will not be interesting, trust me, it is.

This guy is using an apple, a tangerine and a banana to make electricity.  And to think one day I tried to light my brothers cigarette using a small battery and a piece of wire.  I burnt my finger.

Bears Butt

July 14, 2012

Have you ever thought about margarine?  I remember growing up in the early 1950’s we could not afford butter, even with our own cows, because the cream yielded some good money from the dairy check.  So, mom would buy what we called “Oleo”.  It never really looked like butter as it was more whitish than yellowish like butter is.  But we used oleo as anyone would use butter.  It tasted ok and when you are hungry usually anything tastes just fine.

My research on margarine showed me it was actually first discovered by some scientist in Europe in the early 1800’s.  What he was looking for is unknown, but he found that animal fat actually broke down into little white balls when you break it up enough.  Of course scientists like to use their microscopes alot and the one who could break things down into the smallest of particles usually got the credit for finding neat stuff.  This guy did and so they coined it some sort of “acid”.

We all know that once you have an acid, you can usually combine it with other stuff and it will turn into something entirely different than the two parts.  You have heard that the results of the  sum of the two parts is not equal to the two parts by themselves?  Well so be it with margarine.  Add vegetable oil to the animal fat acid and vuella,  Oleomargarine.

Over more than 100 years it was a known fact that this stuff could be used to replace butter, but the “better butter board”, as I call them lobbiests, did not want to see this “junk” take over from their dairy producing folks and cause an upset imbalance of funds being taken from them.  And so laws were enacted and strictly enforced against the manufacture and sale of oleomargarine.  And not only in the U.S. was this done.  All over the world.  And if a manufacturer could actually make quantities of it and offer it for sale, they were taxed heavily and were told they could not put yellow coloring in it!  Actually they were told to put red coloring in it in hopes to make it less appealing to the consumers eyes as a replacement for good old yellow colored butter.

As time marched on, we saw two world wars and a great depression here in the U.S. and from those came limited supplies of butter and the demand for oleomargarine became more and more a part of American ways of lives.  Suddenly the “Better Butter Board” was faced head on by the “Oleomargarine One for All, All for One Board” and so the battle went but in the end, the Oleo Board won some big battles, repealing laws and getting some of their own ways.

There are still a lot of laws prohibiting oleomargarine from doing some of the things their board would like to see done, but at least we now have an open enterprise and can choose between the use of butter or margarine.  Ain’t that nice?

As with most things, there comes change and the days of oleomargarine have seen a biggie come along.  Someone in England tried an experiment one day and found that by mixing real dairy cream with vegetable oil and blending it over and over and then tossing in some yellowish color they could make a pretty good substitute for butter.  In taste tests all around, they challenged folks just like you to tell them which piece of toast was spread with butter.  And the result was a product coined with the slogan “I can’t believe it’s not butter”!

So, there you have the nutshell version of the history of margarine.  Pass the oleo please!

Bears Butt

July 12, 2012