[AT] 'farmer' Francis Robinson

rlgoss at twc.com rlgoss at twc.com
Sun Jan 29 16:16:16 PST 2017 

Thanks, Alan.

Larry
---- Alan  Nadeau <ajnadeau1 at myfairpoint.net> wrote: 
> Best I can offer is that "back when" if confronted with having to split 
> green wood in cold weather it apparently common knowledge that splitting 
> wedges would  jump back out of the block when driven with a maul.  Been 
> there, done that.  Trying to get the wedge to start with a few light taps 
> would sometimes work.  Then the first full blow would drive the wedge down 
> nicely but it would pop right back out like a pea squeezed out of a pod.
> 
> The wood didn't split hard.  It was Soft Maple12-16" in diameter and grown 
> straight for many feet before any sizeable limbs had grown.  I had blocked 
> it 24-30" long as it would fit in the furnace at that length but the blocks 
> had to be quartered to go through the firebox door.  Just couldn't get 
> anywhere splitting it as the wedge would split the block open, then pop 
> right back out.  I forgot to mention that the temperature was around 0°, so 
> what moisture that was in the wood was frozen solid.
> 
> In desperation I tried one of the smaller blocks with a single-bit axe. 
> Swing-pop-two pieces, just flat flipping amazing.
> 
> I related that whole fiasco to my Grandfather, who was 67 at that time(born 
> in 1902).  His reply indicated that it was common knowledge, "When that 
> happens you build a fire to heat your wedges to get the frost out of them."
> 
> Possibly the "warm ax" is some obscure reference to something similar with 
> no bawdy intent at all (::innocent whistling::) or just a reminder that "It 
> goes better if you heat it up before you put the wood to her", a totally 
> innocent reminder that heating a cast iron stove too rapidly can cause it to 
> crack.
> 
> Al Nadeau
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: <rlgoss at twc.com>
> To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
> Sent: Saturday, January 28, 2017 10:06 PM
> Subject: Re: [AT] 'farmer' Francis Robinson
> 
> 
> > Got a question for you guys.  This is VERY OT and I can't think of any way 
> > to bring a tractor reference into it.  Have you ever heard the slang 
> > expression "warm chopping ax?"  This occurs in a couple of letters that 
> > were written just prior to the 20th century by some young people.  These 
> > were farm people who understood how to cope with the technology of the 
> > day; cook stoves; firewood; butchering chickens; elementary animal 
> > husbandry; etc.  I have been unsuccessful at finding a definition for it. 
> > It could be used in all innocence, but I suspect that it has a fairly 
> > bawdy connotation.  The whole sentence is: Give your warm chopping ax my 
> > love, and your little warm one too.  The writers were in their teens and 
> > early 20's.
> >
> > Oh wait! This writing predates farm tractors by a couple of decades. 
> > (There's the tractor reference.)
> >
> > Larry
> >
> >
> > ---- Indiana Robinson <robinson46176 at gmail.com> wrote:
> >> Last year I replaced the wood furnace in the house with a new larger one
> >> that also has blower forced firebox air and automatic controls including 
> >> a
> >> remote thermostat. I pushed the old one (still in excellent condition) 
> >> back
> >> in a corner until I could move it to the farm shop. That didn't happen 
> >> yet
> >> so that is what I am doing this week. May need to get Scott to help me.
> >> Once it is in place I will be able to heat the shop up fairly quickly so 
> >> I
> >> can work in there the rest of the winter and early spring.
> >> Go ahead, ask me how many doctors, specialist and medical technicians you
> >> can see in a day...  :-) I had always hoped that we would just get old 
> >> and
> >> fall over someday without dealing with all of this nonsense.
> >> The Coq10 has apparently done a lot to repair some of that muscle damage
> >> done by the Atorvastatin at maximum dose. Now if I could just find
> >> something to deal with my arthritic spine.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> .
> >>
> >>
> >> .
> >>
> >> On Sat, Jan 28, 2017 at 8:44 AM, Cecil Bearden <crbearden at copper.net> 
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >> > I deleted my Facebook account 3 days ago and all those calls I used to
> >> > get from solicitors quit!!!!
> >> >
> >> > Cecil in OKla
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > On 1/28/2017 1:09 AM, Indiana Robinson wrote:
> >> > > Yeah, I'm still kicking...  :-)  Just not as high or as fast. 
> >> > > Facebook
> >> > has
> >> > > gotten kind of out of hand and I no longer accept any friends there 
> >> > > and
> >> > am
> >> > > going to cut some and some groups I am on there. More than once I 
> >> > > have
> >> > > considered dropping it completely. I would if it were not for family
> >> > > contact I never otherwise see.
> >> > > I still try to keep this list read but sometimes it gets a week ahead 
> >> > > of
> >> > me.
> >> > > I have not shown any tractors for some time but would like to again. 
> >> > > Son
> >> > > Scott and I get to about 3 nearby shows a year.
> >> > > I have more to post but it's 2:00 AM and my drive belt is starting to
> >> > > slip...
> >> > >
> >> > >
> >> > > .
> >> > >
> >> > > On Wed, Jan 25, 2017 at 9:52 AM, Stephen Offiler <soffiler at gmail.com>
> >> > wrote:
> >> > >
> >> > >> robinson46176 at gmail.com
> >> > >>
> >> > >> On Wed, Jan 25, 2017 at 9:37 AM, Gene Waugh <gwaugh at wowway.com> 
> >> > >> wrote:
> >> > >>
> >> > >>> Thanks, I will see if I can locate him.
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> Gene
> >> > >>> Elgin, Illinois
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>> Sent from my iPhone
> >> > >>>
> >> > >>>> On Jan 25, 2017, at 7:28 AM, Stephen Offiler <soffiler at gmail.com>
> >> > >> wrote:
> >> > >>>> Still around... he posted something on his Facebook page two days 
> >> > >>>> ago.
> >> > >>>>
> >> > >>>>
> >> > >>>> SO
> >> > >>>>
> >> > >>>>
> >> > >>>> On Wed, Jan 25, 2017 at 7:55 AM, Kenneth Gene Waugh <
> >> > gwaugh at wowway.com
> >> > >>>> wrote:
> >> > >>>>
> >> > >>>>> Does anyone know the status of farmer (Indiana)?  I for one have 
> >> > >>>>> not
> >> > >>> heard
> >> > >>>>> from or of him for ages.
> >> > >>>>>
> >> > >>>>> Gene Waugh
> >> > >>>>> Elgin, Illinois
> >> > >>>>> _______________________________________________
> >> > >>>>> AT mailing list
> >> > >>>>> http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/at
> >> > >>>>>
> >> > >>>> _______________________________________________
> >> > >>>> AT mailing list
> >> > >>>> http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/at
> >> > >>> _______________________________________________
> >> > >>> AT mailing list
> >> > >>> http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/at
> >> > >>>
> >> > >> _______________________________________________
> >> > >> AT mailing list
> >> > >> http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/at
> >> > >>
> >> > >
> >> > >
> >> >
> >> > _______________________________________________
> >> > AT mailing list
> >> > http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/at
> >> >
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> -- 
> >> -- 
> >>
> >> Francis Robinson
> >> aka "farmer"
> >> Central Indiana USA
> >> robinson46176 at gmail.com
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> AT mailing list
> >> http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/at
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > AT mailing list
> > http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/at
> > 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> AT mailing list
> http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/at

More information about the AT mailing list