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a Log Home in the Hill Country

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A Break in the Texas Drought — Nature’s Resiliency

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on October 9, 2023 by JimOctober 9, 2023
photo of a Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) butterfly

It’s been a tough couple of years. The last two years have seen below-normal rainfall. While not unusual in the Hill Country, they have been remarkable for the depth and severity of the Texas drought. During the years ending September 2022 and 2023 we measured just 11.75 and 10.65 inches respectively. That compares with an average rainfall of between 30 and 35 inches.

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Posted in Gardening | Tagged glaucus, hill country, homesteading, howto, Leucophyllum frutescens, papilio, polyxenes, sage, swallowtail, Texas, texas hill country, tiger

Easy Repair of a John Deere X304 Clutch

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on December 26, 2020 by JimDecember 26, 2020
photo of John Deere awn tractor

It’s amazing how time flies. Although it has been about 13 years since I bought the John Deere X304 lawn tractor for the ranch, it seems like yesterday. I still think of it as “the new tractor.” So it’s always a surprise when something needs repair. I use this machine for all kinds of things, from mowing to towing, and recently it developed a screaming sound near the front.

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Posted in repairs | Tagged aerokroil, clutch, DIY, how to, howto, john deere, lawn tractor, mower, Texas, texas hill country, tractor, Warner, x304

Discovering Square Foot Gardening

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on August 22, 2020 by Marilyn McCrayAugust 22, 2020
photo of My Square Foot Garden

I have been interested in gardening since I was a child and spent time with my great grandparents who were gardeners. The Square Foot Gardening method was developed in 1976 as a simple alternative to labor intensive and inefficient row gardening. Explore the possibilities . . .

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Posted in Gardening, Food, Projects | Tagged Belton, canning, DIY, fair, hill country, homesteading, how to, howto, ih, international harvester, lee Klancher, mel's mix, Mother Earth News, octane press, red power roundup, square foot gardening, Texas, texas hill country

Farming Bluebonnets is Easy

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on November 6, 2019 by JimDecember 2, 2019
photo of Our backyard filled with Bluebonnets

For the last ten years, we’ve been farming bluebonnets (Lupinus texensis) around the place. It started when I planted a few seeds and gradually, they’ve bloomed and spread. Because I’m impatient, I also helped them along by mowing the plants after they had gone to seed and spreading the clippings to other parts of the ranch.

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Posted in Gardening, Greenhouse, machinery, Rainwater | Tagged back to the earth, Bearcat, bluebonnet, bluebonnets, chipper, equipment, farming, ferguson, harvest, hill country, how to, howto, Lupinus texensis, Massey, model 65, Mother Earth News, saving seeds, scythe, shredder, snathe, Texas, texas hill country, wildflowers

Buying A Great Massey Ferguson 65

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on November 6, 2019 by JimDecember 2, 2019
photo of The Massey Ferguson Model 65

A Massey Ferguson 65 is nice to have. Over the years, I’ve learned that a tractor is essential. The point was made in about 2002 when I decided to buy a truckload of decomposed granite to improve the driveway. After spreading 10 yards of material with a wheelbarrow and shovel, I realized there had to be a better way.

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Posted in machinery | Tagged 65, Craig's list, diesel, equipment, ferguson, homesteading, kingsland, Massey, model 65, Texas, texas hill country, tractor

Weber Piano Action Rebuild – Refinement: Jammin’ Jacks

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on October 21, 2017 by JimOctober 21, 2017
photo showing Measuring Key Dip

Every piano is different, and although there are recommended measurements for key dip, blow distance, hammer height, etc., changes are sometimes needed to suit a specific action. At this point, Danny Boone’s Regulating Grand Piano Touch and Tone suggested fully regulating … Continue reading →

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Posted in maker, Music, piano, Projects, repairs | Tagged action, action rebuild, Bernerd, blanco texas, danny l boone, DIY, grand piano touch, hammer, how to, howto, jack, jack screw, let-off, Mollberg, piano, regulating, regulating grand piano touch and tone, regulation, repetition lever, restoration, rtfm, shank, Texas, texas hill country, weber grand piano, wippen

Weber Piano Action Rebuild – Early Impressions

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on October 20, 2017 by JimOctober 20, 2017
photo of The Weber and Baldwin Pianos Nested

With casters installed and a rudimentary understanding of action adjustments, I was able to tinker. Hammer alignment went quickly, and as predicted, the sotto voce pedal now worked properly. Since the rockers were not snugged into their final position, they tended to drift, so I touched up the hammer line and let-off, and put the action back into the piano. It was time to play!

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Posted in maker, Music, piano, Projects, repairs, Woodworking | Tagged 1893, 1927, action, action rebuild, Albert Weber, Baldwin Model C, Bernerd, blanco texas, carved victorian case, DIY, hammer alignment, how to, howto, Mollberg, piano, restoration, sotto voce, Texas, texas hill country, weber grand piano, weber piano company

Weber Piano Action Rebuild – Baby Needs New Shoes! (Err, Casters)

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on September 17, 2017 by JimOctober 20, 2017
photo of the Leg reinstalled with caster

As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, the Weber had been without casters for about 20 years. After we moved to our log home, I was eager to make it more playable, but there was a distinct rattling!

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Posted in maker, Music, piano, Projects, repairs, Woodworking | Tagged action, action rebuild, Bernerd, blanco texas, brass, carved victorian case, caster, DIY, flange, hammer alignment, how to, howto, Mollberg, piano, restoration, shank, sotto voce, Texas, texas hill country, weber grand piano

Weber Piano Action Rebuild – RTFM

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on September 5, 2017 by JimOctober 20, 2017
photo showing how to adjust repetition level spring tension

At the beginning of this project, my piano technician friend Jack recommended I read Regulating Grand Piano Touch and Tone by Danny L. Boone. It breaks the process down into 56 steps from reshaping the hammers to adjusting the pedals. I spent some time with it, but dove into the process with Bernard’s and Celeste’s help without really reading it all.

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Posted in Music, piano, Projects, repairs, Woodworking | Tagged action, action rebuild, back check, back check regulator, Bernerd, blanco texas, danny l boone, DIY, flange, getting things done, grand hammer butt spacer, grand piano touch, gtd, hammer, how to, howto, jack screw, Mollberg, piano, regulating, regulating grand piano touch and tone, regulation, restoration, rtfm, shank, Texas, texas hill country, weber grand piano

Weber Piano Action Rebuild – The Circle of Refinement

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on September 1, 2017 by JimSeptember 5, 2017
photo of piano strings and hammers

After the much-needed boost of demonstrating the Weber with rebuilt action at our piano gathering, I was eager to continue. Time to align the hammers so they centered on the strings and shifted correctly when the soto voce pedal (or “soft” pedal, on the left) was pressed.

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Posted in Central Texas, maker, Music, piano, Projects, repairs, Woodworking | Tagged action, action rebuild, back check, back check regulator, Bernerd, blanco texas, DIY, flange, grand hammer butt spacer, hammer, how to, howto, jack screw, Mollberg, piano, regulation, restoration, shank, Texas, texas hill country, weber grand piano

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