[Tim Harrigan]

Erika, I was just thinking today when I was out in the woods that I wish I had bought the 376xp. On one hand it is probably more saw than I need based on the amount of wood I cut, but there are times when mine just does not have enough zip to suit me, and I think the xp’s would handle a little nicer and have the reliability that you would really appreciate. So if you don’t mind the extra cost, I say go for the xp.

As far as getting tired goes, if you are working with Will and Abe, just cut for a while and skid for a while. Cutting is strenuous work, more so than it looks to be. So just switch up when you get tired, and over time you will get in shape for that work and your technique will improve which will both make it easier. A top notch saw will help as well.

[Tim Harrigan]

Yes, don’t know about the 2010’s, but that sure seems to nail the math skill expectations these days. Believe me, it shows when they get to college.

[Tim Harrigan]

They probably think the puddles are holes so they are just being safe. They have pretty good memory regarding where things are so if you follow the same route frequently they should learn to ignore the puddles as they come and go, but you might find that they are always wary of puddles in new locations. Best to be patient with them.

[Tim Harrigan]

Rod, I like that. Can you post a few more pics with some more details showing how it is constructed, the brake pedal, etc?

[Tim Harrigan]

I am tied up with end of the semester senior design hysteria and will not be able to join the Exec. Mtg. tonight. Sorry.

[Tim Harrigan]

Hey, Mitch, I like this concept of site-built tools and implements. It builds on resourcefulness and retention/refinement of traditional skills and the use of low-cost technologies. I will bring this up with the Program and Events committee as we look to future DAP activities. This could be very cool. 😎

[Tim Harrigan]

Yes, the volume increases with the radius squared. Like round bales, a 4×4 weighs about 550 lbs, a 6×4 weighs about 1250 lbs.

[Tim Harrigan]

Agenda item: creation of a calendar for committee activities and a process for posting an updating.

[Tim Harrigan]

Go for it, Marko.

[Tim Harrigan]

I think it was mostly to locate them when they were on pasture.

[Tim Harrigan]

Yes, doodle would be great. Can you handle that, Mark?

[Tim Harrigan]

@Billy Foster 30378 wrote:

…famous Dog musher, Gorge Attla said, “a dog never does anything wrong, he is a dog and he does just what a dog would do in that situation”.

Billy

Billy, I am sure there are many similarities between working with dogs and other draft animals, many differences as well. Sometimes I think an ox is more like a cat than a dog. Anyway, many years ago I aspired to have a dog team, wanted to have Malamutes, the freighters of the dog world. I have the book by George Attla, ‘Everything I Know About Training and Racing Sled Dogs’ Probably been more than 30 years since I read it, I think I will read it again over the coming holidays. Never got a team of Malamutes, ended up with oxen. Got to love those freighters. Thanks for the memory jog.

[Tim Harrigan]

OK, I can do that.

[Tim Harrigan]

There is an element of not acting ‘right’ that is not easily explained, and it reminds me that it is important to listen to our animals. They have limited ways of communicating and when they are not acting ‘right’, they are telling us they have some concerns about their environment, how they feel, their harness or yoke, it could be any number of things…real or imagined. I can’t offer much insight regarding horses; I know oxen a little better.

Cattle are naturally suspicious of new things, and remarkably observant of their environment. They have a visual orientation and their instinct is to believe what they see, not what they hear. They can recognize me from 1000 ft away by shape and how I move, but if I wear a raincoat that I rarely use, or a new type of hat, I can see that as I approach they are concerned, not 100% convinced of who I am, even as I get close and they can hear my voice.

So their perception of their reality can change just by changing shape. If this was predictable it would be easy to deal with. But sometimes they totally ignore things we consider likely problems, other times they seem to be on edge from things we can’t clearly grasp. Maybe a smell or sounds, or something…. Maybe just an odd convergence of perceptions. It is infrequent, in fact it is quite rare, and this is why it can surprise us.

I agree that we can call them back from this bothersome place, but not always all the way back. Maybe like when you have a bad dream and it just colors the day right from the start. Reading their behavior, recognizing their state of mind, and reacting correctly is important. But it might be a little boastful, or maybe overconfident to think you can fully and correctly interpret, and over-ride, the feeling that is causing them to not act ‘right’. When I think of the times when things went wrong, quite often I remember that there were clues that something was not ‘right’. Things that I noticed but probably did not take seriously enough. I would have seen it coming had I listened a little closer.

In new surroundings they can be easily startled. In familiar surroundings they are suspicious of things that are different. Things that are unfamiliar are a potential threat. It puts them in a heightened state of awareness. When they are not acting ‘right’ I think they are picking up on things that we can’t see, maybe sounds or smells that perhaps stay in the background but prime them for ramping up quickly and unexpectedly to an excitable state of mind. I am not suggesting you avoid doing anything, just listen and respect their effort to communicate. Be prepared to more than match their unusual state of mind.

[Tim Harrigan]

I just wrap it around the bows of the yoke.

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