Windmill rising

Daily dose of Lucas County: 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2010, on the Lucas County Historical Society campus. About 43 degrees, clear and sunny --- clear sailing predicted into the weekend!

We're celebrating the rising of our windmill on Monday at the Lucas County Historical Society. Poor thing was badly damaged in a storm at a different location on the grounds two years ago, was disassembled and the tower taken to board member Ron Christensen's shop for first aid. While there, Ron crafted an innovative base that was mounted on the downslope west of the barn earlier this year and the refurbished tower hinged to it. Later, the windmill head was remounted and the whole assembly repainted.

Progress stalled there because of persistent summer rains that made the west slope of the campus too dangerous a place for heavy equipment to operate. Finally this week after several days of glorious weather the slope dried and yesterday Rick Hamilton lifted the windmill into place with one of his wreckers.

The windmill will be a focal point at our fall LCHS appreciation day program on Saturday, Oct. 16. Stay tuned for details.

The beast in the foreground is an earlier boiler from Old Betsy, the Chariton Volunteer Fire Department's treasured 1883 Silsby steam fire engine. It ended up on the museum patio a couple of years ago after Old Betsy was refurbished and has just been sitting there since waiting for us to figure out exactly what to do with it. You're looking down here onto Court Avenue and beyond it, the Shelton law offices with Shelton Marsh beyond.

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I spent a good share of yesterday on the prairie trail again, backtracking for a time from the Cinder Path's 13-mile marker through prairie remnants sandwiched between the path and Highway 65. Back on the trail tomorrow after to help with honeysuckle and other pest removal elsewhere along the path.

In between, a couple of newsletters to create, a Web site to update, a banquet to attend and most likely a few other things I've forgotten (but hopefully will remember).