Heading Into July & WTNS Radio LIVE!

Can Thursday REALLY be July 1st?

We're in somewhat of a tropical weather cycle again. Warm temperatures, high humidity, afternoon-evening thundershowers on nearly a daily basis...it must be summer in Ohio though this is more typical August weather than June. But oh boy is this perfect corn growing weather!

The local crop is already hip to shoulder high, healthy looking, strong and eating up the sun and drinking up all the rain it can get. With the collapse of the false ethanol economy, coupled with a large crop yield this year, I'm expecting this year's corn prices should be substantially lower than last year's (this agricultural analysis is from a city boy so don't buy your corn futures yet...). It'd probably help if I listened to the crop report from Coshocton Grain as part of the pre-7:00 morning news on WTNS radio, Coshocton, 99.3 FM.

Speaking of me listening to WTNS "The Spirit of Coshocton"... You can listen to WTNS too, right here on your computer! If you'd like to catch the daily Farm and Grain report...click here to listen to WTNS LIVE about 6:50 AM EST every morning. You'll hear about the daily prices for pork bellies, eggs of all shapes and grades, corn, soybeans, and all kinds of inside agri-info.

That's right, at your convenience, any time of the day, you can put your finger on the pulse of Coshocton...you can catch up on all the news (to include police reports, arrest reports, farm reports, trading post, open line talk shows, roving reporters) and music right from Coshocton into you very computer through the magic of the internet.

Radio news & action be a bit slower over the summer because there's no high school sports to cover but anytime you're homesick for (or curious about) life in the heartland...click the hot link above and the bookmark the link for your convenience. Stop by...but don't expect any country music...as I write this they're playing rap song after rap song. The farm report is better.

Didn't ride my bike to the mission this morning because of the rain. Lord willing, I'll be able to ride tomorrow!

Latest Video from the MMS Hangar.

Here's the latest video I've put together from the hangar! It's another "part" of the Cessna 402 project.

Cessna 402 Spar Cap Project: Part 3 from Keith Dodson on Vimeo.

If you prefer to watch the video on YouTube, click here.

Video: Cessna 402 Spar Cap Inspection: Part 2

Actually the spar cap inspection is completed. The spar passed the inspection and now the guys are working to prepare the 402's airframe for installation the FAA-mandated spar cap modification. Here's a short clip of Mike removing some aluminum skin from the left engine nacelle as part of the overall inspection/repair/modification process.

Cessna 402 Spar Inspection Part: 2 from Keith Dodson on Vimeo.

If you have trouble viewing Vimeo, click here to watch the video on YouTube.

Friday Evening Front Porch Tour

Checking In

Yes, we're still alive and serving in Coshocton, Ohio. The routine of daily ministry has kind of dominated lately with not much really reportable beyond the norm. I'm mowing twice a week, riding my bike to the shop three days a week.

The weather's been rather tropical lately with today being nice because of the serious drop in humidity. Lots of rain over the past week and a half but we're having four days in a row without rain right now.

We're eating more fruit, cutting back on the ice cream, and Glucosamine supplements have really helped my knees feel better.

The salsa garden is growing, I dead-headed and fed the roses, and Karen's been working hard keeping the flowerbeds looking good.

Tucker and Tanner are due for another haircut next week.

A missionary airplane did return to service from MMS yesterday. The Cessna 402 project is moving ahead. I'll see about putting another video together tomorrow.

Thanks for your friendship, gifts, and prayers!

Video: Cessna 337 Landing Gear System Overhaul and Test

MMS Aviation provides hands-on aviation maintenance experience to the next generation of missionary airplane mechanics while returning missionary airplanes to service. This clip features just one of the many stories currently going on in our hangar as God prepares His servants, and his tools, for the Harvest Field.

Cessna 337 Landing Gear System Overhaul and Test from Keith Dodson on Vimeo.

If you have trouble viewing Vimeo, you can watch the clip on YouTube by clicking HERE.

Ten Month Old Eggs

During last August's salsa season, Karen found a recipe online for hot pepper eggs. I like hot peppers and I like eggs, so we gave the recipe a try. We whipped up a batch of pickling juice and hot sauce(Tabasco Habanero) as per the recipe, and added sliced jalapenos, and onions. Then we loaded the eggs and onions in two, quart jars, poured in the sauce mixture, an then canned them.

The recipe called for letting the eggs pickle in the jar for one year before eating. Well, I lasted ten months on the first jar...and they aren't too bad for our first attempt. Zesty, light heat, good flavor throughout the egg and yoke, with no unpleasant side effects. My mouth's watering just thinking about eating another one. I'll wait the full year on the second jar and see if the egg temperature rises.

With the first jar of pickled eggs.

Portrait of Karen's Pickled Eggs

The first bite of the first egg.

Oh Yeah...it's a keeper.

By the way, the salsa garden is in the ground...

Tanner Gets A Bath

Here are four snapshots of Tanner enjoying(?) a bath in the front yard. These were taken last weekend...this weekend is all rain, thunder, and lightning. We had lightning hit the telephone pole behind our house earlier this week. There's quite a system of weather moving over us right now, with more to come. It's summer in the Midwest! Yay!

Oh, the pain of it all...

Is this really necessary to do this in public?

Rinse cycle

See, that wasn't so bad...

A Quick Turnaround For GCI's King Air 200

Williams Chang stopped in unannounced on a return flight to his base in Maryland. He needed some troubleshooting performed. Within a matter of minutes of landing, our guys identified the problem, corrected the issue, and had him back in the air. Lord willing he'll be able to weave his way through the storms between here and Maryland and arrive safely at home.