Blue lap dogs and complaints about Congress
Some news from 1846 could be ripped from today’s headlines; some makes for glimpse at past.
Old farm publications create trips back in time
My column two weeks ago about Cyclone seeders brought a couple of interesting responses (I love email - it's so fast and easy to...
Birth of the American barista
Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, Tim Hortons — today there are coffee shops everywhere. Back in the 1870s, however, such establishments were rarely heard of.
Yes, women have definitely come a long way
Man works from sun to sun, but woman s work is never done.This old saying certainly applied to the average farm wife in the...
Take the time and read the directions for machines
I hope you don’t get tired of the old stories I resurrect — I find them fascinating and hope you do too, plus I...
‘Punkin pie’: Dessert to be praised across the globe
There are many, many pumpkin pies bought or made from scratch and served at American tables around this time of year.
Honoring a friend is worth trek to Dyersville, Iowa
Many years ago, not long after I got into the “Rusty Iron” hobby, I began to attend the annual show put on by the...
Let’s Talk Rusty Iron: Catalog from 1894 gave advice to farm owners
I have a reprint of The Country Gentleman's Catalogue for 1894. Published in England, it was meant not for the English yeoman farmer who actually did the work, but for the "gentlemen" who owned those farms and estates.
Let’s Talk Rusty Iron: ‘It’s just a mile or so. You can just tow...
Over the years, I've read many sad tales in the tractor magazines of towing adventures going comically wrong (often with a real potential for disaster), and I've a few such stories of my own.
Nothing stays the same
Erma Dickey Wonstetler was appointed assistant Postmaster of the tiny U.S. Post Office in Signal, Ohio, in 1906, at the same time as her...
