Asking “When was he born?” might be a polite way to ask “How old are you?” But I’m allowed to ask that question of ancestors long gone. This photo is of Jonathan Henry, my Grandmother’s great-grandfather, born in 1848. This was taken in 1898. He farmed along the Missouri River until it rose out of its banks and washed away … Read More
RTK … An Introduction
When it comes to precision agriculture, it’s quite simple to get lost in the technical terms, the acronyms, and the sea of capabilities available. So today, Ag Leader Technology is helping to decipher, in layman’s terms, Real Time Kinematic, or RTK. The quick answer is: It’s still GPS, it’s just more accurate. It’s a differential correction system capable of sub-inch … Read More
Did You Back-Up Your Safe Deposit Box?
Okay, so you probably can’t back-up your files in a safe deposit box unless you make photocopies of them and put them in … you guessed it … another safe deposit box. This is an old-timer version of a PDA, or an iPad, or whatever hand-held device is small enough to fit in your plaid shirt pocket and hold all … Read More
It’s wheat. I know, it’s shocking.
This photo was taken in 1909. The men were cutting wheat on the farm which was rented when the family moved to Nebraska from Sedalia, Mo. Soon after this photo was taken, flooding destroyed the entire crop. Aside from the heartache of losing an entire crop, I found this photo interesting because it captured a harvesting technique called “shocking” – … Read More
The Art of Moving Hay
The year was 1930 and my Grandmother was 5 years old. For historical preservation, the dog, Spot, was lovingly noted on the back of the photograph. A while back, I wrote about round bales versus smaller square bales. Today, the picture depicts a time before either of those existed and hay was moved in loose piles. This photograph is my … Read More
2-way? 9-way? Which way?
Today, we have 2-way radios, 3-way light bulbs, 2-in-1 juicer/squeezer and 3-in-1 breakfast makers. They’re designed to make life easier, quicker and simpler. Now, out of the kitchen and into the shop…..if anyone has ever looked in my husband’s toolbox, you’d know that wrenches, nuts and bolts are anything but easy and simple. He has square-head, hex-head and 12-point wrenches. … Read More
The Weight of the World is On My…Horns?
It seems like my grandpa knows a little bit about a lot of things. Jack of all trades, master of none is how some people put it. I like to think he’s a walking dictionary, encyclopedia and history book, and I enjoy his stories. The other day, I asked him to pull something out of his treasure trailer that he … Read More
Everything But The Squeal
About 20 years ago, my grandfather wrote a book about our family history. He had it printed, and as we unpacked at our new house, I came across that family story, neatly bound and stored amongst my set of office books. I later sat down with him to hear about one such experience contained in the book, and am now … Read More
How Does This Thing Work?
Item #48 on our wedding registry: automatic can opener, a.k.a. item #8 that still sits on the pantry shelf and has never been used. I guess I shouldn’t say never. I think my husband used it once or twice. Raise your hand if you still use the old-fashioned kind where you have to manually turn the knob. I know, there … Read More
Are Those Crop Circles?
On a plane back to Denver, I was listening to the conversation taking place in the row immediately behind me. I heard a gentleman ask of his seat-mate, “Are those crop circles down there?” To which the other man responded, “No, that’s the edge of the field where the water doesn’t reach.” Also knowing the answer, I was about to … Read More