Category Archive

I’m not a big fan of pie (I know, it’s un-American) but as I talked to my grandfather about this old lard press, his eyes lit up and I think he even licked his lips just a bit when he said, “Lard makes the best pie crusts.” Good thing Grandma was a good pie-maker. Patented in 1897, this lard press … Read More

Maybe it’s a circulation problem, I’m not sure, but my feet are always cold. It can be 100 degrees outside and my toes can be ice cold in my flip flops. It’s a problem I’ve always had and a quite frustrating one! The same holds true for my fingers. Maybe it’s an extremities problem. Either way, electric blankets are no … Read More

I’ve seen them used as decorations on the front porch, or as bar stools in the shop, or flower planters … but in the early days, these cream cans were actually used for agricultural purposes. It’s just that – a 5-gallon cream can that folks used to set at the end of the driveway and once a week, a truck … Read More

From planting to harvest, corn production has changed drastically through the years. I’ve talked about a 2-row planter, hand-crank corn sheller and 12-row combine head, but another memory from my childhood reappeared the other day and I enlisted the help of my grandmother to dig up a photo. On one of the “old places” there used to be a round, … Read More

If there’s one room in the house that has the most “stuff” it would have to be our kitchen. We’ve moved several times in the past five years and with each move, we toss, sell and donate more and more items. However, the kitchen always takes three times as many boxes when it comes to packing. I have a gadget … Read More

Let’s just say there are 8 pounds of water in 1 gallon. (It’s 8.34 but round numbers are easier.) Let’s say this #3 butter churn is 3 gallons. That’s 24 pounds of butter, assuming butter and water weigh the same. Let’s say this #4 butter churn is 4 gallons. That’s 128 sticks of butter. (1 pound of butter = 4 … Read More

When is the last time you ever heard someone say, “Can you grab me a soda from the icebox?”? I bet it’s been a while. Let me translate: icebox or ice chest = freezer/refrigerator. And when I came across this large tong-shaped item my curiosity kicked in. It’s an ice hook. In the early 1900s, folks would use this tool … Read More

Meaning: Apply yourself conscientiously to your work; or to continue to work very hard, without stopping. Origin: There are two rival explanations as to the origin of this phrase. One is that it comes from the supposed habit of millers who checked that the stones used for grinding cereal weren’t overheating by putting their nose to the stone in order … Read More

Where do I live, you ask? Well, it’s two miles south of the big river bridge. It’s a mile east of Uncle Bob’s. It’s just north of Mrs. Tate’s place, you know, the lady who used to write children’s books? (As always, names have been changed to protect the innocent, or in this case, deceased.) Don’t you love how us … Read More

When I was little, I always wanted to ride in the tractor with my dad. And even though my memory isn’t that great, I DO remember sitting in the hallway crying and throwing a tantrum because I had the chicken pox and mom wouldn’t let me go with him to feed the cattle . The tractor he used didn’t have … Read More