Category Archive

I love organization. I wonder, at times, if I have OCD about cleaning and putting everything back in its place. I have a child who is almost 3 years old and probably thinks I’m no fun when it comes to playing…but I know right where all of his toys are, and every night, the same toys go back in the … Read More

I took a pottery class once in college. I think I made a coffee mug or an ash tray with the help of one of my artistic friends. That piece of clay wouldn’t mold if I willed it to. But this piece of artwork was made to be both beautiful and functional. It’s a vintage whiskey jug or water jug. … Read More

I really dislike ironing. So much so that if I find a shirt I like and it’s 100% cotton, I’ll put it back on the rack. It has to be one fantastic piece of clothing for me to buy it if it needs ironing. When my grandmother was growing up, they ironed everything: sheets, pillowcases, clothes, kitchen towels. They used … Read More

I love organization. I wonder, at times, if I have OCD about cleaning and putting everything back in its place. I have a child who is almost 3 years old and probably thinks I’m no fun when it comes to playing…but I know right where all of his toys are, and every night, the same toys go back in the … Read More

Ever heard the saying, “It’s a tough row to hoe”? Sometimes it rains so hard around here that after the puddles dry up, it looks as though someone went through your front yard with a concrete compaction stomper. That makes for some tough hoeing when it comes to planting flowers or getting your garden ready. I’m sure the same holds … Read More

I love butter. Isn’t everything better with butter? And I love sour cream. Not the fat free kind – the full octane spread it on your hips kind of “real” sour cream. With that attitude, I would’ve done well back in the early 1900s when everything was real and a size 12 dress (or was it 14?) was average. This … Read More

Careful where you go burning grass or haphazardly cutting weeds because you never know what might be hiding amongst the rubbish. Along with the spike tooth disk, I found this sickle mower for mowing hay, grass or weeds. (Looks like it needed to be used right where it was sitting!) The operator sat on the seat to drive the horses … Read More

I love doing laundry. That involves separating whites and darks, walking down the hall, throwing it in the washer and going back to doing something else for 50 minutes while it washes; tossing it in the dryer and folding it. Total time = 1.5 hours. I have it easy. This is an old double-faced wash board that belonged to my … Read More

I’ve owned reversible jackets, pants and hats, but I’ve never owned a pair of cotton flannel double-thumbed gloves. They might look a bit of an oddity, but they were quite popular back in the day for husking corn. Corn picking was done by hand, and then you’d have to take the husks off before putting it in the sheller or … Read More

Ever watch the Sesame Street skit with Grover where he’s comparing near and far? It’s been a while since I’ve done then and now, so it was time to bring that back to the repertoire. I guess it’s an equal comparison: then (far) and now (near). Then: This is a photo of a 2-row check row planter used in the … Read More