Transportation Exhibit at Museum

This morning, we attended a museum exhibit centered on early transportation. There were several carriages, tractors, and early automobiles on display outside the museum, along with an exhibit of surveying equipment and old maps inside.







The carriage in the top photo brings to mind a song from the musical, "Oklahoma" ("Chicks and ducks and geese better scurry, When I take you out in my surrey, When I take you out in my surrey, With the fringe on top").








The second photo shows a very attractive carriage in red and black, with a pretty brass lamp attached to the side.







The bottom photo is of a very old tractor. I don't know the manufacture date of this interesting piece of machinery.








Inside the museum, a map dating back to 1821 was one of the first to depict the territories in which our state was included. Another map, dated 1833, show portions of 8 states (ours included), but all of none. Supposedly, this map was designed to be easily understood by folks who had no formal education, or who were self-taught.









According to an 1888 document, early surveyors in the county used rocks and trees for landmarks: "Beginning at a rock situated....witness tree a black oak 13 inches in diameter...thence go (to specified number of links) to rock for corner."








According to a history of road maps, map making for the general public in the U.S. is credited to the Chicago-Times Herald newspaper, which in 1895 printed a map for a race from Chicago to Waukegan. The first guidebook for drivers was published by the Automobile Club in 1900. It was very detailed, noting specific landmarks, since there were no road signs at that time. In the 1950s, oil companies distributed maps for free, but started charging for them in the 1980s. However, in the 1990s, welcome centers at states' borders began handing out free maps, which they continue to do today. Now, we can obtain routing information online, or by using GPS units.








An interesting note: in the 1840s, two-thirds of our county's taxpayers didn't own the land they worked. They were squatters, farming land that the government actually owned, but which they had what was called a "preemptive right" to buy later.









At one exhibit, visitors could browse through a 2008 Atlas to locate their own property or that of their ancestors. Another exhibit featured a tactile (Braille) map for the blind. Visitors were urged to close their eyes and trace the city's streets with their fingers until they found the location of the museum.








The transportation exhibit included events for children, too, including a petting zoo of rabbits and goats (which the three of us "kids at heart" were fascinated with, as well). The children could also participate in wagon races...they loaded little red wagons with goods, like granite ware coffee pots, tin cups and plates, pillows and the like, which they then pulled through an obstacle course to win prizes. There was also an Irish setter dog hitched to a small "surrey with a fringe on top" carriage for riding small children up and down the road. Inside the museum, kids could participate in story hours.

Water Aerobics, Catfish Lunch, and Scrapbooking

The water at the pool was cooler today than Wednesday, but still fairly warm. Not as many showed up for aerobics this morning, which is typical for a Friday. By the end of the session, only about five ladies remained in the pool for cool-down exercises, and I wasn't one of them. A few of us like to leave right after the resistance workout, so we can make a beeline to the only two potties, and then get our clothes on before the rest of the group crowd into the dressing room.

I'm usually home by 9:30 a.m. and ready for the rest of the day by 10:30. Today, we decided to go to a local bank's customer appreciation event that included a catfish lunch. Mother and Hubbie chowed down on the deep fried fish, French fries, hush puppies, and cole slaw, while I struggled to get the greasy, salty coating off my fish before I ate it. I didn't eat the French fries at all, but I did eat the slaw, and a couple of no-bake cookies made from peanut butter, oatmeal, and chocolate, and a small slice of white cake (skipping the icing). By the time I finished eating, my plate looked as full as when I sat down.

A Catfish meal, prepared the southern way, is one of Mother's favorites, so she was quite content after lunch. Even by being careful, I still got more fat and salt than I needed, and certainly too much sugar. Our supper of salmon loaf, spinach, pinto beans, and turnips was much more heart-healthy.

After we got back home from the bank, Mother and I divided up the give-away goodies from the bank...notepads, pencils, pens, ice scrapers, pizza cutters, gadgets for hanging glasses on car sun visors, hacky sack balls (for the kids), and emery boards.

Then Hubbie and I went to one of the stores that has a sale every weekend, where I found a brand of jeans that I like...plain blue, straight legs, with no holes, and no distressing. They're exactly the kind this great-grandma prefers.

Back home, Mother and I worked on scrapbook pages for the rest of the afternoon, while Hubbie continued re-potting plants for the sun room.

The presidential debate between senators John McCain and Barack Obama was our "entertainment" for the evening. This has been one of the most interesting and historic, but seemingly endless, campaigns ever. Whoever comes out on top, I think we'll all be thankful when it's over.

A Highlight of the Day

My day began with Cardiac Rehab, of course. The story from there this morning is that the daughter of one of the nurses, along with other members of her high school track team, is ill...mononucleosis is suspected. Each year, it seems, there is an outbreak of this disease among young people. Last year, a few cases turned up at one of the colleges.



As soon as I got back home, Hubbie and I went grocery shopping at the WDCS, where I picked up items we'll need to prepare assorted salads to take when we go visit family Sunday. We'll make carrot salad, kidney bean and cucumber salad, and couscous salad, plus a peach/pear crisp for dessert. Daughter-in-Law plans to fix chicken and other heart-healthy things for the lunch.



Once we'd put away the groceries, we set to work inventorying food to put back into the freezer. That done, we decided to also inventory the freezer in the side-by-side refrigerator in the kitchen, and the small freezer compartment in the refrigerator in the storeroom. I now have a notebook listing every item in each of the freezers. If we're smart, we'll use this list to plan menus and keep track of what items need replacing.



I dreaded that we'd find lots of stuff that needed to be disposed of in the freezers, but there were only a couple of containers of leftovers with freezer burn, and a couple of packages of yeast rolls that were out of date. We decided to bake the rolls to see if they are still edible. They are. But a package of biscuits that we'd baked months and months ago were crumbled for bird food. We thawed four quarts of milk that had been in the outdoor freezer too long, and we are feeding that to the six kittens.



A highlight of my day was receiving a letter from Granddaughter, who is in Army basic training. She seems very enthusiastic about being in the service, stating several times that she's having fun. I'm glad for her, because I dreaded that she had stepped into something she would hate but couldn't get out of. She has always been a shy, introverted girl, with various physical complaints, and no real sense of direction.

But she seems to be blossoming in the service in a way that none in the family would have guessed. She tells of how she enjoys M16 rifle training, though having to learn to put an IV in a person was nerve-racking. She emphasized that she has to run a lot. Her one complaint is that she has torn a ligament in a knee, which will require surgery as soon as she completes basic training, but otherwise she looks forward to graduating from basic training and moving on to the next phase, which she calls AIT. I assume that means Advanced Individual Training.



This afternoon was quiet, with each of us engaging in our own activities until 5 p.m., when Mother and I went to Weight Watchers for our monthly weigh-in. I stayed the same weight as last month, and Mother gained a pound. We didn't stay for the meeting, so we were back home before 5:30.

Mother went home for supper, and Hubbie fixed steaks on the grill for us, along with baked potatoes, black eyed peas, and salad. It was very good. Afterwards, we watched a couple of forgettable movies that I'd recorded on DVR, and then headed to bed.

Unusual Happening

Pretty Mexican petunias are blooming in one of the flowerbeds right now, adding a touch of spring color to an oncoming autumn pallet.

Started today with water aerobics. The pool is still warm...probably about 85 degrees, but I could feel cooler water coming from the jets, so by Friday, it could be down to 83 or 84 degrees, which feels quite a bit chillier to us older ladies. The lap swimmers have a problem tolerating the water when it's above 84 degrees, though. So I guess each group has to compromise.

The story from the pool today: one of the ladies has a grandson who is a paramedic. Last evening, his crew was called to an emergency on the parking lot of a local pizza store. Seems a car had exploded. The driver apparently had stored a can of gasoline in the car for several days, and when he started the car, the fumes ignited, causing the explosion. The ensuing fire burned the inside of the vehicle down to the metal, even melting the windshield. The driver was not killed, but he suffered various degrees of burns over his body, according to an article (with accompanying photos of the car in flames) in this evening's local newspaper. As the newspaper article pointed out, the incident should remind us all not to hoard fuel, and especially not to keep a can of gasoline in a vehicle for any length of time.

Hubbie was gone when I returned from the pool, attending an Extension Homemakers advisory board meeting (as their token male). Lunch was catered to the group, with a choice of chicken or fish, and Hubbie opted for fish. The most interesting tidbit of information he brought back is that the current agent for EH is thinking of retiring at the end of this year, in order to care for her aging and ailing mother. We admire her for this, but we will surely miss her dedication to EH programs.

While Hubbie was at his meeting, Mother and I met our 11:30 a.m. appointments at the beauty shop. When we got back home, we settled for deli turkey and Swiss cheese sandwiches and cottage cheese for lunch.

Nothing much happened during the afternoon. Hubbie moved the straw bale to where I wanted it, and I arranged the display on it. It's pretty much the same display I do every year. The pots of mums are still in bud, but when they fully bloom, I'll snap a picture for my blog.

Average Tuesday

I woke up early today, around 5:30 a.m., and couldn't go back to sleep. But since Hubbie was snoozing soundly, I didn't get up until he did a 7 a.m.



Today was Cardiac Rehab day. I was heartened when folks greeted me saying that they missed me last week. I was only gone from rehab for one day, to take a group of ladies shopping in another town, but I guess it seemed longer to them. Whenever one of us is gone from rehab for several days, we all worry that he or she might be having a medical problem.



I asked one of the nurses when my Phase III program will end, and she said October 17. That's a Friday, so it will actually end October 16, I think. I enjoy the program, but I'm glad it will be over in time for a five-day vacation to Branson later in October, and for the upcoming holiday season.



After rehab, I spent the rest of the morning on the computer...cleaning out e-mail and, at Hubbie's request, researching information on the care and re-potting of ferns. Hubbie is interested in getting all the houseplants re-potted and put back into the sun room before first frost.

I also spent time finding out what the fungus is that's featured in my previous blog. For a long time, I looked for info on tubular mushrooms, and tubular toadstools, before deciding to look for tubular fungus.



Daughter called after lunch, and we chatted for quite a while. And then I called Granddaughter. I'm trying to arrange a time to go visit family, and it looks like next Sunday will be fine for everyone.



I always enjoy talking with Daughter and Granddaughter. Granddaughter keeps me in stitches with her stories of the kids. Today, she and her husband took Great-Granddaughter to the dentist for teeth cleaning. Almost four-year-old Great-Granddaughter was anything but calm for this procedure by the hygienist. But when the dentist came in to exam her, she was a perfect angel. The reason? She's got a crush on this very handsome, clean-cut doctor. The way Granddaughter talks, she herself sort of melts when he's around, too. Her husband, of course, declares that the dentist "isn't that good looking."



After the phone calls, Hubbie and I went in search of a bale of straw and pots of mums. We found decently-priced mums at a nursery, where I got three pots, in red, lavender, and orange. Then we went to the farm store to pick up the straw. While there, I found a variety of inexpensive small pumpkins and gourds to add to the display.



Now, I'm waiting for Hubbie to find a pallet to put the straw bale on, to keep it from getting mildewed on damp ground, and then I'll be ready to put the display together....probably tomorrow.

A Fungus Among Us

Of all the toadstools and fungus I've photographed in our yard, this is one of the most unusual. This malodorous growth is called a stinkhorn fungus, or carrion fungus, for very good reason...it smells just awful, which is why it's such a delight to blow flies.


Dictionary.com describes it as "any of various rank-smelling, brown-capped mushrooms of the genus phallus." Enough said.

Cloudless Sulphur Butterfly

I captured this delicate Cloudless Sulphur butterfly as it briefly alighted on a zinnia flower. These pretty yellow butterflies are often the first to be seen in the spring and the last to be seen in the fall. Because they are very busy flitting from flower to flower, landing only for a second or two, it's difficult to focus a camera on them before they fly away.





Today was fairly busy, starting with water aerobics in a nice warm pool this morning. When the pool is comfortable to those of us in the aerobics class, we know that the lap swimmers will complain it is too warm, and that's exactly what happened today. So we can probably expect chilly water on Wednesday.






I hurried home from the pool, so I could get ready for an 11:15 a.m. follow-up appointment with my doctor. Since it was nearly noon when I got back, I fixed salads and deli turkey sandwiches for Hubbie and me, followed by mixed fruit with fat-free whipped topping.






While I was at the pool, the appliance repairman came and checked the freezer. Fortunately, he was able to repair it at a cost much below the price of a new freezer. The repairman said the part he replaced was probably fried in a power surge. So Hubbie will now be looking for a surge protector for the freezer.








Once the freezer cools down again, we'll put the food back in, this time with better organization, and with a list of what's in there, so we can incorporate items in meals and rotate them out faster. All summer, I've had in mind to inventory that jumbled and chaotic freezer, but I didn't expect to have do it this way.







Later, the power company guy came by and put a new night light up on the pole in the yard. Mother has missed this light, which shines into her house so brightly that she can see to navigate through her living room and kitchen without turning on lamps in the mornings when she (frequently) gets up before the crack of dawn.







The rest of the afternoon was quiet. For supper, we had sandwiches made from cold leftover meatloaf, coleslaw, and bowls of navy bean soup. The soup was made from canned navy beans, rinsed to eliminate some of the salt, and seasoned with turkey bacon, onions, and banana peppers. It was very good.









After that, Mother was ready to go home, and I watched while she made her way across the yard. I do this each evening, to make sure the juvenile Lab pups that live behind us have not found their way to our yard to romp around Mother and threaten to knock her over.






As if the pups are not enough of a nuisance, our neighbors across the highway allow their pre-teen or young teen boys to shoot rifles around their house. Saturday, they were shooting as Mother crossed the yard to our house, when she heard a bullet whiz past her head. Hubbie went over to talk to the boys' dad, but he declared he was watching them, and they only shot upward, aiming at pine cones in a tree. We know this is not true, but since we live outside the city limits, there are no laws as far as we know against folks target shooting in this area. However, we plan to check into this further...there are several houses around here, as well as cattle and other animals within range of the boys' rifles, so we really want these kids to find another - safe -target range.

Another Dead Appliance

The day started leisurely enough...we slept until about 8:30 a.m., and I skipped my exercises in favor of getting my hair colored in anticipation of haircuts this week.

No sooner had Mother completed the tinting task, though, than Hubbie announced that our freezer was on the blink. Fortunately, it hadn't thawed completely, so most of the food was still safe to be whisked to the freezers in our refrigerators, or to Mother's freezer next door. We threw a few things out, but not much.

This freezer has already been repaired once, so we dread that it might be completely dead this time, meaning we'll be out several hundred dollars for a new one. We're just glad it didn't decide to crash in late October, when we are scheduled to be in Branson for several days.

Other than that emergency, we had an average Sunday, with a meatloaf and baked sweet potato lunch, plus a big pot of spinach, since four packages of the vegetable had thawed and needed to be used right away.

After lunch, Hubbie and I went to one of the stores that has a sale every weekend to see if I could use a $10 coupon to buy a new pair of jeans. No dice. The store doesn't carry either of my preferred brands anymore. All they have now are jeans that look like they've been salvaged from a trash heap.

I had to search a while before turning up a pretty pumpkin colored sweater, marked down so that when I applied my $10 coupon, the price was very reasonable. The sweater will work nicely with my khaki, brown, or black slacks this fall. But I really could have used a new pair of jeans, drat it.

From that store, we went to the WDCS for a few grocery items. I decided to pick up a couple of pumpkins, too, to use in a fall arrangement outdoors. Now I need to get a bale of straw and some pots of mums. Hubbie groans about this arrangement every year, seeing it as a waste of money. But actually, we cook and freeze the pumpkins at the end of the season, we use the straw as mulch on the gardens, and we plant the mums, so I don't see it as a real waste of money.