Gardener's Grapevine 2012.01.18

Written by David Green.

Sunday afternoon is my time to “chill” with the computer and a cup of hot tea and write this article. Sometimes life just is so peaceful. I say this as I watch our big orange tabby cat, Crankshaft, chase a squirrel across the side yard.

This cat is not aware that the squirrel is not going to be all that fun if he catches him. Squirrels bite, and extremely hard; they’re not animals that enjoy being messed with. My dad’s King Charles spaniel, Cooper, is not aware of this either and he spends his days looking out the window guarding the house from the dreaded squirrels. It makes me laugh to think of the big surprise both of these animals would get if a squirrel decided to turn the table.

I was doing some reading yesterday and came across an article in Country Living about the Farmers Almanac. I remember seeing the almanac in the home of my great-grandparents, Hila and Estel Elderdge, as a young child. I never took the time to read it though. Then one Christmas I was looking for an extra gift for my uncle Dwight Houttieker and my aunt said get him the Farmers Almanac. As I stood in line to pay for it, I glanced through this small piece of literature.

It appears more magazine than book, yet reads like an informative book. It is really quite fascinating and usually the predictions are right. Apparently farmers had been following this book for years with success.

The article I read had some interesting tidbits I thought I would share: 

The almanac was first published during George Washington’s administration. It was used by Abraham Lincoln to discount a witness in an 1858 murder trial. The hole in the upper left corner of each copy was originally intended to hang the book up in the “outhouse.” During WWII the FBI discovered the Farmers Almanac in a German spy’s coat pocket. It has only had 13 editors over the years. A printing mix up in July 1816 had a snow prediction, and strangely enough it actually did snow that summer.

This little book is really fun reading for a gardener and most times it is on the money with predictions. It is available at most places selling a big selection of magazines, and is reasonably priced at $5.99.

Saturday morning I went up to our beautiful library to pick up my weekly  books on CD. I have discovered the world of interlibrary loans—I can request my favorite authors and soon they are there. What a great thing and I can use it right at home. When you drive an hour to and from work every day, recorded books are gifts straight from the big guy himself. 

While I was there I started doing some more research on when this column started and what it was like then. I liked the newspaper back then; it was so personal. Maybe because I knew a lot of the people or just the way it was put together. It seemed like a great big Christmas letter. Who married who in extreme detail; who visited who; who was in the hospital and released.

The articles written by Maude Chase really grab me. Either the lady had a mind like a computer or she kept some very detailed notebooks. I read every one of her articles and it’s why it’s taking me forever to get any information on the Grapevine article.

I did run across some interesting ads. The A&P grocery store had lettuce for ten cents a head January 7, 1960. The seed costs more than that now. Cauliflower was twenty-nine cents a head and navel oranges were forty-nine cents a dozen. Wow! How about two loaves of white bread for thirty-five cents or eggs for thirty-seven cents a dozen? Consumers Power ran an ad that said “what works 24 hours a day nonstop for twenty cents a day?” That’s how much electricity cost then. What a huge difference 52 years can make.

  • Front.train
    WRECKAGE—Morenci Fire Department member Taylor Schisler walks past the smoking wreckage of a semi-truck tractor on the north side of the Norfolk and Southern Railroad tracks on Ranger Highway. The truck trailer was on the south side of the tracks
  • Front.sculpta
    SCULPTORS—Morenci third grade students Emersyn Thompson (left) and Marissa Lawrence turn spaghetti sticks into mini sculptures Friday during a class visit to Stair District Library. All Morenci Elementary School classes recently visited the library to experience the creative construction toys purchased through the “Sculptamania!” project, funded by a Disney Curiosity Creates grant. The grant is administered by the Association for Library Services to Children, a division of the American Library Association.
  • Funcolor
    LEONIE LEAHY was one of three local hair stylists who volunteered time Friday at the Morenci PTO Fun Night. Her customer, Aubrey Sandusky, looks up at her mother while her hair takes on a perfect match to her outfit. Leahy said she had a great time at the event—nothing but happy clients.
  • Shadow.salon
    LEARNING THE ROPES—Kristy Castillo (left), co-owner of Mane Street Salon, works with Kendal Kuhn as Sierra Orner takes a phone call. The two Morenci Area High School juniors spent Friday at the salon as part of a job shadowing experience.
  • KayseInField
    IN THE FIELD—2004 Morenci graduate Kayse Onweller works in a test plot of wheat in Texas. She’s part of Bayer CropScience’s North American wheat breeding program based in Nebraska, where she completed post-graduate work in plant breeding and genetics.
  • Front.winner
    REFEREE Camden Miller raises the hand of Morenci Jr. Dawgs wrestler Ryder Ryan as his opponent leaves the mat in disappointment. Morenci’s youth wrestling program served as host for a tournament Saturday morning to raise money for the club. Additional photos are on the back page.
  • Front.bank.2
    SHERWOOD STATE Bank opened its Fayette office at a grand opening Friday morning, drawing a large crowd to view the renovated building. Above, Burt Blue talks to teller Cindy Funk, while his wife, Jackie, looks around the new office. The Blues missed the opening and took a quick tour on Tuesday. Few traces remain of the former grocery store and theater, however, part of the original brick wall still shows in the hallway leading to the back of the building. The drive-through window should be ready for customers later in the month.
  • Front.make.three
    FROM THE LEFT, Landon Wilkins, Ryan White and Logan Blaker try out their artistic skills Saturday afternoon at the Morenci PTO’s first Date to Create event. More than 50 people showed up to create decorated planks of wood to hang from rope. The event served as a fund-raiser for miscellaneous PTO projects. Additional photos are on the back of this week’s Observer.

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