Cordmaker has been talking about the $160 glass. He sent me a picture and then explained why it was so expensive; red glass has gold in it.
Here is some precious stuff:
As a boy growing up all I wanted to do was be a citrus grower like my grandpa. He had over 100 acres in grapefruit, oranges and tangerines. Mostly grapefruit. When I was a boy Clearwater, FL was a small town with cattle ranches, diary farming and big time citrus. Everyone around us grew citrus.
Taking a break from working outside trimming sago palms. I have 6 in the front that need trimming and 9 out back. The front is done and 3 out back. These are not mine but this is what a sago palm looks like.
We have had perfect weather the last few days. Sunshine, cool and a nice breeze. Perfect to work outside.
I will grab a bite to eat and head on back out there. Smoked oysters in on the menu for my noon time meal.
After school, I started farming full time with my parents. There was money to be made in the late seventies, if you were willing to put in the work. Those days are pretty much over for the small farmers left around here. There’s no dairies left in my entire county. No hog farming, and very few grow tobacco. Almost entirely beef cattle now, and the prices have been bad for at least the last four years. I’m 61 and know very few full time farmers younger than me. It’s sad. My son loves farming, but there’s no way for a young person to start out without inheritance, and even then probably not.
Oh yeah. Family grew tobacco in Trimble county. We picked worms, hunted horn worms most, Cabbage, Tobacco, Tomato, Catalpas a gold mine. Drown and flushed their the gut in tubs, and freeze in bamboo Dixie cups, then sold for 50¢/doz. or 3 doz./$1. Pinch off the head, invert the worms insideout over long shank eagle claws and you'll have a busy night.
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Yeah they’re excellent catfish baitOh yeah. Family grew tobacco in Trimble county. We picked worms, hunted horn worms most, Cabbage, Tobacco, Tomato, Catalpas a gold mine. Drown and flushed their the gut in tubs, and freeze in bamboo Dixie cups, then sold for 50¢/doz. or 3 doz./$1. Pinch off the head, invert the worms insideout over a long shank eagle claws and you'll have a busy night.
Thanks Bert!!!! I have never been nervous working with glass, but this time is different!!!! I broke a golden rule on my first cut this morning, NEVER run your glass cutter to the side that you are going to keep!!! I let it slide , took a 1/8"gap out of a straight edge piece, had to grind it out!!!! All is well though!! Times past something would have been broken, which would have accomplished nothing, must be old age!!!! Will send you a picture in a few days with all 4 of them together!Cordmaker has been talking about the $160 glass. He sent me a picture and then explained why it was so expensive; red glass has gold in it.
Here is some precious stuff:
i know little about farming, but where I live there are corn and soy farms everywhere...so I know a few guys who farm. All have jobs as well, so you're right...the days of making a living on a small farm are over. Just a guess but I imagine most farms around here are 100 to 4-500 acres.
Since you are interested in various things around the state, here's one for you. Back in the 50's and 60's, 75% of the lamps and shades in the USA came from far western Ky and a little in northwestern Tn. The clay in the ground was great for pottery (ceramic lamps). Salesmen had protected territory. A guy could come in with a big truck and a fist full of cash and no one would sell to him if he was interfering with a protected territory. They would peddle to all the mom and pop furniture stores. China changed all that. The cloth in the shades came from mills in the Carolinas. The steel in the wire came from USA steel mills. The parts for lamps were made in the USA. The guys peddling on the road bought big trucks, stayed in motels, and ate in restaurants and of course most of the mom and pop stores have been replaced by chains.
There’s some row crop farming here, but not a lot. The farms are too small and not enough open land to support making a living at it. Unless you lease several farms to grow it on, which is what is taking place here where there is crop land.
This is an old "cardboard base" photo someone touched up for me that was taken about 1910. My grandfather is second from the left (lower) and he is packing some fruit after his groves were picked. His father in law owned the packing company. The growers would all help each other by pitching in to pick each other's groves then take the fruit to the packing house to put it in crates and ship up North. The fruit was shipped from Clearwater - Largo all over the U.S. and some to Cuba. It was shipped under the John S Taylor label. The labels were glued onto the shipping crates. I use to collect the different packing house labels. Every little town in Florida in the citrus growing area had at least one packing house in those days. Most had several. Few remain today and the individual grower is gone. Big corporations own all of the groves now.
Same thing here when I was young. All the neighboring farmers and their families would get together to harvest the tobacco and haul the hay and stack it in the barns ( only had small square bales then, had to be moved by hand ) . Now anyone that will work has a job and the ones without a job ride the roads all day drinking beer and doing drugs.This is an old "cardboard base" photo someone touched up for me that was taken about 1910. My grandfather is second from the left (lower) and he is packing some fruit after his groves were picked. His father in law owned the packing company. The growers would all help each other by pitching in to pick each other's groves then take the fruit to the packing house to put it in crates and ship up North. The fruit was shipped from Clearwater - Largo all over the U.S. and some to Cuba. It was shipped under the John S Taylor label. The labels were glued onto the shipping crates. I use to collect the different packing house labels. Every little town in Florida in the citrus growing area had at least one packing house in those days. Most had several. Few remain today and the individual grower is gone. Big corporations own all of the groves now.
The Shipping Label
My oldest boy had a GF in Atlanta for about 6-7 years who was from New York. Someone in her family, don't remember the connection now, is one of if not the largest supplier for Tropicana (?). Supposedly own a good amount of land in South/Central Florida.This is an old "cardboard base" photo someone touched up for me that was taken about 1910. My grandfather is second from the left (lower) and he is packing some fruit after his groves were picked. His father in law owned the packing company. The growers would all help each other by pitching in to pick each other's groves then take the fruit to the packing house to put it in crates and ship up North. The fruit was shipped from Clearwater - Largo all over the U.S. and some to Cuba. It was shipped under the John S Taylor label. The labels were glued onto the shipping crates. I use to collect the different packing house labels. Every little town in Florida in the citrus growing area had at least one packing house in those days. Most had several. Few remain today and the individual grower is gone. Big corporations own all of the groves now.
The Shipping Label
Thank you. Good to see your still here as well.
You got that right. You must be a little north or east of me. Ours is calling for low 60’s Wednesday. Can’t wait.For the first time in a long time, a weather forecast to be happy about. 50° never looked so good to me.
I live in Carter County.
Bingo
You haven't. The chaotic nature of worldly insanity has crushed many lives. Folks like her support their loved ones with tough resolve and strengthens them all. I too sense she is fine and I'm thinking real busy. And just the thought she might pop in helps to keep me civil. I wasn't born this way.
Yep. I really enjoy interaction with the people here but I’ve been absent for awhile taking care of family business. Gotta put things in perspective sometimes. I too hope she is ok.Bingo
You haven't. The chaotic nature of worldly insanity has crushed many lives. Folks like her support their loved ones with tough resolve and strengthens them all. I too sense she is fine and I'm thinking real busy. And just the thought she might pop in helps to keep me civil. I wasn't born this way.
I've come to realize that time is a precious commodity, and that it's harder to come by the older you get. Therefore you have to spend your time wisely, and it starts with family.
Yes. He called me a few weeks ago on February 3. We spoke for a bit. Hopefully meet up with him in April during my visit back to KY.
Thanks. Glad to know he is ok.
While attending college, I worked at a bowling alley. One year during the women's association tournament, there was a 32 lane full house of women. I was working the back running stops. I was climbing around on the top of a pinsetter trying to clear a problem when my foot slipped and I hit my head on a piece of metal at eyebrow level. One bleeds profusely from a cut in that area. I came up front between lanes 16 and 17 with blood everywhere and still flowing. I can still hear all the women screaming, but I couldn't see them. Had a few stiches put in and still have a scar in my eyebrow.
