Author: admin

In 1903 Grandpa was a school teacher and entered into his diary “Too lazy to write from 11 to 19”

So lets go to May 11 and see what he did — bet U can guess: “Warm. Hauled props. Put post in.”

That is boring so let go to April 11: “Rained all day. Worked at yard fence. spread a little lime and loaded a load of props”

How ’bout March 11 “Cloudy and very foggy in forenoon. Clear after night. Worked at fences after school”

Hope you are able to form a mental photo of 1903 in the hills of Pennsylvania. Not a lot of change it seems.

What do you think Grandpa would think of the modern technology that allowed my friends to travel from the U.S. to Finland to Moscow  and return — all in 10 days — and send messages via satellite  — even send that photograph — is that change or what?

I am on the subject of change due to it’s relationship to horse training. Not really training — just getting the horse to “change” from what it would being doing at any given moment to to what I want it to do at that given moment.

Today I want to show you 1 more change technology has brought to our lives — well if you are young it is not change for you — but 4 me it is a change — different then that thing hanging on the wall that U cranked to talk to someone!

This is the new digital times — Called HDR — High-Dynamic Range — built into all (almost) phone cameras, and point and shoot camerea and very expensive professional camers. We old folks must change to get with it –must change to get with it — and I truly do love it .

HDR will not let U capture, in photo, the dreary morning feeling.  So b sure 2 turn HDR off if you want to capture the feeling!

I am sure U 2 will love all this digital change  — start by using shorthand.  And do not b fooled by what U c –the dog photo I showed 2 days ago had a leash attached 2 it’s collar — there were other changes that I will not tell U about — she might.      Just keep on 😀 ‘ing  or 🙂 ‘ing  not 🙁 ‘ing

Guess what Grandpa wrote on June 10, 1903? U got it — no change

“Took log to Hillsboro. Worked around home and plowed for buckwheat after supper.  Rained and hailed at noon.”

Today I am trying to do the total Blog on my iPad, with a new piece of software. U mite ask “Why”. Please do. In the mean time I will see if I can come up with an answer.  

U may notice my short hand — same as I use in texting to the kids — they seem to demand it.  But I find it hard to perfect the change, but I try.  This old man has lived in, and really enjoyed, numerous communities. – from a homestead in Pa to the suburbs of New York City to Islands in the ocean to a Texas ranch to a Great Lakes island. Still I resist change – just like everybody else.  I c u r confused – what the hell am I talking about?  My horse Perla, of course. Well maybe any horse. I am really learning a lot about a horses resistance to change –  and mine 2.

Last year I built the large beautiful corral (the one filled with the beautiful flower weeds in the header to this blog-I tell folks I built it to house the flowers – they just shake their heads and and show great sympathy for that poor dumb old man from down below – below the mackinaw bridge that is ) for Perla but as of yet it not used — because she is herd and barn bound – she is home bound. She goes bonkers if removed from the herd. Did u ever sit upon a 1000 pound horse and say “get up” and nothing happens?  Then slap her on the rump and just like a rock u r at the same spot on this large earth as you were. Try kicking – nothing   –  try screaming “get-up” loud enough to scare the birds and bears in the forest — four feet crushing the same yellow flower stems as before.  

Look at this – Pure contentment at home. No trips to W’Al-mart, no rush hour traffic, no airport screens. Not even a tv full of advertisements.  WOW!

Bye 4 now and I will keep u informed of my passion 2 get Perla to consider me a friend and my coral a temporary home away from her peaceful home and horse friends.  and I must tell u of yesterday’s trail ride — few have had such an experience — I feel fortunate to have the opportunity!  Keep going till next Daily News.

Let’s see what Grandpa had to say about life in 1903 June 9. First I need to go to the draw and remove the diary from it’s protective bag. — “Moses Lohr helped to make props in forenoon.  Took logs to Hillsboro in afternoon” Sure wish I had pictures — no tractor, chain saws, or trucks you know.  Just teams of horses and hand saws. We must create a mental photo to get the feeling of these tasks in a day in the life of a Pennsylvania homesteader in 1903. So create in your mind the 1903 photo.

Because our feelings of the moment are established by input to our senses — sight being a very strong one  — here are a few 2013 photos with my feelings (thoughts) — what do they say to you?

That is my story this morning — off to mow lawn, have lunch, go for trail ride.  Maybe I capture photos on my iPhone to see if we can come up with more captions.

Lots of digging, raking, hauling horse manure, and watering — Lets see what we get in a week — I will keep you all posted.

OH!! Let me tell you what Grandpa wrote in 1903 June 8: “Made 22 props and plowed for buckwheat in forenoon. took props to Hooversville in afternoon”  (Props are like fence posts used in old coal mines to prop up the mine roof as miners dug the mine shaft and removed the coal)

Garden flowers planted – Seventy five of them — It is time to wake up this horse and go for a trail ride.

Behind me – the photographer is the first log building  — the Sauna which the Fin’s lived in while building this home — so I am told by the rider and owner on the horse in the background.

Shot from the front — or — back camera of the iPhone – self inflicted self portrait.

After a few hours on the trail, it is time for Perla to eat and for me to drink a beer on the bunk house porch with friends.

That is pretty much a typical day around here — well not really — each day has some new experience — I will keep those secret until I write and post new photos

Diversity is a way of life up hereon an Island off the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  Some times it snows — in May– some times it rains, some times the wind gusts to 30 mph, some times the black flyes are so thick u need glasses to keep them out of your eyes, some times s it is so beautiful that every Chamber of Commerce wants to bottle the weather and export it to their community!

But we all, on the Island, accept diversity without much complaining — If you want to be accepted here do not complain — grin and bear it and pretend to be non-diverse — for example —  golf on the league last week — 41 degrees — mist then rain, but on we went to loose by one stroke, then we stand around, rain dripping off the end of our nose,   to discuss how it would be a lot more fun if it was 20 degrees warmer. Did I suggest we quit golf and go home without a drink — not me — I did not want to be different!!!  or did I enjoy shivering in my soaked condition because I am not different???

That is why diversity is an interesting concept — For example, I am sure we all know folks who want to accept (and be around) all kinds of different people — of course that means all kinds of folks except those that do not want to be around different kinds of folks!!  

Diversity for Grandpa mostly had to do with the weather — all folks in the small farming community thought the same — or at least they all said they did — that is how they were accepted in the community. On June 6 1903 GrandPa wrote — “Bought calf from A. D. Weaver in forenoon — Plowed after dinner.”  Dinner was the noon meal.

Grandpa never wrote much about adversity.  The most he seemed to write about was bad weather.

Feb 11, 1903 he wrote “Foggy and cold rain in evening. All pupils in school. Was going to haul ice after school but it rained — adverse weather put a stop to those plans.”

May your adverse situations be only an inconvenience to your daily routine.

So, I scanned my photo files to see what adverse things I photographed – hope none were too serious.

OOPS – a little windy today.Hard to find a little grass with all this snow.

That fishing line on my leg makes me work hard to get air born. “HOT OIL WARNING LIGHT” –A safe emergency landing on our golf course by a young lady pilot.  And I missed an easy putt.  Blame it on the helicopter.Same hole a month or so later. And I missed an easy putt.  Blame it on the rain.  You may have noticed — In the game of golf, “blame” is always good.“My antler and ear show what it takes to be a winner.  You still want to be a winner?”
A winner!

OK, I quit — You are the winner!

We agree — Let us all try to be joint winners.

So,  dam it —agree with me!

Not sure what kind of school Grandpa ran — seems they do a lot of play practice.

March 29, 1900  — ” Snow all day — School spoiled by practice for play. Gave Ellen (Grandma) 75 cents — paid 20 cents for fish. Paid 50cents for baby a pair of shoes”

——————————————————————————————They say that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence — Is the grass greener in 1900 or 2013???  Let me know what you think!

Now in my world, 113s year later — Here is the way it is — Poor Grandpa would never understand

–March 7,2013  —  My wife took from the ATM,  $300 dollars. (I did not give it to her — she took it)  — She went to store and gave me a VISA receipt for 102 dollars (for food she purchased) to enter into Quickbooks – not to enter in to the diary (Wonder if Grandpa knows what Quickbooks is all about?)

I did not shovel any snow — just hit the golf ball!   and complained about the cold 68 degree weather! The most proud moment of the day was when the golf ranger saw that I checked in — they get a little angry at me for going on the course if I do not sign-in — even though I payed many $ to be a member— members are allowed to play golf any time they feel like it, if the member signs in.  —  Sometime I won’t sign in just for the hell of it  —  You know, the grass on the course is really a little greener if I just get in my golf cart and zing out there for a few holes in the evening — the scenery is great to photograph and the animals are out and about for me to photograph.  Then I can put these images on my blog. Why am I alone out there? — all other members are in town having the “Early Bird” special!”    I ain’t hurtin no one if I foreget to sign in.  Right — You agree, do you not? And as U NO I LOVE scenes from my pasture — OOPS I mean golf course!  So, I am satisfied the the grass is greener in 2013 then it was in 1900.  Oh, I have a question. Which is correct?

George Washington was our first president.

OR

George Washington is our first president.

NOW, I SAY GOOD NIGHT UNTIL NEXT JIM’S DAILY!

Found a few animal photos that I wanted to add captions.  To me each photo represents a mystery — Why does food fall from the counter, why is the deer not afraid of me, this little cow was not here 10 minutes ago– why not?  And, what life was truly like in the country 100 years ago is always mysterious to me.

No entries in Grandpa diary for early March 1900 But,

On Sunday March 25, 1900 — Grandpa  wrote — “Sunday, Rained.  Was at preaching at Hooversville. Came home with Joseph Cable in buggy. In evening took Tillie to Hooversville.”

On this day March 2 in 1903 he wrote: ” Monday, Clear but not very warm. Began last month of school. Hauled wood and rails in evening after school. Edward hauled coal for us”.

On the 3 of March 1903  he wrote” Clear and Pleasant. Put post in for fence around poultry yard.”

On the 4th of March 1903 he wrote “Clear and pleasant. Black Birds and Bluebirds were singing. Made fence after school.”

Good Night   — Sleep Well  —

I love the mysteries of life — .

Today I had a mystery of life happen to me.  Did the washer eat my sock?  Did the dryer eat it? — How can I loose a sock between my dirty laundry  basket and the dry cycle of the dryer??? This happens to me often– and that is a mystery of life!

But I found the missing sock stuck in the sleeve of my PJ’s tonight.  Mystery solved.

Now a new mystery — why is it that we see roads in front of us, tree lines, landscapes, and houses, but we do not naturally  see the sky — unless it is bright red and every thing reflects the red color?   So, I turned to the web, Google and typed in something like “eye placement in the head”.  I summary it said –We are predator animals so our eyes are in the front of our head so we can see the ones we chase.  Horses are prey animals so their eyes are on the side of their head.  They need to see every where to find and flee from those chasing them. Gator’s eyes are on top of their head so they can lay submerged and still see around them and find food —  and so on about eye placement for survival.

So, instead of hunting animals,  I have been looking up and hunting clouds because we do not naturally look up at the sky to survive and see the landscape in the sky. I want to show you just a few sky photos — after viewing these,  hold our head up high and go and find more for yourself — and please tell me of your finds:

Here’s looking down at you — Bye!

Not all hunts are successful — especially if one does not focus  — yesterday and today it seems I did not focus on my hunting  —-  but here is the result of one find I did capture on film — oops, I should say captured on digits  — you know what they are — you see them every day do you not ???? — Hey, what is a digit anyway?

So in frustration I am going to display here a photo sent to me — At one time this was my dog — but when it is a good dog napping with a cat friend, my daughter and two children say “Here is a photo of our good dog, Grandpa”  They know I love to read and sleep in the afternoon too, so the photo fits my idea of a great afternoon nap!

Now for my Grandpa in 1900 — First, I want to tell you that I dicovered the diary is written by both my Grandma and my Grandpa — I think she is writing about ironing the shirt, the cuff and the collar — I wondered if Grandpa would be doing the ironing?   I would never do stuff like that — not true — I really do — Ha  Ha …….  Please do not think poorly of me for that  — You see, this is post women’s lib.

Now, at this time in his life Grandpa was a school teacher, so that may help put some of his writing into perspective.

Grandma writes ” Forenoon baked 8 gingersnaps. Made aprons in afternoon. Samual Custer was buried. “

Grandpa writes “Jan 2nd 1900.  Weather very cold so dismissed school in forenoon. Finished third month of school. Ellen (Grandma) visited school in afternoon.  Made report out of third month of school.”

Again Grandma took over writing:  “Got up at half past six to find the fire out.  Washed and ironed in forenoon. Visited school in afternoon. Went to bed at half-past nine.  Nothing on TV worth watching” — NA — you know I added that last thought about the TV!

So far it sounds as if the report writing is a family affair  — I think the school was a one room school with one teacher (Grandpa) and less then 20 students   — and within walking distance of the home — we will find out more later on —

Some day I hope to find  in their writings my mental image of the good old days:   Bright sunny morning, two men walking to work on a clean sidewalk, a boy riding a bike throwing newspapers onto the porches, a barbershop with men discussing whatever,  women working over a kitchen project of apple sauce making. a cat hissing at a dog around the end of a picket fence, etc…..  You know — Mayberry RFD  before any automobiles!