Return of the Wild Turkey
Over the past few years wild turkeys have become a much more common sight on Delmarva. Many of us are glad to see them adapting and increasing in numbers.
Month: December 2012
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Strawberries were king back then
During the early to mid 1900's strawberry fields were a common sight and a major crop on much of the Delmarva Peninsula. The town of Pittsville was a major contributor to this enterprise. Farmer's came into town to the auction block with cars, trucks, or horses pulling wagons loaded with crates of strawberrys to be sold to the highest bidder. From the auction block the berries were moved to the railroad siding in town, awaiting the next train. Oftentimes, there would be a trainload of strawberries leaving the station. The business eventually died out when the strawberry plants began to suffer a disease known as Red Steel, perhaps partly from replanting over and over in the same fields that had been harvested, and also because the intensive labor requirements for picking and packing became hard to meet.
In Pittsville in the early 1900's. Sometimes as many as five lines were formed to get into the auction block. It may be visible that there are crates of strawberrys in the back of this car.
Trains passing in Pittsville. The closest train is loaded with strawberries. This was about 1920.
This photo from 1908 shows people lined up at the Pittsville railroad station ready to board the train for a trip to Ocean City.
These tickets from our collection are dated 1940 and are representative of what many of the strawberry farmers used. They all had the farmer's name printed on them. The name here has been blocked out for privacy. All had a number on them to represent quarts. There would be a makeshift packing shed, being little more than a few poles and a tin roof to protect from the sun, somewhere central to the fields. A picker would have a carrier in which to put small strawberry baskets full of berries to take to the packing shed. The number of baskets (quarts) would be counted and tickets would be given to the picker for that many quarts. At the end of the day, usually, the picker would turn the tickets in for cash. In some cases the picker could keep the tickets and turn them in for food at a local grocery store and the farmer would later collect the tickets and pay the cash value to the grocer. The amount pickers got per quart varied with packers a bit, but may not have been more than 10 cents a quart in later years. In the early years it was likely considerably less. During the strawberry season, sometimes families of pickers would move to a farm to live in a dwelling provided by the owner for the duration of the season. But that was yesterday, or so, I reckon.
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Go Fly a Kite
The man flying the 3 kites is in his 80s, and he's from Canada. He comes to the Washington State International Kite Festival every year. His skin is like leather as he normally flies with his shirt off. He is deaf. He flies two with his hands and the 3rd one is attached to his waist. Enjoy!
You must watch to the end to see the amazing landing of that last kite! How does he keep them from becoming tangled? Be sure the volume is turned up because the music is wonderful and totally reflects the soaring of the kits.
Beautiful!
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=nr9KrqN_lIg -
How old is Grandma?
(Read this to the end-- quite an eye opener.)
One evening a grandson was talking to his grandmother
About current events.
The grandson asked his grandmother what she thought
About the shootings at schools, the computer age, and
Just things in general.
The Grandmother replied, "Well, let me think a minute,
I was born before:
' television
' penicillin
' polio shots
' frozen foods
' Xerox
' contact lenses
' Frisbees and
' the pill
There were no:
' credit cards
' laser beams or
' ball-point pens
Man had not yet invented:
' pantyhose
' air conditioners
' dishwashers
' clothes dryers
' and the clothes were hung out to dry in the fresh air and
' man hadn't yet walked on the moon
Your Grandfather and I got married first, and then lived together.
Every family had a father and a mother.
Until I was 25, I called every man older than me, "Sir."
And after I turned 25, I still called policemen and every man
With a title, "Sir."
We were before gay-rights, computer-dating, dual careers, daycare centers, and group therapy.
Our lives were governed by the Ten Commandments, good judgment, and common sense.
We were taught to know the difference between right and
Wrong and to stand up and take responsibility for our actions.
Serving your country was a privilege; living in this country was
A bigger privilege.
We thought fast food was what people ate during Lent.
Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with
Your cousins.
Draft dodgers were those who closed front doors as the
Evening breeze started.
Time-sharing meant time the family spent together in the
Evenings and weekends — not purchasing condominiums.We never heard of FM radios, tape decks, CD's, electric typewriters, yogurt, or guys wearing earrings.
We listened to Big Bands, Jack Benny, and the President's speeches on our radios.
If you saw anything with 'Made in Japan ' on it, it was junk.
The term 'making out' referred to how you did on your school exam.
Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and instant coffee were unheard of.We had 5 &10-cent (5 and dime) stores where you could actually buy things for 5 and 10 cents.
Ice-cream cones, phone calls, rides on a streetcar, and a Pepsi were all a nickel.
And if you didn't want to splurge, you could spend your nickel on enough stamps to mail 1 letter and 2 postcards.
You could buy a new Ford Coupe for $600, but who could
Afford one? Too bad, because gas was 11 cents a gallon.
In my day:
' "grass" was mowed,
' "coke" was a cold drink,
' "pot" was something your mother cooked in and
' "rock music" was your grandmother's lullaby.
' "Aids" were helpers in the Principal's office,
' "chip" meant a piece of wood,
' "hardware" was found in a hardware store and.
' "software" wasn't even a word.
We were the last generation to actually believe that a lady needed a husband to have a baby.We volunteered to protect our precious country.
No wonder people call us "old and confused" and say there is a generation gap.
How old do you think I am?
Read on to see -- pretty scary if you think about it and pretty sad at the same time.
This woman would be only 59 years old.
She would have been born in late 1952.
