Memory is a funny thing. We can forget what we did last weekend, but we can remember with sparkling clarity a conversation from 40 years ago. Some events, and some places, just seem to have a grip on us, rooted in our minds forever. That’s what my grandparents’ farm in rural Virginia is for me. We visited it every summer of my childhood, for two or three weeks at a time. ...
Fall months bring with them the need and/or desire to get things done after a long, hot summer and before winter sets in. From basic farm work and chores for kids, some activities on the chore list can be fun and exciting, while others might be the types of things folks approach reluctantly. The tasks required of people many years ago might be different from the chores that need ...
Nebraska Pioneer Cookbook(University of Nebraska Press, 1974) compiled by Kay Graber explores the dining patterns of Nebraska's pioneers. In addition to sharing recipes compiled from vintage sources, Graber narrates and interprets the evolution of pioneer food from early days on the prairie and brought to the heart of America by immigrants to the elegant meals at the turn of the ...
Fall has arrived, and another school year is beginning. I saw the bus go by this morning and it brought back memories of my daddy, Arvil Roberts. As I've said before, Daddy was born on Old Home Farm in 1920. He went to school at Bruno, which is the first agricultural school in the state, and graduated in 1938. He joined the WPA and helped to build the agri building and shop, ...
Way off in a large field of scrubby bushes a herd of pronghorn antelope are grazing. One looks up suddenly at the sound of children playing. It's a rag tag bunch of boys with bowl cut hair and girls in pigtails. Some are very young and some are almost teenagers.There's a woman standing on the porch ringing a bell for the children to come in. Her hair is pulled back in a severe bun ...
Celebrating the Fourth of July has always been fun for me. It's the time to celebrate our nation's birthday. My most frequent memory of celebrating July Fourth is eating watermelon and setting off fireworks at night. Of course now as an adult, I'd rather sit back and watch the fireworks than to be the one that sets them off. Parades will be held all across America. Barbecue ...
As people settled on the Great Plains, a need for sanitary facilities arose. In order to meet this need, outhouses were constructed using lumber or bricks. Outhouses were a type of “folk architecture” and soon became commonplace.Contrary to need, some people didn't like outhouses and considered them indecent and an affront to the sensibilities of civilized ...
Have you ever noticed how certain jobs are often "passed down" through generations of a family? Even if the coming generation doesn't intend to follow, somehow they find for reasons they never expected, to be employed in the same way as the older generations of their family. My grandfather was a blacksmith, and my father became a mechanic — the next logical step from smithing. ...
In the Ozarks of my childhood, Thanksgiving marked the beginning of the cozy season. After long, hot days spent planting, cultivating, harvesting and canning, the holiday was the beginning of a winter rest. My mother used to say, “When nights begin to lengthen, cold begins to strengthen.” She looked forward to the colder days of the year, knowing there would be more time for ...
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