July 21, 2014

Taking advantage of natural resource is most enjoyable

On breezy days such as this past Sunday, I thank my stars that I am of the clothes line league. Seeing good old Mother Nature in action and my laundry dancing briskly makes me appreciate the winds that much more.  I guess the windy days that we are accustomed to do have their strong points.

Generally there are two leagues when it comes to laundry methods:  the hangers and the dryers.  I come from a long line of hangers. After all, who can resist the supreme essence of freshly laundered and air dried sheets.  It's one of life's greatest joys. And who needs an iron when your clothes are naturally whipped into perfect order? 

And then there's the therapeutic aspect to the process of hanging a basket full of wet laundry. So often in the interim from the brimming to empty laundry tub, most often I've worked through a problem, solved a puzzle, or resolved an issue. It's as simple as that.

In hanging out clothes to dry, there is indeed an art to the process.  It just wouldn't do to let one's more delicate laundry items dangle in the wind for all to see.   Discreet hangers know to position their laundry in such a way as to  keep privates private. Layering is a must.  So, socks and undergarments go on the line first, followed by shirts and pants, and finally the towels.

A few years ago I discovered a remarkable device dubbed as the Best Drying Rack, crafted by a family business in Cedar Falls, Iowa.  The name says it all.  It is indeed the best drying rack ever and I've been through two of them in the past 25 years.   My umbrella drying rack is often filled with flapping laundry and I love watching the wind toss the wet clothing until it is dried to perfection.

In days gone by folks would air dry their laundry year around.  That could pose a problem in the winter months, my mom recalls of her days on the farm, when clothes were freeze dried to a crisp.  After a day of hanging in the frigid temps the frozen clothes were gathered and stacked throughout the house to complete the drying process.  Sounds like a bit of redundancy to me, but I guess where there's a will there's a way.  

I  will admit that I'm not a hanger during the winter months and I rely upon that electric drying machine that lives in the basement.  But you can bet that as soon as the last frost sets in my outdoor drying rack is once again put into service.  After all,  there's got to be a reason that we live in one of the windiest parts of the entire country.  

When I was a youngster I recall wash day when all of our doll clothes were laundered and hung on the line to dry.  I even had a clothes pin bag and clips of my very own (still have it in fact).  There's nothing quite like the sight of a clothes line filled with miniature clothes.  

These days my lines hold regular sized replicas of my doll's clothing on a regular basis. It's a joy to watch them flap in the breeze and I liken it to the personification of the wind.  Wind is just a part of life on the prairie.  And we all know that nary a day goes by when there isn't a brisk breeze in these parts.  

Except last week.  I was amazed to discover while enjoying an evening motorcycle ride in the country that even the mighty wind turbines were stilled.  Dead in fact.  It was an eerie sight  indeed. I guess it was the one out of 365 days of the year when calm had descended on the territory.  I recorded the date for posterity.

Let's face it, we've got wind so why not use it.  As they say, when life gives you lemons, nothing better to do than make lemonade.  

July 14, 2014

Technology changes the way we reach out and touch someone

These days it's impossible to find many folks by their phone number.  The phone book, by my standards, is one of the most fascinating books ever published - one of the greatest references volumes around.  Who hasn't, in a fit of boredom, grabbed the phone book to peruse its helpful pages.  Alright, maybe that is just a me thing.  I don't know.

What I do know is that telecommunication has bounded by miles in the past few years.  Looking back to simpler times is kind of fun.  And really, not that long ago, there were operators who manually connected us via our telephones.  I know that might be difficult to fathom for those whose lives are virtually dictated by their "smart" phones and GPS devices, but once upon a time things were done rather differently. 

Read on:

Central Telephone Will Convert Slayton to Dial System in '62

"Slayton telephones and the rural lines out of the Slayton office will all be converted to a dial system during 1962.  Three crews are already at work in the Slayton area setting new poles and stringing new copper wire that will be required for the new dial system. By the end of this year the Slayton area will be converted and when Slayton is converted it will represent the end of the last exchange in the Central system to use operator instead of the modern dial system.

The total expenditure involved will be $200,000 and probably more, depending on how many of Slayton's 1,400 telephones must be replaced.  There will be no telephone operators on duty in Slayton after the system is converted.  For long distance service, area patrons will dial "0" and will be connected directly with a long distance operator in Marshall.  

All local telephone numbers will also be changed for the new service.  Once the dial system is installed, seven-digit numbers will be assigned to each telephone here."

That announcement was made early in the year of 1962.  When December rolled around, newspapers reported the following:

"The last call on the old manual switchboard was taken by veteran telephone operator Mrs. Amy Semens.  'Brady', as she has become known to hundreds of area residents, went into retirement with the switchboard.  She is the senior operator in this system with 35 years of operating the Slayton switchboard. "

The first call placed without Semen's  assistance was placed by Mayor and Mrs. A.D. Weck in December 1962, to their daughter Karen, in Germany.  "The Wecks enjoyed crystal clear reception on their trans-Atlantic call to inaugurate the dial service here," the Herald reported in that week's newspaper.

These days there are no human beings behind any sort of technical exchange.  Keep that in mind the next time you "dial" up a friend or loved one.  

Times they are indeed a-changing!

July 7, 2014

Horse shows always exciting entertainment

This weekend Slayton will once again play host to the 8th Annual Murray County Classic Draft  Horse Show at the county fairgrounds.  Gates open at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday and festivities will continue through Sunday afternoon.  It's definitely a show to take in as there will be more than 100 Belgian, Percheron, Clydesdale and Shire horse teams  on the grounds.

Horse spectaculars are nothing new in these parts.  Back in August of 1941, Murray County hosted a rodeo that was touted to, "Thrill Valhalla Crowds."   

Read on.....

"Those who like the life of the wild west with its thrills and spills will have their heart's content Sunday when Glenn Spiller of Huron, S.D. brings his wild-west rodeo to Valhalla.  Included in the program are bronk-riding, calf-roping, bulldogging steer riding, chariot races and Roman standing races.

Outstanding bucking horses from the noted Roe Bailey string of Custer, S.D., will be seen in action as will be the famous Appaloosa horses owned by Mr. Spiller and adjudged by the Appaloosa Horse club of Moro, Oregon, as the best of the breed.  There are but 60 of these horses registered in the United States.

To be seen also is "Panchita", the widely  known trick horse of Minot, N.D. and "More Power," famous high jump horse of the Sutton Ranch, Agar, S.D.  One of this horse's many feats is to jump over two saddle horses and also over an automobile.

Eva Hammond, famous 14-year-old Huron girl, will give an exhibition of Roman standing riding, etc. 

 Mr. Spiller offers two cash awards, $20.00 to any local rider who can make a qualified ride on his horse, "C.O.D." and also $10 cash per head to owners who bring local horses which his cowboys and cowgirls cannot ride."

Sure sounds like it was a show that you wouldn't want to miss indeed, and I'm sure that people turned out in flocks to witness the automobile-vaulting horse.  

Kind of like the Classic Draft show coming to Slayton in a way.  But this weekend show promises to showcase the "Yesteryear's work horses and the beauty, grandeur and sheer force of today's draft horses."  

Check it out, why don't you.  You can make some memories of your own while you're at it.

June 30, 2014

Some toys just feed the imagination

Watching my great-nephew Sam proudly displaying his latest Lego creation the other day made me think back to a time when a couple other little boys used to delight in spending endless hours with their Legos.

Most of Sam's models are Star Wars-themed and the seven-year old boy carefully followed the intricate directions to complete them.  When my sons were his age, they used to delight in dumping the numerous boxes filled with plastic pieces onto the floor.  The carpets in the living room were literally awash in a sea of red, white and blue parts. They would play with their Legos for hours at a time and never seemed to tire of the game.

Son #1 and his best friend loved constructing race cars.  Then they would hold a smash up derby and destroy what they'd built.  Son #2 delighted in stretching his creative limits to devise any number of fantastical machines.  The possibilities were always limitless and the best part was that they never tired of the game.

Perhaps these beloved toys have been around so long because one just never tires of the infinite possibilities that spill out of the box when its opened.  Personally I love them because they encourage creative and analytical thinking, demand dexterity and determination, and they're just plain fun.

Best of all, I think that playing with Legos teaches you one of the greatest lessons:  If you can imagine it, you can build it.  And if you build it, do it with careful attention, because at any moment it may crumble into pieces.  But if that happens, you just put the pieces back together again.  They might not all be in the same place, but things always find a way of coming together in the end.