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Thursday, March 25, 2010

The Thurwood Diary

Every now and then I open Charles Thurwood's 1874 pocket diary and compare his notations of what went on on his family's Fort Plain farm to what is happening on our farm in the here and now. Charles was a young man in 1874, voted for the first time that year. He and his family worked hard at farming, gardening and building around their place, but spent most evenings visiting neighbors and having fun.

"Windy but pleasant and i and til went to Mart Brookmans auction and we stade all day and our father boilt maple sugar 8 pounds got 3 pales of sap and 32 eggs"

Here at Northview, the sap run is about over, but the rest of the crew (excluding Beck and me) are going to Jim McFadden's auction on Saturday. It is windy, but pleasant this morning. The danged hens refuse to start laying...little do they know that if they don't get busy soon they are getting kicked out of the nifty new hen house to be replaced by some pullets, which I will find somewhere. There is no economy in raising your own eggs, but they sure taste good...darn it!

I bought Charles' diary way back when the boss and I were dating as a Christmas gift for him. It came from my dad and mom's bookshop, Tryon County Books. Mom is working hard at making an online catalog...if you are interested in history, hunting, fishing, shooting or any other antiquarian books, take a look. (I had the good fortune to grow up in a bookstore, reading Tarzan, the Hardy Boys and non-fiction animal science books well above my years....it changed my life in many ways)
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6 comments:

  1. Teri7:17 AM

    That diary is right up my alley - how wonderful that you have it! Where is McFadden's auction?

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  2. Deb8:46 AM

    What a wonderful gift for the Boss. I love antiquarian bookshops - you just never know what you are going to find :)

    A gentle breeze this morning and sunny - so happy the rain has stopped for now.

    We have a local weekly livestock auction a couple of hours north of us. I've never been but I'd like to some time. Probably better I don't = you never know what I would drag home!

    Have a great day -

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  3. Áslaug10:08 AM

    I had such joy reading your notations about yours nowadays life and Charles Thurwoods life in the past. It is always interesting to compare.
    In addition, I liked your notes about your parent’s antique bookshop. I just love books.
    Well about your hens I for sure hope they start laying soon, have you told them they will be kicked out of the new hen house if they dont? :)
    Have a wonderful day at your farm.

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  4. DayPhoto3:45 PM

    NO WONDER YOU ARE SUCH A GOOD WRITER! And thank you so much for the link. I love books. I love old books. I am heading right over there to visit!

    YEAH!

    Linda
    http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com/

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  5. joated7:10 PM

    "It is windy, but pleasant this morning. The danged hens refuse to start laying..."
    Perhaps they have been laying the same danged egg several times. Get them to turn around to face INTO the wind.

    Or get the stew pot ready.

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  6. threecollie7:04 AM

    Teri, I have two such diaries and know where there is a good one online. I love them! I wonder if blogs will fill the same niche or if they will all be lost. McFaddens is over on Route 20 just before you get to Sharon Springs. His machinery auctions are completely mind boggling. JD told us that the tractors and implements are lined up so close together that you can't walk between the tires. By the time the sale starts at 8AM the road will be lined with trucks for miles!!

    Deb, he has always enjoyed it, and I find it downright fascinating. We are still in full grey and gloomy mode here...wishing for sun.
    No small livestock auction around here any more and I miss it...I was the same way, I bought the darnedest critters. lol

    Aslaug, thanks! I have actually tried warning the hens that they will be running out in the yard dodging foxes, coyotes and fishers if they don't get busy, but so far they aren't rewarding us with any eggs. thanks for visiting!

    Linda, mom is adding books to the site every day, so keep stopping back when you get a chance.

    Joated, lol, they are a fairly elderly bunch and mostly of ornamental breeds as well. Still they better get busy.

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