The other day I passed along to Liz a copy of a cookie recipe that my grandmother gave me when I was about her age. In fact I bought the notebook I saved it in at the college bookstore when I was attending.
I have only made these particular cookies a couple of times because they are really fussy, but I LOVE them. If she makes them she is going to bring me a couple....
It got me thinking of the information connection we share with those both older and younger than ourselves. Although the Internet has changed this in many ways, at least on the farm words of wisdom...and recipes...are still handed down from one generation to the next.
I am hoping this week to write the Farm Side about the valuable knowledge passed down to us by our older relatives....things that a college education doesn't teach us.
This doesn't have to be farm related, although that would be especially nice.
I am going to mine the boss's brain for some of this sort of thing, but I would be really grateful if some of you would share wise tidbits passed along to you by your ancestors or mentors. If you wish to remain anonymous that is fine or I will attribute if you prefer.
One of my favorite examples is something your GPS won't tell you.....when spreading manure on a windy day, direction is everything.
So please, share your favorites in the comment section and thank you very much in advance.
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10 comments:
My maternal grandpa farmed all his life and knew a LOT about weather, farming, conditions in general, politics, and life.
"People tend to the politicians they deserve."
"In times of drought, all signs fail."
"Treat your neighbor like your family. You never know when you'll need help, too."
"Always give back more than you got, and it doesn't cost anything to be nice."
I am not sure who told me this first, but it is absolutely true... "The only thing in life that doesn't change is that all things change..." most of us hate change and fight it hard when we really need to embrace change, as it is the only way we will ever survive, adapt and change...to meet every situation. and the advice I gave my children, and it is absolutely true, "Find out what you enjoy doing and then go find a way to make a living at it, and you will be happiest, don't worry about the money, you won't need as much if your happy. Life is too short to make a living at work you hate and if you enjoy it, it's really not work, is it?"
One more I just read the other day, "When you are chopping wood, after you get tired of using the dull side of the axe, try using the sharp side, it's much easier...."
When hiking in bear country, you don't need a "bear gun", rather you need a hiking partner whom you can easily outrun.
Dad never coaxed more than a few vegetables from a neighbor's plot of land . . . but he did produce a nice crop of kids.
When I was a young mother . . and frantically nervous about my new infant son . . Dad turned to me one day and said, "Cathy, children are born to live."
I didn't become 'laid-back' . . but his wisdom softened my intensity and I will always be grateful.
Thank you all!!! These are exactly what I was hoping for! If you want your name used, please say so. Otherwise I will just use states and general and comfortably vague descriptions. These are great!
Mom (who made the BEST apple pie) always told me "never use anything but a McIntosh apple if you want a good pie". My mother in law told me at my wedding shower that if dinner was going to be late just make sure the table was set and the kettle was boiling and no one would even comment about the lateness of it.
Linda, thank you so much! I had already submitted the column before I got these, but I will save for a future one. A couple of folks added real good ones! This was a lot of fun.
"Never squat with your spurs on"
Raining Iguanas, great one! I love it! Thanks
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