Pick'n Blackberries

Back in yesteryear, food was food. There weren't choices.......there was just food if you could find it. Wild, edible foods were picked with delight and thanksgiving. Blackberries were no exception. They were free, delicious, and could be eaten fresh, cooked, or made into pies, cobbler, jams, jelly, preserves. It took a lot of individual berries to make a gallon, but it was worth the effort.

Some of the hazards of blackberry pick'n were: chiggers (red bugs), snakes, thorns, and wasp nest, just to name a few. Most people tried to do their pick'n early in the morning while the weather was cool. A gallon of fresh berries would get a boy about 75 cents if he was lucky.

An Outrage

It's an outrage............a billboard on top of Mount Rushmore!!

Actually the photo is a special effects photo. The photographer took a picture of Mount Rushmore and made a 8 X 10 print of it. Then he took a photo of a license plate on a car that said "Eat More Possum" and made a 4 X 6 print of it. He then cut out the "Eat More Possum" sign out with a pair of sissors. Next he put the "Eat More Possum" cut-out on top of the Mount Rushmore 8 X 10 and reshot the photo to make the one that you see with this narrative.

Shaving Brush and Mug

Years ago, shaving the hair on your face was a little different than it is today. There were no electric shavers, or safety shaving kits, etc. Men had a mug (see photo) with soap and water in it. They also had a brush to spread the mixture on their face. This mixture of soap and water made their straight razor glide smoothly over their face to avoid cuts. It also eased the painful scratching that the razor would cause without the mixture.

Surgical Instruments

If you needed surgery back in yesteryear, you were in for some real pain. Even the instruments looks like things out of a torcher chamber. Some even looked like they came from the local butcher shop. However, if you needed surgery, you needed surgery, and that was that. You took the pain hoping for better days ahead. Aren't you glad that God has blessed us with more modern less invasive surgery today?

A Woman's Book Of Suggestions For Being Frugal

Red Book and Good Housekeeping ain't got nothing on the women of the past when it comes to being interested in being frugal. Just look at the date on the book in the photo. Some of the suggestions in the book are just as applicable as today as they were back then. General policies were: waste not, want not; repair and fix everything; throw nothing away that can be used again as is or in another form; borrow things but always pay back. Not bad ideas for us today.

Herb Slicer

Back in yesteryear, people grew a lot of their own herbs. That's just the way it was. Anything that you could make or grow was done that way. Money was scarce. Some herbs needed to be mashed, sliced, and/or crushed to be in a useful form for seasoning and cooking. That's where the device in the photo came into play. It is a herb slicer and was found in most country kitchens. You won't find this item in todays kitchen. Our herbs come in bottles, zip lock bags, plastic containers, and you name it.

Governor Jimmie Davis As A Gospel Singer

Jimmie Davis is remembered for two main things............a Louisiana Governor, and a great gospel singer. As a singer, his voice was mellow and clear. His back-up singers were called the Anita Curr Singers. His piano player was Drew Shaw who also played piano at the First Baptist Church in Baton Rouge. He made several albums of gospel songs. One of his most popular songs was called "When They Ring Those Golden Bells For You And Me." It was one of those "tear jerkers" that you never forgot once you heard it. He also recorded a hit record called "You Are My Sunshine". It was his number one big hit. It has gone down in musical history as a classic, and is still sung by popular artist today.

Hayrack

There were always a few "racks" around the farm. They were used to keep whatever off the floor so as not to get wet and rot. Anything could be p;laced on them: tools, hay, equipment, whatever.

Old Fashioned Flower Garden

Gardens have been ingrained into the hearts of mankind since the "garden of Eden". They represent beauty, system, order, and simplicity. The garden in the photo is a riot of color, a mixing of specie, a scene of tranquility. Looks like a good place to read a good book and eat some hot oatmeal-rasin cookies. Come join me.

Takeing Time To Appreciate Beauty

People of yesteryear seemed to live at a slower pace in some ways. They appreciated the colors of a sunset, the mystery of a cloud pattern, the beauty of a feather, and the designs of flowers. This photo shows backlighting on a lily. Simple, elegant, and beautiful. Let's get back to those days.

Squirrel Sign

People used to hunt squirrels as much as they hunt deer today. It was a fun sport trying to find and shoot these crafty little animals. Before the season opened men would go into the woods and look for "squirrel sign". There were lots of sign to signal that squirrels were present and active in an area. One of those sign indicators was the eating of hickory nuts(see photo). A squirrel did not have to open a hickory nut entirely to pick out the meat of the nut. Their claws and teeth did that. If a hickory tree was especially heavily laden with nuts, the ground would be littered with nut droppings from squirrel eating activity. What did that mean to a hunter? Just slip up to that tree before dawn, sit quitely, and wait for the squirrels to come to you. Sometimes you could get your limit from just one tree.

Collecting Moths and Butterflies

Back in the old days, lots of kids collected moths and butterflies as a hobby or science project. There were lots of them: monarchs, swallowtails, cabbage, spicebush, and many more.........too many to mention by name. There were special butterfly nets manufactured back then. The trick was to stand very still around a flower bed and wait for a butterfly or moth that you wanted flew up to feed. Then is a fast sweeping motion try to catch the critter in the net. It wasn't as easy as it sounds. There was a lot more trying than catching.

Fresh Water Muscles and Muscle Shells

Fresh water muscles have been gathered and eaten for many years. Racoons are especially fond of them. The ones in the photo are small compared to some that are located in freshwater creeks. Those get to be the size of a glass coaster. Although it takes a lot of strength to open a big muscle..........they are no match for a racoon. They can open them as quick as a wink.

Muscle and oyster shells were often crushed for use as a type of mortar. Oyster shell mortar was called "tabby". Most of the old Spanish forts in Florida are made of this material. Muscle shell mortar was less common, but used from time to time.

Wood Latch

Back in yesteryear, anything that could be made at home was made at home. Buying anything was a "last resort". Sooooooooo, latches were made of wood. Just find a tree sapling that was the right size, cut and fashion to taste, and you have your latch. Not rocket science, but did the trick. Latches were a type of lock to keep critters inside or out.

Beaver Dams

Back in American "mountain man" times, beaver hides were in demand for top hats in England. Beavers in America were hunted and trapped nearly into extinction. When the top hat went out of style, the demand for beavers dropped accordingly. People quit hunting and trapping beavers and the specie made an amazing come-back. Now we are seeing beaver dams once again.

The beaver is a very good engineer when it comes to dam building. Without a computer, an engineering degree, or building tools, they build an effective water dam. Just a few limbs, sticks, twigs, and some mud, and they have themselves a dam.
Not bad!!

Running Trap Lines In A Pirogue

In the Bayou country of Louisiana, Frenchmen made a living by hunting, trapping, and fishing. The low country of the State was full of small streams, lakes, ponds, bayous, and oxbows. This situation required a craft that would float in shallow water..................the pirogue was the answer. It's a lot like a canoe, but less stable. Trap lines ran as far or as short as the trapper thought necessary. They trapped beaver, racoon, nutria, muskrat, and many other fur bearing animals. Fishing from a pirogue was great. You could get into the most shallow water to catch bass, bream, crappie, and catfish. Yesireeeee, the pirogue was the craft of choice........still is!

Coon Hunting

Not too many years ago, coon hunting was as big a sport as deer hunting is today. People had dogs that were especially trained to hunt coons, and were very good at it. A coon is a smart critter and good at outsmarting dogs on and off the ground. Coons knew where every hollow tree and log was located. They knew that dogs could not track them in water, and they knew that one dog alone was no match for them one-on-one. Coon hunts could be a one man activity or one for many men at one time.

Storeside Advertising

In the 1900's just about evey country store had storeside advertising on one or more of its sides (see photo). Some of the just common advertisers were: Coca Cola, tobacco companies, medication producers, and farm product producers. They were suppose to remind you of their product as you approached the store. That was suppose to create "impulse" buying of their product. Must of worked to some degree, because it was "the way" to advertise back then. You don't see many of those old storeside advertisements anymore............better photograph them while you can.

Weird Tree Shapes

People who frequented the woods back in the old days were aware of every twig, tree, vine, leaf, and stump. All of these were signs that told them of life as it was in the forest. People also appreciated the art forms of these items and told others about them. The photo shows a part of a tree that looks like a pregnant woman!!! What made it take this shape? Your're guess is as good as anyone else's. Maybe, it's just God expressing His sense of humor.

Feeding Trough

You couldn't just go to the feed and seed store and buy a metal feeding and/or watering trough back in the old days. If you wanted such a piece of equipment, you made it. The one in the photo was hacked out with a axe, hatchet, and hunting knife. Looks pretty goods! Sometimes the trough was placed on logs at both ends to get it off the ground. That helped keep it from rotting so quickly. This was a common item around farms, homes, and livestock holding pens. They were usually made of white oak is used for watering. Otherwise.............any old tree would do.

House Brooms

Every house needs one or more brooms to sweep out dirt, crumbs, and other waste matter. These early workhorses were made of sedgegrass. The broom stick was a local tree sapling. The sedge was tied to the stick with jute, horse hair, or yucca string. These old brooms worked fine and were very much in used until the 1950's. Then, manufactured brooms made them pass into history.

Early Lawnmowers

Remember when people didn't have lawnmowers? The lawnmower back in early days was a combination of sedge-brooms (see photo) and chickens, geese, and turkeys. Turf maintenance was not a "term" in those days. The only turf maintenance plan was, "don't allow ANY grass to grow in the yard". That meant, sweeping the yard everyday or just about every day. If grass or weed seeds did sprout, the chickens and geese ate them as they wondered around looking for stuff to eat. Sometimes people also used twigs and/or small limbs for brooms. The brooms were held together by jute, string, wire, horse hair, yucca fiber rope, or anything else that worked. They didn't have any Gorilla Glue back then.

Today, we have mechanical, powerful lawnmowers that you ride. Won't be long til they made 'em that are airconditioned. Won't that be something.

Church Steeples

Today, church steeples are so tall and fancy, they are works of art. Back in frontier days, a steeple was a symbol of the believers desire to reach out to God for His blessings and support. Back then, they knew that they needed Gods help and support. They understood that their survival was dependant on Gods momentary help.
The steeple was just a tangible symbol of what they believed in their hearts. May steeples always remind us of our need for God.

Cattle Horns

Waste not - want not..........that was one of the general unwritten policies of early Americans. Even cow horns were used for several storage purposes. One of the main uses for cow horns was to store gun powder. The horn was waterproof and carried a fair amount of power. Have you ever heard the old saying........."keep your powder dry"? That's where it came from! Another use of the cow horn was for calling in dogs that were on a fox, coon, bear, or deer hunt. When the dogs heard the call of the horn.......you never heard such barking and wailing put on by the dogs. they never wanted to quit hunting........hahahaha

Powder horns today are found only in antique stores and museums.

Early Whisk Brooms

There has always been a need for whisk brooms for small sweeping jobs around a home, shop, or farm. In fact, most of those places needed more that one. They were handy for sweeping up small bits of unwanted matter such as bread crumbs, sawdust, dust, dirt, etc.

These useful little brooms were made from whatever materials were available locally. In the South they were often made of sedge (a local weed), jute, corn shucks, dried leafy materials, or a combination of these items. They were bound together by animal hair. This hair was usually obtained from the mane or tail of horses, mules, cows, or oxen. A few people made string and/or rope from the string obtained from the yucca plant, also called Spanish bayonet.

Wood Spigot

Back in yesteryear, spigots were made of wood. Metal was not available or too expensive to use for anything but essientials. The spigot was used as a plug and faucet for barrels of liquid such as water, liquor, and wine. They were simple to make. A person who had carving skills could make one with a knife.

The wood of choice for a spigot was white oak. White oak wood is the only wood where; when the central part of the woods cells dies, the center does not decay. The center part stays intact. That characteristic makes the wood waterproof. That's why whiskey barrels today are still made from white oak wood. White oak wood fragments have been found on mount Arart in Turkey. Some scholors believe that Noah's Ark was made from white oak wood. That would have made since. Dogwood and beech were popular woods for spigots also. All three of these trees were common in many parts of the U.S.

Grass Sacks

The old grass sack was also called a "tow" sack. The sack was actually made of jute, a type of grass. You can find jude at any hardware or craft store. It's used today for gardening and craft work. The grass sacks were used in yesteryear for packaging grain and many other items. Every barn in American had a dozen or more empty grass sacks hanging on nails here and there. Farmers put dried peas and/or beans in them;used them when picking cotton by hand;stored various items in them for future use. Just couldn't farm without a lot of grass sacks around.

Candle Making

People used to make their own candles. There was no electricity, so light was a precious item. Most people just got up when the sun came up and went to bed when the sun went down. Even before the coal-oil lamp, there were candles. The wax came from the wax of wild bee hives, tallow, and other sources. The mold that you see in the photo is for candle making. Molds were in demand. Every household needed several candles on hand at all times. Candles were portable, inexpensive, and "the light of choice" back in those days. We still use candles today, but mostly in times of electrical power loss, or as home decorations.

Church Pews

Back in yesteryear, church pews were not purchased, polished, or padded. They were wood, a bit crude, and strictly functional. On the positive side, they lasted a lifetime, were easy to make, and wood was plentiful. After all, people gathered to praise God, not admire finished, beautiful furniture. This particular pew is in an old French church in Louisiana.

Copperhead Snakes

You are looking at one mean motorscooter. The copperhead is a pit viper with very deadly venum. One bite...and it's goodnight! Their coloring is the perfect camoflage for a rocky or forest habitat. Copperheads eat all kinds of things like eggs, mice, rats, birds, lizards, salomanders, frogs, etc. Some rural towns have an annual copperhead round-up. At an appointed time of the day participants go out into the countryside and look for copperheads. When they find one, they catch it alive and put it into a grass sack. At the close of the day, everyone gathers at a predetermined site and build a large bond fire. After the fire gets going and is burning real hot.............everyone pitches their grass sack full of copperheads into the fire. Sounds like a very good way of reducing the copperhead population

Eating Soft Shelled Turtles

In the South, there is a turtle that people call a soft shelled turtle. The shell is softer than other water related turtles and does not have the same markings. The photo shows the head and eyes of such a creature. They look a bit like a prehistoric monster. They get as large as a washtub, and are easily caught in traps or on hooks. The meat is delicious. During the great depression, meat was meat, no matter if it was domestic or wild. So, the soft shelled turtle made its way to the dining table on many an occasion. There are still plenty of soft shelled turtles around, but people don't eat them any more

Peach Baskets

Peach baskets used to be as common of clouds. They were at grocery stores, feed and seed stores, hardware stores, etc. People had them all over their barns and in the kitchen storage room. Not so any more. With the invention of plastic and layered paper sacks, the wood basket has become a vanish items in most places. Some say the game of basketball began when a man nailed a bottomless peach basket to a barn wall and learned to pitch a round ball through it. Maybe they are making a comeback.

Strange And Wonderful Sunsets

Not so long ago, people took time to stop and enjoy sunsets. To the few who did, God often rewarded them with marvelous demonstrations of air, light, and clouds. People saw odd colors, billowing clouds, strange cloud patterns, and other demonstrations of the power and might of God. It was magic and comforting. To catch one of those moments on film was a precious delight.

Popcicle Juice On Your Face

Oh, those wonderful popcicles. They came in grape, strawberry, banana, cherry, and lots of other flavors. HUMMMMMMMMM. There was just one little draw back. When they melted, the juice often got on your clothes, and always got on your face. It was great to see kids eat popcicles. They got the juice everywhere and didn't care one bit. Popcicles came with two sticks so you could break them in two and share with a friend. Yep.........good stuff.

Home Prayer Meetings

Not long ago, it was a common practice for poeple to gather at a home and pray about subjects of mutual concern. They believed that " where two or three are gathered together, there in the midst of them I will be". They prayed from their hearts not their heads. All ages were there and all got their turn to pray if they wanted to. If the spirit moved, the meeting might go well into the night. No one cared, it was what they wanted. Every one went home refreshed and empowered.

Listening To The Radio

Remember when people got their news from the radio? Listening to the radio was "the thing" in the early and mid-1900's. Programs like, The Breakfast Club; Amos and Andy; Big John and Sparky; Red Rider; No School Today, etc. kept people listening. News of World War I and World War II had people hungry for news all the time. They wanted news and lots of it. It was the first time in history that people could get their news from electronic means instead of print media. Yes, it was one of the great inventions of the 1900's.

Local Christmas Caroling

People used to get together, walk streets in their town, and sing Christmas carols. It was a tradition. Typical songs were: Silent Night, O Holy Night, O Little Town Of Bethlehem, Hark The Herald Angles Sing, Three Kings Of Orient,and Away In A Manger just to name a few. People of all ages participated in the event. It was festive and a great reminder of what the season is all about........the birth of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings!!!

Flying Kites

Games, toys, and entertainment back in yesteryear was often just a made-up thing by kids or theri parents. One of the things that could be made at home was a kite. Most any light-weight material like newspaper would do for the main material. Then a few small sticks, wood pieces, for the frame, and some string would put you in business. Then there was the business of a tail. It was needed to give the kite stability in the air. Some of the tails were quite elabrate as seen in the photo.

Carnival Glass

Years ago, every rural town had a Carnival in town for a week or two. There were rides, games, shows, etc. One of the games was the penney pitch. You would pitch a penney toward a dish, bowl, glass, or cup. If your penney stayed in the dish you got to keep it. If not, the penney went to the game owner/manager. A person who was good at "pitching" made out like a bandit. The type of dishes most often used for the game was called "Carnival Glass". It came in various colors and had a bit of shine to it that was unlike another type of glassware on the market at that time. You only see Carnival glass in antique stores now.

Sandlot Baseball

Baseball came to America and took it by storm. Everybody wanted to play. Back in the early 1900's boys just got together and played every chance they got. They didn't need uniforms, bases, coaches, umpires, lots of bats and balls...........they just played for the love of the game. If there were not nine men on each team, they just played with however many showed up. Many a good professional baseball player came from that type of background such as: Dizzy and Paul Dean, Joe Adcock, and Cy Young. Today kids think they have to have all the above and more or the game can't be played...........shame!

Ford Motor Company

Who would have thunk it???? Ford, GM, and Chrysler all in big money trouble. There was a time that Americans made the only cars and trucks on the planet. Now, vehicles from other countries has out produced, out performed, and out priced our own brands. Unbelievable! After 100 years of production and millions of dollars made and lost, all of our car companies are in trouble. Who knows? Perhaps in a few moe years....all there will be just a part of American history.

Remember When People Fished For Bream?

Today the overwhelming number of fishermen go for bass and/or crappie. Fewer numbers go for catfish and fewer yet for bream. One of the reasons that people used to fish mostly for bream was that few people had boats. Most people fished from creek banks with cane poles. That situation called for bream fishing using worms, crickets, grasshoppers, wasp nest larve, grub worms, etc. Sometimes, while fishing for bream you would catch a catfish, crappie, or bass, but not very often. Those fish were usually out in deeper water and you needed a boat and moter to get to them.
As for a long time...............bream was king!!!

One More Payment And It's All Mine

Early tractors make farmers feel like a king. Horses, mules, and oxen were no longer needed for those pulling and moving jobs. Tractors didn't get sick, need corn to eat, or get tired. On the other hand, they did break down, need new parts, use gasoline, oil, and were dangerous. You had to be on your P's and Q's when you were on one. Many a man lost his life when falling off and/or under on of those tractors. Nevertheless, it was worth all the risk when you got as much work out of them as you did.

Chevy Heavy Duty truck

Until the early 1960's or so there were only two major brands of trucks on the market........Ford and Chevy. People used to fight over which was the best, could pull the most, could carry the biggest load, was the cheapest to maintain, etc. By that time, both companies were building trucks for specialty purposes such as logging, hauling livestock, hauling chickens, carrying bales of cotton, hauling pine knots, etc. If you had a new product that needed a special kind of truck...either one of those companies would be happy to made just what you needed.

Spare Tire

Cars were made to carry only a few people at first. There wasn't much room for people or cargo. Luggage was put in the rumble seat in the back of the car. The spare tire was attached to the outside of the car. It had spoked wheels. The only kind available at the time. Tires didn't last very long back then. Roads were gravel and/or dirt. They were full of pot holes, pieces of metal, thorns, etc. Flat tires were about as common as full ones. Tires also had an inner tube inside them. If punctured, they had to be repared with a rubber patch.

Inside An Old Pickup Truck Cab

Buttons, knobs, levers, wheels, gauges, push peddles, gear shift, and on and on. That's what you found in the cab of early model trucks. Anyone getting into the cab for the first time certainly had a feeling of euphoria. It must have looked like a "time machine" to each entrant. When the key was turned on and the engine jumped into action, it made your heart skip a beat. When you put it in gear and drove it.......words can't express the feeling of freedom. Those old machine.....what wonders.

How About That Beauty?

It's not "on the road", but still looks pretty good. There was a time when it was one of the better trucks out there. Green was a popular color for trucks back then and now. The motor was an eith cylinder and it could pull like crazy. You could get it in right off the lot in most places, or order it from a dealer. Either way, you were sure to be pleased with its performance and happy with its price. Trucks didn't cost much back then (compared to now). Just jump in, crank it up, and you had yourself a "mean machine".

Ford Truck Of The Past

There she is! An old Ford truck used for logging and hauling farm related items. It was a floor shift model like all trucks of that era. Typical items hauled were: lumber, logs, pulpwood, gravel, sacks of livestock feed, pipe,etc. It got about 15 miles per gallon and was a very dependable truck. However, it was about that time that someone jokeingly came up with what they thought each letter in the word FORD meant. They said that the letters meant: Fix...Or...Repair...Daily!!! Oh well, Fords are still around, so I guess some people thought they were at least O.K.

Luxury Car

You are looking at what was considered a luxury car back in the mid-1900's. It would get about 18 miles per gallon, had a wide wheel base, white-walled tires, a radio, clock, air conditioner, and automatic headlight dimmer. People were thinking, "Man what will they think of next"? This car would do everything but shine your shoes. It was considered a six passenger car, a GM product, sold like crazy, and was HOT!

Trucks From Yesteryear

It was difficult to say whether cars or trucks got Americans love the most back in the 1900's Cars were fast and slick. Trucks were the new "tank" for the farm and ranch. Some lucky people were able to have one of each. Wow! The oldie in the photo is one that got over 100,000 miles on it before "giving up the ghost". It used a lot of oil...........but, who cared!!!!! It could haul a heavy load, get you through the mud, and deliver your cargo on-time every time. That's what counted!