Just think....

What if we still had to cook our meal on a stove like this....in the heat we have been having.
When I was a young girl, my mom cooked on stove much like the one above...you can see what is left of it HERE....I think I was in about the 3rd or 4th grade when my sister bought her an electric stove.
We also heated with a coal stove, but not like this one. In fact, I have looked for an image similar to the one we had with no luck at all.

Anyway, these were at Patton's corner in the 'house'...and no not the shack showing on Time Stand still today. I will post the 'house' another day....either here or over there.

Remember before I mentioned that we all had to carry in wood and kindling for the stoves. One time, my brother that is next to me in age was chopping kindling. Apparently it was a piece of lumber...for he had it laying on the ground between his feet splitting it. I don't know what/why it happened, but he chopped his foot instead and had a big gash in it. He was using a hatchet instead of an axe....

To the best of my memory....there was no visit to the doctor. I bet today he would have gotten stitches. I don't even remember him complaining afterwards.
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When we were kids, we were certainly not rich. And I don't know how or where it came from, but there was always boards/old lumber in the woodshed. If we wanted to do or make something, we could usually find what we needed. And there was always nails...now if we needed bigger nails like size 12, 16, etc--we might have to go get them. Though there would usually be a few. But we typically had some #8's and maybe #10's on hand....

And we even saved old nails if they weren't too bad and would straighten them out to re-use on occasion. When have you heard of anyone doing that?

I got ahead of myself....

I should have did this post first, rather than the post from Patton's Corner that I did yesterday. But better late than never. When we started our drive, I asked Roger if he minded sticking close to home...I just did not feel like a long drive to get somewhere, then a long drive home. So, most of our little drive day before yesterday took place in Parke County. I had hopes of seeing an eagle...but that did not happen.
Instead, one of the first things we came across when we got out to where I considered the drive beginning was this view! And let me tell you, my photo does not do it justice. It was just so pretty to come upon this view. I had Roger pull over for me to take photos...

If you click to enlarge the above photo, you will see a gentleman walking out to his garage. I did not notice him when I took the photo.

I was busy trying to figure a way to get a good close up view of the flowers. I had take probably half a dozen shots when I looked up and here came someone riding up to me on a 4-wheeler. I stood up and greeted him...and told him how beautiful I thought the flowers were...what a glorious view to have come into view.

He and his wife had retired and moved back to this part of Parke County. They had planted this strip of wildflowers, and plan to extend it all along the edge of this property in the coming years.

We talked several minutes, and during the time I told him who I was, and told him where my husband had worked...don't know why I didn't tell him where I had worked. Anyway, when I told him about Roger, he had to go down and talk to him and tell him a story about the place he retired from. So I took a few more photos, and went back to the car...

Well, they were having a good talk...and during that found out that besides having a great love for wildflowers, this gentleman loves black powder/muzzleloading/mountain man type of stuff. This is stuff Roger loves.

And he knew a lot of history...I did not ask him what he was retired from, but wondered if it was from being a teacher or something.....I sure would have loved to have had him for a history teacher.

He told us some things about our area that we had never known. For one there is a little bitty town not too far from here by the name of Mecca. Roger asked him something about the name....and at one time the town had had a going concern making bricks and tiles, I think. He said there had been about a 140 Arabs come and work there....and if you go to this cemetery near there, you will see in the back some headstones with Arabic writing on them.

He also told us other things we didn't know, but would probably bore you to tears...but I could not leave out the part about Arabs living near here. It is just hard to imagine and you have to wonder what they thought of this area. And wonder why they left and where they went.
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Edited to add:
I forgot I had this set to post. I meant to wait and add the temperature high for the day. The weather station reported 106.5º...here our thermometer said 108º...and I believe it. It is like walking out into an oven here.

Patton's Corner in Indiana

Yesterday was such a beautiful day, we took a little rambling drive...most of which took place in Parke County, Indiana.
This is a little place out in the middle of nowhere. We have passed it numerous times but have never stopped and looked around.

Yesterday we did things differently...we pulled off the road and meandered around through the old implements and tools.

They were so close together that it was near impossible for me to get really good photos, but showing a few of them anyway.

They will at least begin to give you a feel for the place.

All of these photos will enlarge if you click them...they might look better that way but I am not sure.

I will be showing a few more shots from this place in days to come. I could go back there today and enjoy it. There was just more than I could take in. It is just there for you to look at...no one gives a tour or anything. There is a little house/shack that is just full of stuff. Again, could not take it all in.