The Path to You - BOGFF 22

 

If you could go back - if you could go back to any point of time in your life and change something that you regret.  Or if you could go back and take an opportunity that you missed.  Or if you could take a time machine and give your previous self a warning or a piece of advice.

What would you do?  When would you go?  How would you rather have things end up?

It's a common question and a common fantasy.  If I could go back and just change that, everything would be so much better.  I wouldn't have this stain on my soul.  I wouldn't have missed this chance.  I'd be richer.  I'd be more successful.  It would be better.

I was asked this question once, in a classroom in which I was the instructor.  Would you change some of the decisions you have made in your life if you could go back and make them again?

It wasn't a question I was prepared for because that wasn't exactly on topic.  And yet, it was a very good question, because it actually could be used to bring about some useful learning that was actually very much ON topic.  

I don't remember exactly what I said that day, but I do recall the basic idea of much of what I said.

Would I go back and make a change if I could? Would I if I could find an event that, for me, was so awful or an event that was pivotal, leading me to one of the darkest moments in my life - and a change by me could possibly remove the pain and maybe even make things better?

Perhaps I would be tempted.  But, then I hope I would remember.

The path I have taken to this day, has led me to this.  The path I have taken to this day has made me who I am.  The path I have taken up to this point, has led me to you.

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What's with the BOGFF 22 in the title?  I (Rob) am giving himself a bit of a blogging break at the end of the year in hopes that it will give me space for more creativity in the future.  Rather than creating a post or two linking the "best of" blogs for the year, while continuing to put out new material, I am resubmitting what I feel were some of the best posts for 2022.  Enjoy!

Do You Want to Feel Needed? - BOGFF 22

Sometimes you hear things in passing that get you to thinking, even if what you heard was out of context and not meant for you specifically.  Not too long ago I heard someone as I passed by.. or they passed by.. say a phrase that I've heard others say and maybe I've even thought or said it myself.

"I just want to feel needed."

I think we all get it in some way or another.  "I just want to feel needed" is a plea that says, "Please, someone, tell me that I have value and that you see that value."  It's a natural feeling.  It's normal to want to see evidence that others "see you" and recognize your presence and your... necessity... in this world.

And, before I go to far, let me say this.  You are needed.  The place you hold in this world is made for you and it is up to you how you operate in that space.  I recognize that many spaces are far more difficult to be in than others - but it is still your space and I see you there.  Thank you for being you and being who you are.

But, let's not take this desire to be needed thing too far.  If we predicate our own happiness on being "needed" in every space that we enter, we are likely to be very disappointed and VERY unhappy.

I remember how hard I worked at one of my early jobs out of college.  I worked all sorts of unpaid overtime.  I never said "no" when I was asked if I could do something, even with short notice.  I was doing everything I could to reach that point where I was the necessary cog for the machine that was the place I worked.  I was certain that, eventually, others would recognize my critical value to the organization and things would be ... good ... once that happened.

I worked so hard that I got sick.  I missed some work time.  So, I cut back my hours, realizing that I had to balance my life a bit better.  And, I got my recognition - in the form of a "concern that I was not working as many hours" as I had before.  There wasn't really any concern for me, as a person.  Just that I did not seem to want to be working as slavishly for this place as I had before I fell ill.

To make a long story less long, I eventually left that place of work.  Despite my absence, they eventually did finish the project I had been working on too.  They did NOT really "need" me to accomplish what was done.  That doesn't mean my contributions had no value.  In fact, looking back, I am sure they did.  If I were never involved they would have gotten somewhere - just like they did with my involvement.  The "somewhere" might have been different, but "somewhere" would have been reached.

Not everyone is motivated in the same way I am, but enough people are.  We want to show others that we are useful, that we are valuable, that we can accomplish and do good things on behalf of those we work for.  We have a tendency to discard much of ourselves in that quest to show that we are an important and critical resource.  But, we do so without recognizing that we may be asking to be needed in the wrong places and in the wrong ways.

After all, that business I worked for?  It had been active for decades before I came along and it continues to do its thing to this day.  My presence certainly was NOT needed for it to continue to exist and do what it did/does.  

I needed to change my goal from being "the necessary cog" in the machine to a "useful cog."  Instead of wanting to feel needed, I have learn that I actually needed to be helpful... in whatever it was I hoped to be doing.  That meant I needed to keep myself healthy so I could consistently be a positive member of the team.  An over-worked, burnt out individual is going to break down and become less than helpful eventually.

So, do you want to be needed?  Well, you are.  Because you're the only you we've got!  But instead of trying to make the case that we are needed - needed more than anyone else - maybe we should all make the case to ourselves that we need to be helpful.  And, we have to recognize that we cannot be helpful if we are not also caring for ourselves.

Do you want to feel needed?  Well, you are!  I need you to be helpful.  I need you to be kind.  I need you to do the best you can in whatever you do.  And, I need you to find ways to keep learning to be the best you that you can be.

Have a good remainder of your day, and thank you for joining me on the blog today.

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What's with the BOGFF 22 in the title?  I (Rob) am giving himself a bit of a blogging break at the end of the year in hopes that it will give me space for more creativity in the future.  Rather than creating a post or two linking the "best of" blogs for the year, while continuing to put out new material, I am resubmitting what I feel were some of the best posts for 2022.  Enjoy!

A Touch of QWERTY - BOGFF 22

I have had a week full of busy office days after taking a week off from my Pesticide Action Network job.  Now, don't get me wrong.  This wasn't exactly a full week long vacation because we only spent a couple of nights away from the farm.  Part of the deal was we both needed to step away from jobs so we could spend some time actually doing things on the farm.  So, yeah, it was a vacation from the salary earning jobs, if you will - and it was wonderful.

Upon returning to the PAN job, I found I had a bit more energy for it - something I had been lacking for a while.  But, I also found my email inboxes full (both for the farm and PAN) and there were a host of things I needed to do and LOTS and LOTS of correspondence that needed me to reply.

So, I've doing a significant amount of typing.  After a flurry of email responses and a stint editing someone else's document I started to realize exactly how fast I was typing.  And, I gave myself a minute to feel grateful that my Mom taught me how to be a touch typist at a young age.

We had a manual typewriter at home that also doubled as an exercise machine for our hands and fingers.  Each key would cause a metal arm to swing towards the paper.  As it approached, the typewriter would raise the ink ribbon up so that it was between the top of that arm and the paper.  The trick was to strike each key sharply enough that it would impress some ink onto the paper.

The innards of our typewriter would have looked a bit like the one shown below.
 

Of course, Mom wanted each of us to learn how to be a "touch typist."  In other words, we learned where the "home row" was and we taught our hands to know where all of the keys on the keyboard were without looking down (other than to check at the beginning that we had placed our hands correctly over that home row).

Over time, I got to be pretty good with typing.  But, our typewriter had a few issues.  One of them was the fact that we didn't get a new ribbon very often so I sometimes had to stop and wind the ribbon forward past sections that didn't have much left to them.  The other was that if you got going too fast, you could end up with a tangle of those arms all jumbled up part way between their resting place and the paper.  Then you would have to spend time UNjumbling the mess before you could start again.

And, let's not talk about what you had to do if you DID make a mistake.

But, hey!  It was motivation to get really, REALLY good at typing.

At the time I was attending junior high they were still teaching typing classes and everyone had to take it.  The typewriters were newer and were (gasp) electric.  That meant you didn't have to muscle each key to the paper.  It also meant you got fewer ...er... jumblings of the keys.  Which meant you could type faster.  And, of course, they measured your progress by giving you tests to determine the words per minute you could type.

After the teacher reminded me that I did not have to pound the daylight out of the keys as I selected them, I started hitting speeds in the 80 words per minute range and made it to the 90s before class was over.  I was curious, so I took a typing test at this site just to see where I would land now.  And, that's when I remembered that typing tests require that you translate something from another source to your brain and then to the paper (or screen) as you type.

I'm um... not used to that.  After all, most of my typing starts with stuff in my brain that I put onto the screen.

My first attempt was miserable because I didn't realize a couple things.  First, single spaces after periods (that's a case where my training failed me).  Second, once you are off by one character with this typing test, everything that follows will be an ERROR.  Ooops.

Armed with that knowledge, I gave it another try and landed at 71 words per minute and 98% accuracy.  Ok.  I can handle that.

A Dvorak typewriter keyboard layout - from this NPR page viewed 8/25/22

I remember the confusion my siblings and I had when we were introduced to the QWERTY keyboard that was the boon for all well-trained touch typists and the bane of everyone else.  Why in the world were the letters OUT OF ORDER?  Who decided that asdfghjkl; should be the "home row?"  I mean, at least the darned numbers were in order - but what was with the rest of them?  Speaking of jumbled messes!

This interesting article on the NPR website actually talks about some of the alternative keyboard layouts that some have argued would be better.  For example, the Dvorak keyboard layout shown above places the letters that comprise 70% of the most commonly used letters on that home row, rather than asdfghjkl;. 

It is clear to me that the proponents for the Dvorak keyboard have never typed on a typewriter where you had to slam each key with enough force to make the floor shake.  I gotta tell you.  If you have to use your pinky finger as often as you would on the Dvorak keyboard, you'd be crying to go back to QWERTY as soon as you possibly could.

Or you'd just join the group of people who use your two index fingers and "hunt and peck" your way through life. 

Well, all right.  I'll grant you that the "a" is in the same place.  It's that darned "s" that would have gotten me.  And, why in the world would you put the "x" where your strongest fingers would be and the "v" and "l" where the weakest ones are?  

The article shows another alternative called the Colemak design... and I might concede on that one except for one thing. I'm already a touch typist on the QWERTY keyboard, why would I even entertain the idea of a different keyboard design?  

Um.  I wouldn't.  But, I might consider celebrating National Typewriter Day - it's on June 23 next year.

And now you know.  Have a great rest of your day!

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What's with the BOGFF 22 in the title?  I (Rob) am giving himself a bit of a blogging break at the end of the year in hopes that it will give me space for more creativity in the future.  Rather than creating a post or two linking the "best of" blogs for the year, while continuing to put out new material, I am resubmitting what I feel were some of the best posts for 2022.  Enjoy!

Ripples on the Pond - BOGFF 22

 

I was out doing some morning farm work when I looked and saw a significant smoke trail on the horizon.  It is certainly not the first time I've seen a smoke trail, but this one struck me because it had fooled me when I glanced out the window earlier in the morning into thinking the day was going to be very hazy.  Well, it was a little bit hazy, I suppose, but really it was more clear than anything.  

Now, before I go much further, let me assure you that this was not a house or barn fire - there appeared to be no emergency in progress.  Instead, it was a deliberate burn and I will give no more details than that - because that's not the point.

The point is this:

How often do we take an action and either fail to consider how it will impact others or simply decide to ignore the ripples that result when we throw a stone into the pond?

Just look how far that smoke had traveled from this single point.  It's a great example of what a temperature inversion (warmer air acting as a cap for cooler air and preventing smoke from rising further off the ground).

Tammy and I like to have our windows open, especially at night.  Unfortunately, there have been many times we have been awoken to the smell of smoke that causes one of us to get up to investigate in case we have a problem.  Usually, the smoke is from someone's fire miles away that has been capped by just such an inversion.  And, I am pretty certain that those who lit that little fire to burn their trash (or whatever) did not consider who else might be affected by what they were doing at that moment. 

But, this is not a rant about people burning things on days where there is a temperature inversion.  After all, where does that smoke go when there isn't a warm-air cap?  It goes higher into the atmosphere - along with so many other things we like to spew out into the air.  Eventually, it comes down in rain.  So, it's not as if it disappears.  It's still there.  And there is no telling where it will eventually land.

The point is this.  The things one person puts into the air (smoke from fires, pesticides, vehicle emissions - you name it) can impact places that are far away.  The ripples each of us make on the pond can make a difference in the lives of other people, places and things.

And we seem to have a difficult time taking that reality seriously.

 

What you are seeing now is a close-up picture of one of our ash trees that died after the Emerald Ash Borer came and infested all of the ash trees in our area.  The borer larvae essentially burrow (and eat) their way through the part of the tree just under the outer bark, where water and nutrients are transported to the branches and leaves.  The net result is that the tree dies.  This has been devastating in our area because there were a significant number of ashes on farmsteads and woods.

The Emerald Ash Borer originated in Russia and northern China and was first identified in the US in 2002.  The likely vector for travel was wood used in cargo ships for packing and crating consumer goods.  Now - 20 years later - we're lucky to find any ash trees that aren't dead or dying in Iowa.

The ripples on the pond have reached our shores.

How did it happen?  I'm sure we'll never know. And it isn't important that we pinpoint who made the decisions or made the mistakes that led to the use of infested wood for packaging.

Someone took a shortcut to get a job done that they were being pressured to do.  Someone decided that expending more effort, time or resources to make sure lumber was not infested was not worthwhile.  Someone wasn't even aware Emerald Ash Borers were a thing.  Or maybe someone decided it wasn't worthwhile to read through all of the restrictions for packing materials (that might have alerted them to the problem) because it was annoying and infringed on their rights to just get things done the way they wanted to do it.

After all, people don't often see these far flung results - the ripples that wash ashore somewhere else to become someone else's problems.  Besides, they're probably too busy being worried and bothered by the waves someone else has created that are flooding their own lives.

Happily, not all ripples in the pond are unwelcome.

I've noticed that some of the ditches on the gravel roads in our area have been exhibiting more flowers over the past several years.  A neighbor a half mile down the road put in many acres of pollinator habitat that includes these flowers.  It appears that one unintended (and welcome) consequence is that these flowers are showing up in ditches around us.

This is the great equalizer that we desperately need to remind ourselves of.  If you, or I, or someone else does something with forethought, wisdom and good intent, those ripples can also find their way to distant and unknown shores.

When we take the time to consider the consequences, both negative and positive, and we act on the positives - there is no telling how many lives and places may benefit in the end.

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What's with the BOGFF 22 in the title?  I (Rob) am giving himself a bit of a blogging break at the end of the year in hopes that it will give me space for more creativity in the future.  Rather than creating a post or two linking the "best of" blogs for the year, while continuing to put out new material, I am resubmitting what I feel were some of the best posts for 2022.  Enjoy!

Conflicting Signals - BOGFF 22

 

We love our flowers at the Genuine Faux Farm, and we make a big to-do about the German bearded iris and the day lilies, with the big, bright and showy flowers.  We also love our pollinators at the Genuine Faux Farm, and we make a similarly big to-do about how we strive to make our farm friendly for beneficial insects and other critters to flourish and thrive - all while pollinating our veggie and fruit crops.

But, when these big flowers bloom, we rarely see any pollinators visiting them.  Instead, we see pollinators on flowers like this:

Rudebekia, Purple Coneflower, Milkweed, and numerous smaller, less showy flowers like clover, goldenrod, or hyssop are the stars when it comes to pollinator attention.  And we know why that is.

You see, the highly hybridized day lilies are bred specifically for flower and plant characteristics that humans appreciate.  There is very little, if any, consideration for making sure the traits that make a lily flower interesting to a pollinator remain (or are enhanced).  In fact, there has been so many generations of selection to get flowers like the one I opened the blog with that I wouldn't be surprised that pollinators, if they could talk to us, would tell us that these are not, in their eyes, even flowers.

On the other hand, flowering plants that are native to our region or are closer to the native strains have been selected over time by the pollinators.  What I mean by that is that many of these plants rely on pollinators for their reproduction.  If pollinators do not visit, then these types of flower cease to reproduce successfully - so it is in their interest to show off for the pollinators.  If humans like them, that's fine too, because then we're less likely to mow them down or spray them, I guess.

On the other hand, an iris, like the one shown above survives and is able to propagate as long as humans show them favor.  So, the big blooms that don't tend to attract pollinators make sense because their path to survival is to impress US.  

This, of course, does not mean that these flowers fail to attract attention from other critters.  Deer have been known to take healthy bites of our day lilies and there are other insect pests that can give these plants some grief.  This is the source of some of the conflicting signals I referenced in the blog title comes from.

Even today, many of the big companies that propagate perennial plants that people like to put in their gardens still use neonicotinoids to provide a systemic resistance to pest insects that like to munch on decorative plants.  After all, a decorative plant with bites taken out of it seems much less decorative.  But the problem with this is the fact that neonics do not discriminate.  They kill pollinators just as readily as they do the pests that damage the plants.

This is why we got away from buying plants unless we could ascertain whether or not they were treated with these systemic insecticides.  Yet we still have these big beautiful plants here and there on our farm.

Are we sending conflicting signals?

Well, if we didn't send at least some conflicting signals about most anything we do, we would not be humans.  Humans are notoriously inconsistent.  But, we are doing the best we can to be as consistent as we are able.  We still love our big and bold flowers and we still love the less conspicuous flowers that the pollinators appreciate.  

We are consistent in our inconsistency.  We appreciate beauty in many forms.  We respect nature and how it works.  We do our best to find a balance.  We are always questioning whether we've got it right or not.  We do our best to adjust as we learn.

At present, our big beautiful blooms coexist with our pollinator habitats.  Neonicotinoid treatments are typically residual in a plant for one to two years.  So, any plants we may have unknowingly acquired with this insecticide (and are still alive) should have worked it out of their system.  Newer plants have generally been purchased after inquiring about pesticide treatments.  And we continue to work on providing wild space for our pollinators.

It's a worthwhile effort.  What do you think? 

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What's with the BOGFF 22 in the title?  I (Rob) am giving himself a bit of a blogging break at the end of the year in hopes that it will give me space for more creativity in the future.  Rather than creating a post or two linking the "best of" blogs for the year, while continuing to put out new material, I am resubmitting what I feel were some of the best posts for 2022.  Enjoy!

Entitled to What? - BOGFF 22

 

My siblings and I attended Emerson Hough Elementary in Newton, Iowa, and I recall being taught at least a little bit about who Emerson Hough (1857-1923), the school's namesake, was.  He was a person with many callings: teacher, lawyer, outdoorsman, writer, and conservationist.  Hough was born in Newton, graduated from the Newton schools, and went on to publish several novels.  Two of these (The Covered Wagon and North of Thirty-Six), were turned into screenplays - becoming popular silent films.

Newton, itself, was established in 1846 and had just been incorporated as a city during the year of Hough's birth (1857).  In a way, Emerson Hough was, perhaps, the first Newton-born settler to reach some level of fame.  Though, I am afraid we'll never know how Hough would have stacked up against the generations of native sons and daughters who came before as members of the Ioway.  Yet, if we look at white culture in the United States, Hough did do things worthy of recognition.

So, the school I attended was named after him.  The building was put up in 1927, so Hough was no longer alive for the building's naming.  I suspect it was not something he had asked for, but it happened nonetheless.

I got started on this topic because someone I know was sharing an article on social media and I decided I should at least look at it.  I read the first few lines and quickly skimmed the rest - rapidly giving it up as a bad cause.

The author started out the whole thing by saying they had donated millions of dollars to an institution and had a wing of a building named after them.  This had been several years ago.  But now, this person wanted special dispensation by the college to do something else.  What followed was essentially a rant about a topic that will not be mentioned here.

So, why do I bring it up?

I want to ask you this:  

If you give a gift to someone, or some organization, what does that entitle you to?

If I give a gift to a sibling's child, does that mean that I should expect - and maybe demand - their love and adoration in return?

If I donate money to the local food bank, do I expect them to cook a special meal or two for me in the future?

If this person donated money and wanted to have their name placed on a sizable chunk of a building, that's another thing altogether.  All I can say is they got more return than a gift merits.  Not because a gift is not worthy of recognition.  No.  It's because a gift is not a gift if you expect a return from it.  

This person bought publicity, personal achievement, and glory by purchasing a place to have their name prominently placed for as long as that building stands.  And now, this person wants more, solely on the basis that they gave a gift...once upon a time.

So, what are we entitled to if we give a gift - if anything?

I know that I like to receive some acknowledgement, if only to confirm that the gift was received.  And, I might admit that it means more to me if the friend, relative, or other individual to whom I gave a gift lets me know they do appreciate what they received.... assuming they actually did (please don't lie about it!). 

And, for those rare moments when I actually surprise you (and me) that I found something you really like, I do actually really enjoy hearing that you still like to use it, or look at it, or whatever.  But, I don't expect any other sort of return.  It's just nice to know that you like it, that's all.

And, when it comes to donations...  well, I always have to wonder a bit when a person seems to need to see their name in print, or receive other accolades in return for something that is supposed to be a gift.  And, I definitely have a problem when that person starts feeling like they are owed more in return for those same "gifts."

In fact, many charitable programs fall into this trap themselves by listing donors - in order from biggest donations to smallest - as if the $10 donation from a person who makes less than minimum wage is worthy of less praise than a person who donated $10,000 and for whom that 10 grand was a tiny percent of the money available to them.  

You know.  A nice list of people who donated is good enough, by way of a thank you, without highlighting who has money and who does not - don't you think?  Unless, of course, this IS a transaction.  And, if it is, let's stop calling it charity and call it for what it is.  

Then we can clearly delineate in the contract where the service being purchased starts...and where it ends.

Meanwhile, I still like the idea that I went to a school named after Emerson Hough - a person who appears to have embraced life-long learning, had an affinity for the natural word, and liked to write.  It helps that I suspect the naming of the school was not transactional in nature.  Instead, the people of the town looked at someone who had come from there and done some pretty cool things.  It's a gift that goes a couple of ways - it tells the descendants of Emerson Hough that some people thought he did pretty well in the world.  And it encourages elementary students to consider what others have done before them and to think about what they might want to go on to do.

I can live with that.

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What's with the BOGFF 22 in the title?  I (Rob) am giving himself a bit of a blogging break at the end of the year in hopes that it will give me space for more creativity in the future.  Rather than creating a post or two linking the "best of" blogs for the year, while continuing to put out new material, I am resubmitting what I feel were some of the best posts for 2022. 

Note: I included this one during the last week of the year for a specific reason.  Many people participate in "end of year" giving to various charities for reasons that are particular to each individual.  Perhaps you can consider what I wrote above as you consider your own gifts this year.

Twelve Covers for a Christmas Postal History Sunday

Welcome to a special Christmas edition of Postal History Sunday.  I figured it was appropriate since Christmas falls on a Sunday this year.  The theme this week is inspired by the song, the Twelve Days of Christmas.  For those who are not familiar, the song begins with the first day of Christmas, which would be TODAY, and it continues until January 5.  But, since I don't really want to spread this out with twelve different blog posts - we'll just do them all here.

If you want to hear a rendition of the tune that inspired the blog post, I find the pandemic-inspired version by Pentatonix to be entertaining and well-done. It was one of many creative projects released that helped me, and likely many others, get through difficult times.  If the music isn't your thing, I suggest this well-cited wikipedia page on the history of the tune to engage those that like history and interesting background information.

And now, without further ado or preamble, I present

Twelve Covers for a Christmas Postal History Sunday

And, no, I am NOT going to type out each one over and over for subsequent verses. If that is critical for your enjoyment, I suggest you get used to using your mouse's scroll button and re-read the pertinent section.

So, the first cover for a Christmas Postal History Sunday features

ONE wrapper band on a newspaper

This Belluna, Italy, newspaper dated March 2, 1871, was enclosed by a paper wrapper band that served as a surface for the mailing address and postage.  The band also kept the newspaper together and prevented it from inconveniently opening up while it was in transit through the mail services.  The newspaper arrived at the Vittorio post office the same day it was mailed according the marking on the other side of the wrapper.

Wrapper bands were just one way items that qualified for reduced postage as printed matter could be mailed so that postal clerks could readily inspect the contents. To qualify items could not include personal messages and their presence would void the privilege of that reduced postage.  With a wrapper band, postal clerk could, if they wanted to, slip the item out of the wrapper, take a good look, and then slide it back in.  However, I can tell you that I have not slipped this newspaper out of the band myself.  After all, I can't read Italian all that well and I suspect the news might be a bit dated.

For those who are interested, this item was featured in a June Postal History Sunday.
 

TWO sides of a cover for an item mailed TWICE

Shown above is a circular (a letter or advertisement sent to a large number of people) that was sent in 1865 from Etna to Dryden, New York to Edward Welsh.  The lower half of the folded letter shows a very light Etna postmark dated April 7, 1865.  Mr. Welsh returned this letter via the postal service on April 10, sending it back after signing an agreement to perform some work, to the Town Clerk in Etna.  To avoid confusion, he crossed out his name and address.

There are two, two-cent postage stamps, each paying the rate for an unsealed circular in each direction it was mailed and giving us a fair number of two's for the second cover for Christmas.  If you would like to learn more about this item and the idea of a turned cover, you can check out this Postal History Sunday from March of 2021.

THREE feeds for one cent!

This advertising cover from the International Stock Food Company in 1905 certainly catches the eye.  And, if you do any work with animals, I think you would agree with me that it is highly unlikely that pigs, cows and horses would ever smile like this.  I don't think their facial muscles work that way.  

As far as the three feeds for one cent, it isn't entirely clear to me what they meant by it.  Do they have three types of feed that are mixed differently for different livestock and they all have the same price?  How much would I have gotten for a penny?

I'm not sure right now, but give me time and maybe I'll figure it out.

The International Stock Food Company still exists and is currently based in Canada, but at the time this cover was mailed the main factory was housed in Minneapolis, Minnesota (with another in Toronto).  The building there had formerly been an exposition building constructed in 1886 and housing an International Exposition that same year.  It was also the site of the 1892 Republican National Convention. The building was used as an entertainment venue until Marion Willis (Will) Savage purchased the building in 1903 for his growing feed business. 

photo of Minneapolis, MN factory circa 1900, courtesy Library of Congress

And, just because I like adding additional color to postal history items, Will Savage grew up in West Branch, Iowa, and worked as a clerk at the drug store.  His feeds took advantage of his pharmaceutical knowledge.  Savage also owned race horses, using their success to promote his feed.  He purchased a horse named Dan Patch for $60,000 in 1902 and that same horse set a record that would stand for almost 50 years at the Minnesota State Fair in 1906.

FOUR cents for a small envelope to a radiator shop

The brown four-cent postage stamp on this small envelope to the Groves Radiator Shop in Nashville, Tennessee, was a design that had many denominations (postage amounts) and depicted George Washington.  The design itself dates this item to some point in the 1910s to early 1920s.  At that time, a radiator shop might refer to the wide range of radiators in motorized vehicles, which were becoming more commonplace.  Or, it could refer to home heating devices.  Until I locate more specific information (if it exists) I'll not presume.  But, since we are talking Nashville and NOT Minneapolis, I suspect there was a bit less demand for heating.

I remember being in a shop when I was younger that had drawers of these envelopes.  Each one held a different part for the technician who worked there.  There were rubber gaskets and formed metal parts, among other things.  They were all organized with appropriate labels so the correct part could be quickly found.

An electrotype is a method of reproducing metal forms, creating precise copies of an original by running an electrical charge through a solution to deposit metal into a mold.  With a name like "Artistic Ad Company" this may not be radiator parts as I initially thought.  Perhaps someday I'll figure it out.  But for now - this simply serves as the fourth cover for a Christmas Postal History Sunday.

FIVE centimes due

It's hard to ignore the big bold "5 c" on this cover.  This 1864 letter from Madrid, Spain to France has a 12 cuarto postage stamp paying the postage required to get the letter from here to there.  Except for one thing.  The recipient had to pay a 5 centime "droit de factage" or "drayage right" for incoming mail from Spain.

We actually talked about this a couple of weeks ago, but I won't make you go back to that post unless you want to.  The Spanish collected a delivery charge of 1 cuarto for all incoming mail from other countries (called "derecho de cartero").  This practice continued despite a postal agreement with France that went into effect on February 2, 1860 that indicated payment of postage should cover all costs to the destination.  As a result, the French added their 5 centime droit de factage for incoming letters from Spain (but not other countries) in retaliation.

SIX different postmarks

Ok, you could argue that there are only FIVE different postal markings on this folded letter mailed from Switzerland to France in 1864.  But, what you don't see here is that the sixth is on the back (or verso) of this item.  

The great thing, in the eyes of a postal historian, about letters from this time period is that you can track the progress of a letter based on these markings.  The difficulty, sometimes, is that the meaning of the marking may not always be perfectly clear without a little research or help from other knowledgeable postal historians.

For example, this marking doesn't seem to give much information - at least not if we don't know what the "7" and the "A-E-D" stand for.  AED is an acronym that means "Affranchi a l'Etranger jusqu'a Destination" or "foreign mail paid to destination."  It serves the same purpose as the P.D. markings we often reference in Postal History Sunday (payee a destination).  The seven, on the other hand identifies the French exchange office, which is Huningue, located on the river that serves as border between the two countries.

And since we just focused on the number "seven" in the explanation for "six," we should move on to...

SEVEN stamps pay the postage

The envelope shown above was mailed from the then German colony of Kamerun to Geneve Switzerland in 1909.  The international letter rate (set by the Universal Postal Union) was 20 pfennig, which is overpaid here by 1 pfennig or seven copies of the 3 pfennig stamp issued for Kamerun.

These postage stamps featured the Kaiser's Imperial Yacht, SMJ Neue Hohenzollern, and the design was the same for each German Colony at that time. These stamps are often referred to as a "keytype" series because the same printing plates could be used except for the portion of the design that held the colony name, denomination, and currency.  You can get an introduction to the stamps of the German Colonies here if you have an interest. 

While there were 20 pfennig stamps created for Kamerun, this did not necessarily mean that they were always readily available to postal customers, which might give us a possible reason why this individual sent a letter with seven copies of the 3 pfennig stamp.  We're just glad they did because we could feature the cover in this slot of today's post.

EIGHT pictures of Amersfoort

This item is actually a very small envelope, which you can get a feel for when you recognize how big the stamp looks in comparison to the envelope.  The word "Drukwerk" indicates that this item qualified for the printed matter rate.  In other words, the content was "mass produced" and no personal message or individualized content was included.  

The envelope itself was not sealed shut.  Instead, it had a little slit in the back that allowed the tip of the envelope flap to tuck into it to keep the contents inside.

As for the contents....

There are eight small photocards of the sights one could see in Amersfoort in the Netherlands.  The cards themselves were originally connected to each other and the envelope.  They could be separated (as some of them are now) by tearing them apart at the perforations.

Perhaps one of the most unique photos of the eight is a picture of a large boulder called "De Kei." Apparently, a man named Everhard Meyster discovered a large boulder and bet his friends that he could get citizens to drag that rock into the city.  After a fair amount of "liquid encouragement" (beer) and fresh biscuits, he got several hundred individuals to do just that.

Afterwards, those who did drag the boulder into town were ridiculed and the rock was buried to hide their shame in 1672.  However, the story lived on and it was uncovered and placed on a pedestal as a symbol of pride rather than shame in 1903.

A meeting to attend on the NINTH day of the month

On the ninth day of June, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences was to meet in Boston.  At least that's what Chauncey Wright, the Recording Secretary was telling us in yet another printed matter item in this list of twelve covers.

I will never know if Joseph Hale Abbott of Beverly (near Boston) actually attended the event.  But, clearly, the letter WAS received and the invitation was kept.  How do I know that?  Well, this item is in my collection rather than being burnt in Abbot's fireplace.  That seems like a good hint that he had interest!

Joseph Hale Abbot from wikimedia commons

Abbott does appear in Appleton's Cyclopaedia of American Biography, volume I, and his entry actually gives us some support that he might very well have attended.  After all, he was, for several years, the recording secretary for the Academy himself!  He also contributed many scientific papers on hydraulics and pneumatics to the journal published by this group.

This time "X" doesn't mean "TEN" - unless I want it to

By this point, you have probably figured out that I did not want to succumb to using numbers from the same aspect of each cover to fill each of the twelve covers for a Christmas Postal History Sunday.  I wanted to have a little fun with it and I was hoping you might enjoy the process as well!

This time around, we're going to feature the great big "X" in the middle of the cover shown above.  However, this "X" doesn't mean "ten" as you might think if it were referencing the Roman numeral.  And, the "X" does not mark "the spot" either!  Instead, the big bold "X" was a way for the postal clerk to indicate to the carrier of this letter that the postage was paid and that they did not need to collect more postage from the recipient.

For those who might like to learn more, other covers to Mantova are shown in this Postal History Sunday from a few months ago.  It shows another item that was fully paid and one that was not.

ELEVEN days travel to get to Galway

At this point, I am very surprised that there has not been a cover that features the 24-cent US postage stamp I like so much.  Well, never fear - I've found one that meets my needs for the 11th cover.

This letter was mailed in 1863 from Lynn, Massachusetts, to London, England.  The cost was twenty-four cents for a letter weighing no more than one half ounce and this item clearly met that requirement. There are several markings that show us it was considered "paid."  Two markings from Lynn, one from Boston and one from London all agreed the sender paid the proper duty.

The Hibernia, a ship that belonged to the Galway Line at the time, carried this letter.  It left Boston on November 3 and arrived ELEVEN days later at Galway.  The truly interesting thing for me about this cover is that the Galway Line carried very little of the mail.  According to Reports of the Postmaster General from 1864, only 1.8% of the trans-Atlantic mail traveled on Galway ships during the fiscal year.  In contrast, the Cunard Line took 43% and the Inman Line 20% across the sea to the United Kingdom.

TWELVE cent stamps times two mailed on the TWELFTH day of the TWELFTH month

I am not certain how I can get any better than this for the 12th cover for a Christmas Postal History Sunday. Rather than try to explain the cover more, I'm just going to rest on my laurels for a job well done.

I hope you enjoyed this edition of Postal History Sunday. 

I wish you and yours the best and that you have the chance to be among those you care for most at this time of year - regardless of what holidays you may, or may not, choose to celebrate.  Merry Christmas to you and Happy Holidays to all.

Unmatched - BOGFF 22

 

They were in my sock drawer, folded together, so I grabbed them and threw them on the bed with the rest of the clothing I was going to wear on a day when Tammy was not going to be preparing to head into school.  That last bit is actually quite important in the telling of this story.  Because, if Tammy were focused on doing everything she needed to do to get ready, she probably would not have noticed anything amiss.

But, this day was different.

"WHAT?!?  You can't wear those!  They don't match!!!"

It was a scandal in the making, that much was certain.  And, I could have left well enough alone by simply setting these aside and grabbing new ones.  But, I didn't.

"Why?  They're both black and grey.  No one's going to see them anyway.  It's Winter and I am not wearing shorts....not that I wear shorts anyway.  They'll be fine."

"But..... they don't match!!!!"

Oh dear.  I had really stepped in it this time.  Ok.  I had not YET stepped in it, because they were still on the bed.

Now, I ask you.  Do YOU see the differences between these socks?  Well, you probably do now that I've pointed it out.  But, did you the first time you looked at them?  Well... that's unfair too if you read the title.

Ok... if I had not clued you in with a title and all of the stuff I just wrote, would you have noticed the difference?  You would?  Oh.

Actually, I did too.  But, hey, they were together.  And, they're close enough.  And, no one was going to see them.  And.... I didn't take into account the Tammy factor.

Still, sensing some fun, I did not leave it alone.  

"They'll be fine.  You won't see them."

"But, they don't match!  I'll know they're there! And, they're not even the same texture!"

"They're just socks."

"Well, if it starts making you walk funny, it'll be your fault."

So, of course, I started walking funny.  While I am NOT part of the Ministry of Silly Walks, I can do fine if I must.

In my defense, I used to always wear the white "athletic" socks.  Who cared which sock actually belonged with which sock?  They were all dingy white - and the only way to match them was by the amount of wear.  If the elastic was mostly gone, those would go together.  The ones with holes in the toes - those go together too.  See?  That's how you match socks.

But, by color, design and texture?  What is this world coming to?

And for those who have concern - I did end up setting the socks aside, and I pulled out a pair of properly matched socks to wear.

And I took the unmatched pair, took a picture of them, and wrote a blog post - because Tammy and I make quite a pair (and a good pair at that).

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What's with the BOGFF 22 in the title?  I (Rob) am giving himself a bit of a blogging break at the end of the year in hopes that it will give me space for more creativity in the future.  Rather than creating a post or two linking the "best of" blogs for the year, while continuing to put out new material, I am resubmitting what I feel were some of the best posts for 2022.  Enjoy!

GFF Guardians - BOGFF 22

I mentioned in one of our "Faux Real Stories" about the Depths of the Tomato Forest, that we had a cohort of Guardian Dragons at the Genuine Faux Farm.  And, in that story, I showed a picture of one of the members of our Guardian Dragon Team.  Some people, who shall remain nameless, suggested that the dragon photo I shared depicted a fellow who was a bit less than intimidating.

Since then, I have fielded complaints from our Guardian Dragon Team that they feel like they were misrepresented.  This is an attempt to make amends - before they turn me into a pile of ash.

Our team of guardians at the farm have a very diverse set of talents, protecting against a wide range of threats that might be brought to bear on the farm, the farmers, or any other welcomed living being that might reside here - temporarily or otherwise.

Some of our dragons have a fiercer nature and are quite willing to avoid confrontation by simply frightening the threat away.  But, do not underestimate them.  If you push them, they could be formidable.

There are others that protect us from a breeze through the windows that just might take important papers away from the desired location.  They prevent us from forgetting some of the things we enjoy in life - like baseball and being outside.  This little friend (shown below) has been winding up to throw a pitch for several years on my desk.  He has yet to let it fly, but when he does, I hope to be ready.

Some of the Guardian Dragon Team appear to be nonthreatening to you and I.  That is actually the appointed task of some.  They have a different set of opponents.  Their foes are feelings of loneliness and despair.  Take a look at that face...

Doesn't the sight of it make you feel a little bit better?

Others have talents that aren't readily determined - and that might be part of the point.  Which dragon is in charge at any given point in time?  I really do not know myself.  But, I have determined that at least one of them is primarily in charge of communications and detection of intrusion.

Which is it?  I suspect I'll never know.

Are they clever?  Hiding behind an unassuming exterior?  Does a brilliant mind lurk behind a fuzzy face, puppy dog ears and colorful wings?

Or is it this dragon?  Always appearing to be the alarmist in the group.  Does this dragon only serve a purpose to warn opponents away before they even begin to threaten?  Or does it constantly alert us to the noise it makes just to let one of its team members sneak up on you?

And, if a member of the Guardian Dragon Team were to sneak up on you, would it not be perfect if it were only an inch tall, with coloring that allowed it to blend into the woodwork?

The Genuine Faux Farm does have a fine group of protectors and we are proud of the work they do.  And, perhaps, they'll forgive the farmer for neglecting so long in giving them their due.

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What's with the BOGFF 22 in the title?  I (Rob) am giving himself a bit of a blogging break at the end of the year in hopes that it will give me space for more creativity in the future.  Rather than creating a post or two linking the "best of" blogs for the year, while continuing to put out new material, I am resubmitting what I feel were some of the best posts for 2022.  Enjoy!

Imperfect is Still Beautiful - BOGFF 22

 

There are still a fair number of flowers out there, even though we are entering the tail end of the Summer and many of our plants are beginning to show some wear and tear that just comes from living in the out of doors.  If you look, you can find many specimens that are at their peak - about as perfect as they will ever be.

But, that perfection lasts for such a short period of time.  And soon, the petals begin to fade and damage begins to show from insects, wind and whatever other things the flower has been exposed to.  

It can be difficult to look at a flower that is clearly not the best version of its kind at the moment you observe it.  Anyone who likes flowers gets an idealized version of what a flower should look like in their head - and it can be very hard to avoid being judgemental about the beauty that is sitting right in front of you.

The perennial phlox flower shown above was just passing its peak.  There is a little nibbling at the bottom right, a little curling of the petals at the top left and some discoloration here and there.  Meanwhile, another, younger, flower sits behind it - daring us to make the comparison and find the flower in front lacking.

The hosta flower at left was the only one open fully on this stem.  The others were either fully past or yet to open.  It should be at its grandest moment, yet there was a hole, likely created by a hungry critter of some sort - marring the potential for perfection.

Neither of these flowers was perfect.  Neither of the photos taken here will become illustrations used to describe the flowers on these plants either.  They are not the ideal.  They do not put the best foot (or root) forward for phlox and hosta around the world.  They are flawed, damaged, and unworthy of our attention.

At least that is the way we often look at things - and that is one of the flaws we humans often need to address.

We fail to see the beauty in imperfection.  We don't like to see the after effects of illness, injury or... the weathering that life brings.

But, why did I actually take pictures of these flowers if they were not perfect?  What prompted me to record imperfection?

First of all, from a little bit of distance, each of these flowers still stood out and were clearly attractive to my eyes.  And it was not just my eyes that found them of interest.  Hummingbirds and a whole host of insects were checking many of them out.  

Even if intense scrutiny revealed a little damage here and there, each of these flowers provided a piece of the overall beauty that is in nature this time of year.   And, I ask you, would we recognize the perfectly formed flower for what it is at that moment in time if we did not also see the other stages in its development and its demise?

Maybe our attraction to the perfect flower and our rejection of those that have passed that point in their lives has something to do with our own recognition of our own imperfections and flaws.  Perhaps if we can see realize the image of the pristine flower in our head is actually incarnate and in our presence, we might feel as if we can achieve our own perfection - if only for that brief moment.

It is likely, however, that this is the wrong lesson.  Is it possible, instead, that the best lesson to take from this is for us to find beauty in what is around us and who is around us - just as they are right now?

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What's with the BOGFF 22 in the title?  I (Rob) am giving himself a bit of a blogging break at the end of the year in hopes that it will give me space for more creativity in the future.  Rather than creating a post or two linking the "best of" blogs for the year, while continuing to put out new material, I am resubmitting what I feel were some of the best posts for 2022.  Enjoy!