Radio/television ?

This is a picture of the radio we had while I was growing up. It's a Zenith with short wave, pushbuttons and tone control. On the back there is a toggle switch with two positions: radio and television.

When it was delivered the man in charge told us that when television came in, all we would have to do was buy a screen to set on the top. How ignorant we all were about the new inventions!

This picture is from the magazine Reminisce and the text states that it was purchased in 1939. (Click on the picture to enlarge.) That sounds about right. You could chose the stations you wanted to put on the push buttons. We had WDAF, KFH, WGN and KWBG. I don't remember the other two....

Glowing Morning Glory

L. took this photo outside our back fence this morning. I asked him how he got that glow in the center. "Skill," he said.

Later he admitted he just went out, pointed the camera and pushed the button.

Moon Flower

Along with this shot of a moon flower today is a quote from Marlon Brando. Reading some quotes from him on the site: www.imdb.com, I found this:

Everybody ought not to turn his back on the phenomenon of hatred in whatever form it takes. We have to find out what the anatomy of hatred is before we can understand it. We have to make some attempt to put it into some understandable form. Any kind of group hatred is extremely dangerous and much more volatile than individual hatred. Heinous crimes are committed by groups and it's all done, of course, in the name of right, justice. It's John Wayne. It's the way he thinks. All the crimes committed against Indians are not considered crimes by John Wayne.

Apropos for today, doncha think?

A Wagon

Isn't this a great example of an old time wagon? We saw it parked in a drive and had to go around the block to get a photo. Those seats sure look like they are awfully high off the ground because of the big wheels. Is this related to a covered wagon? I would like to see it with a team of horses attached.

Silent Movie Star

Does this picture remind you of any contemporary star who believes she lived previous lives?

This is Renee Adoree, a star with John Gilbert in several movies in the 1920's. She was born in 1898 and died of tuberculosis in 1933, the year before Shirley McLaine was born (March 1934.)

During the whole movie on Tuesday on AMC, I was amazed at her body movements and her facial expressions.


It almost makes me believe in the whole reincarnation thing.

Monday

Another hot day with a late lunch at The Raz, our new favorite place to eat.
PN spent more time working on our computer that evidently had a glitch.
He has solved it from 1800 miles away. Thank you PN!

Computer Repaired

After long hours of work, PN was able to revive the computer. Now if I could just find all the slides I scanned in the last week! They don't appear to be where I "filed" them!

Computer problems

I'm going to try and post the news that the computer won't let me get to my accounts - (so how did I get to this one?)

PN has helped from Oregon but there are several steps to the solution. Patience, patience, patience.

Prairie Song

This is a poem I found in a book at the Et Cetera Shop in Hutchinson. We're having some wind today. It seems to me that we don't have the strong summer winds as often as we used to.

This poem by Mildred McKenzie Johnson is one person's view of the winds on the flat prairie.





If you grow with the wind you must go with the wind.
You will meet it in strange, unlikely places -
A frond will stir on a patio fern
And gone is the laughter, gone are the faces -
You are miles away on a prairie hill,
Watching the weave of the buffalo grass,
Hearing the caw of a thieving crow,
Scanning the sky as the wild geese pass.

If you run with the wind you are one with the wind.
You smile, you listen to party chatter,
Till a high voice calls from a chimney flue -
Then the words will fade to a half-heard patter,
And you are seeing a blizzard swoop
With fearful strength down a barren land,
While sabers slash at the windowpane
In the wild assault of the wind-command.

For the song of the prairie is echoing yet -
If you grew with the wind you can never forget.
-Mildred McKenzie Johnson

Morning Koffee Klatch

This group was out early the other morning, near the Home Depot. We have lots of these critters east of town. Wonder if one of these guys was the one that ran through our yard a few weeks ago. We call them prairie dogs; not sure what the official name is.

Odd flower

This is a vine that is climbing around an evergreen at Dillon Nature Center. I think it is fascinating because it is so different. Wish I knew the name.

Watches

I do not collect watches. However, I have six all of which work except the one with the white face. Missing is the 50th anniversary SaltHawk watch which didn't work either. I must have pitched it.
All of these have batteries except the third from the left. That was my mom's watch that she wore when she was a nurse. I don't think they had battery powered watches then. She retired after the war in 1947 when she was only 43.
Most of these have been gifts from L. He only has one watch that I surprised him with at Christmas in 1958. His remark when he opened the box: "Do we have payments on it?" I had saved money from my check at Mid-Plains Finance and paid for it in advance!

Puzzle Picture

This is the skeleton of what Hutchinson landmark?
If you guessed Hutchinson Hospital in January, 1974, you are correct!
This hospital was the combination of the former Grace Hospital and St. Elizabeth Hospital. They joined together as Hutchinson Hospital South and Hutchinson Hospital North for a few years while plans were completed for the new building northeast of town. Sadly, in the past couple of years, new management has now decided we needed a regional medical center named Promise.
It is still a great facility with additional services we didn't dream of in 1975 when we moved out there - heart surgery, kidney dialysis, cancer radiation, and many new buildings on the campus.

Rural Scene

This photo was taken near Dodge City, KS, about 1956.
I thought it was so interesting that someone would leave
part of a wagon in a pond. Maybe that's where it broke
down. We were out driving around with friends and found
an abandoned house and barn. I imagine it has completely
fallen down by now.

The last three photos and the newspaper article were scanned on the new Epson Perfection V500 scanner. The photos are from the collection (!) of slides that we started taking in about 1955. Let's just say there are boxes and cylinders full of slides. We started out by developing them ourselves; filling the bath tub with just the right temperature of water to bring the jars of chemicals to the proper temperature . After developing the positve film, we ironed the cardboard frames onto the slides. I doubt that we saved any money, but it was fun to do it ouselves.

We may have to buy more memory for the computer to hold the complete collection.

Fifty-eight Years

Tomorrow's the big day! Ascension Day? Well, yes, but also the day
that L. and I got married in 1952. This clipping is from the Hutch News in 2002. (Click to enlarge.)
Stamps have gone up again - but so has everything else.
So,congratulations to us. Some in the family said it would never last.....

Continental!

Believe it or not, we had regular airline service in Hutchinson, KS. Not sure of the year but it was after 1957. That is the year we moved here. Not sure when they took it away and we had to go to Wichita to get a flight. By the way, this is a Douglas DC-3.

Summer of '71

Ready for a trip to Rainbow Lake in Colorado. . .how did the driver see the road ahead under the canoe?
We took a lot of accessories for having fun.

Walnut eater

As mentioned here earlier, we cut down the walnut tree in our back yard.
The neighbors have one just across the fence. This guy enjoys
our flowering pear tree as the location for his lunch. Guess we'll still have some walnut shells on the ground.

Locust on the sunflowers

A locust looking for lunch?

Back to a summer scene

The moonflowers and bamboo are doing well. L. planted the bamboo, the fountain grass must have been planted by the birds and the moonflowers come back every year. Behind that group in the corner are three blue tubs containing African marigolds. They looked very nice until they were obscured by the foliage. L. checked the tubs yesterday and the marigolds are blooming!

A Reminder

Since we are facing another week of temperatures in the 100 degree range, L. suggested I post a photo from March, 2009. It wasn't quite a blizzard, but close. Later in the fall of that year, L. installed plastic over the screened in portions of the porch which eliminated the snow mess and made a warm porch during the winter. In the spring, he removed it. I think it has become a twice a year job now.

A New Eating Place

This is located at North Pointe on North Lorraine. Very nice salads, wraps, soups and desserts. Enter at the east door and exit at this north door where the parking lot holds the most cars.

A Cooler Day

Rain was forecast but didn't appear last night or today. We are having a bit cooler temperatures temporarily. I think many of us will be glad when this summer is over!
The underground sprinkler system is not working so L. had to buy an old fashioned lawn watering spigot so the grass won't burn up.
We need rain.

A Mother's Day Greeting

The verse says: To Mother

Dear Mother, this is just to say, thanks for the things you do each day.

for loving me when I'm good or bad, for understanding when I am sad; I hope I'll be your joy and pride and may I walk here by your side through all the years I must pass through, you'll make the gray skies quite blue.

I know it's not the right time of year, but we find these things at odd times. This is another homemade greeting, much older than the previous one I posted. Grade school, of course, but not a clue as to what year. The penmanship isn't too bad so maybe 5th or 6th grade.

I hope the silhouette wasn't supposed to be my mom - she looked nothing like that. The nose resembles mine.

Early bird

One bird and I were up this morning to see the sunrise. Off to the hospital for joy juice injection. . . .

Big Green Apples

This tree is near our neighborhood. It is loaded with apples! When we drove by we first thought they were walnuts. (We have walnuts on the mind.) A turn around and second drive-by showed that they are indeed apples. Some are beginning to show redness. I wonder when they will start falling from the tree. At that time a late night walk might be interesting. The yard decoration shows that they are KU fans.

Symmetry

Something is trimming half circles out of our rose bush leaves. L. saw the thief but did not have the camera with him. It looked like a spider with wings. The piece was not eaten but removed and taken with the "creature" on a flight. Any ideas what this might be?