Pop, the "work horse"

These pictures were taken approximately 20 years apart. In the 2nd picture Pop must have been in mid-50's and was still willing to be the "horse," at least long enough to get his picture taken. I think, but am not 100% sure that the one in 1921 was taken at the Ranch and the later one would have been taken in Puyallup. Jim, Anna May, Mother and Audrey, me & Joe. All kids deserve, but not all get, a Pop like mine and a Grandma like Grandma French.

I'm not sure how it was spelled, it was probably never written down, but Grandma Stobie had a rooster named "oocoo." He pretty much had the run of the yard until he beat one of her grandchildren one too many times with his wings and ended up in the soup pot! 

Grandma S. had a climbing yellow rose at the Ranch, but it is no longer there, although I understand some of it's descendants are still around. Her Sweet Mary by the outhouse, lilac bushes and rhubarb have managed to survive all these years. There's also a tree that Mother said was a quince and Victo says is apple.

I've also been told that sometimes when Grandma S. would go to town, she would have a jar of cream with her and by the time she got to town, the cream would have been churned (shaken) into butter (that's back in the days when butter--at least the homemade variety was made from sour cream). As many bumps as are still felt on those logging roads, you could probably still churn sour cream on the way to town, just imagine in a horse and buggy. I guess she sold eggs & butter frequently on trips to town.

She had a pretty good garden and the root cellar kept squash, potatoes, etc., for them for most of the winter. Grandma & Pop were gardeners, Mother & Anna May were both gardeners, Meg is a gardener and Timm always has a big garden--wonder how that gene skipped me. I love to look at gardening books, love pretty flowers and fresh vegetables, but just flat out don't like getting my hands in that dirt. I recently met a lady who raises & sells daylilies--she sells enough to pay for her habit of buying more. Anyway, she told me that when she's been working in the dirt, manure & compost, etc., she will likely only wipe her hands on her jeans before grabbing a bite to eat (ugh), but is usually careful about washing them after shaking hands with folks. 

I did get some of the "cooking" gene, however, but I'm sure grateful for electricity and that I don't have to do my cooking on a wood stove as Grandma Stobie did her whole life and Grandma French and Mother did for a good share of theirs. I suppose I would have learned how to manage the drafts and fuel to regulate the heat, but it still would have been a VERY HOT job in the summer! There were certainly a lot of good meals and baked goods prepared on those old stoves--and EVERYTHING was cooked from scratch--there were no "instant" anythings in the grocery store and certainly no bread machines or microwaves.

I'm collecting items for the RFL auction May 1 and so far I have an autographed copy of one of Marianne Binetti's and one of  Ed Hume's gardening books--I'm wondering if I can read them w/o wrinkling any of the pages before I have to turn them in--told you I love to read gardening books. I've also requested an autographed book from Ciscoe Morris--it's be the Northwest Gardening Trifecta if I get them all.

Well, I'm not as "wordy" tonight as some nights--got an even later start than usual. After going to Maundy Thursday service at Church, I came home and did a little reading before I got here, so that's it for now...