Texas Fall/Winter thread!

[bindian]

I went through the phase of keeping all of the old junk, and am still a regular "pack rat", as my grandparents told me many stories about The Depression, and about saving everything. But, since *I* would be the one to have to work on them, and *I* would have to put them up, and *I* would have to take them down, I decided that *I* didn't need them!

I wouldn't mind the putting up so much, but I hate having to take things down. So, I have a windsock (appropriate for a pilot, dontcha think?) that looks like Scrooge, and wears a button that says, "BAH HUMBUG!" I have it out, and it won't take 2 minutes to undecorate and put it away. I can even do it, and not spill my drink!

I still have many strands of the large Christmas lights from Mom and Dad. I thought just blue lights (supported about 18 inches off the ground with stakes) lining both sides of my curving driveway would be nice. Yuck, too dark with all blue. So they are gathering dust in the barn.

Here are photos of the barn with lights and a lighted cross and just the cross. Also, a photo of an all blue driveway lite up. Kinda dull. Maybe red and blue. I like the cross on the barn by itself. I put LEDs a couple years ago on the cross. This last year, the cross was never taken down. Just plugged it in and it all lite up last weekend. ? hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

Now who can remember the name of the material that was popular in 1955; almost see through for shirts?

Linen? Seersucker?
hugs, Brnadi

 

[two_bit_score]

Linen? Seersucker?
hugs, Brnadi

I was gonna say 'tickin' but that would not be 'almost see through'.

Maybe 'cheesecloth'?

 

[pacerron]

I wish I had a nickel for every post of mine that I found a misspelled word in and got back in to edit and correct it before the window of time ran out!

Never fear.. that's why we have Jinman.

 

[jinman]

cotton print feed sacks. She also made herself several bonnets.

 

[Bird]

Linen? Seersucker?
hugs, Brnadi

I don't think anyone's got the right name yet. The shirts I'm talking about were very thin, kind of a crinkled wash and wear material, in the days when shirts were normally ironed.

 

[jinman]

Well, I posted and somehow deleted it. Bird, was the material Dacron? I remember Dacron and Nylon shirts so thin that you had to wear an undershirt or t-shirt. I didn't like them because they stuck to you when you were sweaty.

My mother used to make lots of things out of cotton print feed sacks. She made me shirts, pajamas, boxer underwear, and herself bonnets.

 

[Bird]

Well, I posted and somehow deleted it. Bird, was the material Dacron? I remember Dacron and Nylon shirts so thin that you had to wear an undershirt or t-shirt. I didn't like them because they stuck to you when you were sweaty.

My mother used to make lots of things out of cotton print feed sacks. She made me shirts, pajamas, boxer underwear, and herself bonnets.

Jim, you certainly described those shirts right and maybe Dacron is what they were. They were very popular when they first came on the market, but I know they didn't stay popular very long.

 

[jinman]

Jim, you certainly described those shirts right and maybe Dacron is what they were. They were very popular when they first came on the market, but I know they didn't stay popular very long.

I cheated a bit and found out that Dacron came on the market in 1951, so it well could have been. However, like seersucker, many materials were named after the finish weave rather than the base material.

 

[pacerron]

Jim, you certainly described those shirts right and maybe Dacron is what they were. They were very popular when they first came on the market, but I know they didn't stay popular very long.

I think they were a fire hazard as well.

 

[pacerron]

I think the toe/tow/towed sack name was from the way many local mills sewed them across the top after filling/refilling.

The term "grab em by the ears" was used up here. The guy that filled the sacks at the mill grabbed the top corner and started his needle, whip stitched across the top and finished with another wrap on the opposite side.

So when done, in a few seconds, the bags didn't leak and the ears/toes/whatever were good handles to grab the bags by to toss them on the
old International truck. It got to be if you didn't take your empty bags back for refill you were charged extra.

At least that's the way I remember it and I'm stickin to it. :laughing:

 

[Bird]

Yep, the bags were re-used many times, both then and now. And we also kept a few on hand for fighting grass fires. I still remember the first time I really learned what it meant to have aching muscles. After spending most of the night fighting fire with a wet tow sack, I got to bed just before dawn and when I woke up, I hurt all over, and I was only 12 years old.:laughing:

 

[farmgirl19]

My Christmas decorating!

 

[Bird]

My Christmas decorating!

I've always told people that compared to me, Scrooge was one of Santa's elves. It appears that you're about the same.:laughing:

 

[farmgirl19]

I've always told people that compared to me, Scrooge was one of Santa's elves. It appears that you're about the same.:laughing:

The best Christmas lights I ever saw on a house, were of Santa on the roof, peeing over the edge. I wish that I had saved a photo of that!

Edit: Found a similar one on the web.

 

[txdon]

I think it wad TXDon or Bird, that clued me into the Stratus gauge, now I see why the weather spotter folks use them:thumbsup:

That would be me. I have been reporting the rainfall measured from the Stratus gauge to CoCoRaHS - Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network for about a year now. There are 3 who post in our county and about 15 in surrounding counties. (~1600 square mile area) It's always interesting to see who gets the most rain. You should join. I post my amount and then go to the classic map for my county (which include the surrounding counties also) and my 24 hr. rainfall is already posted with the others on the map.

http://www.cocorahs.org/County.aspx?fips=48497
Looks like you just have 3 for Wise County also.

 

[Western]

Thanks Don, I may just do that! I was going to join the weather spotter" thing, but got busy this summer. I have had the FEMA emergency management training just prior to my law enforcement academy, but that was a while back:laughing:

BTW, thanks for the heads-up on the gauge, best one I've ever seen and well made!! Any other gauge is a waste of $$ IMO (by comparison)

 

[NativeSon]

My Christmas decorating!

Love the windsock!

Charlie

 

[jinman]

Well, you Bah! Humbuggers can say what you want, but I do enjoy Christmas. I never got to have but one or two Christmases with my kids when they were very young ( 2 and 3) because my ex-wife took off with a high-level flim-flam artist who duped her, a bank, and a car dealership out of a brand new Caddy. That was two days before Christmas, and the presents I had were never delivered. It took me, the FBI, and lots of other folks to finally locate them after about 3 years. Even when they were finally located, I was in the US Navy on the East Coast and they were hiding in Sausalito, Ca. It wasn't until the courts got through with them and they came back to Texas that I was able to finally finalize my divorce and get some visitation privileges.

So I cherish every Christmas. I love being with my grandkids and watching them opening presents. Every Christmas is a blessing I cannot express. My heart has healed and now I feel all the love I missed and longed for during that very sad and dark part of my life. Christmas for me is a celebration of life, love, and family. I hope all of you feel just a little of the joy I experience being able to give and see the joy on children's faces. I suspect you are all really joking a bit about the Bah Humbug attitude, anyhow. Bless you all this Christmas Holiday season. May you feel the warmth and love of family and good friends.

 

[two_bit_score]

Well, you Bah! Humbuggers can say what you want, but I do enjoy Christmas. I never got to have but one or two Christmases with my kids when they were very young ( 2 and 3) because my ex-wife took off with a high-level flim-flam artist who duped her, a bank, and a car dealership out of a brand new Caddy. That was two days before Christmas, and the presents I had were never delivered. It took me, the FBI, and lots of other folks to finally locate them after about 3 years. Even when they were finally located, I was in the US Navy on the East Coast and they were hiding in Sausalito, Ca. It wasn't until the courts got through with them and they came back to Texas that I was able to finally finalize my divorce and get some visitation privileges.

So I cherish every Christmas. I love being with my grandkids and watching them opening presents. Every Christmas is a blessing I cannot express. My heart has healed and now I feel all the love I missed and longed for during that very sad and dark part of my life. Christmas for me is a celebration of life, love, and family. I hope all of you feel just a little of the joy I experience being able to give and see the joy on children's faces. I suspect you are all really joking a bit about the Bah Humbug attitude, anyhow. Bless you all this Christmas Holiday season. May you feel the warmth and love of family and good friends.

Thank you Jim!