86 red

Were you a hall monitor in high school?

I live in an area where streaming is not an option. even our satellite TV has frequent interruptions. Going to a stadium, as one suggested, is not an option since I am unable to drive at night. We enjoy watching college and NFL games but it seems we will have to find a different, stay at home, entertainment.

I installed appliances for Loews for 17 years. During those years installers went from dedicated experts to poor workers and sloppy installations. The primary reasons for the decline was poor management and competition.
Installers were paid a flat rate for most jobs which were fair in the early days but Loews refused to keep up with installers rising costs. Installers were required to provide their own insurance, be certified if their installations required changes to electrical or plumbing connections and supply any parts not included with the appliance. Many installers only stayed with Loews for fill-in work when business was slow. Others just left.
I was lucky, I had an established repair and installation business with the necessary trade certifications and licenses to bid on non standard installations. This usually involved installing an appliance where none was before. I was able to quote the job to cover permits, labor, material and profit. Later, Loews went to a third party service and I left.

I was born in 1938. When I was two years old, my father sold his home in town and we moved back to the family farm. His father had passed earlier and so had his father in law. Dad was then the sole provider for his family, his mother-in-law and the wives of his brothers who were drafted. He was deferred and given work at Radford Arsenal making powder for the war. The farm still had plows, mower and hand tools but no live stock. He used money from the sale of his house to buy two mismatched horses, six sheep, five cows, two hogs and some chickens.
He commuted 30 miles to work which was shift work with rotating shifts ( as I remember it) every two weeks. Schedules were set up with my mother and grandmother milking the cows when he was working.
There was no electricity, plumbing or central heat. We had a wood cook stove in the kitchen and an Edison stove in the living room. There was no heat in the bed rooms.
Dad had to plant crops to feed the live stock, a garden to feed the family, chop wood for the stoves, repair fences, dig a new pit for the out house and repair harness for the horse drawn equipment.
My mother and grandmother did the household chores including churning butter, washing clothes with scrub boards, canning fruit and vegetables for winter, cooking meals and mending clothes. Work started at daylight and ended at bedtime. Many chores were done by lamp light or lanterns which require keeping them filled and the wicks trimmed. In winter a quilting frame was set up in the living room and mom and grandmother quilted by lamplight.
The things that could not be raised were bartered at the country store. We had butter and eggs to trade for thread, needles and cheese.
Things we had to buy like sugar, flour and gas were rationed and required stamps. Dad had two men who rode to work with him and paid with gas stamps so he could use them to trade.
When I was bigger, my chore was carrying water from the spring house up to the barrel on the back porch. (I could only carry two half buckets)
We survived.

I was born in 1938. When I was two years old, my father sold his home in town and we moved back to the family farm. His father had passed earlier and so had his father in law. Dad was then the sole provider for his family, his mother-in-law and the wives of his brothers who were drafted. He was deferred and given work at Radford Arsenal making powder for the war. The farm still had plows, mower and hand tools but no live stock. He used money from the sale of his house to buy two mismatched horses, six sheep, five cows, two hogs and some chickens.
He commuted 30 miles to work which was shift work with rotating shifts ( as I remember it) every two weeks. Schedules were set up with my mother and grandmother milking the cows when he was working.
There was no electricity, plumbing or central heat. We had a wood cook stove in the kitchen and an Edison stove in the living room. There was no heat in the bed rooms.
Dad had to plant crops to feed the live stock, a garden to feed the family, chop wood for the stoves, repair fences, dig a new pit for the out house and repair harness for the horse drawn equipment.
My mother and grandmother did the household chores including churning butter, washing clothes with scrub boards, canning fruit and vegetables for winter, cooking meals and mending clothes. Work started at daylight and ended at bedtime. Many chores were done by lamp light or lanterns which require keeping them filled and the wicks trimmed. In winter a quilting frame was set up in the living room and mom and grandmother quilted by lamplight.
The things that could not be raised were bartered at the country store. We had butter and eggs to trade for thread, needles and cheese.
Things we had to buy like sugar, flour and gas were rationed and required stamps. Dad had two men who rode to work with him and paid with gas stamps so he could use them to trade.
When I was bigger, my chore was carrying water from the spring house up to the barrel on the back porch. (I could only carry two half buckets)
We survived.

I hate change. At 85, I am uncomfortable with anything that involves wasting time!

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I am one of the people who questioned the location of the mill picture-not to criticize but to perhaps jog your memory. I live near the Mabry mill and have visited it many times. It has changed somewhat over the 60 years that I have observed it. I hope that anyone with a camera who ventures close to Mabry's Mill will take the extra time to visit and photograph it. It is awesome in all seasons!
I, also, liked your photograph. I like B&W of most subjects. (Its what I grew up with). Yours is very good.
I'm sorry if my original post was offensive or taken the wrong way.
Old Bill

Are you sure of this photo's location? It looks exactly like the much photographed Maybry's Mill on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Floyd, VA.
Check the images here:
https://www.google.com/search?q=mabry+mill+images&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=fFD&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=MBwfUIqFNpGe6QHFiYDIAQ&ved=0CEUQsAQ&biw=1400&bih=695

Thanks to ALL for the nice comments. I thought the deer standing next to the "No Trespassing" sign was a keeper even though it is out of focus. He seemed to be saying "I'm protected here!" Of course the season had not yet opened and he was still in velvet which made his rack seem much larger.

Thanks to all.

Reviewing some pictures and thought these might be interesting. Not great quality, but different!

Lake monster in the mist


Virginia deer are smarter than average

I'm not sure this is the right place to post this but I know there are many bird lovers here so here goes.

The Virginia State Parks have a live Osprey Cam set up in Smith Mountain State Park just East of Roanoke, VA.

The nest currently has 3 or 4 eggs estimated to hatch around Memorial Day. The camera angle and focus is quite good.

http://www.wdbj7.com/news/wdbj7-osprey-camera-now-up-and-running-at-smith-mountain-lake-20120424,0,1624225.htmlstory

Enjoy!

Bill

Great picture! Here is a picasa edit I like.