Not My VIctrola

Moonlight, by Carl Fenton's Orchestra, 1921; shared by 240252.

This is a great dance number, and we have posted  our own record of this song, with Frank Crumit singing.  You will really enjoy the colorful slide  show that runs with this song.  The Roaring Twenties wasn't all black and white!

Weekend Steam: A Nice, Long Train Ride

CSXBoy187 shares some great video of a pretty little locomotive. CSXBoy tells us on his YouTube post that this engine appeared in the movies 3:10 to Yuma, Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?,  and True Grit.

Make a pot of coffee; this video is 41 minutes.

Crankin' It Up: Another By Paul Whiteman

Here is the flip side of Two Little Ruby Rings;  I Found A Four Leaf Clover, also by Paul Whiteman. Brat is really enjoying himself as we let him participate.

Pith On The Inside Shows Through On The Outside

One of the characteristics of oak twigs is the angular exterior.  You can roll a twig between your fingers and tell whether it is an oak or not, by the sharp edges around its circumference.  Post Oak (above) and bur oak both have extra stout twigs, and those edges are not really evident, but the other oaks all show the angles on the ends of their twigs.  The stout twigs of post oak are really good for showing the star shaped oak pith to students, because the pith is easily seen without magnification.

Black oak has much slimmer twigs, and if you don't know what you are looking for, you can miss the star in the middle.  Black oak, red oak, and shingle oak have very little meat surrounding the pith on the tips of twigs, and the star shape really comes through on the outside.


This is one of those Statcounter-created posts.  I like to see what brings folks to this little blog, and someone did a search a few days ago for "inside of an oak twig."   If someone makes that search again, they might see the picture they were looking for.

Crankin' It Up: A Special For Valentine's Day

My Bundle Of Love by TrueBlueSam Gene Austin recorded this romantic little sentiment in December, 1925. Valentine's Day is coming right up; don't forget!

Happy 179th Birthday

I have mentioned William Tweed before. He is the oldest ancestor that I have pictures of. He was born near Fort Wayne, Indiana on February 12, 1834. His family moved to Oquawka, Illinois while he was still a young boy. Abraham, his father cleared a farm at the river bluffs across the Mississippi from Burlington, Iowa, but he died and the kids were all taken in by an uncle. William was eleven at that time, and did not like the way he was treated by his father's brother, so he got on a horse and rode back to Ft. Wayne to live with an aunt. He came back after several years and took over the affairs of his brothers and sisters.

During the 1850's he and a brother went to Kansas as part of the anti-slavery movement in Kansas. He enlisted in the Tenth Illinois Infantry in 1861, and left his wife, Mary, to manage their farm and care for their two babies while he helped put down the rebellion. Most of the travel in the Infantry was by foot, and the Tenth Illinois went from Southern Illinois, through Tennesee, Georgia, the Carolinas, and ended up at Wahington, D.C to be mustered out.

He returned to farming after the war, but packed up and homesteaded in Nebraska during the 1880's. Mary died in 1911, and he moved to Oklahoma to live with his son Clarence, then later moved back to Oquawka to stay with his son, Moses. He died March 25, 1925, and he was shipped by rail to be buried next to Mary in Bassett, Nebraska.

I am always amazed by amount of traveling that went on Before Cars (B.C.). People used to travel great distances on foot or on horseback, and they did not have cushy hiking shoes. William Tweed: a real Travelin' Man.

Win a New AR-15 Rifle...*

*...If you are an Iowan!  Iowa Gun Owners will draw for a lucky winner on Friday, February 15, and all you have to do is go to their website and enter.  The rifle is being donated by Superior Arms of Wapello, Iowa.  While you are the Iowa Gun Owners' site, do the right thing and make a donation.

Hey, Garage Putterers!

Here's an easy project you can do while you are straightening up your workbench.

Ruger's Auction To Benefit Honored American Veterans Afield

This fine Ruger Super Blackhawk will sell Wednesday on GunBroker.  Ruger is donating 100% of the proceeds to Honored AmericanVeterans Afield.  Click Over and place a bid to be a good-deed-doer, and buy a great gun.  A full description is on the GunBroker page for this revolver.

Monday Morning Blues

Back To The Old Grind!