@Snakemama: I also shovelled manure on a kibbutz. When I returned to the US, my aristocratic cousin-in-law asked me what I did on the kibbutz and I told her, I think she thought I was a wiseguy.
@SUSAN NEWMAN: Ezo kibbutz hayit? Ha shem shel hakibbutz sheli haya DOVRAT, al yad Afula.
@gmartin997: I mowed lawns at 9. My sisters (they were a few years older) and I were walking door-to-door to see if we could mow, wash their cars, rake, anything to make a few bucks. It was a different time back then, though. I grew up in the 70s.
We moved from town to the “suburbs” of our town of 10,000 when I was about 12. In town we had a lawn about the size of a throw rug that I was able to cut with an old push rotary mower. The new place had a 1/2 acre lot, so the lawn was a bit bigger. My Dad bought a power mower. It was one of those strange old Sears models that had a crank instead of a pull rope. You turned the folding crank to tighten a spring. Then when you tapped the crank down, the spring unwound and pretty much did the same thing as a pull rope does. Sometimes though the catch on the crank didn’t hold. And when you let the crank go, it would spin backwards using the force of the spring. If you weren’t careful, it would whack you in the knee. Ouch!
I too sometimes wonder how we survived. Seems like a good chunk of my childhood was spent do things that today would be “no-no’s”.
I grew up in the country back in the 40s and can insure everyone that many types of “weeds” are edible. I don’t know of any pesticides offhand that can be eaten safely.
Another boring lecture?!!Now you look here, gmartin, you bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla,And also zabba zabba zabba zabba zaba zabba zabba zabba zabba zabbaAnd another thing – yada yada yada.yada yada yada yada yada yada yada,- and besides that, natter natter natter natter natter natter natter natter natter.So THERE!
I know the strip is 30 years old, but this kind of mindless caricature of organic agriculture is misleading, especially in Manitoba, where farmers have had their crops cross-polinated by GMO Franken-seeds, and then are being charged a usage fee Monsanto for this pollution.
I’d rather eat the stuff without the pesticides and herbicides. The only part of the grain that you eat is the seeds, so the rest of the plant, and the weeds, gets separated out anyway.
Nah, it is so much more complicated than that. Today we are learning what we did wrong and working to use what went right. Remember what worked and stop the over use of what is harmful long term. Avoid monoculture so we don’t end up with famine. Replenish the soil and keep the microbial life so we don’t end up with dead ‘dust bowl’ soils. Unfortunately the last hundred years we ignored what we learned over the 12,000 or so years we’ve been cultivating.
I have twin sisters, one lives in central Washington and the other at one time lived in BC, first house north of the border near Eureka, Montana. She later moved to near Cowley (near Lethbridge) Alberta. When we visited, we expected to help out.(and conversely when they visited us)
In reference to yesterdays jewelry comments:Jewelry is discouraged while farming. When she was a little girl, my mother one time jumped off a wagon, and a ring caught on a bolt head. Fortunately, she suffered only a bad cut but did not lose a finger.A fellow GI was not so lucky at Sinop, Turkey. While playing basket ball, he made a jump and a ring caught on the basket. He came down minus a finger, thus ending his ASA career.
Jogger2 over 12 years ago
I see he keeps that old-fashioned tractor in good condition.
arye uygur over 12 years ago
@Snakemama: I also shovelled manure on a kibbutz. When I returned to the US, my aristocratic cousin-in-law asked me what I did on the kibbutz and I told her, I think she thought I was a wiseguy.
@SUSAN NEWMAN: Ezo kibbutz hayit? Ha shem shel hakibbutz sheli haya DOVRAT, al yad Afula.
robm over 12 years ago
@gmartin997: I mowed lawns at 9. My sisters (they were a few years older) and I were walking door-to-door to see if we could mow, wash their cars, rake, anything to make a few bucks. It was a different time back then, though. I grew up in the 70s.
psychlady over 12 years ago
Definitely a working vacation!
woodwork over 12 years ago
shucks..when I was 11, I was DRIVING the tractor and breaking horses
thirdguy over 12 years ago
On mine, it says John Deere!
Dr_Fogg over 12 years ago
there was a tan dear in my yard this morning. :-P
rshive over 12 years ago
We moved from town to the “suburbs” of our town of 10,000 when I was about 12. In town we had a lawn about the size of a throw rug that I was able to cut with an old push rotary mower. The new place had a 1/2 acre lot, so the lawn was a bit bigger. My Dad bought a power mower. It was one of those strange old Sears models that had a crank instead of a pull rope. You turned the folding crank to tighten a spring. Then when you tapped the crank down, the spring unwound and pretty much did the same thing as a pull rope does. Sometimes though the catch on the crank didn’t hold. And when you let the crank go, it would spin backwards using the force of the spring. If you weren’t careful, it would whack you in the knee. Ouch!
I too sometimes wonder how we survived. Seems like a good chunk of my childhood was spent do things that today would be “no-no’s”.
jcm1655 over 12 years ago
I know, ther called the PC POLICE.They want to tell everyone what to do. Because they rely on the government for everyyhing. Its so sad.
charliesommers over 12 years ago
I grew up in the country back in the 40s and can insure everyone that many types of “weeds” are edible. I don’t know of any pesticides offhand that can be eaten safely.
sjsczurek over 12 years ago
Another boring lecture?!!Now you look here, gmartin, you bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla,And also zabba zabba zabba zabba zaba zabba zabba zabba zabba zabbaAnd another thing – yada yada yada.yada yada yada yada yada yada yada,- and besides that, natter natter natter natter natter natter natter natter natter.So THERE!
bt over 12 years ago
I know the strip is 30 years old, but this kind of mindless caricature of organic agriculture is misleading, especially in Manitoba, where farmers have had their crops cross-polinated by GMO Franken-seeds, and then are being charged a usage fee Monsanto for this pollution.
ewalnut over 12 years ago
I’d rather eat the stuff without the pesticides and herbicides. The only part of the grain that you eat is the seeds, so the rest of the plant, and the weeds, gets separated out anyway.
Thehag over 12 years ago
Nah, it is so much more complicated than that. Today we are learning what we did wrong and working to use what went right. Remember what worked and stop the over use of what is harmful long term. Avoid monoculture so we don’t end up with famine. Replenish the soil and keep the microbial life so we don’t end up with dead ‘dust bowl’ soils. Unfortunately the last hundred years we ignored what we learned over the 12,000 or so years we’ve been cultivating.
tuslog64 over 12 years ago
I have twin sisters, one lives in central Washington and the other at one time lived in BC, first house north of the border near Eureka, Montana. She later moved to near Cowley (near Lethbridge) Alberta. When we visited, we expected to help out.(and conversely when they visited us)
underwriter over 12 years ago
Every part of the dandelion seems to be very healthful.
tuslog64 over 12 years ago
Here in the midwest, we’re in one of the worst droughts ever.But have no fear, we always get rain in time to save the weeds!!
tuslog64 over 12 years ago
In reference to yesterdays jewelry comments:Jewelry is discouraged while farming. When she was a little girl, my mother one time jumped off a wagon, and a ring caught on a bolt head. Fortunately, she suffered only a bad cut but did not lose a finger.A fellow GI was not so lucky at Sinop, Turkey. While playing basket ball, he made a jump and a ring caught on the basket. He came down minus a finger, thus ending his ASA career.
iced tea over 12 years ago
♫♫♪Life on a farm is kinda laid back now!You never seen a country boy you didn’t like!♫♫♪♫♫♪
Thank God I’m a Country Boy by John Denver. 1975
mdyson over 12 years ago
Not funny !