A Beggars Purse - Book Review

The small town where we lived has many freight trains passing through daily.  Often we would be waiting at the tracks and watch the hobo's as they whizzed by.  It was always a great mystery and curiosity for the kids and their imaginations ran wild as they tried to figure out who these men were, where they came from, and where they were going.  There was a moment of excitement every time a hobo was spotted through a doorway amidst the fast moving, loud, and clanking cars.

Toni Nelson was raised in a similar town in the 50s and her grandparents home became a safe house where travellers passing through could have a meal on their journey.  The hobos had placed a secret code on the house to identify it as such to others and her grandma prepared a huge meal each morning to serve the guests that might drop in that day.  They would eat their meal on the porch and continue on their way with a simple "thank you".

Celebrity Bargain Hunters on Shine

Celebrity Bargain Hunters on Shine

Just for fun, here's some of the famous people hitting the streets wearing bargain clothes.

Getting ready for winter

The rural community where I lived for many years has many homes whose average age is 60 or more years old.  Many of these homes were built with below ground basements that served as the foundation of the home.  They are unfinished and usually quite dark with just the small windows at the base of the home and one overhead exposed light bulb. They are not considered as living space but rather a place to house a wood burning stove, canned goods, camping equipment, or freezers.  They are often susceptible to flooding in the winter.  Needless to say there is not a lot of quality time spent in these basements.  An occasional trip up and down the stairs to retrieve an item is the extent of their occupancy so often the basement may have no visitors for long periods of time.

A friend recently shared with me the story of another friend who made the journey down the stairs only to find that it had been completely taken over as a storage area for the squirrels.  Imagine her surprise when she came down the stairs and in my friends words "every pine cone in the county" had been deposited in this ladies basement.

Reader Tips for Winter Driving

Thank you so much for sharing these ideas that are all new to me and make use of products most people have around the house that cost a fraction of the price of their name brand counterparts!

Helpful Hints For Winter

Keep your headlights clear with car wax! Just wipe ordinary car wax on your headlights. It contains special water repellents that will prevent that messy mixture from accumulating on your lights - lasts 6 weeks.

7 Towns Where Land is Free - Yahoo! Real Estate

7 Towns Where Land is Free - Yahoo! Real Estate

What an amazing article!

I have often thought of the former government development and assistance program of "40 acres and a mule" and wondered how modern Americans would receive such a plan. I mentioned in my book about the 100+ year old homestead I found myself living in and have always suspected that the old chicken house was what they originally lived in while they built the home.

What would you do with an undeveloped piece of land and your bare hands? Interesting prospect to consider.