The future is forged on the anvil of history...The interpreter of history wields the hammer... - Unknown author...
Not to go off topic
But----when I was a kid our home farm was about 1/2 of a mile from a train stop (and 1 1/2 miles from the end of the line). It also ran right through another of our farms. But--to the hobos---they were not all that uncommon. They would come up our dirt road (I think the word got out), knock on the door and ask my Mother for something to eat. She would never invite them in but offered them a seat on the porch while she prepared something for them to eat.
I do remember that on many occasions (especially during haying season) they were offered work---I don't recall any takers
Last edited by Dave Grubb; 07-01-2020 at 11:12 AM.
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty” ---Sir Winston Churchill
"Political extremism involves two prime ingredients: an excessively simple diagnosis of the world's ills, and a conviction that there are identifiable villains back of it all." ---John W. Gardner
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” ---C. S. Lewis
Dave, I recall stories from my Mom of her childhood on their Arkansas farm when her Mama did the exact same thing, even after the Depression set its hooks in the rural area...She said she remembered many of them staying long enough to do a few chores around the homestead, some long enough to earn another meal...This was in a time when they could not afford to buy a penny box of matches; when their fires went out the kids had to gather a couple of pine knots and walk to a neighboring farm to "borrow some fire"...
She said she remembered during the Depression when her Papa noticed some watermelons start to disappear at night, he stayed up to see who the thief was...It turned out to be a neighbor whose garden had failed, and they had nothing to eat...When he caught the guilty party, his punishment was to loan the humiliated culprit a wheelbarrow to take enough melons, potatoes and greens to feed his family for a while...And all was repaid when times improved a little......Ben
The future is forged on the anvil of history...The interpreter of history wields the hammer... - Unknown author...
It's hard to think we have come to a better place my friend
This discussion reminds me of an old hobo joke:
There was a young inexperienced hobo who became a student of an older and far more traveled and accomplished hobo. The older hobo was generous in size and seemed never to be plagued by the hunger common to his young admirer.
One day the student asked the teacher his secret to maintaining his "stature". Freely the teacher explained the process without hesitation, and then demonstrated it to his protege.
As they neared a set of farm buildings the old hobo stopped in the barn yard and picked out a few dried up old horse turds. With the sad specimens in hand he went to the farm house and knocked on the door. The lady of the house came to the door, the hobo tipped his hat and asked if she could give him a little syrup to put on these old horse turds to make them more eatable. The lady of the house immediately told him to throw them away and sit down while she prepared him a proper meal.
The young disciple, watching from behind a tree was amazed at this pleasant turn of events and vowed that at the next farm he would take his turn at this ruse.
Finishing his meal the old hobo profusely thanked the lady and moved on down the road---soon to be joined by the anxious and hungry young companion. At the next farm, as planned, the young hobo took up his mission---picking a couple of week old turds. He went directly to the house, and when the lady of the house answered he asked, as he had learned, for syrup to put on these old dried up turds. To which the lady said: "oh, throw those old things away and go pick yourself some fresh ones".
That's my story and I am sticking to it
Last edited by Dave Grubb; 07-01-2020 at 12:20 PM.
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty” ---Sir Winston Churchill
"Political extremism involves two prime ingredients: an excessively simple diagnosis of the world's ills, and a conviction that there are identifiable villains back of it all." ---John W. Gardner
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” ---C. S. Lewis
Fred
"Everyday I beat my own previous record for number of consecutive days I've
stayed alive."
'Take care of yourself, and each other.'
The fact that aliens have not invaded us is the strongest evidence there is for alien life being intelligent.
"Back after 5 years. I thought you had died.
don"
Splitting my time between the montane and the mesas
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.