The "Marquetry At It's Finest!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just parked my car along East Main Street in the town of Lititz and found my way into the 1792 Johannes Mueller House.  

Johannes Mueller House in Lititz, Pennsylvania

Neat wooden house that is home to the Lititz Historical Foundation.  After entering the house I began my search for a marquetry clock that was made by craftsman Rudolf S. Carpenter of Lititz, Pennsylvania.  Didn't take me long to locate the beautiful clock, but it didn't look the same as the clock that was recently featured in the local LNP Newspaper a few days ago.  About the same time I began to take a closer look at the clock and prepare to take a few photos of it, I was greeted by a woman who introduced herself as Ann Bowden.  She told me she could help me if I had any questions about the clock I was examining.  In a minute or so I found out that it was a cousin to her Grandfather who had made the clock which had over 32,000 inlaid pieces in it.  I introduced myself and told her I saw a photograph of the clock in the local newspaper and wanted to see it in person since I had taught wood shop at nearby Manheim Township High School years ago.  

Inlaid artistry featuring 32,000 pieces of wood.

For the next 15 minutes or so we had a very interesting conversation about the clock we were viewing which turned out to be a different clock than the one shown in the newspaper.  That particular clock was larger and more impressive and was in the next room.  The second clock was much larger and more impressive and had over 50,000 inlaid pieces in it.  Both clocks were made by Rudolf S. Carpenter of Lititz in the early 1900s using marquetry techniques which is using small pieces of variously colored wood to depict the image you are creating.  

Ann shows me the larger clock that has 50,000 pieces of wood.

Both incorporated about 20 different types of wood including walnut, pine, holly, ebony, cherry, maple, rose and mahogany.  The intricate detail and mosaics on both clocks was impressive.  How he managed to create the minute detail on the clocks was a mystery to me.  I taught woodworking and I just can't imagine how anyone could produce masterpieces such as these two clocks with the tools that were available over 100 years ago.  The inlaid designs and pictorials reminded me of famous artists of the past, but these were done with pieces of wood and not oils or pastels.  Mr. Carpenter was not only an accomplished woodworker, but a fabulous artist.  I am over six feet tall and both clocks stood at least a foot above me.  The domestic scenes depicted on both clocks would have been hard to produce with a paintbrush, but to do so with pieces of wood is amazing.  I thanked Ann for showing me both clocks and telling me the history of both.  I walked around the museum for a bit more and left with a very interesting story to share for today.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

This photo and the next two show the smaller clock.

The following three photographs show the detail of the clock with 50,000 pieces.

  

The "A Tale About A Conestoga Wagon Teamster Named Moses!" Story

Foreword:  Reading a few stories in one of my Lancaster County Historical Society journals when I came across a very interesting story titled "Moses Hartz - A Conestoga Wagon Teamster" that was a condensed story that was entered in the journal by H. C. Frey.  The story was so enjoyable, as well as informative, that I decided to condense the story a bit more and post it on my blog.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I did....  

It was an ordinary day.  Reading about a young man named Moses Hartz who was 19 years old when he came to the Conestoga Valley of Lancaster, Pennsylvania in the early 1800s in search of work.  He first applied for work at the home of farmer Mr. Mast.  Mr. Mast initially turned him away, but when he saw how heart broken the young man seemed to be as he walked back to his horse with his world possessions wrapped in a handkerchief and tucked under his arm, he called to him thinking that he would make a great farm worker with his perfectly proportioned shape.  Mr. Mast gave him work as well as a room in his home.  The young man proved to be trustworthy and honest during the summer farm season and Mr. Mast decided to fit up Moses with a Conestoga wagon, six horses and bells and send him to the Ohio Valley to take on a load of clover seed for the spring sowing.  Moses was told to get back in time for the spring planting.  

Could this be Moses Hartz?

He was told to take on any hauling along the way for delivery to the west.  He was an official teamster!  The winter turned from days to weeks to months for the young teamster as he suffered the same experiences that all teamsters of that time did.  Two scanty meals a day, sleeping on bar room floors and suffering from frost-bite along the way.  When the Spring season began to arrive, Mr. Mast became concerned about his new hire and decided to begin a search for the young Moses.  He selected his best horse, placed a saddle on him and proceeded westward on horseback over the only wagon trail at the time.  Mr. Mast finally found Moses as he crossed into the state of Ohio.  He was about to reprimand his new hire when Moses held up pockets of goodly sums of money which he had earned for his guardian.  He had been doing short hauls in Ohio.  Business was so good that he delayed his return trip as long as possible.  Mr. Mast was so pleased with the young man that he immediately proceeded back to Lancaster County, leaving the young man with the Conestoga wagon loaded with clover seed to find his way back over the mountains to his destination in the east.  By the time Moses got back to Lancaster, clover seed had risen in price and the farmer, Mr. Mast, sold it at a much greater profit than he had envisioned.  The young man who had almost been turned away from the farm months ago had proven his trustworthiness and had shown that his ambition in life was to give unselfish service to others.  Seems that Moses Hartz had begun a career as a teamster with working on the farm during the summer season and teamed to the west in the winter.  He was what, at the time, was known as a "Militia" teamster.  Moses was a good manager, a hard worker and a righteous man.  He became a member of the church where Mr. Mast and his wife were members, called the Old Order Amish Congregation.  He eventually married a lucky young woman of the same congregation and later became a Bishop in charge of the church.  Moses Hartz'a career as a teamster, farmer and minister was a remarkable one.  He often told of how he began farming with "five wheels," the four on the wagon and a wheel barrow.  He and his wife were industrious, self-sacrificing individuals who worked six days a week and walked or rode horseback may miles to church on the Sabbath.  He became one of the most prosperous farmers in Lancaster County and most respected citizens in his community.  He was hale, hearty, and robust and managed to live until the age of ninety-eight.  He was a fine example of a successful life on earth and rewarded with an eternal crown of glory for his sacrificial service to mankind.  

What you have just read could be true, but, I'm not absolutely sure, since I have no idea if the story in the Lancaster County Historical Society was true or not.  Most all of the stories in the small booklet are true, but I can't document that this story is true.  Hope you enjoyed it even though I did condense the story considerably to shorten the reading time.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "120 Years Of Favorite Cookies" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Having a few cookies for a snack before heading up the stairs to bed.  My choice for the evening was snickerdoodles, since my wife makes the best snickerdoodles you'll ever eat and I was hoping to share one of them with my cat who shares the same name as the cookie I love.  But, the truth is, I should be eating a good old chocolate chip cookie, since they are the cookie of choice for those who were born in the 1940s.  I recently came across a site that listed the most popular cookie of each decade starting with the 1900s.  If you are wondering which cookie was picked for each decade, I have listed them for you.  I just hope you like the the one that has been picked for your decade.  

1900s - Fig Newtons have been around in America since the late 1800s.  They wee named after the town of Newton, Massachusetts and were created to fulfill the daily intake of biscuits and fruit recommended by doctors of that era.

1910s - Oatmeal Cookies weren't popular until the 1910s.  Doesn't matter if they are with or without raisins. 

1920s - Molasses Cookies were he favorite of the '20s, since molasses was often used as a sweetener during the Roarin' '20.  The molasses made for an extra special batch of cookies.

1930s - Icebox Cookies were the big thing in this era.  The slice-'n-bake cookies became the staple in the '30s since they could be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge.  Perfect for women who had just entered the workforce and had less time for baking cookies.

1940s - Chocolate Chip Cookies made it to the top, but they could actually be the top cookie in almost every decade after they were created in 1938.  Who doesn't like a good old chocolate chip cookie?  The original recipe was the Toll House recipe, but my wife makes a chocolate chip cookie that's to die for that's her own special recipe. 

1950s - Cowboy Cookies is the choice for this decade.  I must admit...I don't know what a cowboy cookie looks like or tastes like.  They are said to be packed with chocolate chips, coconut, pecans and oats.  What a way to ruin a good regular chocolate chip cookie!

1960s - Spritz Cookies were popular in Scandinavia long before they were the number one cookie in the United States, but in the '60s they took America by storm.  Thanks to the recipe in the Betty Crocker Cookbook and the special cookie press that made the star-like effect on each cookie, the spritz gained a decade of cookie lovers.

1970s - Peanut Butter Blossoms had the combination of peanut butter cookies and chocolate kisses all blended together.  It was on every Christmas cookie platter in America during the 70s.  Wonder why I don't remember them!

1980s - Snickerdoodles made it's way into the heart and stomach of every cookie lover.  Well, needless to say, I love the snickerdoodle...enough to name my cat after it; just didn't seem right to call him Spritz.   

1990s - Funfetti cake cookies entered the scene in 1989, but it wan't until the '90s that this cake mix was used to make cookies.  The colorful creation was a big hit.  I must admit, I'm not sure if I ever had a Funfetti cookie.

2000s - Thin Mint was the cookie of choice during the 2000s.  It was the the most popular Girl Scout Cookie and the rage of the 2000s.  It was actually used in Dairy Queen blizzards and Breyer's ice cream.

2010s - Macarons were a light and elegant French cookie that was said to captivate America in the 2010s. I never said that, but someone must have.  I was still eating my chocolate chip and snickerdoodles cookies during those ten years of the 2010s. 

So, what will be the cookie of the 2020s?  Want my suggestion?  I think you already know what it is, don't you?  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Who Let The Cat Out Of The Bag?" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Watching my favorite Philadelphia Eagles play on television while enjoying a dish of tapioca pudding for dessert.  After eating my dessert I grabbed my new laptop and began writing about idioms.  Know what an idiom might be?   If not, I can tell you that it is a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words.  Such as...kill two birds with one stone which really doesn't mean to actually kill two birds, but to get two things done with one act.  Another would be...under the weather, which means you don't feel well.  Lost yet?  So, where do we get these phrases and how do we use them in the English language?  Well, there is one phrase that both Carol and I use quite a bit which is, "let the cat out of the bag!" Now, we do have two cats, but we have never put them in a bag.  The statement is actually meant to tell someone about a secret or surprise that was just revealed.  It does seem that many idioms have to do with animals with another idiom being "straight from the horse's mouth!"  So why do we use idioms?  Seems that these expressions use words in a non-literal way to mean something other than the actual meaning of the individual words and they're often quirky, funny or perplexing such as "spill the beans" or "break a leg."  As far as "letting the cat out of the bag", it was first used in a 1760 book review in the London Magazine when the reviewer complained that he "wished that the author had not let the cat out of the bag, " presumably referring to some kind of plot point.  Why did they say what they did?  Was there an actual meaning they had in mind?  As I continued to read about idioms I did find that at one time shady livestock vendors in marketplaces would try and swindle their buyers.  If someone would buy a pig the vendor would sneak a cat into the bag instead, cheating the buyer out of the higher price for a pig.  When the buyer arrived home and actually left the cat out of the bag, they would realize they'd been scammed, hence the phrase's associate with revealing a secret.  Now, it does mean something slightly different in other languages.  In both Dutch and German it means "to give a cat for a hare" which translates to actually "buying a cat in a bag."  And how about the idiom "a pig in a poke."  That dates back to the 16th century and refers to making a deal or purchasing something without fully validating it.  And, how about..."knocking on wood."  Does that mean knock on a wooden door?  One final explanation for letting the cat out of the bag has to do with the "cat o' nine tails" which is a whip made with nine intertwined cords that was used as a form of punishment in the British Royal Navy and in prisons until the 1840s.   In this case it was called a "cat" since the marks it left behind looked like cat's scratches.  And, just how would someone get a cat into a bag in the first place?  We have two cats and to get them in a bag would be next to impossible to do.  So, saying "let the cat out of the bag" doesn't really mean anything, since I just can't see anyone getting a cat in the bag in the first place...idiom or not!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "Now I Have Worried Myself!" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  Reading about being superstitious.  Do you fit into that category?  If so, what are your biggest worries when it comes to being superstitious?  Do you have to knock on wood to have good luck?  Do you only pick up a penny that has the head up?  Do you carry a rabbit's foot in your pocket?  What are your thoughts about the number 13?  Do you know that at least 10% of the U.S. population fears Friday the 13th or the number 13 when it comes to dates for getting married or traveling.  Do you know that many buildings don't contain a 13th floor even though it has over 12 floors.  For some the fear of the #13 stems from Judas Iscariot's arrival as the 13th guest at the Lord's Supper.  Others pin the superstition to the ancient Norse God Loki who arrived as the 13th guest at a dinner party, upsetting the other gods and introducing evil and turmoil into the world.  Do you worry when you break a mirror?  Will that damage your soul for 7 years?  Some believe that our soul renews every 7 years, so if you break a mirror, your soul receives a 7 year sentence of bad luck.  I was always told not to walk under a ladder.  Goes back to the ancient Egyptians who believed that triangles were sacred because they signified the trinity of the gods.  Passing through a triangle (under a ladder) desecrated the gods, inviting misfortune.  There are others that don't trim their nails after sundown, since in Turkey and India there is a superstition that cutting your nails after sundown will bring bad luck.  Japan believes that trimming your nails at night can cause premature death.  The Koreans go all out believing that discarding nail clippings will be eaten by rats who morph into monsters to terrorize you as you sleep.  According to a Dutch superstition, don't sing at the dinner table or evil spirits will haunt you.  Another Turkish superstition says that whistling indoors can bring bad luck, causing the house to burst into flames while some Russians believe that whistling can cause financial ruin.  Might be wise that if you are friends with a Russian to maybe hum instead of whistling.  How about the black cat thing.  Pope Gregory IX issued a warning against having black cats and he portrayed them as Lucifer in disguise.  Did your parents ever tell you to hold your breath when you passed a cemetery?  You certainly don't want to inhale an evil force or a recently departed spirit.  I heard that you should never rock an empty chair or you will get sick during the next year.  Well, have I scared you enough?  There are bound to be many other superstitious sayings that may turn you into a frog or witch or even a snake.  But, wouldn't it be neat to be a witch, especially during Halloween.  Well, I'm sure you could add a few more superstitions to the list I have just made, but if you worry about everything you have heard can do something to you, you'd go crazy.  But...wait...I heard that drinking a carbonated drink in a plastic cup can turn you into a frog that whistles when crossing the street after midnight in the spring when it is raining.  Have you heard that also?  Life's fun...isn't it?  I can hardly wait to walk under a ladder the next chance I get just to see what really happens.   If you don't see any new stories on this blog, you will know something awful happened to me.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Another Well-Known Lancastrian" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading about a young man by the name of Henry E. Leman who was a rifle maker in Lancaster County.  Henry was not as well known as several other riflemakers, but his name is still known in Lancaster County since he lived in Lancaster shortly after the the Revolutionary War.  Henry was born in Lancaster on March 8, 1812.  His father's side of the family were French Huguenots who had come to Lancaster County in the early 1700s and settled in the area known as Paradise.  His father, Jacob, was a farmer near Lancaster and a brewer in the town of Lancaster.  He had served during the Revolutionary War as a private in the Pequea Rangers.  His mother was a daughter of Leonard Eichholtz who in turn was related to Lancaster artist Jacob Eichholtz.  Henry attended private school in Lancaster until he was sixteen when he began working for Melhoir Fordney, a well-known gun manufacturer.  After three years learning the necessary rifle making skills, he moved to Philadelphia were he worked from 1831 to 1834 for George Tryon, a manufacturer of fire-arms.  In 1834 he returned to Lancaster and opened his own business.  His first shop was part of his father's brewery on Mifflin Street in the center of town.  It was here that he did the finer machine work on locks, triggers, sights and other parts of the rifle before assembling them.  He had a forge and rifle mill in Upper Leacock Township on the east bank of the Conestoga River near a village known as Catfish that eventually became known as Oregon.

Henry Leman's Forge and rifle works along the Conestoga River.

This is where the milling and forging of the barrels was done.  His rifle making skills were meticulous which made his rifles known everywhere in America.  In 1837 he got his first contract from the government which continued until about 1860 when Simon Cameron, Secretary of War, offered him a contract for 250,000 rifles.  He declined the request, since he couldn't see how he could increase production fast enough to fill the request.  He had already increased business in 1850 when he started a factory at East Walnut and Cherry Streets in Lancaster where he did his heavy machine work by steam power.  At the same time he also purchased an old brick building on the east side of North Duke Street at 305 S. Walnut Street in the city of Lancaster.  In 1851 he married Anna DuBois of Newburgh, New York.  They had five children.  In 1873 he moved his business into a larger factory at the southeast corner of James and Christian Streets where he made his flintlock rifles and gained fame with his percussions, but never began the manufacture of breechloaders.  His prices were anywhere from eight to fifty dollars, depending on the material and the work needed for each rifle.  Rifles that were extremely ornamental with silver plates and front sights were his most expensive models.  Henry took great pride in his rifles and each one was stamped "H.E. Leman, Lancaster, Pa."  

Rifles made by Henry E. Leman

If he was asked to make inferior arms or if any flaws were found in one of his rifles, he would mark these rifles with "Conestoga Rifle Works."  If you are a collector of old rifles, perhaps you may have one of his rifles.  Henry's rifles more than likely killed more American buffaloes than any other rifle in history.  At times he would accept buffalo meat and skins in trade for his rifles.  During his last years he lived at 427 North Duke Street where he died on May 12, 1887 in his seventy-sixth year.  Lancaster County is known as the "Birthplace of the American Rifle" since it had at one time 94 gunsmiths which included Martin Meylin and William Henry.  I read that during Mr. Leman's lifetime, he probably equalled the total output of rifles made by all other rifle makers combined.  A real hero of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "San Francisco Harbor Hides Many Secrets" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Sometime back in 1848...and the news of the California Gold Rush had just begun to spread across not only the United States, but the entire world.  And, to get to California to claim your pot of gold, you may have perhaps arrived by ship.  And, while you began your search for the elusive pot of gold, your sea captain who brought you to San Francisco may have abandoned the ship to search for his own pot of gold.  So...who was keeping watch over all those ships that sat tied up in the harbor?  I recently read about a remarkable panorama taken in 1852 that showed what historians have described as a "forest of masts" in Yerba Buena Cove.  One of these ships that seemed to have been abandoned while the crew searched for gold nuggets was known as the "Niantic".  It was intentionally run aground in 1849 and used as a warehouse, saloon and hotel before it burned down in a huge fire in 1851 that claimed many other ships in the cove where it sat.  The Niantic sat on the corner of Clay and Sansome Streets and eventually had another hotel built upon its ashes.  

The many ships that sat in the harbor at one time.

Some ships were sunk intentionally since at the time, you could claim the land under it if your ship sunk.  Then landfill could cover the ship and you would have a place to build anew.  One such ship which was intentionally sunk, the "Rome", was rediscovered in the 1990s when the city dug a tunnel to extend a streetcar line south of Market Street.  Today the line passes through the forward hull of the ship.  Pretty neat to head to work by passing through an old ship!  Yerba Buena Cove was eventually filled in and people built piers out into it to reach ships moored in deeper water.  More and more land was created with the dumping of just about anything that didn't float.  Today there is an ongoing controversy over a sinking tilting skyscraper that was built on landfill near what was once the southern edge of Yerba Buena Cove.  A shipwreck map was created by the San Francisco Maritime national Historical Park in 1963.  Red circles on the map indicate sites that have been studied by archaeologists.  One such site is a shipping yard at the south end of Yerba Buena Cove near the Bay Bridge.  Seems that Charles Hare ran a salvage operation at the spot and employed close to 100 Chinese laborers to take apart old ships.  He sold off the brass and bronze for use in new ships and buildings.  Scrap wood was also claimed for use since at the time it was a valuable commodity.  Then along came a devastating fire in 1851 that ended his business.  Remnants of six ships were found at the site.  One was the whaling vessel known as the "Candace" which carried gold prospectors to San Francisco.  In 2006 a new development project nearby turned up bones that were suspected to be from Galapagos tortoises.  Seems that during the gold rush many ships stopped in the Galapagos Islands and threw a few turtles in the hold as a source of fresh meat for the long voyage to California.  Menus from back in that time show that turtle soup was a common offering in the area.  Michale Warner has drawn a new map of the area that includes the "Maps of Discovery" from a mural painted by N.C. Wyeth in 1928 for the headquarters of the National Geographic Society.  

A new map is being prepared for sale showing the harbor with location of ships under the harbor.

Mr. Warner is hoping to enhance the image of the buried ships and wharves, but is still discovering more details.  Sometime in the near future you may be able to buy a map of the area to see for yourself what may have happened to all the ships that sat at one time under parts of what today is known as Yerba Buena Cove.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "If It Starts With A "P", It Must Be A Great Treat" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Thought I would write about a few favorite treats that everyone enjoys.  For me, the small, cardboard boxed J&J Pie, which I first discovered on the island of Turks & Caicos, would have to be my favorite.  After buying a few of the pies at a grocery store on the island of  Turks & Caicos, I read the information on the box and found they were made in Erie, Pennsylvania.  When I returned home I emailed them asking where I can buy them in Lancaster, PA and found that the Scheetz Gas Station Chain sells them in Lancaster.  When I needed gas I made sure to go to Sheetz to fill up with both gas and pies.  Today I stopped at a local Turkey Hill Dairy to gas up and get milk and found the pie treat on their shelves.  It's a shorter trip so now I can get gas, pies and milk all at one time.  Life is Good!  Now, not everyone likes the pies, so I began researching and found that popcorn is the world's most versatile and favorite snack.  Guess they never had a J&J pie!  Popcorn can be dressed up with cheese, caramel, butter, salt or any number of special toppings.  But, my pie can be dressed up with whipped cream or even ice cream.  Not sure who was responsible for the pies I enjoy, but as far as popcorn is concerned, Orville Clarence Redenbacher was the American businessman most often associated with the brand of popcorn that bears his name.  

Mr. Orville Clarence Redenbacher

The New York Times called him "the agricultural visionary who all but single-handedly revolutionized the American popcorn industry."  He was born in Brazil, Indiana on July 16, 1907 and grew up on his family's farm where he sometimes sold popcorn from the back of his car.  

A younger photo of Mr. Redenbacher

He graduated from high school in 1924 in the top 5% of his class and then attended Purdue University where he was part of the agriculture-oriented Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity, played tuba in the school band and joined the track team.  He graduated with a degree in agronomy in 1928.  He began his career selling fertilizer, but spent his spare time working with popcorn.  Twenty-three years later he and his business partner bought the George F. Chester and Son seed corn plant in Boone Grove, Indiana.  They named their new business "Chester Hybrids" and tried thousands of hybrid strains of popcorn before settling on a hybrid they named "RedBow."  A very smart advertising agency told them to use "Orville Redenbacher" as the brand name for their new popping corn in 1970.  Six years later they sold the company to Hunt-Wesson Foods.  Over the next couple of years the business changed owners and names until in 1990 the popcorn business was sold to agribusiness giant ConAgra.  Years before, in 1973, Redenbacher appeared on TV's "To Tell the Truth" game show and by the mid-1970's Redenbacher and Bowman had over 1/3 of the popcorn market.  Orville became the company's official spokesman wearing his trademark outfit of horn-rimmed glasses and a bow tie.  He began to appear in TV commercials which led to customers asking him if he was a real person and not an actor.  He began appearing on talk shows telling his story and telling everyone  that he is a real person.  He married his first wife in 1928.  She died in 1971 and he remarried later that year.  She died in 1991.  On September 19, 1995, Redenbecher was found dead in the Jacuzzi of his condo in Coronado, California.  He had suffered a heart attack and had drowned.  Beginning in 2006, several of Orville's older commercials began to air on TV across America.  In 2008 the advertisements featured the brand's "natural" popcorn snacks with a clip of Orville at the end of the commercial.  

Orville with a few of his products.

In 2007 a TV commercial aired with a digital recreation of Redenbacher.   His grandson said he would have loved it and was a good way to honor his legacy.  Orville Redenbacher is the popcorn name we all recognize today and the man himself is still a well-known spokesman more than 20 years after his death.  One thing he always believed was that popcorn made the old-fashioned way on a stovetop tends to be far superior to popcorn made in a microwave.  Funny, but the J&J pies I love taste better warmed up in a microwave.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "What's Your Favorite Breakfast Meal?" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  Entering the Stauffer's of Kissel Hill Supermarket which is located in...Kissel Hill.  At one time they used to have a store close to our house on the Oregon Pike, but that has closed.  They also used to have another store on the Lititz Pike near Lititz, but that has closed.  And...they also have what is said to be the largest grocery store in Lancaster County which is located at Rohrerstown.   No matter which Stauffer's store I enter...Stauffer's of Kissel Hill has the best homemade oatmeal you'll ever eat.  Flavors such as Apple & Cinnamon, Maple & Brown Sugar, Cherry, and Mixed Berry line the shelves as you walk into the store.  I love everyone of the flavors that they sell, but I tend to gravitate to the Apple & Cinnamon flavor most times.  

The container is usually good for two servings so some weeks I make sure I get two containers so they will last me the week.  Heat the container in the microwave for about a minute, take out one serving and place it in my dish, pour cold milk on the oatmeal and spread a teaspoon of sugar over it.  At times I eat a second serving if I know I'm not going to eat until mid-afternoon.  Sometimes, if I don't have time to heat up the oatmeal, I will just eat a bowl of Sugar Frosted Flakes.  Sugary cereals tend to get into your body quickly and cause a peak in blood-sugar levels, but the levels then fall dramatically after a few hours whereas oatmeal is absorbed slowly, so oatmeal eaters get a slow rise in blood sugar and enough energy to last through the morning.  Oatmeal eaters don't experience a steep drop in blood-sugar levels, which is a good thing.  A dipping blood sugar can bring with it a release of hormones that affect mood.  In some people the hormones seem to affect concentration and memory.  Those eating oatmeal tend to remember information much longer than those who eat plain sugary cereals.  And...I certainly need help with my memory!  The oatmeal has more protein and fiber and therefore a lower glycemic index.  Therefore, eating or feeding oatmeal to your children will improve the odds of keeping your blood sugar level at a higher level longer.  The reason is that all oats start off as oat groats, which are the whole, unbroken grains.  Typically, they are then roasted at a low temperature before being processed into other varieties of oats.   (1) Steel-cut oats are closest to their original grain form.  They are made when the whole groat is cut into several pieces with a steel blade.  This variety takes the longest to cook and has a nuttier taste and a chewy texture.  (2) Rolled oats are whole oats that are first steamed to make them soft and pliable, and then rolled to flatten them to a specific thickness.  This additional processing means they cook faster and retain their shape when cooked. (3) Instant or quick oats are the most processed of the three oat varieties.  They are partially cooked, dried and then pressed to allow the oats to cook more quickly.  They have a more mushy texture, as they retain less of their shape when cooked.  I usually buy one or two containers of Stauffer's home-made oatmeal a month.  I also like Stuffer's home-made muffins which are made in a variety of flavors.  Once again, the muffins are rather large and eating one of the muffins is usually enough for me for breakfast.  Two trays of 4 muffins is enough for me for a week of breakfast meals.  Naturally I dunk them in milk after heating them for 30 seconds in the microwave. Oh yeah...they also have great home-made cookies and cakes as well as donuts, some plain and some with cream or jellied filling.  So, I can decide my breakfast meals as I walk into the store, since all these products are usually right inside the front door.  My guess is they do that on purpose!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Some Black & Whites To Share With You" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Cleaning off my desktop when I came across a variety of black and white photos with accompanying stories that I had been saving.  Rather than discard them, I thought you may also enjoy them as I did when I found them a few months ago.  So, enjoy them!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

This photo was taken in 1928 showing the MGM Lion, the one who roars at the start of every classic film. Actually, several different lions were used throughout the years.  This particular lion was known as Jackie.  He also appeared in a few of the old Tarzan movies years ago.

This black and white was taken in 1961 in the lunch room at the Disneyland employee cafeteria.  Snow White and Goofy are going through the lunch line.  The place was dubbed "the happiest place on earth." 

This photograph was taken in 1967 and shows Katherine Switzer who was the first woman to officially compete in the Boston Marathon.  She finished in four hours and 20 minutes.  This photograph shows a few of the other competitors trying to stop her from running in the race.  It wasn't until five years later that women were officially allowed to run in the race alongside men.  Go Katherine!!

Charlie Chaplin and Helen Keller are shown in this 1919 photograph.  The photograph was taken on the set of "Sunnyside" where she reads Charlie Chaplin's lips by touching her fingers to his mouth.  

Photograph is titled "A Tower of Barrels."  Taken during the prohibition era of the United States.  From 1920 to 1933 authorities confiscated liquor in packages big and small.  Towers of barrels like this one were assembled and set on fire for disposal.

A photograph taken in 1905 shows one of the first batches of bananas being delivered to Norway.  The load of crates and boxes weighed 3,000 kilograms.  The long yellow fruit that we pick up at the grocery store today was once new to some, thanks to the advent of global trade.

This is "Ham the Chimp," also known as "Ham the Astrochimp," named for New Mexico's Holloman Aerospace Medical Center.  He was the first Hominidae to voyage into outer space and launched from Cape Canaveral on January 31, 1961.  He survived the journey into space and returned to Earth unharmed except for bruising on his nose.

This 1934 black and white shows a wire cage that a council in London proposed for its buildings.  Infants were supposed to have sunlight and fresh air and this was to be the safe solution for the problem.  Didn't last long.

Early photography at it's best!  This photo shows the Great Pyramids which didn't become a tourist attraction until the 1970s.  Now, millions of visitors a year take photographs such as this, but probably with their phone...and in color.

This 1900's photograph show a female gunner taking aim at some nazis.  Most of the 800,000 women who served in the Soviet Armed Forces during WWII were medical staff, but some were women such as the one pictured here.  

The painting of the Eiffel Tower is shown in this black and white photograph.  It was taken in 1932.  The tower has been repainted 18 times since its construction, an average of once every seven years.  60 tons of paint are needed to complete the job as well a 1,500 brushes, 1,500 sets of work clothes and over a year's worth of shoes for 25 painters to get the job done.  So...if it takes 60 tons of paint and it has been painted 18 times...think how much it must weigh today.

The young boy selling newspapers in this photograph is Edward John Parfett.  His newspaper is announcing the Titanic's tragic fate.  He was 15 years old and standing outside the London offices of White Star Line, the ship's owner.  The photograph was taken on April 16, 1912, the day after the ocean inner hit an iceberg and took 1,500 lives as it sank into the sea.  Where were you that fateful day?

Do you see the bottle in the front of this black and white photograph?  It features a Coke and is seen at the Eiffel Tower where it is promoting the soft drink that is being sold in France for the first time.  

The Old Stockholm telephone tower was built in 1887 and connected more than 5,000 telephone wires in the Swedish capital.  This was constructed just before telephone companies began burying their wires.  By 1913, telephone wires were all underground and the tower no longer served its original purpose.  It was taken down in 1953 after being dragged in a fire the previous year.  

This photograph shows an afternoon of standing on a square.  It was a life-size human chess game in the Soviet Russia.

Everyone had one of these, didn't they.  It is a gas resistant baby-stroller.  Much like a bomb shelter or gas mask, these carriages look more like coffins.  Weren't very popular as you might have assumed.

This black and white shows veteran soldiers of the Union and Confederate armies in the Civil War reconciled and joined hands on the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.  More than 50,000 former soldiers attended the event where President Woodrow Wilson spoke to the troops.  He said, "We have found one another again as brothers and comrades in arms, enemies no longer."

This photograph, taken in 1922, shows authorities in Washington D.C., along the Potomac, keeping a judgmental eye on women's swimwear.  There were plenty of rules on the books concerning the length of bathing suits and women were arrested when they wore a swimming suit that was deemed immodest.  

This black and white shows Audrey Hepburn and her pet deer.   It was taken while filming "Green Mansions."  The deer's name was Pippin and spent plenty of time with Audrey at her home.  The dear snuggled up to Audrey at bedtime. 

This final black and white hows the testing of an H Bomb by the United States at Bikini Atoll from 1946 to 1958.  The island is one of 23 making up the group of the Marshalls Islands in the Pacific.  It eventually was rendered uninhabitable due to radioactivity.