The "Someone's Junk May Be Your Treasure?" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Visiting the neat little town of Havre de Grace, Maryland with friends Jerry and Just Sue.  After a lunch date at the Tidewater Grill we decided to take a tour of the Chesapeake Bay town and ended up once again at the Seneca Cannery.  I wrote a story about the building a few years ago, telling how they at one time made tin cans for use in just about any industry, but primarily for food distribution.  Well, the place is now a haven for antique hunters and as we entered, we each went our separate ways in the huge old industrial building; me beginning a photo tour of items that were ... well, let me say it kindly ... going to have a hard time finding a friend to buy them.  So, here are a few different, or should I say "unusual" items that I will share with you.  Maybe you might have an interest in one of them, but I suspect you may be passing on a chance to own any one of them.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Two mirrors and a few hair pieces look as if they are from ancient times.  Click on images to enlarge them.

This kitty may have a tough time finding a permanent home.

This is an entire basket of Jesus fans that are leftovers from a funeral home.

I don't believe this has weighed anything in quite some time.

Is this a novelty mug?  Lash's Kidney & Liver Bitters?

A $6 glass slipper.

This lovely hat looks so nice on my wife's head and matches her scarf, but ....

A glass rooster waiting for a home.  May be some time before that happens.

And, these four beautiful glasses are a must in someone's home.

Doesn't everyone need one of these signs?

This very heavy and lengthy fish made of license plates would look nice in any one's home.  To tell you the truth, if I'd had a spot in my home ... I may have been tempted. 

Doesn't everyone want a used shaving brush?

Can you be sure these would work or would you just buy them for display?

This is known as a "Memory Log" and has a price of $135 as well as a note saying it is an amazing piece.  Guess the seller just didn't appreciate just how amazing it really is anymore.

Maybe good for a race car driver.

And when you can no longer stand your spouse playing the piano ...

Can't imagine any of these fuel lines would work anymore, but the sign is neat.

Now who wouldn't want this beautiful lampshade hanging in their dining room?

A few clothespins for $8.00.  If these sell, I have quite a few I may package and drop off.

For the magnet collector I assume.  The quote along the side of the magnet reads: There are more things in men to admire than to despise.  Quote by Albert Camus.  I'm sure you've heard of him.

And the last item is this lovely woman's hat selling for $10.

The "Heating The Country In Columbia, Pennsylvania" Story

Site of what was once the Keeley Stove Company.

It was an ordinary day.  Diving through the riverfront town of Columbia, Pennsyl- vania looking for the remains of the Keeley Stove Company.  Streets run parallel to the Susquehanna River and carry numbers beginning with 1st Street running along the river.  Keeley Stove filled the space between 2nd and 3rd streets and occupied the block between Maple and Linden Streets.  

A postcard show the Keeley Stove Co. in Columbia, PA.

All that remains of the once great stove company is a series of garage units.  Keeley Stove began in 1843 as the Yeager Hunter Stove Company in Spring City, Montogomery County.  After several owners, it was destroyed by fire in 1856, but was rebuilt by the people of the town in 1860 on the same site and was known as the Spring City Stove Company.  Eventually, in the spring of 1881 Oliver Keeley bought the business.  Unfortunately, the business was once again destroyed by fire a few months later.  

A catalog page showing the Pilot Stove.

So, Mr. Keeley continued operations across the river in Royersford.  But, in January of 1882, he as killed in a train accident at the age of 36.  His estate eventually sold the company to a group of investors in Columbia, PA.  Keeley Stove Company continued to operate in Spring City until a new factory could be built in Columbia.  By February of 1883 Columbia had a new factory along the banks of the Susquehanna and five years later were producing 20,000 stoves a year.  They manufactured Columbian stoves, ranges, furnaces and hot water specialties.  The company had its ups and downs in ensuing years as it adopted newer technologies and dealt with unionization of its work force, but finally closed in 1948.  

A receipt for a stove from The Keeley Stove Company.

And today, as I searched the landscape for the remains of the factory, I came up empty except for the rows and rows of garages.  One of the mainstays of the Keeley Stove Company was the Pilot Stove.  It was a cast iron pot belly stove that was offered for sale for $26.00 and for 75 cents extra you could have the bootrails nickel coated.  

A restored cast iron pot belly Pilot Stove.

The stove had an extra door that was used just for poking the charred wood.  Potbelly stoves were cast-iron wood-burning stoves that were round with a bulge in the middle that resembled a fat man's pot belly.  They were designed to heat large spaces and were often found in train stations and one-room schoolhouses.  The flat top of the stove allowed for cooking of food or the heating of water.  Columbia is about twenty minutes from my home in Lancaster and its hard to believe it took me 72 years to realize that one of the biggest manufacturing plants in the USA used to be nearby.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Fun With Dick And Jane" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Began like this ... "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.... a young boy picked up a book written by Elson-Gray and read ... See Dick Run!  Page two was similar ... See Jane Run!  Wow, you mean you don't remember that?  How can that be!  That's exacty how I learned to read.  The main characters in the book were Dick and Jane with a supporting cast of characters which included Baby, Mother, Father, Spot the dog, Puff the cat and Tim the teddy bear.  You have to remember them!!  The books relied on the whole word or sight reading method as well as repetition.  Over and over again.  Dick and Jane; Dick and Spot; Jane and Puff; etc, etc. And, the phrases like: Oh, see.  Oh, see Jane.  Funny, funny Jane.  

The early illustrations were primarily done by artists Eleanor Campbell and Keith Ward, while Robert Childress began doing the illustrations in the 1950s and Richard Wiley took over the illustrations in the 1960s.  Yep, they used these books into the 1960s.  It wasn't until the 60s that Black characters and characters from other races and cultures were placed in the books.  Then, just like that, the books disappeared when phonics began to be used as a more effective method of gaining literacy.  But, it was about ten years before that Rudolf Flesch criticized the Dick and Jane series in his book Why Johnny Can't Read.  Well, I had to Google the Fun with Dick and Jane book and found they are going for close to $50.  Wonder what ever happened to all those books we read at Brecht Elementary School years ago.  Boxes and boxes of books that probably were burned or found a home in the dump.  The original characters in the book were devised by Zerna Sharp, a former teacher.  She came up with a core cast that were easy to remember.  Worked, didn't it.  At least with me.  Although she didn't write any of the books, her cast of characters were used.  Ist grade books contained about 300 words while by the time students reached 3rd grade they were given 1000 more words and 4000 more by 6th grade.  

The books were said to use the "look-say" method to teach reading since they would stress:  Look, Spot. Oh, look, look Spot. Look and see. Oh, see.  Repetition, repetition, repetition!  By 1950 about 85 million American first graders plowed though Dick and Jane readers.  Then along came aforementioned Rudolf Flesch who claimed that the average Russian 4th grader commanded a vocabulary of nearly 10,000 word while American children had mastered only 1,800 at that level.  So, Dick and Jane bit the dust, so to speak.  Along came Theodore Seuss Geisel who began writing his Cat in the Hat and other stories.  Finally Dick and Jane were dead.  That is until people began to ask ... What ever happened to Dick and Jane.  Well, friends, they are going for $50 on eBay.  Get one before they are all gone.  Now, my next story will have to be ... "What ever happened to cursive writing?"  Remember that?  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Amish Barn Raising In Lancaster County, PA" Story

An old photo showing a barn raising in the distance.

It was an ordinary day.  Reading about the Amish Community in which I live and how they help each other in every aspect of live.  And, being that I have lived in Lancaster County my entire life, I have seen many barn raisings after disastrous fires, hurricanes and the like as well as when a new Amish family joins the community. A few times I have been a witness to what many will never see in their lifetime.  Lancaster County has a very heavy Amish population and our roads are dotted with the traditional covered buggies as well as the open-air buggies.  Barn raisings usually begin at the break of dawn and workers fill the landscape and skyscape until dark, usually finishing the project in a day.  

Another early barn raising in Lancaster County, PA.

A few days before, the foundation is laid from blocks and cement.  Barns raisings are usually led by one or two Amish "engineers" who draw the plans and make sure the materials will be on site.  Roads are filled with buggies as far as the eye can see while horses feed together in nearby fields.  The Amish number many as they crawl over the new roof, all dressed in colored shirts with black suits and straw hats.  

Like bees swarming to stock the hive.

The atmosphere is festive with the women and young girls preparing food as needed.  Most workers on the barn wear tool belts which carry a hammer and nails as they work in unison.  So, just where did all these people come from.  Seems that a fundamentalist movement began in Switzerland in 1525. This group eventually became known as "Mennonites."  

Another view of Amish building a barn.

Then, in Germany in the late 1600's a Mennonite named Jacob Amman decided to start his own religion, thus the Amish began.  They emigrated from the Palatinate region of Bavaria to southeastern Pennsylvania in 1698.  Since that time over three hundred years ago, the peace-loving Amish continue to live their religion which emphasizes self-reliance.  They reject welfare and government as well as refuse to serve in the military.  But, boy can they sure raise a barn in no time. AS I said before, I have been witness to that.  It was another extraordinary day in the live of an ordinary guy.     

The "Trying To Make The Customer Happy" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Working at Grebinger Gallery for a few hours to lend my expertise to a few of the framing jobs I wasn't able to help with as I went through my recent medical procedure.  There are so many unusual projects that come into the gallery that making decisions as to how to mat and frame them are both challenging and fun.  One of the projects today is framing two note cards that feature sheep as well as a sample of wool that came from the owner's sheep.  Keith, the owner of the gallery, gave me his work sheet which tells the basic things such as color and style of mat board, type of glass to use, style and number of the frame and a general idea as to how the customer would like the items framed.  I then made a sketch showing three openings and placed measurements on the sketch.  Opened the program on the mat cutter computer and entered the measurements.  This project will have two mats; the main mat and the accent mat.  Most times the mat colors are chosen to compliment each other as well as what is being matted.  The main, or top, mat for this project is a woven fabric mat that is slightly thicker than most mats.  The computer for the mat cutter allows you to cut different depths for different thicknesses of mats.  I cut the two mats and taped them together.  I then cut a piece of foam board the size of the mats, cut an opening in the center which would be the opening for the wool samples, and then attached the two note cards to the foam so they would show through the top and bottom openings of the mat board.  The next step was to place spacers on the bottom foam board to allow for adequate clearance for the height of the wool samples.  The two mats, which now housed the two cards, was placed on the bottom foam board which had the spacers on it as well as a layer of mat board that matched the top mat.  After taping everything together, I hot-glued sample pieces of wool that the customer had taken from their sheep.  A piece of glass was cut as well at the chosen frame and the unit was place together.  Turned out really neat and I'm sure the customer will be pleased with the final result.  I hope the photos I have taken will help you understand the procedure, since I'm sure my explanation might have been tough to understand.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

This photograph shows the sample of wool, two note cards and the top (brown fabric) and bottom mat that I have cut based on the measurements that were given to me on the work sheet that the customer approved.  You may notice the top brown fabric mat is in two pieces.  The customer wanted a "V" groove around the edge to add some interest to the job.  This is done on the computer and then cut into the mat board.

This is the top foam board that I have cut an opening into as well as fastening both note cards with acid free paper clips.

On the right is the mat boards on top of the foam board that holds the note cards.  Notice the center opening will allow for he wool sample to show through it.  The foam board on the left has spacers on all four sides which are about 1/2" high to allow enough depth for the wool sample.  The brown piece in the center is a piece of the top mat board, but only the top layer of the board which I carefully peeled off so it isn't as bulky as the entire piece of mat board.  This piece of mat board is the location where I will glue the wool.

Preparing to glue the wool sample into place.

The final result with the wool and chosen frame in place.

The "What Ever Happened To ... "Nor Heat Nor Gloom Of NIght: Part II - The Parcel Post" Story

It was an ordinary day.  January 1, 1913 and the Post Office's Parcel Post was officially a part of United States history.  The Parcel Post was one of the most overlooked innovations of the 20th Century. After the demise of the Pony Express on October 24, 1861, many private delivery companies flourished, but it was the Parcel Post that allowed millions of Americans greater access to mail-order shopping which we take for granted in today's society.  The establishment of the Parcel Post is said to be contributed to the National Grange Association, since they were concerned with the farmer's welfare and lobbied Congress for the free delivery of mail to rural households.  

An early U.S. Mail truck with a horse drawn vehicle behind it.

Rural resi- dents com- prised the ma- jority of our young coun- try's popu- lation so the Gra- nge played a big part in getting parcel post started, much to the chagrin of the private express companies that delivered most of the goods before Parcel Post began.  The national economy began to grow with opportunities for both farmers and merchants alike.  And, an immediate demand for packaging material led to another national business for merchants.  Rural Americans could now purchase foodstuffs, medicines, dry goods and other commodities that they had no mail access to before.   The first mail-order house, Montgomery Ward, began in 1872 with a one-page catalog.  

Another three-wheeled mail cart.  Would love to see
something like this on the streets today.

 As the catalog grew in size, it became one of the most important books in the homes of farmers, second only to the Bible.  It was aptly named "The Homestead- ers Bible" or the "Wish Book".  Sears, Roebuck and Company followed in 1893 and at one time boasted it was selling four suits and a watch every minute, a revolver every two minutes and a buggy every ten minutes.  Then, in 1918, a large fleet of trucks began delivering shipments.  It was at this time in history that farmers began to ship eggs and other produce directly to the customer.  

On February 19, 1914, a four-year-old girl named
Charlotte May Pierstorff was mailed via train from
her home in Grangeville, Idaho to her grandparents'
house 73 miles away.  Her story has become so
legendary that it was made into a children's book,
"Mailing May."

 Eggs quickly became a mainstay of the parcel post.  One report said that six eggs were the first objects sent by truck from St. Louis, Missouri to Edwards- ville, Illinois.  They were mailed at noon and seven hours later returned to St. Louis in the form of a cake!  A large variety of goods was mailed through the years.  Small animals that didn't require water while in transit, such as baby chicks, were a popular item to mail.  

I was lucky, or should I say resourseful enough, to find
 this old photo showing a Lancaster, Pennsylvania
US Mail truck delivering produce to NY City.

 And, prior to World War I, even children were mailed by parcel post to relatives in distant locations.  In 1914 May Pierstroff, a four-year-old, was shipped parcel post from Grangeville, Idaho to her grandparents in another part of the state for $.53, the going rate for chickens.  Wasn't long before the Post Office Department forbid sending humans by Parcel Post.  Two years later an entire bank was dismantled and shipped from Salt Lake City, Utah to Vernal, California.  Parcels carrying items such as bricks weighing close to 50 pounds were sent, one ton at a time.  

There is still one route left in the United States where mail
travels by mule.  Supai, Arizona, is inside the Grand Canyon
and only accessible by foot, pack animal, or helicopter.  For
mail service, the most cost-efficient of these three choices
is the "pack animal," so mules make the 8-mile trip.

 Due to this, the Post- master Gener- al de- cried that a single shipper could post no more than 200 pounds a day.  In 1948 air parcel post service was established and the United States began exchanging parcels with other countries.  Wasn't long after that private companies began once again competing with the U.S. Postal Service for domestic and international delivery.  Today's most popular private delivery services are Federal Express and United Parcel Service.  Hard to believe that the mail that comes through your door slot or is stuffed in your mailbox goes way back to the years when the Pony Express delivered mail and packages by horseback.  Funny how it's still delivered by horsepower!  That is until recently when mail delivery was canceled due to a few inches of snow in Lancaster County, PA.  Oh well, I guess the mailmen need a vacation day also.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.   

The "What Ever Happened To ... "Nor Heat Nor Gloom Of NIght: Part I - The Pony Express" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Snow was still falling and the roads were void of any traffic.  School has already been called off for the next day and ... what's that ... the TV ran a blurb across the bottom of the screen saying that there would be no mail delivery and the local post offices would be closed.  Holy cow!!  Now I'm really worried, since I just returned home from the hospital and could in no way shovel my wife and I out if necessary.  Went to bed wondering what to expect when I arose the next morning.  Well, the next day I looked out the window and the road in the front of the house was open to traffic.  Wasn't any traffic on it, but it was plowed.  Then I thought back to all the closings announced last evening and wondering if everyone was in panic mode when it wasn't necessary.  Heavens, when was the last time the U.S. Postal Service closed?  Don't they have a pledge or motto that says something like ... "nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their rounds ..."?  

The advent of the Pony Express with riders changing
horses and transferring their mail at stations on the route.

Just had to Google that and sure enough, there was the unofficial motto as I had imagined it.  Goes way back to when the Constitution established the postmaster-general position.  A system of mail delivery had been developed in the colonies using slaves, merchants and Native Americans to pass letters and parcels from person to person until it reached its destination.  Eventually that gave way to designated mail carriers who delivered by horse or stagecoach.  And, these guys took pride in getting the mail to its destination on time.  

A poster advertising for riders for the Pony Express.

It was at this time that a mail service began to officially operate which was known as the Leavenworth and Pike's Peak Express Company.  The year was 1859 and it operated for 19 months before it was dissolved.  Officially known as The Pony Express.  I'm sure you have heard of them.  They were known to get a message or postal from the East coast to the West coast in about 10 days.  There were 184 stations along the route used by the Pony Express.  The stations were fashioned out of existing structures, military forts and built anew in remote areas where there were no postal offices before.  Alexander Majors, one of the founders of the Pony Express, bought 400 horses to begin the service.  The horses were fairly small in stature, thus the name "Pony."  Most riders were small, lightweight and generally teenage boys who ended up being the heroes of the American West.  

Mailbags used by the Pony Express.

The mail was carried in specially designed saddlebags made of leather and draped over the saddle.  They could hold up to 20 pounds of cargo.  At each station the rider would grab the bag and throw it over the next mount, thus allowing the riders to switch horses in about two minutes.  The riders usually changed mounts every ten to fifteen miles and gave way to another carrier after about 100 miles.  At first it would cost about $5 for every half-ounce of mail (about $130 today).  It later was reduced to about $1.  

Allegedly the first Eastbound letter delivered by the Pony Express.

Riders had to deal with extreme weather conditions, harsh terrain and the threat of attacks by bandits and Indians, but the keepers of the mail stations were under threat of more harm.  In exchange for their $100-$150 monthly salary, the riders had to swear to a loyalty oath that read: "I, ......, do hereby swear, before the Great and Living God, that during my engagement, and while I am an employee of Russell, Majors, and Waddell, I will, under no circumstances, use profane language, that I will drink no intoxicating liquors, that I will not quarrel or fight with any other employee of the firm, and that in every respect I will conduct myself honestly, be faithful to my duties, and so direct all my acts as to win the confidence of my employers, so help me God."  

US Postal Service stamp honoring the Pony Express.

Eventually the transcontinental telegraph dealt the Pony Express its deathblow and on October 24, 1861 it stopped service after just 19 months.  Eventually the postal service department as we know it took up mail delivery service.  I wonder if during those 19 months of Pony Express service whether they every canceled service due to an impending snow storm, even before it arrived.  Betcha they didn't.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

The "LIfe In Lancaster, Pennsylvania During World War I" Story

The monument in Buchanan Park which features
the names of those who served with the
Ambulance Co. No. 111 28th Division A.E.F.

It was an ordinary day.  Standing with my camera in front of the memorial in Lancaster, Pennsylvania's Buchanan Park that was erected to honor the members of Ambulance Co. No. 111 28th Division A.E.F. (American Expeditionary Forces).  The company was originally Company No. 3 of the Pennsylvania National Guard who fought in World War I.  It was 100 years ago today that President Woodrow Wilson asked Americans to join the fight with our allies on the battlefields in France against Germany.  About a week ago Jack Brubaker, Lancaster Newspaper's "Scribbler", wrote about the event and I thought it might be interesting to visit Buchanan Park to see the monument for myself.  Today was a cold somber day, probably much like the day when the President asked Americans to join in the fight.  

Click on the photograph to see the inscription.

Within days of Wilson asking for help, Congress joined in support of the declaration of war.  Four days later Lancastrians marched in a prepared- ness parade as they marched solemnly through the city streets.  The following day, Easter Sunday, church bells chimed as parishioners in many churches sang the National Anthem.  They displayed the patriotic spirit that was evident during the Spanish-American War and the Great Rebellion.  Lancaster County was expected to provide between 800 and 1,000 men for the Army and Navy.  More than 5,000 thousand Lancastrians showed their patriotic spirit by volunteering or being drafted.  One of the best known units was the 28th Division which was commanded by Lancaster physician Col. Charles P. Stahr.  The memorial I am standing in front of carries the names of the company's members.  One member, Reah Hollinger, who served as the unit's bugler and orderly, was the last survivor from the unit who died in 1996 at the age of 101.  

This is the miniature courthouse that was in Penn Square.
 It eventually was moved to Buchanan Park.

Another Lancastrian, Boone Bowman, allegedly was the first American to plant a U.S. flag in German-occupied territory when he hoisted the flag while on a mission to rig telephone lines.  On the home front, soldiers were placed along the nearby Susquehanna River to guard the bridges and Pennsylvania Rail Road tracks and a miniature courthouse was placed in the city's Penn Square where Liberty Bonds were sold to help support the war effort while everyone pitched in by making Sunday a gasless day, Monday a meatless day and Tuesday a heatless day.  

This is what Lancaster's Penn Square probably looked like
during the time that our troops were fighting in Europe.

All seemed to be well in Lancaster, but the war did cause some tension and friction in Lancaster.  Prejudice against people of German descent rose while city streets that carried German names were changed.  Ann, a Franklin & Marshall professor and a Lutheran minister were forced to resign, since they weren't deemed to be patriotic enough.  The war finally came to an end and at 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918, Armistice Day, every factory in Lancaster blew its whistle while all churches rang their church bells. All was well once again in Lancaster.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Remembering Spelling My Name With Alphabet Soup?" Story

Some of my favorites while growing up!

It was an ordinary day.  Just had a bowl of Campbell's Tomato Bisque soup for lunch with my wife.  We like to mix it with milk while the regular Tomato soup we mix with water.  Goes good with a grilled cheese, just like when we were kids living at home with mom and dad.  Yesterday Carol made a Shepard's Pie casserole using Campbell's Vegetarian Vegetable Soup as the base for the casserole.  We got to talking about the other Campbell's soups we enjoy and remembered back to when we used to see how many words we could spell when we ate Campbell's Alphabet Soup.  Alphabet soup seems to be part of our history since Campbell's canned the soup in the early 1950s.  

Did you enjoy making letters when
a bowl of alphabet soup was placed
in front of you?

But, alphabet soup is much older than that  One legend says that about 85 years ago a noodle factory had an accident and a piece came out looking like the letter "C".  A factory supervisor saw that and decided alphabet noodles would be a hit.  Whether he made it into a soup at that time is unknown.  Another story says that in the 1930s Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal programs created an entire new menagerie of letters.  Both parties called the letters "Alphabet Soup" which became a linguistic phenomenon. FDR's "Alphabet Soup" went from novelty to an actual staple thanks to the Nation's Politics.  But, even before that, in 1922, Alphabet Soup manufacturers organized a convention to decide how to tell a comma from an apostrophe when it floated in their bowl of soup.  Over time it was said that alphabet soup, no matter who the manufacturer may be, actually increased literacy while people ate their words.  And, the earliest mention of alphabet soup being used for something other than eating was in 1908 when people were said to send messages to one another by means of their alphabet soup.  

Communicating in 1908 through soup!

In 1900 alphabet soup was sold in pound packages which cost about 25 cents.  Fourteen years before that a newspaper published a tutorial on macaroni and included alphabet pasta in that list.  But, the earliest date I can find when alphabet pasta was mentioned was shortly after the Civil War in 1867 when a South Carolina newspaper mentioned ... "the latest culinary novelty is alphabetical soup.  Instead of the usual cylindric and star shaped morsels of macaroni which have hitherto given body to our broth, the letters of the alphabet have been substituted.  These letters of past preserve their forms in passing through the pot."  

Andy Warhol's famous silkscreened Campbell Soup cans.

Once again, it was said the inventor of the letters wanted to improve literacy through the pasta.  So, it can be said that alphabet soup has been around longer than anyone reading this story.  As for who might have sold alphabet soup first, Knorr claims to have sold it in 1910 in Europe.  In 1915 Campbell's added alphabet letters to their soup in the USA and a similar product sold in 1930 in the United States, by H.J. Heinz.  On January 7, 2009 Colin Nissan set a new world record when he opened a can of Campbell's Alphabet Soup and spelled out PANTYHOSE in 1 minute, 25.77 seconds.  

An old game of Alphabet Soup I found
on eBay.  Not sure how much it brought.

While I was "Googling" alphabet soup I came across a link to eBay where I found what looked like a can of Campbell's Alphabet Soup, but found it to be a game you can play.  The game is played by 2 to 4 players and you shake the can filled with what look to be pasta letters.  You "pour" the letters into a small yellow bowl (included in the game) and scoop the letters out with a plastic spoon.  Idea is to spell as many words as you can with the spoonful of letters.  Most words wins.  My story ends with a note to tell you that I sent an email to Campbell Soup Corporate Archives and asked them how many of each letter are there in a can of soup.  As of this date, I still have no answer.  I guess they are still trying to determine how crazy I am.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Ah! The Sweet Smell Of Printing Ink!" Story

The sweet smell of web-printed ink.

It was an ordinary day.  Just opened my latest edition of "Wired" magazine and took a long whiff of the ink odor emanating from the interior of the magazine.  Carol looked at me, as usual, and said, as usual, "That's gonna make you sick some day."  But, sometimes the best thing about a newly web-printed magazine is that wonderful sensation of "bibliosmia" or the effect the magazine has on the nostrils as you breathe in the scent of the pages.  For over half my life I have worked in the print shop at Manheim Township High School; first as a teacher and school in-house printer, and now, after retiring from teaching, as an independent contractor hired to do in-house printing.  

Blue ink smells like ... heaven!

And, I never tire of opening the door of what at one time was Room 308 and smelling the sweet smell of printer's ink.  At first I used oil-based ink, but in the 1980's changed over to rubber-based ink.  No matter which ink I used, the smell as I opened the door lingered throughout the room.  It's often said that the sense of smell is most likely linked with memory - and rightly so, since the olfactory receptors are intrinsically linked to the limbic system, which comprises the networks that dictate memory and emotion.  

Colors galore ... all with different smells.

For me, that goes way back to when I was a child and lived in a semi-detached home located directly next to Science Press in Lancaster, Pennsyl- vania.  The grass in our back yard touched the cement-block walls of the building that housed the presses and the rear of our property ended at the door where the presses could be seen inside the building.  I can still remember, at the age of perhaps seven or eight, the smell of the presses that ran inside, while I shot baskets ten feet from the door in the alley behind my house.  

A single linotype slug that reads backwards.

The presses used linotype metal slugs to print their brochures and at times would have loose slugs strewn on the floor inside the open door which I confiscated and used in my backyard Army pup-tent print shop.   I would use a stamp pad to ink the linotype slugs, which were part of the job in a printed Science Press brochure, and then press the image onto paper.  Nothing ever made any sense since the lines never weren't meant to go together.  

But, I was a young printer who could smell the nearby odors of printer's ink that to this day still linger in my nose and mind.  Eventually, after setting up the printshop in the high school Industrial Arts wing in the late 1960s, I was in heaven once again.  So, why wouldn't I automatically open any new magazine or brochure to take a long whiff of those odors that have been part of my life since childhood.  I know it may sound corny, buy I love the smell on ink on paper and no matter how many times my wife tells me its going to make me sick, habits are hard to break.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.