All kinds of things work out in the end

"April 12, 2002:  Another queer day - I slept until 8:00.  Had a drink of fruit juice -- then watched three episodes of "M*A*S*H" and then "The Easter Parade" with Judy Garland and Fred Astaire.  So I had breakfast at 11:00 a.m.  Had a prescription delivered in the afternoon.
April 13, 2002:  Mitch was sick so he and Anna didn't come tonight.  I reorganized my cassettes.  Mary came after work and adjusted the air conditioner fans.
April 14, 2002:  Nancy brought chicken dinner from Popeye's.  After dinner we went to Dale's new house.  Saw the first floor.  Railings weren't there for upstairs or basement.  Really will be nice.  We had root beer floats on the way home.  I took a shower and then we played Rummikub."

Ah, the good old days when Dale and Lynn's house was being built.  Crazy and aggravating for me looking in so I can't begin to imagine how dreadful it was there for them right in the thick of it all when things went completely south for a bit.  But, in the end the house got built, they moved in and the dust, literally and figuratively, settled.

This bit of journal reminds me again about how much Grandma enjoyed her cable and the ability to watch lots of movies and different shows.  I remember her making a passing remark after Grandpa died about not watching a particular show because Grandpa wanted to watch something else.  I believe it was the first and only time I ever heard her say anything even remotely indicating a disagreement with Grandpa.  I am sure they had their differences of opinion over all those years of married life but they kept them well under wraps at least from the grandkids, even when those grandkids were grown and would understand that people could agree to disagree.

Here's a photo of them being overly agreeable.  Big smile from Grandma; something we didn't see all that much in staged photos.

Napping out

"April 9, 2002:  Dale called this morning just to visit a little.  Mary took me to the hair dresser.  Dolores brought me some milk (she had found a real bargain) -- stayed and visited quite awhile.
April 10, 2002:  Mary here at noon and I showered.  This evening to Book Club.
April 11, 2002:  Myrtle called in a.m.  Had a funny experience -- went to sleep in the recliner a little after 1:00 p.m.  When I awoke I didn't know if it were a.m. or p.m.  Proved to be 5:00 p.m.!!!!  Talked to Zoya in a.m.  She traded laundry hours with me.  Now it will be 6:00 - 7:00 on Thursday instead of Wednesday."

I am glad Grandma only napped for four hours instead of four plus another 12 to get to 5:00 a.m.  I would have worried big time if she did that.  I might even have used four exclamation points like she used there.

I have had that much typed for the better part of a half hour and I am just not coming up with any insightful remarks.

I did have a nice time picking photos for Anna's graduation PowerPoint video.  There are plenty of her with Grandpa and/or Grandma.  I am glad both she and Mitch were old enough to remember both of them.  It is a little tough for Anna with Grandpa since she was only five when he died.  But, she does remember the discussion the two of them had every now and then about who had the prettiest eyes.  Special stuff.

Assisted living

"April 6, 2002:  I called Jean -- her eyes are better.  Mitch didn't feel well so kids didn't come tonight.
April 7, 2002:  Tom brought my laundry in a.m.  We played several games of Rummikub.  Nancy came in p.m. with my groceries.  We ate supper and played Rummikub.  I showered.
April 8, 2002:  Rained a little this a.m.  Played Seven-Up in party room this evening.  Afterward Dolores came and we played Cribbage."

I think I have already mentioned that Grandma bragged about being in "assisted living" -- Nancy assisted with this, Tom assisted with that, etc. etc.  Her mention here of Nancy bringing groceries reminded me that I did not get to do grocery assistance very often at all.  Apparently, Grandma had Nancy trained and she knew precisely which brands and which quantity of things to get.  I did not have that training and managed to goof it up the few occasions I did go buy groceries.  I did not take it personally, though, and Grandma managed to downplay her vast disappointment in my feeble efforts.  (I am being sarcastic, of course.  She tolerated my foibles just fine.)

The Winside History book has some great and confusing events listed for 1912, the year Grandma was born.  Here's the list in its entirety:

January 4, Mrs. Morrow started the first of a series of stories for little children this week.  She reviewed Captain June.
January 18, Wm. Wilt sold his blacksmith shop to Robert Johnson of Sioux City, taking possession March 1.
January 25, Fire Chief Chas. Unger, Marshal Strong and Wm. Kallstrom have been making the rounds regularly this winter inspecting water hydrants.
February 1, during 1911, 51 cars of lumber, shingles and posts were shipped into our two local lumber yards.
February 15, Peterson Bros. and Tom Johnson sold their pool hall and restaurant to Reed and Custer of Fremont, Nebraska.
February 22, W. D. Whitaker, railroad agent here, refused $100.00 for a copy of the New York Gazette, an old paper dated April 29, 1789.
February 29, Frank Weible purchased a $500.00 National cash register and Ernest Grauer bought one for $275.00.  Mr Grauer will take his with him to his new location where he is opening a store at Campbell, Nebraska.
March 1, Walter Gaebler and Ernest Grauer dissolved partnership.
March 13, the W. B. Club, composed of young unmarried men over 23 and not to exceed 13 in number opened a club room over the carpenter shop.
March 13, Brune and Co. have purchased the garage from Frank Weible.  A. C. Gabler will be the manager.
April 7, the terrible mud on main street is dry enough to allow a drag to be used.  Hope the authorities take the hint.
April 7, George Needham passed away in Los Angeles.
April 13, C. E. Benshoof and family left for Riverside, California, where they will make their home.
April 22, the second Commercial Club has been organized.  The first one passed out with the wind several years ago.
April 26, George Sweigard bought an E M F car.  After he had been gone about 30 minutes he phoned in that he was just about eight miles out and would soon be home.
May1, H. E. Siman was conferred the highest honor of the K of P lodge, Grand Chancellor.
May 16, Judge M. H. Dodge passed away.  Mr. Dodge was the first Justice of the Peace in Winside in 1887.  He left Winside in 1898.
August 15, L. C. Clark is the new R. R. agent.
August 22, Fleer Bros. have purchased the two corner lots from Brune and Co. and will erect a brick building 50x100 feet.
September 5, Dr. A. B. Cherry retires after 24 years of practice in Winsdie.  Dr. J. G. Neely is his successor.
September 12, E. W. Cullen disposes of his implement business to Pryor and Jaszkowiak.
November 30, Fleer Bros. moved in their new building.
December 25, Walter Hoffman threw Russel Harve of Sioux City at the opera house.

I do not know about anyone else, but I like it; a club for unmarried men, hints about maintaining Main Street, competing cash register purchases, phoning in one's arrival to town in a new car, and throwing people around at the opera house.  Also, "passed out with the wind".....an expression for something having gone by the wayside?  Sounds untoward.

The photo is obviously from later than 1912, but Grandma and Uncle Ray are fairly small, and that is why I selected this one.  I may have mentioned when I posted before, but the shadow is probably Papa's hat.

Welcome to Post No. Four Hundred . . . One

"April 3, 2002:  Mary here at noon so I could shower.  Book Club meeting in evening.
April 4, 2002:  I called Myrtle in a.m.  Baked dilly bread.  Tom here for supper.  We played Rummikub.  Bill called -- he has made an appointment at Dental Clinic for me on April 17.  Tom took my laundry home.
April 5, 2002:  An uneventful day.  I called Raymond -- all okay with him."

I missed announcing the last post was Number 400.  But, the sun came up this morning, so it is all good.

Ah, Dilly Bread!  One of life's greatest pleasures in my book.  Especially lightly toasted with a bit of butter.  I was in a little shop some time back and the two ladies working there were talking with one another.  As it turns out, and as they shared with me, one of them is a big dill fan.  I asked if she had ever had Dilly Bread.  Not only had she not had the pleasure, she had never heard of it.  I promptly got the recipe from Mom and took it to her a few days later, much to her surprise.  The last time I checked, she had not made it yet but I will stop in again some time and check.  Of course, I have forgotten her name now but if I just ask for the Big Dill Fan, I should be okay.

Here's a great photo of some family picnic.  I know I wasn't there since I wasn't born yet, so I don't know if anyone brought Dilly Bread.  That's Aunt Margaret, Aunt Myrtle, Little Grandma, Aunt Kate (I think), and Aunt Clara in back.

Brief, but blogged

"March 31, 2002:  Easter Sunday.  Nancy and I to Wahoo.  Went to church with Bill's.  All the family except Jayson's were at Bill and Jenny's for dinner.  Nancy took me grocery shopping when we got back to Lincoln.
April 1, 2002:  Tired today.  Played SevenUp in the evening.
April 2, 2002:  Cold and windy.  Mary took me for my hair-do.  Delores came in evening and we played Rummikub."

I want very much to come up with something to say here, but I am drawing a very big blank.  But, I have blogged today, which makes two whole days in a row, so I will have to be satisfied with that.

The photo isn't of Easter, I don't think, but pretty flowers nonetheless that are Easter-ish.

Lots going on 100 years prior

"March 28, 2002:  Had a shampoo and set at noon.  In evening Nancy and I went to Dale's church for Kyleah's first communion.  After the service we went to a restaurant.  I had a good variety of seafood.
March 29, 2002:  Had some pills delivered.  Delores came in evening and we played Scrabble.
March 30, 2002:  Made chocolate dessert for tomorrow.  Mitch and Anna here in evening.

Usually Grandma names the restaurant she went to.  Either she didn't recall, or the food was so good that was the most memorable part.  :-)

There are some year-by-year notes in the Winside history book and since we are in 2002 with Grandma's notes, I'll go to 1902 for a bit of symmetry.

1902

January 1, 12 inches of snow on the level, temperature 10 below.
January 18, the Winside Roller Mills burned to the ground.
March 3, L. S. Needham filed his petition in the district court of Wayne County, Nebraska, praying that all of the portion of the north one half of section 3, in Township No. 25, Range 2 East, Wayne County Nebraska lying south of the C. St. P. M. & O. R. R. right of way, excepting the portion which is platted, be disconnected and detached from the corporation of the village of Winside, Nebraska.
May 6, Guy R. Wilbur was appointed village attorney for the remainder of the year.
June 2, Board ordered all parties having obstructions on Jones, Allen, Whitten, Vroman, Miner and Graves streets, removed that the streets may be opened for public travel.
July 7, Harry Prescott was appointed to fill the vacancy on the Board of Trustees, caused by the resignation of L. S. Needham.
November 15, Board ordered the old windmill in the village park taken down, as it was decaying and a danger to public welfare.
December 23, an ordinance No. 58, granted to the Nebraska Clark Automatic Telephone Co. the right to use the streets and alleys for the purpose of building and maintaining a telephone system.
December 25, John Mundy had a 17-pound turkey for Christmas dinner.

The eclectic nature of these notes is fun.  I wonder if L. S. Needham resigned because his petition to detach part of the town didn't work out as he wanted.  And I hope Mr. Mundy and family enjoyed their Christmas turkey.

I offer a tension-filled photo of Miss Kyleah.  Hopefully she was not that distraught for her first communion.

Or hoosegow, take your pick

"March 25, 2002:  Snowed 7.5 inches last night (more snow than Lincoln received all winter!).  Membership meeting this evening.  Coffee and cookies in Party Room furnished by 7th floor.
March 26, 2002:  Too much snow and ice for me to get my hair washed.
March 27, 2002:  Mary came after work and I took a shower.  Went to Book Club meeting and after that to Delores' and played Cribbage."

Pretty tame stuff from Grandma.  I would bet I was glad with all the snow on the ground that Grandma chose to skip her hair appointment.  Would have hated to have her slip and/or hurt herself on my watch.

Here's a fun Winside history story.

Tramps

About 1898, six men, rather suspicious looking characters came into Winside one afternoon and being hungry as usual began the begging act throughout the town.  Unsuccessful in this line they entered a grocery store where part of them held the clerk's attention while the others filled up their pockets and walked out.  It being rather late in the afternoon, the local people thought the men would pull out for good as they had been reported going west up the railroad track.
That evening Marshal Frank Brower, while making his rounds, discovered a light coming from the office of the American Grain and Elevator Company, or known to most of us in later years as the  Crowell Elevator Company.  He knew the office should not be lighted at this time of night, so approached cautiously to find out who might be there.  Paper had been placed over the windows to keep out the light but the upper part of one window was bare, which gave them away.

The marshall returned to town, gathered up a posse of local citizens who captured the six men without a fight or a gun fired, placing them in the calaboose.  The posse disbanded and the robbers thought they were not being watched any more as everything was soon quiet.

The calaboose was located at that time, about 25 feet south of the Needham elevator office.  It was made of three-inch plank with a heavy door, one-inch ceiling and a shingle roof; strong enough for ordinary use.

Some time during the night the men pryed a few boards loose in the ceiling and pushed a hole through the roof to make their escape.  The first man put one leg through the hole in the roof ready to pull himself up when both barrels of Harry Brower's shot gun was emptied into it.  Harry had been stationed in the Needham office to watch through the window for his father, in case the men tried to escape.

Dr. A. B. Cherry was called to pick out the shot and dress the wound.  The following morning the six men were turned loose by the citizens, with a warning that it would be healthier to stay out of Winside. -- C. E. Needham

What a great word, calaboose!  My list of businesses mentioned in a previous post does not show a grocery store per se in 1898 but there was a drug store (owned by Dr. Cherry, ironically).  There were also four "general merchandise" stores so it may have been one of them that was shoplifted.  I also note that Frank Brower also ran a hotel, so he was a rather busy guy.  I am guessing Harry Brower was Frank's son since it reads Harry was watching through the window for his father.  Would be a fun story if Harry was about 13 years old, but that's too much to ask.

I leave you with a shady-looking character to be sure.  Kinda crooked, too.  (I was in too big of a hurry to straighten and re-scan!)

Rummikub, cubed

"March 22, 2002:  Another "blah" day -- felt like I was getting a cold.
March 23, 2002:  Nancy and I to Winside.  Had corned beef and cabbage for dinner at Greta's.  Played Rummikub in the p.m.  Had Omaha Steaks for supper and then more Rummikub.  I slept in Lester's recliner.
March 24, 2002:  Palm Sunday -- went to church.  At noon went to auditorium for a pork sandwich dinner put on by a new 4-H club.  Played Rummikub again.  Left for Lincoln at 4:00.  Started to snow at Valparaiso.  Snowing pretty good when we got to Lincoln.  Had a grand weekend."

Either Grandma wasn't getting a cold after all or she pulled herself together to have a pretty busy weekend.  I really like the word "grand" used in the way she used it.

My project from the Winside history book ended up being bigger than I thought, so I'll have to crunch it down for this blog.  There is a listing of the different businesses/occupations in Winside by decade from 1886 to the 1940's.  I put them all on a grid to see how businesses came and went.  While it is interesting (to me, at least), it takes up four and a half, legal-sized sheets of paper so I really cannot scan them and use them as my "photo of the day".  I'll just list the different businesses I found:

Winside had, at one time or another, the following as listed in the book:

Agent* (I assume this was something with the railroad)
Bank
Barber
Beauty shop
Billiards
Blacksmith*
Cafe
Contractor/builder
Cream station
Dentist
Doctor*
Drayline
Drug store
Dry goods/groceries
Elevator*
Feed store
Filling station
Garage
General merchandise
Hardware*
Harness shop*
Hotel*
Ice
Implements*
Lawyer*
Library
Light plant
Livery stable
Liquor store
Livestock, grain & coal
Lumberyard*
Lunch counter
Mail carrier
Meat market
Notary
Photo studio
Picture show
Planing mill
Plumber
Postmaster*
Produce station
Radio
Real estate
Restaurant and rooms
Rooming house
Saloon
Section foreman
Shoe shop
Special police
Tailor shop
Tire repair shop
Trucking
Undertaker
Veterinarian
Winside Roller Mills
Winside Tribune
Winside Watchman

*Indicates those having an entry for all timeframes listed.  There was a newspaper during the entire time, but first the Winside Watchman and then the Winside Tribune.

The photo is the first I came upon that had both Mom and Nancy in it, and since they were both part of the grand weekend, I thought it appropriate to feature them.  You can both thank me later.

Matter settled?

Since this is of such a burning importance, I will not even use anything new from Grandma's journal today.  I truly want to get to the bottom of the Valentine's Day Mystery.

Above you see a copy of what Grandma wrote.  Nancy says she is the one that took Chinese food to Grandma on Valentine's Day -- that it was their 'thing'.  She recently wondered aloud if I had mistyped and should have put her name instead of mine.  I acknowledge that that certainly is a possibility, but as it turns out, not on this occasion.  I do not remember taking Chinese food to Grandma on Valentine's Day in 2002 so I am not prepared to argue that my memory is better than Nancy's. 

Grandma called me Nancy sometimes, I do not know if she ever called Nancy by my name.

Grandma wrote just my name and then later added Mitch and Anna.  I do not know if that means she meant to put Nancy but some time later when she saw just my name, she assumed I would have brought the kids and she added their names.  I simply do not know.

So, I do not know that I have helped with the mystery, or just made it more complicated.

Hmmmm

Well, Grandma's journal must be at the house after all.  I may have put it somewhere ridiculous during cleaning, but hopefully I can lay hands on it tonight.  So, there is no news about 2002 for today and the mystery of whether Grandma mis-wrote or I mis-typed regarding Valentine's Day will have to remain a mystery a bit longer.

Restaurants, schmestaurants

"March 19, 2002:  8:45 appointment this a.m. at Bryan Hospital to have circulation in feet tested.  Nancy took me.  At noon Mary took me for my weekly shampoo and set.  In the evening to Delores's apartment and played Rummikub.
March 20, 2002:  Mary came at noon for lunch.  Tom came in evening -- we ate -- he did the laundry -- I took a shower and then we played Rummikub.
March 21, 2002:  Loafed around all day.  Called Myrtle in the morning.  Tom came at 7:00 and we went to Grasanto's, an Italian restaurant -- good eating!!!"

I just have to poke a bit of fun since the restaurant was actually Grisanti's.  But, Grandma was close.  Much closer than Aunt Irene when she was trying to think of Tony & Luigi's and instead asked if we could go back to that one place . . . Anton & Frank's.  I still giggle about that one, but only because Aunt Irene did once we figured out where she was talking about.

I am going to work on a little something from the Winside history book to see if it is as interesting as I think it might be.  If it is a "go", I'll include it in a later post.

Speaking of Aunt Irene, here's a very lovely photo of her with some greatgrands.  I think we all look very cute in our 80's attire.

Some crazy running around

"March 16, 2002:  A 9:30 breakfast in the Party Room for St. Patrick's Day.  Mitch and Anna here in evening.
March 17, 2002:  Nancy brought pizza for our dinner.  We played several games of Rummikub.  I took a shower while Nancy vacuumed.  Talked to Greta in a.m.
March 18, 2002:  Merilyn left yesterday to go to Tacoma.  Maria is scheduled for back surgery this week.  Played Seven Up this evening."

Pretty normal stuff from Grandma.  So, it's Winside history again.  This article does not have a source, so I can't say who wrote this piece.  Not that we would know them, but it might shed some light on any biased reporting.

1927 Foot Race

December 25, Irvin Leary, better known to his friends as "Farmer" and Louis "Butch" Ehlers seemed to have difficulty in deciding upon the price to be paid for two calves that Farmer wanted to buy.  They were still about $10 apart when the thought of running it off was suggested by Butch.  At first they thought 100 yards was long enough but it was finally changed to about a mile and a half.
Butch only weighed about 225 pounds while Farmer was built along the lines of Nurmi or perhaps Hahn or Ritola, but Butch's confidence was supreme and the race was going to be run.

They started from the crossing near the Winside cattle yards and after starting out at a brisk dog trot, tired and fell into a walk until they reached the Frank Dangberg farm.  From this point both decided to make one supreme effort for victory, the finish of the race being on the summit of the steep hill south of the Dangberg place.  Both dashed forward about the same time, Farmer gradually leaving Butch in the rear.  It appeared that both might collapse before they reached the top, so groggy from exhaustion were the two principals, but Farmer was not to be denied and kept pressing forward until he crossed the line, but he could not have gone much farther as he had nothing left.  Butch was game but about half way up the hill, he fell from sheer exhaustion and lost the race.  Farmer won but insisted afterwards that no more disagreements will be settled by the "Marathon Route" as far as he was concerned.

Okay, so I had to look up Nurmi and Ritola and Hahn.  I didn't find a Hahn that had the proper birth year to be considered, but Nurmi and Ritola can both be assigned to Finnish runners who were alive and running in 1927.  Both were slender guys.  So, I am thinking that Farmer was a big guy and Butch was most definitely not, which does add quite a bit to the story if you visualize the race that way.  They sure knew how to have a good time in Winside back in the day.  I wonder how many spectators there were.

The photo is of Ville Ritola.

A wild time in the old town

"March 12, 2002:  Mary took me for my weekly shampoo.  Julie will graduate so I'll have a new girl next week.  Deloros called this evening and I went to her apartment to play Cribbage.
March 13, 2002:  Nancy took me to the doctor for a 10:00 appointment.  He increased one of the pills to two a day.  Home in time for Mary to come for lunch and I had my shower.  No Book Club meeting tonight.
March 14, 2002:  Myrtle called this a.m.  A "blah" day.  In evening Deloroes called -- she came and we played Scrabble.
March 15, 2002:  Another "blah" and dreary day.  I sorted a little of my accumulation of "stuff"."

I added a fourth day in this post when I normally have been using just three.  I saw that Grandma described her day on the 14th as blah and I felt badly that she had a blah day.  But the 15th seems to indicate she was probably remarking about the weather, so I didn't want to leave a different impression until tomorrow for my dear readers.

You will note that Grandma's friend's name spelling changes from post to post.  I seem to recall it was spelled other than the usual Delores, but since I do not remember how she spelled it, I am just going with whatever Grandma has.  I bet we get it right some of the time.

Continuing my Winside history theme, here is another feel-good story.

Armistice

November 11, 1918 -- Germany Signs Armistice -- Winside "tore loose" about 4 o'clock Monday morning, when the news was flashed into town that Germany had signed the Armistice offered them by the allied nations.
Never again will we live to see such a spectacle in Winside.  Bells ringing at the three churches, at the school house, the fire bell and the fire whistle, linked with the hum drum of pistols, guns, gongs, tin pans and a score of other noises.  Nearly 300 men, women and children were on the streets by 5 o'clock and they passed back and forth on Main street, flooding forth the joy that welled up within them, because the great war was over and the Kaiser and his evil powers lie in abject surrender at the feet of the world.

In the afternoon the Home Guards did some drilling at the town hall square and then headed a parade through Main street.  Rev. J. B. Wylie and Rev. Wm. Smith then gave talks from an automobile.  In the evening the crowd delighted themselves with fireworks and the burning of boxes -- and of course the shot guns and revolvers were in for their share of the celebration once more. -- Winside Tribune.

I don't think much more needs to be said about that.  I think the Winside Tribune did very well for itself.

Here's Anna enjoying(?) some 4th of July snakes some 80 years after the big day in Winside.

Winsiders (?) are clever

"March 9, 2002:  Clear and sunny this morning but only 14 degrees.  Anna and Mitch here this evening.
March 10, 2002:  Nice day.  Nancy came for dinner.  I took a shower and then we went to Diane A.'s home (Allen's wife).  Saw Diane's 13 birds -- all had names -- parakeets and cockatoos.  Nancy and Diane went over the names of those attending Allen's funeral.  The largest cockatoo called, "Mom! Mom!" when Diane left the room when we were going home!
March 11, 2002:  Nine people played Seven-Up this evening."

I am thinking Nancy remembers this day.  Since we aren't "bird people" in our family, I imagine Grandma got a kick out of seeing all those birds.  Her exclamation point rather makes my case, I think.

I am enjoying the Winside history book, so here's some more.  I had the pick of a fire, some gruesome murders, or this story.  I picked the happier one.

Stored Oats -- 1895

In 1895 everyone had a fair crop of corn and an exceptionally good crop of oats.  Oats being low in price, R. R. Smith, the manager of the P. V. Elevator Co., stored 5000 bushels in the bin for higher prices.  Later when the oats were still in the bin, Mr. F. H. Peavy, the president of the company came down to see Mr. Smith about it as it did not sound reasonable that he could possibly have that much oats in a bin of that dimension.  The Bonding Company and the Insurance Company representatives also came into town and asked about it, figured, stormed around, told the town people that the man was crazy.

Mr. Smith, (commonly known as P. V. Smith, as there were several Smiths here at the time) had been studying up on elevators and equipment from magazines and books and had come across a device a man had made to measure oats in the bin without removing them.  He went over to Frank Tracy's Hardware and had him make a funnel device that could be run down in the oats bin, which was about 18 feet deep and very little head room above, that would take a test of the oats.  This was done by using pump rod in short sections and added as the test device went down into the bin.

Mr. Woodard, the superintendent under Mr. Peavy, was here at the time, and he donned overalls and went with Mr. Smith to the top of the bin that was to be measured with this "new idea".  They spent about a half a day testing in different spots, going down to the floor each time and placing the samples that they brought up in a test measure.  This was taken down and weighed, upset on a paper and examined for sand and dirt.  There was no sand or grit in the oats and it weighed 48 pounds to the bushel.

A little later this oats was shipped out by rail to the Great Lakes for European export and it weighed the same amount, 48 pounds to the bushel.  -- R. R. Smith.

One must note that the author of this submission to the history book is R. R. Smith, the same Mr. Smith in the article, or a relative, so there may be a teensy bit of bias in the reporting, but I do not care.  I love this story and I think Grandpa would have gotten a kick out of it.  (Perhaps he read the same history book and knew this story.)  I can somewhat visualize the suspicious company folk and the calm, mild-mannered Mr. Smith getting the job done in spite of them.  I think I may watch too many movies . . .

But I digress.  The mention that R. R. Smith was known as P. V. Smith (from the name of the elevator, obviously) put me in mind of family talking about nicknames for people back in the day, again because there was more than one person with the same first and last names.  The only ones I remember are Whistle Pete (who whistled), Fiddle Chris (who played the fiddle) and I believe Forty Pete (who owned 40 acres).  Gotta love it.