Yesterday was Thanksgiving. 2020 Thanksgiving.

 Actually not too bad. Saw the in-laws. Mom went to little brothers. Big brother has the 'rona. 

Wife nearly died twice this year. College for the boy did not go well. The girl seems ok - still butting heads once in a while. 

  Picked up a 1961 Studebaker Lark for my wife. $500 car. Engine and drive train appear to be solid. Body and interior need redone. Some rust not too bad.

1942  Farmall B

2 years later...

and a patch up on my hernia surgery.  This sucks. 

It has been wet and cold lately.  It is also April.  When I was a kid April showers used to bring May flowers.  I hated it when the teachers would say that.  More because I hated school and would daydream about being outside.  

So here is an outside picture for you courtesy of Zane and Audrey.

Grandma Sayers' buns

Thanksgiving Rolls, Christmas Buns.  Those little round delights that tasted like angle food but counted as bread.
Grandma Sayers used to make a roll that "was to die for."  I don't think she took the compliments on her rolls very seriously.  Everyone wanted her recipe but to my knowledge she never gave it out.

And I know the reason why.

It wasn't because she was devious, evil, snotty, mean-spirited or just plain spiteful.  It was because she was embarrassed.  Her recipe was not a great secret.  It was everywhere.  Probably over 100 of her fellow church members had the recipe in their recipe books.  Today you can pick them up at the local Sam's Club, Walmart, Meijer or Target.

Why?  How? When?

Find the oldest Betty Crocker recipe book you can.  It's in there.  It's here: Betty Crocker Gold Medal Classic Dinner Rolls


Everyone has access to it.  Enjoy.

(Her secret was to use butter on the top while they were still warm.)

5 months have rocked by.  Along the way we have had no sidewalks or steps, a backhoe, hydraulic fluid everywhere, a trip to the welder, new steps and sidewalk, new paver patio, a sheep, a broken arm, 2 champions, 100 degree temperatures (wife and weather), no air conditioning, no rain, sold a sheep, new wheel bearings on a car, several great dinners on the new patio and a flying gas grill.

Yep. Pretty sure rocked is the word to describe it. 

(It's late. I'll add more soon.)

Classic or Antique - How do you define it?

A poll was put on my favorite website Antique Tractors Forum asking what we thought classified as a classic or antique tractor.  Here are my thoughts:

I've heard on cars it's 25 for classic and 50 for antique.

If you go by 25 years anything made by Allis-Chalmers, J.I. Case or International Harvester qualifies as an antique since they quit those nameplates in 1985 or 1986. Of course Minnie Mo, Oliver, Cockshutt and almost all White's were made prior to 1987. Versitile, Stieger, and Big Bud all pretty much ended production 22 years ago. Deere's 4840 and 8640 are also antiques by that standard.

I like to stick with 50 years on tractors because of Deere's New Generation tractors in the early 1960s. The game changed (or was in the process of changing) with their introduction. International came out with the 706 and 806 shortly after. Of course Case had the 700 a couple years earlier and Allis had their D series at the tail end of the 1950s.

So I guess what I am saying is that anything more than 10 or 15 years older than me is an antique. Ask me again in 10 years and I'll probably tell you the same.

Your thoughts?