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#AtoZChallenge: Tractor
Photo © Diane Weidenbenner Have you seen the “American Pickers” show that “follows expert antiquers as they scour the country’s junkyards, basements and barns for hidded gems?” (according to History.com) Well, my friend Sandy and I are the Indiana/Illinois Pickers. We go for country drives and we never quite know what we’ll find. We have followed highways, byways, side roads and back roads in search of the unappreciated or forgotten treasures. One time we followed a dirt road right into the middle of a corn field. No, really! Thus far, one of my favorite discoveries has been this Ford tractor. First, my dad loved the Ford brand. He always bought…
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Visiting Lincoln’s boyhood home
I’ve lived in Indiana for more than 11 years and didn’t realize that Lincoln’s boyhood home was a few hours south of me. I’ve heard all about the memorial in Illinois and plan to visit it in the future but I hadn’t heard about our own historical jewel. My friend and her husband let me tag along on their trip. Lincoln spent his formative years in Indiana, having moved with his family from Kentucky when he was 7 years old. He lived in Indiana for 14 years, until he was 21, when the family moved to Illinois. We enjoyed the Memorial Visitor Center, the introductory film, bookstore and museum exhibits.…
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“V”agabond or victor?
Photo by Diane Weidenbenner. There is something romantic and mysterious about old barns. It’s amazing to me that many of them are still standing after time and weather have taken their toll. They were built by human hands and simple materials. Their designs are unique and functional. And, they housed prized possessions at one time – whether it be livestock, hay or equipment. No two are the same. No two stand up to the test of time in the same way. Some are painted while others exhibit the natural beauty of the wood grain. Oh, what stories those wooden walls could weave! I’d like to think that these stately warriors…
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Blogging A to Z: “J”-asper, Indiana
My husband and his family are from Jasper, Indiana, a town founded in 1830, with a rich German, Catholic heritage. Today, Jasper has almost 15,000 residents and is the county seat for Dubois County. The area was originally inhabited by the Piankishaw/Shawnee Indian tribe and was covered by forest. St. Joseph Catholic Church, Jasper, Indiana. Photo by Diane Weidenbenner. Jasper’s name comes from a Mrs. Enlow, whose family owned the town’s first 120 acres. She read Revelation 21:19, which says, “And the foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was Jasper …,” and the town’s name was born. It’s…
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Blogging A to Z: “H”-istory is awesome!
Photo by Diane Weidenbenner, 2015, Indiana. Who remembers drive-in movies? I took this photo in Indiana on one of my country drives, and it brought back fun childhood memories of times spent at our favorite drive-in movie theater in Denver, Colorado. The movie theater that we frequented was the Cinderella Twin Drive-In movie theater, which opened in 1973 near the Cinderella City mall (aerial view below). It had two screens, ran first-run, double feature movies, and could support 800 cars total (which translated into thousands of viewers). It was about 10 minutes from our house and when the weather was good, it was the place to be! It operated March…
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Blogging A to Z: F-arms
It’s happened. I’ve become one of those weekend drivers who likes to wander the countryside, aimlessly looking for something: an old barn; a herd of sheep; a cool flower garden; any type of unique farm animals (miniature horses, goats, etc.); tractors (the older the better). I happen to think farms are cool! I drag my friend Sandy with me, along with my Canon Rebel, just in case there is a neat composition. It may be the silos or the worn wood of the barn that attracts me. It could be the Tootsie roll-shaped bales of hay. Or, it might be a rusted-out tractor in an overgrown field of grass. It…
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Very thankful
It’s Thanksgiving day and Joe and I arrived safely back home among snow flurries and unexpectedly icy roads, after enjoying a delicious dinner made by my sister-in-law, Amy, in Indianapolis. We had all the familiar foods that warm our tummies and remind us of gatherings past: home-made dressing, melt-in-your mouth turkey, sweet corn casserole, green bean casserole, two sweet potato casseroles, cranberry sauce, other delicious carbs and of course yummy pumpkin, peanut butter and apple caramel pies. My nephews were present with their sweet wives and children. My two great nephews seem so grown up (the oldest is three and a half) and a great niece is expected mid-December. And,…
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Passion for music and art
© 2014 by Diane Weidenbenner I learned how to play guitar on a whim. My parents planned to send me to a private school for junior high, because of desegregation and forced busing in Colorado in the 70s. Even though I lived five minutes away from a junior high school, busing would send me 45 minutes away, to attend a school in a predominantly Hispanic and black neighborhood. When I was asked to sign up for my public school classes, I added Beginning Guitar to my list, along with Home Economics and Spanish. Why not? I’d always wanted to play guitar but I’d never had the opportunity. I thought, “It…
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Blogging from A to Z: Jell-O®
As soon as I found out about the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, I knew I wanted to write about Jell-O®. My grandma Rose was the first person I knew to use this amazing product wholeheartedly. She’d return from her weekly bridge parties with new recipes from the hostesses. And, she’d create a few of her own tasty wonders. She would make fluffy desserts, beautiful gelatin molds, fruity and aspic-y salads and amazing pies, all with Jell-O®. Jell-O® is one of those amazing brandnomer (genicized trademark) success stories like Xerox® and Kleenex®. You don’t ever say, “I’d like some flavored gelatin.” You say, “Gimme some raspberry Jell-O®!” It was…
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From pony express to cell phones – tweet!
Trends come and go and, if you wait long enough, they circle back around. It’s been true for bell-bottom pants, hairstyles and wool pea coats and it’s now true for the U.S. mail! I had to chuckle at a recent reTweet I received, highlighting “Letters in the Mail” service by The Rumpus. An introductory paragraph explains: “Almost every week you’ll receive a letter, in the mail. … Think of it as the letters you used to get from your creative friends, before this whole internet/email thing.” To clarify, one letter is written and signed and then copied and sent to all who subscribe. And, some of the letter writers will…
