Shavings

The kids for some reason(s) never complain about coming to Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Today I had fresh made shavings for them or schnitzel as the Germans call them.

Elizabeth made sure she savored every last bite!

They are coming back tomorrow, what shall I make?

The Worlds Largest Steam Locomotive

Union Pacific Railroad's "Challenger" No. 3985, the world's largest operating steam locomotive, is on a six-state, 2,200-mile tour from Cheyenne, Wy., to Gorham, Il., to celebrate railroad heritage.

No. 3985 is on the Missouri River Eagle tour to help Sedalia, Mo., celebrate the community's Sesquicentennial on Sunday, October 10.

Yesterday it pulled into Jefferson City. After school today, the blacksmith and I picked up the boys and away we went to see this huge train.





The boys got a close up seat on the front.

You can see just how big this train is compared to the boys.

There were tons of people taking pictures, including my brother Bob's friend. Did I tell you my brother lives in the state of California and this was his high school friend.

The blacksmith is always attracted to fire and hot metal. If you enlarge this picture you can see the fire heating the water in the engine.

The guys got ahead of me. Note to self, next time wear flats on rough gravel.

When I caught up with them, we posed for a picture. I only wish I had pictures of my grand parents taking me to events at that age.

Afterwards it was up the hill to the State Capitol, Alex loves it there. Brady enjoyed the fountains too. A little too much, as he ended up with one very wet shirt sleeve.

Brady snapped this of us taking a break.

Across the mighty Missouri River we saw lots of barges.

This barge won't be going any where for some time. Apparently it washed upon the bank during high waters. Now it sits high and dry.


We ran to the hardware store and then took the boys home. Their dad was making some good smelling vegetable soup. He asked us to stay but, we had ham and beans in the slow cooker.

This is how our evening was spent, enjoying a nice fall fire.

A Family weekend

It's been a great family weekend around here. Daughter Sarah drove in Friday from Oklahoma City. That night all the kids and grand kids went out for Mexican food and drinks.

After dinner little Elizabeth came home with us to spend the night. When the football (home coming) game was over Sarah brought Brady home to spend the night. So two of the 3 grand kids spent the night.

Saturday, Sarah had a wedding to attend. Early afternoon Jeremy and the other grandson came. Later Lori came after photographing a wedding in Koeltztown.

For dinner they were all here for fresh fried turkey. The blacksmith had shot it on Friday.

Sunday, Sarah and I did a little shopping, and then went to see my mom. It was on to Central Dairy for a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone.

We stopped by the house and picked up the blacksmith and headed to Osage Bend, (not to be confused with Osage Bluff).

Anyway, St Margaret's parish was dedicating their new Veterans Memorial.

Sarah and Elizabeth enjoyed the cool crisp afternoon on the parish grounds.

The flag goes up the new pole. Son Jeremy read the names of the veterans that were buried in the cemetry. The dedication was followed by a free BBQ lunch.


Back on the home front in the evening Sarah returned to her baking duties. That is something I always enjoyed when she lived here.



She made Pioneer womans Streusel-topped pumpkin bread. You must try this recipe. It's AWESOME!!!


Tomorrow life returns to dull. It's a long drive for Sarah and it's back to work for me.

Hope you all have a good week.

Goetz Auction

The blacksmith and I went to another auction on Sunday. We spent the entire day there, if you call 10 AM to 5 PM a day. I spent 50 cents on a cup of coffee. He spent that plus $17.50 for a vise.

Here are two things that caught my eye. The cedar chest was neat, had 2 small pieces of the wood trim missing. I didn't want the chest, but I did appreciate it.


Now this oak basket was a different story. It was big, probably 48 inches long and 24 inches wide. If I had been able to tell if it was hand made not a mass factory production I might have bid higher. I went to $60 and it sold for $65. However every time I bid, she raised me by $5, so who knows how high her goal was.

Just another fun day in the country!

Surviving Munichburg 2010

It was a beautiful morning at 6:45 as we drove out the drive way. As we got closer to Jefferson City we could see the fog rising from the Missouri River. Arriving in Munichburg at 7 AM, we could still feel the dew on the grass.

The area was quietly busy. Canopy's were going up every where. It took us a little over an hour to set up the blacksmith shop, both the demonstrating area and the sales area. We had three 6 foot tables full of wares, both our's and our friend Terry's goods.

Shortly after we were up and running, this obnoxious red balloon thing goes up across from our booth. The motor buzzes all day long as the crazy thing flapped in the air.

This is an early view taken of Dunklin Street. I was so busy with sales the rest of the day that I never got any good action shots. However, blogger friends like Missouri Gal stopped by. You can view a few of her pictures here. In the first picture on her blog, not only do you see me, but fellow blogger Rural Rambles is in the navy blouse. It was my first in person visit with her.

Terry helps the Blacksmith out here as they double strike. That is always an attention getter.

The blue canopy is the funnel cake booth. We thought maybe it was a requirement to have a large waist line to purchase one, but that was just our opinion.

Grandson Alex helps Grandpa out here.

Here the grand kids rest up after the bouncy house and kidsville. Shortly after this we had a visit from My loves, my Life. When Elizabeth woke up Deanna filled in cuddling her while I was busy with a sale.

I was luckily enough to met up with another blogger friend, Opulent Opossum. She and her dad are really into the history of Munichburg and I loved visiting with them.

Just behind us at 4:00 the strong man pulled two beer trucks with his hands. (Thanks Brady for taking this picture for Grandma!)

The weather was just picture perfect. Not too hot, not too cool, and always a gentle breeze blowing. It was a great day with great customers, great friends, great bloggers and great family all showing up. Thanks everyone!

And then when I got home I had these waiting in the mailbox for me. If only they had come the day before!

Oktoberfest and German Heritage

This Saturday, the area that is known as the southside of Jefferson City, will celebrate Old Munichburg Oktoberfest. This area was established in the 1800's, mainly by German emigrants.

When the blacksmith was asked to participate, little did they know that he had ties to the area.

The Sunday News Tribune paper ran an article July 1934 about a house in the area. Here is an excerpt from that paper:

In 1850 John and Margaretta Asel bought an acre of land to built their log house. They had two sons to fill the house. Three more sons and three daughters would later fill this small home. The house was located only a short distance away from a group of Indians. Mrs. Asel at first was very terrified of them. Later they would become not only her friends but her customers. As many as thirty loaves a day were drawn from her huge oven in the side yard, to be replaced by as many pies. All of which found a ready market.

Great piles of logs, salvaged from Missouri River driftwood, supplied the fuel for this oven and for the little log smokehouse now resting in a corner of the flower-filled yard and wearing a modern coat of cement. A great ice house, forty feet square and holding many tons of ice cut from the river during the winters months, also was built upon the premises and was a great factor in the success of their business. A never failing deep wall, in times of drouth, refreshed the throats of the Indian Camp, and citizens came with their buckets from far and near. A dry cistern was used as a storage room for the valuables of many residents during the Civil War. As the bounds of the Asel property widened, much of the butchering , curing and cooking of meat was done on the place.

Margaretta, with the aid of John after market hours, was said to have made a thousand dollars selling fried sausage to the soldiers. Many sandwiches of home-made bread, pig ears and pig snoots were handed out to neighborhood boys who stood with watering mouths.


The little house does not now belong to a member of the Asel family having been rented several years ago and later sold to Anton Monat (the Blacksmith's great uncle). And if no member of the Asel family longer cared to live in the little log house, no more fitting family could have been found to occupy it.

Seated at a shining walnut table in the center of the front room, when the writer approached the open door, was Anton's father, Peter Monat, playing solitaire. In the middle of the table was a vase of lavender, hardy sweet peas. Peter Monat understands and speaks no English, and so his son, Fritz, came from a painting job across the street to act as host. Peter Monat's wife died two years ago. An enlarged kodak picture of her standing among her flowers and shrubs was near him upon a dresser. Sacred pictures upon the walls bespoke the religion of this family and a furled flag of the United States standing in the corner of the tiny stairway landing attested their loyalty to the land of their adoption. Peter Monat and his sons were born in Germany. Since the mother's death Fritz has been the housekeeper. Shining floors, spotless furniture and crisp curtains evidence his ability and his efforts. Even the kitchen cupboard, with its rows of sparking glass and glossy china, was in perfect order when he opened the doors to show us a cup brought from Meiderich, Germany, bearing his father's name and his title of Reviser in the Artsverein.

Outside, along the porch railing, and all about the house were well-attended plants and shrubs. Could the little pioneer home built by a young German immigrant nearly a century ago, have fallen into better hands?

This was the home at the corner of Ashley and Madison Street. Unfortunately it is no longer there. In the early seventies it was torn down. A concrete parking lot covers the area now.

This is Anton and Fritz, the two brothers that occupied the house.

Great Grandparents Peter and Anna Nauerman Monat.

Saturday we will proudly display the above pictures to show our German heritage.

We had company

For weeks Deanna of My loves, My life and I had been planning to get together. She was going to show me how to use a serger that I had borrowed. After all I have 35 table runners to hem.

I figured I would capture the day in photographs. I mean all bloggers have a camera in hand about what 90% of the time.

The day started with good intentions. Here is the peach pie as it went into the oven. Note the cookie sheet. Note the burned stuff on the bottom of the oven. That was from the last peach pie. I wasn't going to make that mistake again.

And this is where all my good intentions went down the drain.

Did I photograph the hot rolls I made from scratch? No.

Did I photograph the Spinach-Strawberry Salad? No. But I will give you the recipe:

Spinach-strawberry Salad
½ c. light olive oil
1/3. c sugar
¼ c. red wine vinegar
¼ tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. Pepper
1 clove minced garlic

6 cups spinach
2 ½ cups sliced strawberries
1 c. shredded colby/jack cheese
½ c. toasted almonds, pecans or walnuts
1 c. Sargento salad creations

Did I photograph them arriving with a bottle of Adam Puchta wine? NO.

Did I take a picture of the husbands discussing which wife would be blogging about this first, while they were grilling pork loins? NO.

Did I take a group picture? NO.

But hey, I have a good excuse on my part. 3 out of 4 of us didn't feel our best today. Colds or allergies had us a little under the weather.

I did (just now) take this photo of what she left me! Her serger. Thanks Deanna!

Now on to sewing the 33 runners left to do!