Ladies Page shares holiday 1966 news and events for Gas Engine Magazine readers.
Well, we have made it through another holiday season and the
tinsel and colored lights are all packed away. It was finally a “White Christmas” in our locality. The snow came late in
the day, but it gave everything a more Christmas-sy look, and the
children were especially glad to see it come. Here is the latest holiday 1966 news and events for Gas Engine Magazine readers.
New Year’s resolutions have been made and most of them
already broken, but even if only one is kept, it might make you
that much better a person. I have always wanted to keep a diary;
maybe this year I’ll make it. I have started several and do
real well up to maybe February or so. Then other interests take
over and one day is missed and then another, until finally it is
forgotten altogether.
Recently, I have come across several diaries that have been
handed down in our family. One was written by my Great Grandfather
in 1869. It is barely readable, as it was written in pencil. I
noted that he worked out and his wages were $2.00 per day. I was
surprised, as I thought they would be even less than that. Another
one that was of great interest to me was written by my Great
Grandmother. It tells of the engagement of my parents, their
wedding, and my birth. Just the recording of simple everyday
events, but of great interest to me.
Things seem real quiet on the gas engine front at the present
time. I hear of a few members who have heated garages or basements,
that are tinkering, repairing, and painting. Most are just thinking
of what they should be doing. Some are swapping and dickering. As
soon as the days become a little longer and the sun shines
brighter, they will get busy preparing for the various reunions and
meets.
The winter meetings of the Pioneer Gas Engine Association are
mostly of the family get together type. The people get caught up on
the visiting they didn’t have time for in the busy summer. We
had a Christmas party in December. January is vacation. In
February we will see movies, slides, and pictures of various
events. This is always of great interest to everyone. Then after
that the busy time will begin.
At our house, the January-February issue of the Gas Engine Bugle is
about finished. Being secretary of an organization there is never
a time when there is nothing to do. Always a letter to write, a
membership to write up, or records to keep up to date. Even so I
would miss it terribly if it wasn’t there to do. Paul is
engrossed with his new Mimeograph. At the present time, he is
looking for pictures of small engines to copy. He has certainly
picked out the right hobby for him self. I think this all disproves
the idea some people have that you can’t do much in a mobile
home.
Just a word or two about your new magazine, the Gas Engine.
It’s really a wonderful magazine. It brings back to life the
old engines that were really the thing way back as the modern
engines are to us now, for way back it was something different, be
it a small gas engine or tractor. Now I don’t think there is a
fanner that hasn’t got a tractor of some type or another. Times
sure have changed.
I’m enclosing a snapshot of how we used to dig potatoes from
1939 to 1947 with this one-row digger and picker. The tractor is a
1935 IHC regular Farmall. The digger is also a IHC. The name
of the picker is a Tusco. I don’t know by whom it was
manufactured. We dug around 900 to 1000 bushels in the forenoon and
then we hauled the filled sacks in the afternoon. The driver at the
time this picture was taken was Johnny Kostmatka. While my father
(Albert) was picking off the vines. I was on the end putting on the
sacks and taking off the filled ones. We used to harvest around 50
to 60 acres each fall in about 8 days or so, weather permitting. We
really thought we had a thing. I don’t remember seeing many in
this area of this type of digging potatoes. It sure saved a lot of
sore backs from hand picking.