8/28/2009

Uncle George

Best wishes for a successful surgery! We're keeping you in our thoughts and prayers.

6/17/2009

Happy Birthday, Joyce June Noffsinger Ripp!


On June 19th Joyce (Also known as JJ--or so Gregg says. I cannot say I ever heard anyone actually call her that!) will celebrate her birthday. Please wish her a Happy Birthday! woodside04@mailstation.com or 1265 Ellis Road, Union City, Ohio 45390.

5/08/2009

Uncle George's Honor Flight on May 6


HONOR FLIGHT

Veteran George Noffsinger shakes hands with U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner, R-Mobile as the 92 World War II veterans, sponsored by the Honor Flight organization, toured the World War II Memorial for the first time in Washington,Wednesday, May. 6, 2007. This was Honor Flight South Alabama first trip that brings WWII veterans from Alabama and the surrounding Gulf Coast area to the WW II Memorial. (Press-Register, John David Mercer) METRO

This photo is part of the Honor Flight gallery

4/21/2009

Here's to the Barn at Woodside Farm



The barn, standing 100 years, was in bad shape and ready to come down. Mom had it taken down a few weeks ago, along with the chicken house. We have some wonderful memories that will be with us always. It is a strange thing to pull into the driveway and be able to see back to the woods, but it is a nice view.

4/08/2009

Dacy and Friends


We had the pleasure of meeting up with Dacy in Las Vegas last week. Just wanted the family to see he is alive and well even though he is extremely hard to reach! We decided to do a little bowling and watch the Noffsinger competitive spirit come out......Lauren beat us all!

Jenny

3/24/2009

A Special Birthday for Joan!



Happy 80th Birthday to Aunt Joan this Saturday! I wish we could all be there to celebrate with you and I hope you have a wonderful day. Best wishes, Aunt Joan. (Photo courtesy of Stephanie and Jonathan Gray's blog--actually, it was just totally swiped from there! Jenny's idea!)

3/09/2009

My Brothers have great kids



Sorry to have to push George's story down one, but I just had Julie and Jeff visit me in Colorado and thought it was worth a post. Bottom above is all of us at Roxborough Park south of Denver. First posting with Kari the newest Noff addition (4 months). Jeff's friend Katie is on the right.

Top picture was posted to get my son Shane in a picture. It is above my house in the mountains west of Denver. I'll let you figure out who he is.

It was a weekend for the memory books.

2/28/2009

Uncle George and His Threshing Ring

I asked Uncle George about his experiences as a bundle wagon operator in a threshing ring. First he teased me because I am a farmer's daughter who didn't know about this. Then he told me about a threshing ring and this is wonderful information, and very interesting to an old farmer's daughter. Thanks Uncle George. Next, more info about the dance band drummer job!

"So where do I begin. A threshing ring was a group of neighborhood farmers who formed an agreement to work as a team harvesting wheat and oats. There were usually 10-12 farmers in a threshing ring. One man in the group usually owned a threshing machine. The team was then made up of two men running the threshing machine, two men with two wagons handling the grain as it came from the machine, four men with wagons hauling in the bundles from the shocks in the field and four men assigned to pitch the bundles to the man on the bundle wagon as he loaded the wagon. the team and equipment would move from farm to farm during the wheat (and oats) harvest season. This might take three to four weeks depending on the weather and how many acres had to be harvested.
My dad had a grain wagon assignment because he had a good wagon with sideboards that didn't leak grain.
The two men who ran the threshing machine had to hire men to do one job or another. During my high school years I hired out as a bundle wagon operator. Jerald hired out as a pitcher. There was an art to loading the bundles on the wagon. A row on each edge of the wagon and two rows down the middle in a weave pattern so the load would not slip and spill. You would load as high as five or six feet. I never lost a load.
As a kid it was always fun following the threshing ring from farm to farm. So the ring hired me' as a kid' to be the water boy. All day long I would carry water from one man to another. It was a large jug wrapped with burlap. We didn't have paper cups for each man in those days so they just drank from the opening. I don't think anyone ever got sick drinking one from another. That was my training, learning all about the jobs, until I was old enough to do one. I was really too short to be a good pitcher and loved the art of loading the bundles. We usually did four or five loads a day. By the way, I was paid 50 cents a day to carry the water. Rather cheap labor -- right.
At the end of the harvest season the families of the ring got together for a big ice cream social and feast. Great "farm boy" fun/ Enough, If you have any questions -- ask. Wish I could just talk to you and tell you all about the experiences of my first jobs -- threshing ring water boy and bundle wagon operator. Oh, yes, I got $5.00 a day for running the bundle wagon. All of this was like 70--75 years ago -- more or less. Can you believe that????????????"

1/18/2009

Winter in Chicagoland

1/01/2009

Happy 2009 to Everyone!