Alfalfa

My Brain Peanuts Thinks Up Some Blog Topics

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Let me apologize in advance, Dear Readers, for even though my brain, Peanuts,  has been rattling around up in the Noggin Attic all morning trying to shake an idea loose to blog about, Peanuts has only managed to come up with a few lame ideas which are as follows:

You and Your Alfalfa

Peanuts and I thought we might pick up where we left off yesterday and expound on our new-found knowledge contained within the pages of a 1934 government pamphlet about Alfalfa which we now have in our possession– but then Peanuts and I thought we should probably save that post for a more special occasion like Christmas.

Doing math in your head in 1950

OK,  Peanuts and I  found a booklet from 1950 called without paper and pencil that explains how to do math in one’s head.  The book is full of conversations  like this one:

This topic was promising for about five minutes until Peanuts tried to figure out how long it would take me to write something about doing math in one’s head by subtracting 8:45 a.m from 300 words at which point my brain, Peanuts, fell  asleep in my head.

Your Appendix is more important than you think it is

Peanuts and I thought this topic was very, very, very promising until we realized that your appendix isn’t more important than you think it is.

How to chew an eraser like it was a piece of gum and maybe even blow a bubble

Oh this would have been a killer blog topic, and I wanted to do it until Peanuts reminded me there’s no such things as erasers anymore.

Pretending to know what the stock market numbers mean

This sounded promising at first, but after thinking about how much thinking it would actually involve, Peanuts and I  thought . . .  wait a minute, this is a blog not a torture chamber.

Write a blog about absolutely nothing that uses a lot of big bold headlines such as WordPress “Heading 1” to imply importance

Bingo!  And there you have it Dear Reader. Our blog for today! Oh and if you happen to think of any blog topics for me and Peanuts for tomorrow, we implore you to leave them in the comment section.  As you can see, Peanuts and I can use all the help we can get!

Until next time . . . I (and Peanuts) love you

 

The 1934 Flood of 1934

Linda Vernon Thrift Store Finds , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hello Dear Readers!  I’ve been shopping my little heart out at the thrift store, and I simply couldn’t believe my luck when I stumbled across this fascinating 1934 Department of Agriculture, Bulletin 1731 about everybody’s favorite grain, Alfalfa! 

First of all, let me begin by saying that this precious bulletin has sustained serious water damage.  Meaning only one thing.  It was in the 1934 Flood of 1934.

By carefully perusing the pages, I was able to ascertain that the owners of  Bulletin 1731 were United States farmers, Ma and Pa Ludd and their little boy, Sheldon and, from what I can tell, they were lucky to escape the 1934 Flood of 1934 with nothing but the shirts on their backs, the pants on their legs and the hairs on their arms.

And yet, somehow this courageous family managed to float through the house and, by kicking their feet at precisely the right coordinates, managed to  rescue their most prized possession, Bulletin 1731.

This was not without a little bit of harm done to Ma Ludd.  Shortly thereafter , her heart started acting up again and Pa had to take her to the doctor in Dusty City.  Pa Ludd waited in the waiting room while Ma Ludd went in to have her heart checked out by Dr. Olcreepee.

“Doctor you’ve been listening now for an hour and a half? Is it still ticking?”
“I think it’s still ticking, but let me just double check again.”

Anyway from what I could glean from reading between the lines of Bulletin 1731, Dr. Olcreepee decided to do some X-rays so he could get a better handle on the situation with Ma.

“What does that look like to you, Nurse?’
“Bulletin 1731?”
“Precisely.”

It seems Ma had inadvertently swallowed Bulletin 1731 in the confusion of the 1934 Flood of 1934.  And of course, Dr. Olcreepee had no choice but to operate on Ma to removed Bulletin 1731 once and for all.

Shortly thereafter Ma Ludd and Bulletin 1731 were wheeled into the operating room but the only thing that was wheeled out —  still in tact — was Bulletin 1731.  It seems Ma had kicked the bucket as they liked to say in those days.

I know it’s a sad tale but there is some indication that Pa Ludd and Sheldon did get some money from the  “death by swallowing government bulletins” insurance policy that Pa Ludd had the wherewithal to take out on his entire family.

And they all went on to lead long and  happy lives.  Except for Ma who continued being dead.

And there you have it, Dear Reader, a glimpse into the rich history of Bulletin 1731 and the 1934 Flood of 1934.

Be sure and check back tomorrow when we will turn to the first page of Bulletin 1731 and read all about everybody’s favorite grain, alfalfa!

Until next time . . . I love you