Apple-picking time is here again and that means another trip South, this time to an exciting destination of Burlington, KS. Somehow, I have never realized that the Wolf Creek Nuclear Generating Station is located near Burlington, or even in Kansas, but the distinct-looking domed building is clearly visible while approaching the town on HWY 75. We had to cut our visit to Burlington short because we had plans for the evening and my camera’s battery was getting low, but I did manage to snap a few photos and resolved to come back to the area for a more detailed look.
At the first glance, Burlington the Coffey County seat – is not much different from the other rural county seats in Kansas like Garnett or Cottonwood Falls.
Similar-looking downtown, clean and in decent shape…
I would like to thank many readers of this blog, people who thought enough of my writing to stop by and leave a comment, and many others who know me on Twitter, Facebook and in real life (there are about 4 or 5 of the lucky ones). I hope you all have a great year, stay healthy, employed and sexually active happy.
This is an old (1956) Soviet song – “5 minutes til the New Year”:
Some photos depicting student activities in Springfield, MO in 1939.
Toy train…
A view of a children playing during class.
…and the real thing.
A view of a class learning about trains first hand at a railroad station.
A view of a class field trip to the local stockyard
Now that’s tough, even I had a cot when I was a kid.
A view of children in school taking a nap in the middle of the day.
This must be the other side of the tracks.
A view of a class doing an exercise in practical carpentry.
This kid grew up to invent the overhead projector.
A view of child giving a presentation in school.
Something tells me the old guy is not an actor.
A view of a class learning about slums by visiting the local slum area.A view of a class field trip to a farm to study the soil.A view of the Springfield sewage disposal plant.
Before the air-conditioning the government meetings were brief and to the point.
A view of a sixth grade class attending a town meeting during a lesson on government.Continue reading →
Long time ago, when the produce used to be seasonal, young garlic was one of the first signs of spring. Young garlic is just that – the garlic plant before the bulb forms. At that point the whole plant is edible top to bottom; in a few weeks it becomes rough and the season is over. For years I was on the lookout for the young garlic and once even signed up for a CSA just because they listed it among the produce they grew. Last Saturday I finally found some at the River Market; the lady even repeated “garlic” twice to make sure I know what it is. I knew. Young garlic tastes a lot milder than the real thing and I just eat it with meals. There are some recipes out there, I don’t bother, it’s perfect the way it is and only needs to be peeled.
The way to tell the young garlic from, say, green onions is by its flat leaves.
Young garlic for me always means spring. Hurry up and get your spring started.
When I was growing up®, everyone knew a poem that started with:
Day of 7th of November
Is Red Day in your calendár
or something like that.
People who read this blog for a while are well-versed in the holidays that were celebrated in the USSR and the 93rd Anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution is not an exception. A whole generation has grown up without seeing a real parade on the Red Square in Moscow but the 7th of November is still remembered by many people around the world and celebrated at a least one suburban dwelling in the Kansas City Metro.
