Rocks

I have a pretty small yard.  I am trying to plant it with the eventual goal of having no grass.  Part of the plan is introducing rocks into the garden.  In Pennsylvania, one can get a permit from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to collect two tons of rocks for $10.60, including tax.  So the other day, I drove to Millmont and got my rock collecting permit.  Today, I packed the dog and drove up to some nearby State Game Lands and got some rocks.  I found a nice patch of rocks from which I will be able to get my allotment.

I'd love to have that one!  It's bigger than my car, though... Plus, I'm not sure if I could lift it by myself.   I used to have a pick up truck, which made rock collecting a lot easier.  Now, I have a teeny Plymouth Neon that already rides low to the ground, so I have to be careful not to overload the trunk!

I collected a trunk-load of rocks, then took Sage out for a little walk.  Here's a pathway that probably used to be an access to the Interstate which runs just beyond the tree line.

 It's funny sometimes the things you find in an otherwise fairly pristine wilderness:

 Yes, it's a tricycle.  Why?

The Auction

The Lewisburg Farmer's Market is open every Wednesday and today was a perfect day for wandering around the many food stands and flea market tables.  Locals still know the Farmer's Market as "The Auction."  When I was little, the Farmer's Market held an auction every Wednesday evening.  The auction part was discontinued, but The Farmer's Market, thankfully, lives on.

 The pictures above give you an idea of the many stalls and stands that are open in the outdoor area on a beautiful, sunny Spring day.  Last week, we had a thunderstorm, and not nearly as many vendors showed up.  Cast iron pans, canning jars, DVDs, gourmet dog biscuits, Easter flowers, country furniture, jewelry, glassware, and assorted odds and ends were all on display and for sale.  

Inside was jammed.  It was lunchtime.  A lot of people come to eat here.  Along the right side of the photo, people are lining up to make their meat purchases.  The center aisle is a mixture of flea market items and fresh produce.  The other side is mostly produce.

The honey stand is where I get honey when I need it.  They have all kinds of honey, like clover, orange blossom, buckwheat, tupelo, and more.  They don't have mesquite honey, though.  I love mesquite honey.  The stand next to the honey features all kinds of bulk food, really inexpensive spices, country butter, and cheese.

The very center of the building features the main food stand, where people gather to gossip over a burger and soda.  You can see the menu.  A quick, cheap lunch is enjoyed by many folks here.

Ever since I was a little kid, Troutman's French Fries have been a delicious treat.  I didn't have any today, but if I did, I would have fixed my fries the traditional way here in Pennsylvania Dutch country -- with lots of salt and a splash of vinegar.  Sometimes I add a bit of ketchup.  These are the best fries in the world.  

I saw in the news today that Union County is the healthiest county in Pennsylvania.  I can't help but think that the Farmer's Market plays a big part in that honor.

Flea Market

Every Sunday, two flea markets are open in my area.  The Route 15 flea market, former home of the Silver Moon Drive-in Theatre, is in Lewisburg.  The other is just off I-180 in between Milton and Watsontown.  I call it the Watsontown Flea Market because I don't know its real name or even if it has one.  A new flea market just opened in Milton this past Saturday.  I will try to remember to visit the new Milton Flea Market this weekend. 

The pictures above are of the Route 15 Flea Market indoor area.  The top one shows one aisle with a food stand in the foreground.  I often buy Celestial Seasonings Tea at this particular stand for just $2 per box.  The second picture shows the restaurant area where one can get a full dinner, a sandwich, or a fried snack.  I don't often eat here, but I wanted to show you the picture. 

The Watsontown Flea Market is my favorite.  But, even though I had my camera with me, I forgot to take pictures.  I will try to remember next week, if the weather is nice.  The problem with the Watsontown Flea Market is that it opens at something like 4 AM and everyone is cleared out by noon.  I am having less trouble with insomnia lately, so I should be able to go to this flea market more regularly.  The Christmas ornament above cost $1.  But my best find this past Sunday was this:

A box, you say?  Well, yes, but not just any box.  It is a huge, maple (I think) silverware box.  I have been looking for a silverware box for a long time.  I saw some on Ebay, but none at a price I wanted to spend, especially when you add in shipping.  The box above cost $5.  I think I got a good buy!

Wow!  Is that hot pink or what?!  My Mom gave me her good silverware some time ago.  It is 1847 Rogers Daffodil pattern silver-plate.  And now it has a nice home. 

I can't show you everything I got at the flea markets this past Sunday, because I did find one or two Christmas presents!  But I also found these old hats for a buck each.  Two of them are too small for me, though.  I may put them back in case I get a granddaughter some day.  Or maybe I'll sell them on Ebay!

Only 25 cents each! 

Heidemann

I have had great success finding family members on the Drozin side of my family.  I have had much less success with the Heidemann side. The picture above is my Grandma and Grandpa, Winifred and Thomas Samuel Heidemann, taken in about 1927 in Chicago.  Grandpa was born in 1898 in Denmark and had a younger brother named Cai.  

This picture shows Cai with his wife, Evelyn (maiden name unknown), and their three children, Donald, Roy, and Joyce.  All of the Heidemann's lived in Illinois in the 30's and early 1940's.  Then my Grandpa moved his family to Pittsburgh in about 1941.  Then it was on to Philly, Baltimore, and finally, Montclair, New Jersey.  This was a typical migration for a rising star salesman for Swift Corporation.  Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, a disconnect occurred.  The brothers stayed in touch until Cai's death.   But somehow, we lost contact with Donny, Roy, and Joyce.

So, I've been trying to find any members of the Cai Heidemann family.  I started looking on Facebook, but, believe it or not, Heidemann is a rather common name.  Much more common than Drozin.  Then I started looking in online telephone directories.  I started with the assumption that at least one of the Heidemann's stayed in Illinois.  Lo and behold I found a telephone number: 847-740-0443.  The listing stated that the number belonged to Donald Heidemann, aged 85.  That seemed right.  So I called.  Well!  

A man answered the phone and I asked to speak with Donald Heidemann and the man lit into me like nobody's business!  He was mad!  "I built this house in 2002 and I got this phone number and I'm sick and tired of you people calling for Heidemann all the time" and on and on!  Then he hung up on me, but that wasn't the end, no!  A woman who was on another extension got on and continued the diatribe!   "What kind of family are you that you don't know where you are?" And on and on again, til finally, I hung up.  Whew!  So don't call 847-740-0443 and ask for Heidemann!  

I did a reverse number search on that phone number (847-740-0443) and found that it belongs to Edward and/or Cynthia Adams of Sioux Drive, Round Lake Heights, Illinois.  Obviously not a Heidemann.  

So the search continues for the surviving members of the Cai Heidemann clan.  Donny, Roy, and Joyce, and any of their children.  The 1940 census was released today.  The website is going so slowly that probably a lot of people have the same idea that I have: to check out the census for further clues to lost family members.  

In the meantime, I leave you with these photos.  I'll let you know how the search progresses. 

My Grandma, Winifred Alma Fox Heidemann

My Great-grandma, Marie Greenig Fox

My Mom, Ruth Heidemann Drozin with her Daddy and sister, Jean.

More Eagles

I just can't resist.  Taking screenshots is almost as fun as taking actual pictures.  You try to wait for just the right moment, when the camera is clear and the eagles are in the right position, then .... 

...hopefully the shot is a good one!  The Decorah, Iowa Eagle-cam was featured on Good Morning America this morning.  As of this writing, two of three eggs have hatched.

The two eaglets are eating.  These two were "born" just one day apart and they have quite a head-start on the third of the brood.  

 If you want to watch the eagles live, simply Google "ustream decorah eagles."  If you want to take a screen shot, press the "print scr" button next to F12.  Open Paint (click on Start, All Programs, Accessories, Paint).  Then simply paste the image into Paint and crop your desired image.  Those instructions were for a PC.  I don't know how to do it in Mac.  (It's probably real simple, though.)

Spring

Today was a kind of crazy spring day.  Cool in the morning, thunderstorms late morning, sunny and warm in the afternoon.  I got rained on at the Farmer's Market, then planted a few perennials in the afternoon.  Sad news:  Gus's Garden Center is going out of business.  The flood from last fall was the last straw.  They have a great inventory and everything is on sale, so I guess I'll try to take advantage of the low prices in the coming days.

This magnolia is the biggest show right now.  I planted a magnolia tree and a magnolia shrub.  This is the shrub.  The tree will bloom a little later. 

 The forsythias in the back are also putting on a great show this spring.  The first thing I planted when I moved here was a forsythia.  Someone came along and stole it.  Can you believe it?  So, I went out and bought a few more.  I actually bought a chain and locked them up.

 This was when I first planted them in the spring of 2010.  They're growing well!  

 I hope you are having a colorful spring, too!

Vadim

My father had a camera.  It was a German model, kept wrapped up in its leather case.  The camera had a light meter.  Every Christmas, before unwrapping presents, we had to wait, and wait, and wait while the light meter warmed up.  No one else knew how to work this odd marvel of technology.  No one really wanted to.  The camera was my father's, so he took the pictures.  And that means that he wasn't in those pictures he took.  As I have been going through family photos, I am struck my how few photos of him we have.  Here are a few of the snapshots we are fortunate enough to have.

This picture was taken in the Lewisburg Cemetery, which is right across the street from the house in which we lived.  We took frequent walks in the cemetery, looking at the gravestones and simply enjoying being outside.  Papa loved being outdoors in nature.  I am about 4 in the picture.  My brother, George, is about 3.

In this picture, he is standing with Tetya Lola, his mother's sister-in-law.  I don't know who the other man is, possibly Boris, Auntie Toni's companion.  (Toni is really my cousin, as she is Lola's daughter.)  They both lived in New York City for awhile.  Toni was a hairdresser and once styled the hair of one of the Kennedy sisters.  She did not have a high opinion of that famous hair.

  
As a professor of Physics at Bucknell University, Papa would don his robes once a year and attend graduation ceremonies.  The robe hung in his closet the rest of the year.  I used to love trying on his robe.  The velvet hood was so soft.

 

Here's another look at the hood.  The blue color symbolizes Columbia University in New York City where he got his PhD.

  This picture was taken in England.  In about 1965, he was a visiting professor at Cambridge, I think.  We lived in England for six months or so.  

That's enough for now, more later......