Town

 I had a appointment in town.  Cross another yearly check up off the list! I made a quick trip through the grocery store and the bank. 

This is a new mural in town that appeared last summer.  It is at the end of the first block on Main Street on the West side.

Not sure what the story is behind it.  It is a bit larger but there was a car parked in the way.

The Historical Museum is finally getting a new roof.  It must have taken a miracle to get the County Commissioners to agree to that expenditure! 

The high temperature yesterday was 49 F or 10 C and we have a frost advisory.  A week ago it was in the 90's.  Minnesota weather is sure fickle.

Far Side

Small Town

I frequent the Ben Franklin Store in Park Rapids… otherwise known as “the dime store” or “the five and dime”  although nothing is a dime anymore.  They have paper and paints, yarn and who knows what all.  I was looking for some small Christmas containers for cookies for the cookie exchange.  I got some there last year.  I hate going to Wally World…maybe I will stop by the new Dollar Store where everything is supposed to be a dollar.  There are buildings sitting empty around town..yet they build new. Go figure.

It has been a Ben Franklin for a good long time.  Back when Norman and Gladys Fulton had the store it was a Ben Franklin.  A classmate and next door neighbor of Far Guys probably would have inherited the store.  Norm and Gladys had no children, they took Danny under their wing as much as they could…sadly he was killed in a car accident in 1970.

You can barely see the name on the Fulton Bldg…but it is still there.

Norman was an only child born in 1914 , his mother was Belle J.Sobles Fulton Schmider and his father was the famous Fred Fulton Heavyweight Boxer.  Lena Fulton helped raise Norman…she was his stepmother…she married Fred in 1939 but they must have lived together for some time.  Lena was 18 years older than Fred and 67 years old when they married. There must be more to that story…and it must have caused many tongues to wag about town.

There are lots of stories about Fred Fulton…some not so pretty…did he throw some fights or “take a dive” as some report?  He must have.  He had quite a temper and hit his brother once…there was a law suit.   He bought White City Resort in Park Rapids and ran it successfully for many years.  There was a supper club and a dance pavilion out over the water in the late 1920’s and 1930’s.  You had to pass by the drinking place known as “The Bloody Bucket”  on your way out there.

Far Guy remembers seeing Fred Fulton around town and having to look up up up!  Fred was 6 feet 6 1/2 inches tall.

Back when I was the Director at the museum, I ran onto an old packet full of papers and old photos of Fred Fulton.  With the help of volunteer Tess we organized everything in Acid Free sleeves and put them all in a three ring binder.  History which someone may want to look at someday.

The Museum

I volunteered to give a new Board Member and his wife a tour of the museum.  Uffda…the place has gone to heck in a hand basket.

It was dusty, the floors were dirty and I walked around picking up pieces of paper here and there.  “Stuff” anyone should notice…but apparently don’t.  The Board Member emptied trash and helped clean up the kitchen… we dusted some.

The numbering system is all messed up…on paper only.  It isn’t too late to fix it. I informed another board member who is the acting President since the last President resigned.  I volunteered to give the new curator a lesson on accessioning items correctly, marking them, photographing and entering them in the computer.

If you all remember I cleaned something just about everyday at the museum, updated the Facebook page, wrote their blog and got their advertising out on time, still managing to accession items, write thank you notes and give tours while still smiling. 

 

I am discouraged for them.  It is hard for me to see the place go so far downhill in just a few months. I worked really hard to whip that place into shape, so did my husband.  You would think that out of seven board members a few of them would take responsibility to see that things are presentable to the public and that items donated are properly documented.

I AM R.E.T.I.R.E.D…repeat many times.

Tired and now retired

I gave my best effort to the Historical Museum over the past few years.

I am tired. I wish them all the best. 

My last official day is March 31.  I am relieved, I feel like the weight of the entire Museum has been lifted from my shoulders.

I struggled long and hard with my decision to retire. There were two projects near and dear to my heart that I had hoped to finish. In the end… Far Guy and Chance both voted yes and I agreed.

I gave my notice at a Board Meeting on Monday afternoon, short and sweet, I resign. The end. I was at the meeting about three minutes. ( I wanted to sing my resignation..but I was dignified.)

I let most of my volunteers know of my resignation by email so they wouldn’t have to hear it through the grape vine…or as gossip.  Small towns..rumors can go rampant!

Now I will have some time to smell the roses

Museum : Mystery Monday

Museum “stuff” still seems to take up much of my free time.  Even the off season is busy, I am certain the Board members have no idea how much work I do every week. ( mostly as a volunteer)

We have our annual meeting with elections coming up soon.  I hope people that actually volunteer time are elected instead of just figureheads that want to plump up their own obituaries.  The bylaws state that after two terms board members are required to take a term off.  Apparently that doesn’t apply…the same old people are there year after year…some have been on the board for five terms (15 years).  They have no new ideas, are reluctant to change and their get up and go gone up and went.  It is very discouraging to work with those kinds of people.

I have a new contract sitting on my desk.  I am thinking it over.

Here is the mystery item this week.

   What do you think it was used for?  What is it called?

Later today I will post the photo with the identification:)

Big Drumroll.  It is a Hog Whacker/Wacker (knacker).

Museum: Mystery Monday October 14

We might as well have another mystery item.  What is in this jar?

These were not being displayed, I found them under a display cabinet in the school room.  I found a new spot for them.  Not a Hubbard County item, but a Minnesota one for sure.  I had no idea this is what they looked like.

I suppose I could give you a hint, these were from the North Shore town of Silver Bay, but they did not originate there.  Guess away.  Later in the day I will post the picture with the label.

Learn something new every day if we just take the time to look around:)

Update: It is a jar of taconite pellets.

Taconite is a low grade iron ore.  It is crushed and ground into a fine powder.  It is rolled into a pellet that contains 65% Iron.  The pellets are easier to transport than huge pieces of rock that contain less than 15% iron.  The pellets come by rail from the Iron Range in Northern Minnesota and are loaded on Ore Boats in Silver Bay or Duluth and head to the steel mills out east.  The Edmund Fitzgerald was loaded with  26,160 long tons of taconite pellets when it sank on November 10, 1975.

Stick a fork in me I am done!

Finished my last full day at the museum for this year!  Yeah for me!  I am relieved.  Now I can take naps and stay up till who knows when, I can be on my own schedule.  I am so not a morning person.  I think I might just smash the alarm clock too.

It was a frustrating week tying up loose ends.  Waiting for calls that were never returned, people to show up that never did.  AARG! Gus the Ghost had a fit and exploded a light bulb all over one night.  I think he is ready to be all alone in the building again.

Far Guy had an interesting Tuesday.  Months ago he ordered a new furnace, on installation day #1 it was discovered the furnace had been dropped in shipment, so it had to be reordered.  The gas hook up, digging lines, installing a new tank guys have been here three times.  They dug and installed, came back and re-dug because they had leaks. Grass had started growing:(  I kept asking them if I need to get a bird…they all looked at me like I was NUTS.  On Installation Day #2  Far Guy had to go to town for parts for the furnace guy.  Finally it is fait accompli. 

No more outside woodstove, just bump up the thermostat and pay the bill.  Far Guy has been a little down in the mouth about it until I showed him the figures for burning wood what with wood stove purchase, wood delivered, new chain saws, repairs, circulation pumps etc… it all comes out in the wash.  I am certain our floors will not be as warm as they were. ( I suppose I could rip out some tiles and lay some electric heat coils in strategic places..or just wear slippers.)

I am not making a “to do” list until Monday, but try as I might one is formulating in my head.  But right at the top of that list is take Fall photos, nap and read my Trixie Belden book:)

Museum Mystery Monday: A Box

A very nice lady dropped off this box at the museum.  It was one of the last things that I accessioned this year.

We did not have this item in our collection.  It is a great addition to one of our rooms.

The latch on the door did not work so  someone taped it.  Far Guy has removed the tape marks with goo gone and cleaned up the box inside and out.  It is now out on display along with the contents.

It is from the 1930’s. There is a handle on the top of the box.  What do you think is inside?  I know how to use one.  I rather enjoyed learning how to use one.  I would have enjoyed having one of my own because I am a curious person.

The mystery item is temporarily sitting on the counter in my office that holds some hands on items.  A muff for children to try ( black seal skin), the yellow paper is for the nib pen, and the small container partially filled with coins encourages people to get rid of their pocket change…and my Pheasant that has a sign that says “Touch me gently.” 

I have three days of work left.  I have more vacation time coming at the end of the week.  Probably a good thing too, as I have caught a cold and right now my throat is on fire.  I am attempting to fight it off with naps, Zicam and fluids.  Far Guy has it too, he is on his fifth day…I am just on my first.

I will be back later in the day to post a photo of the mystery item…guess away:)

Yes, many of you guessed it.  It is a microscope.  It belonged to a lady doctor who practiced medicine in Brainerd Minnesota, her daughter lives in Park Rapids.

Monday Museum Mystery: Sept 16

Todays mystery items hang on a wall in the museum.

Two items that would used by men to create or repair something. I will post the answer here later in the day.

Two weeks left. It is actually five days because I have days off.   I am more than ready to be done for the season.

The shelves in my office are not getting bare.  Saturday was a quiet day, when I got done with research questions I hit the accessions hard.   The “stuff” that has been hidden under my desk for three plus years has been accessioned or sorted out for the rummage sale room. ( The Director before me stuffed one item after another under the desk.)  See that box next to the pink bag…Tom brought me that one.  Tom is a saver, I just peaked inside..oh my.  I may save that one for next spring. Tess and I just finished his last box which contained about 60 hometown newspapers from 1941 to 1946.

The weather has turned cold, I need a sweater or a sweatshirt in the museum now.  We have a fundraiser this week.  A Soup and Salad Luncheon, I will donate potato salad.  The luncheon is held upstairs in the Great Gallery ( old courtroom), I have not been up there all summer to see the “art.” Since it is one of my days off I will take my big girl camera and take some photos:)

On the left we have a Wagon Makers Rasp.

On the right A two sided shave.  Very rare. Probably used for shaping spokes of wagons and buggies:)

Flowers In Town

Chance and I went to town on Friday, we had errands to do, Far Guy was working at the museum.  We stopped in to see how he was doing, he was very busy so we left him alone to carry on.

I wanted to photograph some of the flowers downtown before they freeze.

This is a Gartenmeister Fuchsia.   If you only grow one Fuchsia this one should be it.  I used to grow it, and it went out of the door like hotcakes.

Red Petunias, I am not sure of the variety of this one, but it may be one called Ramblin Red.  This is a planting in one of those plastic bags.

Here they are hanging along the building.  There are drip water tubes going to each plastic bag/planter. AND probably a tad bit of fertilizer as petunias are heavy feeders.

This street is very colorful.  The smell of petunia’s wafts along in the breeze.  I turn on this street after work if I have mail that needs to go to the post office, it is the path of least resistance to the stop light and the way home.

I am wrapping projects up at the museum.  Microsoft Office 2010 expired, not sure what to do about that… my mailing labels are in that program.  My computer consultant is thinking over the situation. If it isn’t one thing it is forty others.  I have six work days left. I will have to work from home a few days in order to finish things up.  It is what it is…at least I can stop and have a nap if I feel like it! :) 

Three weeks and sales

I have three weeks left!  Ten working days, I have some extra days off because of times I was supposed to have a day off and no one could fill my shoes.

The end is in sight.  WHEW!  I have no plans yet of what I will do when the doors are closed for the winter.  Sleep most likely.  I am still real tired exhausted.  I will work for the Museum over the winter just differently, my office in town is moved upstairs in our home.  Email, regular mail, blog posts, research questions and phone messages will be dealt with in a timely fashion…most of it can be done in the time it used to take me to travel from home to town.

We went to some garage sales last Sunday.  I used to think our yard looked messy.  We were at one house that raised a dozen turkeys right next to the house…the smell was overwhelming and two little boys were sitting there eating lunch.  Coulda gagged a maggot for sure.  The lady had gardens all over and buckets of plants sitting here and there and about 100 lawn ornaments in the form of exercise equipment and old appliances…it was a sight to behold.

I bought three dice, a frog and an old bell…that is all from the entire day of shopping!  I know …last of the big spenders!  The dice will go into the dice collection jar and the bell needs some work, it might have a half way decent patina when it is cleaned up.  I may hang it next to the door.  Not sure where I will put the frog yet.  I am struggling NOT to start a collection of frogs:)

Museum Mystery Monday

I have been trying to get my incoming shelves at the museum all cleared off.  One by one the boxes and bags are opened and spread out on my desk for photographs.  Some items  are rather curious.

Some of the items in the background may help you make a guess.  All this “stuff” came in the same box.   This particular item is from the 1950’s and would not be used today.  In some parts of the country it would have been used more than others.

It was something I have never seen before.  I hope no one out there has used this mystery item, but if you have used it please tell us all about it!  I will add a photo of the reveal later in the day.  Guess away:)

You all were good guessers!

The hard plastic parts were for suction, the little red knife was to cut x’s across the bite marks, also included were an antiseptic and a string.  It is a Cutter Suction Snakebite Kit.

On a side note:  A few weeks ago I was contacted by a writer who was researching deaths by snakebite in Minnesota.  I assured him the there were no snakebite deaths recorded in Hubbard County, at least I have not run across them.  However in the south eastern part of Minnesota there used to be two types of Rattlesnakes, a Timber Rattler and what the early settlers called a Prairie Rattler but was actually a Eastern Massasauga, many children were bitten by the Prairie Rattler because it liked swamps and meadows (hay land where the children would run through barefooted)), it took the better part of a week to die from that bite  and it was very painful. Wheresas if a Timber Rattler bit you, you were most likely a goner in less than a day back in the olden days:)

Old Stuff at the Museum

I have been buried in old stuff, sneezing.  Old stuff sometimes makes me sneeze.

That Record Cleaner had most of you stumped the other day.  It had me stumped for a long time too, I turned it every which way and even stood a board game inside of it.  Then I said “Self.. think about it.”  AND the light came on.

Some people actually used a record cleaner instead of just wiping them off on their jeans.

I am making a little headway.  This display case is downstairs. 1970’s items are displayed in the bottom of the case.

“Stuff” is making it from my office into display shelves.  That Mystic Hand Board is from the 1940’s and is considered a little rare. It was manufactured by Haskelite Manufacturing Corp. of Chicago IL it was popular before the Ouija Board.  The Mystic Hand Wooden Planchet is in perfect condition.

The box is a little worse for the wear but the game is a great start to a collection of board games. 

Did you notice the pin on the 1970’s jacket? 

I had the meeting with the mucky mucks at the County.  It went fine, the result will not be known until they have their budget meetings.  I am cautiously hopeful that we will get some kind of increase and maybe new carpet for the foyer.  The two new Commissioners even smiled at me…that is a first…perhaps it was the welcoming pretty picture of the Historical Museum Notecard I sent them after they were elected!

Three weeks and 2 days left, not that I am counting or anything.  Since school started it is quiet in the building, so I can move right along making headway with all the “old stuff”:)

 

Museum Mystery on Monday

On Saturday at work I tried to stay in my office and accession in items that have been accumulating on my shelves.
I was making progress and was able to discard two big boxes that held “stuff.”
Then a little old lady showed up with a huge box full of WWII items.  Some are very interesting but I saved them for another day.  Luckily her husband wrote little tags with great descriptions and told some history of the items…gotta love people like that!

I have four weeks to clear off these shelves.  I might make it.  See those sticks off to the side, it is an old croquet set that doesn’t have a stand.  I don’t know exactly how I will display that yet. Maybe I will put them in an old wooden box if I can find one…or an old bucket.
Everyone is frantically bringing items into the museum before we close. Every item must have duplicate paperwork, a number, a photograph and be entered into our computer system and a thank you letter must be written.  It all takes time.  It is detail oriented work so it is impossible to pass on to a volunteer.
Now for the mystery item!

What do you think it is?  Did you ever have one?  I didn’t and I did not know what it was, but I figured it out.  It looks the same on both sides and it has a battery compartment on the bottom.  I think it takes two larger batteries maybe D cells. 
You would rarely need such a device today. I will update this post tonight about  6 PM with the correct answer:)

Update:  It is a battery operated machine that cleans LP Records.  The slot has a kind of fabric with fine hairs and the record is cleaned while rotating. 

Quiet but busy

The house has been quiet without the telephone interrupting my thoughts.  It has been silent since Sunday, one call snuck through yesterday, in between waves of off again on again phone and Internet service.  The repairman came again yesterday afternoon.  Hopefully it is fixed once and for all!  It has worked about six hours in a row now.

I called the business office of the telephone company.  The Customer Service gal there said she was not authorized to issue a credit for five days of no service, she would have to speak to her supervisor and will get back to me next week.  Why was she in Customer Service if she cannot give customer service?  Seems redundant to me.

Far Guy went to work in the oven(museum) on Thursday.  He was pretty much well done when he came home.  Chance and I enjoyed the AC at home all day long.  We are going to send Far Guy back into the oven again Friday.  It works out well to split up the days…he is working on some projects there that he enjoys.  The museum has some old movies taken in 1943 that will become a program next year after they are edited and digitized.

I finished scheduling all the evening programs for 2014 and meeting places have been reserved.  I finished all the advertising for 2013.  Yes..cross something off the list.

Next week I meet with the County Commissioners.  I don’t like pleading for more money but someone has to do it.  The average dollar amount that County Historical Museums receive from their respective counties in Minnesota is $57,000.  We get less than 10 percent of that.  Broken down even further than that we have 20,000 residents in the county and we receive 27 cents per person per year.  I have asked for $3 per person. Of course I don’t have my head in the clouds…they will not approve that amount.  IF I were a County Commissioner I would be ashamed. 

The museum got a grant for an HVAC study ( Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning).  It will cost $6,300 to have an expert from The Cities come into our building to evaluate it.  She will write us a report which we can then use to write another grant to purchase and install a HVAC system.  I am not certain how anyone will be able to afford the heating bill…but I am following the suggested route and won’t put up a roadblock before I need to. ( Last winter I met with The Minnesota Historical Society mucky mucks and we made a plan to follow to gain heating, air conditioning and an elevator.)

I absolutely hate the politics, I am no good at smiling at a bunch of morons. I am certain that the Commissioners will be surprised  to learn about the HVAC study…oh well…they are the governing body for the Historic Building…and all of them have been notified of our monthly meetings and have been encouraged to attend.  I cannot drag them into one of our meetings and make them listen to the goings on.  Although that thought makes me smile:) 

Great Blue Heron on Fish Hook Lake

Countdown : Six Weeks

Six weeks until I can close the museum doors.  This week will be a hot one, we have heat and humidity.  Temperatures will be 90 degrees F today (32 C).

I have much to finish up in six weeks.  Programs to plan for next year.  “Stuff” to be accessioned. Shelves to be cleared off. Perhaps even the “stuff” under my desk that has been sitting there for years will find a home. ( It was all “stuff” I inherited from the last Director.)

The last Thursday noon program is this week.  They have been a success but I won’t be doing them next year.  If someone else wants to volunteer to find the speakers and be there to greet people and be in charge..GFI…Go For It.  I have proved it can be done, it will bring more people into the museum and it is a great community outreach effort.  However even I have limitations.  It takes too much time away from my other duties. 

I have met some marvelous new people this summer, and some of my old favorites have returned.   Mary and Larry read my blog and stopped by to meet me! It was a pleasure to visit with them!   My good buddy Jimmy from Lincoln Nebraska, the kid who wants to be a museum curator returned for his third summer, he noticed the changes and complimented me on the displays that had been improved!  Not many adults notice…leave to a kid!   Kayla who is like my shadow on days she volunteers  also wants to be a museum curator when she grows up. The last time she came in to volunteer she missed time at a local amusement park…how many kids would do that?   People that come in and at the end of their visit say “Wow, we didn’t realize you had so much cool stuff in this building!”  Those are the people I enjoy…that is what keeps me going… at least for six more weeks.

Two new display cases were moved into The Toggery last spring.  They looked wonderful. The pink was just fine, but the bottom parts of the display needed something.

One volunteer with some paint and some wallpaper made a big difference.  Everything pops out in the bottom of those displays now. One improvement at a time:)

Volunteers At The Museum

I have a new volunteer at the museum, her name is Kayla and she is eight years old, soon to be nine.  Last week she created a new Treasure Hunt for children.  She learned how to dust properly in the museum..no spray ever goes on the cabinets..only on your paper towel, how to run the old fashioned carpet sweeper because you can use it while people are in the museum, and she helped me stuff newspaper articles in acid free plastic sleeves ( She was bored with that job.)  She also gave her sister and cousin a tour. She straightened up the school room and made sure all the old desks had at least one book. She wants to be a museum curator when she grows up.

Lois is another new volunteer this summer, she has been working on miscellaneous “stuff” wherever I need her.  She made popcorn for me the day of the Silent Movies which by the way were a hoot.  The Great Train Robbery was my favorite!  I am going to transition Lois to the High School Memory Room to make some copies of some of the really old annuals and copy some of the reunion booklets.

Mary Ann is my new file clerk.  I have a major problem with historic files.  We have two categories “places” and “people” for research.  No one has checked them for correct contents in years.  Some files of “people” were so full I could not cram another file in the cabinet.  So we weeded some of the larger files out and incased their contents in archival plastic sleeves and made three ring binder folders.

Far Guy is a wonderful volunteer.  He fixes “stuff” and loves to give tours.  He works for me one day a week.   What a deal.  I am usually only a phone call away just incase when he has questions.

Of course my best volunteer is Tess, she knows the ropes and could run the place in an emergency. Tess greets people, answers the phone and works with obituaries, and whatever office tasks I have for her to do. Often I give her a “pile” of stuff to sort through and she will brief me on the contents...she is a reader and is quickly becoming an expert on many subjects.

Jen is my display volunteer.  She keeps the display out front looking great!

Virginia is my Grant Writer/painter gal.  She loves a project and has been working on different parts of the museum throughout the summer.  I am behind on my picture taking.  I do have the “befores” just haven’t had time to take some “afters.”

My spring volunteers Gravy and Dawn were so helpful getting the museum ready for the Governor’s Fishing Opener. When I look back they were miracle workers..sent at just the right time!   Gravy has been in to help Far Guy move the last of the cabinets around to permanent spots.  I have been working on displays for those cabinets.

The young people from AmeriCorps will be back for the month of September volunteering at the museum on rainy days. ( On non rainy days they will be working on the North County Trail)  I have shelves for them to build for storage, windows to wash, displays to freshen up, kitchen and bathrooms to be painted  and a jail cell to recreate…complete with a bed, stool, sink and door.  I also have a back hallway that I would like cleaned and painted..it is an emergency exit without a purpose…but it is a filthy mess.  I have a spark of an idea of what to display there…we will see what happens.  The worst part of having so many volunteers in the building is that I have to supervise them all..some of these kids have never painted before..I hope at least one is a bit of a carpenter.  I have asked the Board Members to help, the big problem is you never know when it will rain, so nothing can be planned until the last minute..however I will have all my ducks in a row..I hope.

I encourage you all to check out your local Historical Museum if and when you decide to do some volunteer work:)

Goodbye July

So long July.  The rushing around, hurry up summer is half over month. It doesn’t feel like July or August in Minnesota.  It is unseasonably cool with daytime highs about 75 F or 23 C and overnight lows around 50 F or 10 C.

The cool temperatures bring more people into the museum.  I have more interruptions and get less done.  I met a gal from another museum last week..she couldn’t believe that I was the only person on staff.  She clearly understands what it takes day to day to run a museum. They have three people on staff and one tour guide.  Peachy.  They also get six times the funding from their county.

I accidently ran into all the County Commissioners exiting the building next door, I stood there and shook their hands like a good politician would, one of the A$$ holey ones was on his phone..I stood my ground and made him shake my hand anyway.  I invited them all to the museum, of course they won’t show up..they are too busy with the many million dollar renovation to their building…and I cannot get freaking carpeting or new door jams.  The door jams are a big tripping hazard…someone will break a hip someday.

I am getting burned out..can you tell?  I have eight weeks and three days left until I close the doors for the winter.  I still don’t have a contract in place…the Board is still working on it..I think they must be in a deadlock about the raise I asked for last APRIL.  They are real movers and shakers.  One of the Board members wants to continue monthly evening programs throughout the winter. I said “Go for it.”

So goodbye July..Hello August.  I am ready for you.

The small grains are turning color. 

The Common Milkweed and the Goldenrods are in full bloom.

I am not seeing Monarchs or Monarch larvae at all this year.  There is plenty of Milkweed…I wonder what happened to them all.  I will collect some Common Milkweed pods this Fall because I saw a cute Christmas Ornament that uses the empty pods:)