Apples

Once of my favorite fall snacks are apples, and Macintosh apples are the best. One fall in the late 70's I took a part-time job picking apples at the farm next door.

Barber Shop

I found the Angelo from Italy Barber Shop at the Riverside, IL train station so I stepped inside and asked if I could take a picture. The barber said, "This is an old fashioned barber shop." I love the step-back-in-time it offered.

Caboose

Union Pacific was doing some track maintenance today in Wheaton. There was even a caboose on a work train.

What is it?

This is a Cassava squeezer made of a woven basket-like sleeve. It was made in Venezuela by indigenous people. Bitter cassava needs to be properly prepared to get rid of poisonous toxins before it can be eaten. The cassava (manioc) root is grated, washed, squeezed and dried. The resulting flour can be made into a hard flat bread.

Sheep

It was sheep shearing day at Kline Creek Farm. Lots of kids had a great time. Farmer Mark did a wonderful job of educating and entertaining the guests as he explained and demonstrated how to shear sheep. "It's more like shaving than getting a haircut."

Remember

The St Charles, IL Fire Department draped a truck today in remembrance of 9/11.

Mulching

These ladies helped me landscape two truckloads of mulch in front of Elsie C Johnson Elementary School this morning as part of CareFest 2011. They were great workers.