DID YOU KNOW?

[Anonymous]

In the 2005 edition of "The Old Farmer's Almanac", page 20 under the title "In The Garden" there is a paragraph: "Combining two of the hotest hobbies in North America---gardening and model trains---railroad gardening has become a favorite pastime enjoyed by men and women of all ages. The railroads run on low-voltage electricity and chug through elaborate villages peopled with minature figures in over 70,000 private gardens and botanical exhibits".

Background: The OFA has been published every year since 1792. Although written for the New England area, it has weather forecasts for 16 regions in the US as well as a broad range of interesting stories, planting tables, etc. OFA is published by "Yankee Magazine", Dublin, New Hampshire.

BTW, approximately 4 years ago in the fall, we were contacted by Yankee magazine about our garden railroad.[:D] They sent a professional writer from Connecticut and also a pro. photographer from Boston, MA.

After a wait of 8 months[:(], the photographer called and said the mag. wanted pictures of the garden/trains in the summer. OK, the photographer and assistant again came, spent the day doing their stuff.[:D] Then nothing.[V]

May 04 Yankee called to say they will print the article[:D] Although in a shorter form[:(] June 04 edition had the article[:D] The writer had written 1,500 words and we know there had to be at least 50 plus photos, instead, 2 pics and one paragraph. Hey, who cares! An article about Garden Railroading in a non model mag. Super!!!!!!!![:D]

George Edgerton
Monroe, CT

[vsmith]

Cool, I'll have to look up an Almanac at B&N next time I'm there.

[bman36]

Thanks for the info. Will have to have a look myself. I know we have a Canadian edition as well. I'm just wondering if it will be in that too? Later eh...Brian.

[Rene Schweitzer]

George,

I was finally able to locate a copy of the Almanac this afternoon. (It wasn't at any of the grocery or discount stores like I've seen in previous years.) Do you know what edition you have? My page 20 has a chart for the month of February listing the sun rises/sets. Looks like I'll have to do more digging to find it. . .

[grandpopswalt]

Rene,

I think George was referring to Yankee Magazine, a regional publication concerned with "Nor'east " matters.

Walt

[Anonymous]

To us you are all Yanks, last time I was in the US of A I formed the opinion that; The South lost the war but felt they should have won it. The North won the war and wished they hadn't, but in Atlanta Georgia they are still fighting it. D you think that is an acurate assessment.

My American friend in san Francisco laughed and called me a *** and that was jusrt terific.

Rgds Ian

[Rene Schweitzer]

Walt,
Aw, too bad. Last year, Marc H. was interviewed by someone who freelanced for the Farmer's Almanac, so I thought maybe this interview had gotten in. I guess not. I couldn't find anything in my copy.[V]

[grandpopswalt]

Ian,

And in the West (and some parts of the Mid-West and East), the native Americans (Indians) are still angry about having had their land stolen by the white settlers 150 years ago. The decendants of those white settlers are now feeling great guilt and remorse for what their ancestors had done. So we've established a new form of cathedral on Indian lands called a casino where white folks regularly go to make substantial monitary offerings to atone for past sins.

Walt

Walt

[Anonymous]

Walt your killing me[(-D]! Yea the Shawnee applied for a permit to open a casino here in Ohio where the majority are against Casino gambling, they'ed rather watch the tax dollars go across the border to Indiana or fly out to Vegas.

Owe and technically they ( the state of Ohio ) can't say no, it's just buracracy in action.

[Anonymous]

There is a differance of right actions and wrong but I do stand behind my Brothers and Sisters.
There is no one driving them there to make them gamble.

[Anonymous]

Rene,

Sorry I have not responded before now, but I have been in and out of town for the past few days.

I could not find a edition number per se, but Elaine thinks that there were two different copies (2 different prices) on the rack at the local food store.

Looking at the mag binding side on the horizontal plane is , L-R, 2005......... The Old Farmer's Almanac........ www.almanac.com...........A (The A is printed on the verticle)
My copies price was $ 5.95 US.

Walt, The almanac is owned and printed by Yankee Magazine, Such as Garden Railways, Trains, et al are owned and published by Kalbach.

Hope this helps,

George

[Rene Schweitzer]

George,

You must have a different version. I picked up one at Barnes & Noble (the only version they had), and it was only $3.95 US. I thought it seemed thinner than usual.

Would it be possible for you to mail me a photocopy of the mention? I'd be happy to send you a post-paid envelope for it.

Rene

[Anonymous]

Walt and Matt.

We have a similar but much smaller problem with our aborigines, it is smaller becaise the British nearly wiped them out in fact their are no more Tasmanian Abo's left old King Billy doied in the year i was born 1936 as did the last Thylosene (Tasmanian Tiger).

The Abo's as they are affectionally known get really royal treatment and they get the idea that the y want to resume certain properties, like landmarks and liquor shops for themselves.

But to me they don't have a leg to stand on as in their own culture they do not believe in owning land they believe that the land owns them.

I am really sorry their are no more Tasmanian Tigers around they were a large striped carnivore that used to kill sheep hence their demise. Did you know their were a whole range of Marsupials (carry young in a pouch) that had equivalents among normal mammals. Lions, Mammoths, Hippo's etc.

Only three native Australian animals are not marsupials, (this is why koalas are not bears) Platypus and Echidnas which are monotreens (egg laying mammals) and of course the Dingo, which we thought for decads was dog but its a derative of the Asian Wolf, only been here for 5,000 years so is it indigenous or not? many think not.


Regards


Ian

[Anonymous]

Rene,

Will do.

George

[Anonymous]

Ian,
Just a bit about the american civil war. The north west of England was very dependant on the south for the supply of raw cotton to feed our mills. I was born in Oldham and now work in Preston, both mill towns that had hundreds of mills. When the north blockaded the southern ports the supply of cotton dried up and the majority of the mills where shut down by the owners. There was no government payout in those days so thousands of people here starved, many to death. The English support of the south was purely an economic one, it was all about King Cotton. The cotton famine continued well after the war finished, it took time to salvage an industry that had run on free labour.
There would have been a knock on effect out of this war that went all the way to Australia, as a penal colony I suspect that many a starving cotton worker resorted to crime and if he was caught he would have ended up on the other side of the world, probably with his family.
Off topic I know, but I couldn't resist.
Cheers,
Kim
[tup]

[Rene Schweitzer]

Just a note for everyone: beware of imposters! I didn't realize until yesterday that the "Farmer's Almanac" I had bought was not the original OLD Farmer's Almanac! Finally found one (yeah!) and found the garden railway mention. The OFA is thicker, costs $5.95 US, and has its traditional scroll-like designed cover.

Rene

[tangerine-jack]

Hey iandor!, it was not the Civil War!!! It was the "War of Northern Agression", The south did NOT loose! We just stopped fighting to let the Yankees catch thier breath!
History- The CSS Shanendoah still has not surrendered, she was plundering Northern fishing boats off Alaska when she was informed by a French vessel that the War had ended some months before. The Shanenedoah then sailed to England and rolled her flag. Also the last survivor was a Confederate private who died in the 1930's.

Sorry to go off topic, but I couldn't resist[oX)]