The Last Men of The Revolution-Samuel Downing

The first in order visited was SAMUEL DOWNING, and the sketch of his life shall introduce the series.

Mr. Downing lives in the town of Edinburgh, Saratoga County; New York. His age is one hundred and two years. To reach his home, you proceed to Saratoga, and thence by stage some twenty miles to the village of Luzerne, on the upper Hudson. Here you are at once rewarded for your journey thus far. Few spots more beautiful are to be found. The river, flowing above it broad and free, at this point is compressed within a narrow gorge some twelve or fifteen feet in width, through which, after passing over a series of rapids known as Rockwell’s Falls, it rushes with great rapidity and force, the sound of its waters filling the air with music and your heart with freshness, as you listen to them, ceaseless, by day or by night. Continue reading

The Last Men Of The Revolution- Lemuel Cook

From the home of Mr. Waldo, the most distinguished, I passed to that of LEMUEL COOK, the oldest survivor of the Revolution. He lives in the town of Clarendon, (near Rochester,) Orleans county, New York. His age is one hundred and five years.

Mr. Cook was born in Northbury, Litchfield county, Connecticut, September 10, 1759. He enlisted at Cheshire, in that state, when only sixteen years old. He was mustered in “at Northampton, in the Bay State, 2nd Regiment, Light Dragoons, Sheldon, Col.; Stanton, Capt.” He served through the war, and was discharged in Danbury, June 12, 1784. The circumstances of his enlistment and early service he relates as follows: Continue reading

The Last Men Of The Revolution- Adam Link

The following is part two of four excerpts from the book ” The Last Men of the Revolution” written in 1864 by the Reverend Elias Hillard
When Adam was hundred and two years old. He made the statement that “his part in the war was unimportant”

Adam Link was born in Washington County, Maryland on November 14, 1761 to parents Jacob and Anna Link.. His mother, a distant relative of Jacob’s, was from Switzerland and died when Adam was six years old. After Anna’s death, Jacob remarried and move to Wheeling Creek, near present day Wheeling West Virginia.

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The Last Men Of The Revolution-Daniel Waldo

The following is part one of four excerpts from the book  ” The Last Men of the Revolution” written in 1864 by the Reverend Elias Hillard

From Luzerne I proceeded to Syracuse, the home of the Rev. DANIEL WALDO, the most widely known of the surviving soldiers of the Revolution.

There were many circumstances which rendered the anticipation of a visit to him one of great pleasure and satisfaction. Known, as he was, to all his countrymen, all felt acquainted with him and interested in him; while his intelligence, his wide familiarity with men and events, and, until of late, the full possession and vigor of his faculties, with his eminently social disposition, the freshness of his feelings, and his undiminished interest both in the past and the present, combined to render an interview with him, in prospect, one of the rare privileges of a lifetime. Most painful, therefore, was my disappointment on reaching his house to find the realization of these anticipations forever forbidden; the communion of life, so pleasant and prolonged, forever terminated; its story, told so often and so willingly, to be told no more. The hour so long awaited at last had come. Death was dealing with the old man. Already he had done with earthly things; and, passed into the border realm between the seen world and the unseen, he was awaiting in passive unconsciousness the opening of those mansions in his Father’s house, where so long there had been prepared for him a home. Continue reading

LS XR4046 Tractor Review

See also “LS XG3025 Tractor Review”


Vegetable Gardens From The 1800s

Vegetable Gardening for Beginners


When Rabbits Invade Your Garden

Yes, rabbits are marble eyed, floppy eared, fuzz balls of cuteness. They are fun to watch bounce across your back yard, however it is what they do when you aren’t looking that can be frustrating. They have no respect for boundaries or  that garden you have been slaving away in all summer. Rabbits have two bad habits-chewing and swallowing. They love your flowers, your green beans, your blossoms. To a rabbit, rows in a garden are like isles in a grocery store. Learning early on how to prevent rabbits from gobbling up your harvest is something every gardener must to do. So to prevent them from getting fat off of your hard labor, we’ve compiled a list of tips and products designed to aide you in safekeeping your fruits and vegetables from rabbits and other garden predators. Image result for rabbit in garden

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LS XG3025 Tractor Review




See also “Husky 22 Ton Log Splitter Review”


Board And Batten DIY Accent Walls

Board and Batten 1

Do you have a certain area of your home that you’d really like to highlight? I certainly did. For quite some time, I’ve really struggled with how or what to use in order to dress up our entry way in the living room. I could tell that it needed more than just an updated baseboard or trim. After doing some research I decided that I wanted to add that craftsman-style touch, but on a budget. Creating that board & batten look myself was just what it needed!




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Product Review: Mussel Bound Adhesive Tile Mat



Muscle Bound 1

Tile: if only the installation were as simple as the customization process. It’s so easy to walk into any home improvement store and distract yourself with the endless possibilities among tile choices. Hundreds and hundreds of colors, sizes and combinations to choose from, as well as a large selection of grout color options. While style choices have continuously changed over the years, one thing has remained same: the installation process. Continue reading

DIY Primitive Floating Shelves


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Repeat after me: warmer weather is just around the corner. We’ve got something that will brighten up your space as well as your spirit during this cold spell and won’t leave your wallet empty. Lately, I’ve been finding myself staring at this small, blank wall in my living room and unsure of what to do with it. Do I add a large picture? No. What about some sort of metal art décor? I can’t seem to find any of those I like either. Then what? What other option could there possibly be if I’m being so picky about this?! Ah-hah! Floating shelves!




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Demographics of the American Camper Part 3-Camping With Teens





camping with teens

Usually during the preteen years, a kid is like a sponge. They soak up everything you tell them at face value. You are their Ghandi and all wisdom flows thru your words.               Sometime around 12 or 13 “Why is the sky blue?” becomes “Why do I have to…?” anything. They have solved you and life and have no further use for adult mankind.
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Beautiful DIY Plank Wall On The Cheap

Adding Texture to a Room: DIY Plank Wall

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Spring is right around the corner and I have quite the honey-do list ready for our backyard, which means we need to wrap up indoor projects quickly! I want to be able to work on outdoor things soon when the weather is consistently warm; but for now, I’m excited that we have been blessed with two wonderfully warm weekends here in the Midwest. I have spent them working on updating a shared wall within our main living space using plank panels and wanted to share just how easy this project really was as well as its cost effectiveness. Continue reading

Demographics of The North American Camper Part 2-RVs

rv4

Over 430,000 Recreational Vehicles, or RVs, from Class A Motorhomes to Popup Campers were manufactured last year, and 2016 marked the 7th consecutive year of industry growth, and a 16% increase since 2001.  While travel trailers/campers are normally towed and Motor Homes are as the name implies, self propelled, I’ll be merging them into one general category for this article.  So who are the 9+ million people who own an RV and what are their motivations for traveling via the “home on wheels”?  Continue reading

The Demographics Of The North American Camper part 1

What smell reminds you most of camping? Smoke? Bug spray? Smores? Flowers?campfire




Escape, adventure, wilderness, family, peace,fun are common words used to describe camping. It is about the shared experience, strengthening relationships and allowing oneself to decompress from the stresses of the world.

In part 1 of our series on  camping, we  delve into the minutia of the north American tent camper and the growing interest in paying to sleep on the ground in the middle of nowhere.Over 40 million people camped somewhere within the United States in 2013. and some interesting data has been compiled on the demographics of the who the why and the when and the where.
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The #1 Danger In National Parks-You

“Fear the goat from the front, fear the horse from the rear, and man from all sides.”

Old Assyrian proverb.



wolf

Their minivan parks along the curb of Laurel Falls, mom slides the door open and out spill the kids armed with juice boxes, apple slices, grandma and the dog. Dad hands mom a couple of bottles of water, some wet wipes to throw in her purse and opens his map of trails within the Smoky Mountains National Park. Flip flops, t shirts and shorts are the popular dress, with an occasional hiker geared in sturdy boots and a backpack.The sign near the entrance says no dogs allowed on the trails but as the day  unfolds that appears to be  just a suggestion.  Continue reading

When Neighbors Collide- The City vs The Country






Robert Frost said “Good fences make good neighbors.”good neighbors2

It was a gorgeous property that had recently sold. 10 acres of blooming redbuds and dogwoods, a small pond stocked with catfish and bass and a beautiful newer two story brick home waiting for the next owner. It was cradled by rolling hills and valleys with a scenic county road landscaped with farms and homesteads that created something akin to the opening scene of a movie. Continue reading

GMOs In You and Your Livestock-The 21st Century Body Snatchers

raw milkFrito-Lay, Oscar Meyer, Cargill, Kellog, Pepsi Cola, Purina and Tyson are some of the leading producers of the American daily diet.   For tens of millions, a bowl of Capn Crunch and a glass of Sunny Delite for breakfast, McDonalds for lunch and Totino’s Pizza for dinner is the norm. Yet the irony is that many people consider raw milk, farm raised unrefrigerated eggs and organic grown vegetables not approved or regulated by the FDA to be risky. We have become a society that balances a Big Mac and a large Coke with a Walmart salad. A Sara Lee Pie is the whiskey and  Slimfast an aspirin for the hangover.



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How To Survive Falling Thru Frozen Ice

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Video Courtesy Of TechInsider

Check Out “On Frozen Pond”

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