01-10-2009
( Reply#: 2629 ) |
seejay2 |
Snot noses.........Cj |
01-10-2009
( Reply#: 2630 ) |
S C Jones |
quote:
Originally posted by seejay2
Snot noses.........Cj
Yes, we called them snot flowers. If I remember the flower correctly, it looked something like an Iris---I have often thought, since leaving Da Region, that they might have been (or might be) a wild Iris--or in that species, genre, whatever--obviously I am not a botanist.
Where is our main researcher---KEN? We need your inquiring mind.
Essie |
01-10-2009
( Reply#: 2631 ) |
Tom J |
quote:
Originally posted by S C Jones
quote:
Originally posted by seejay2
Snot noses.........Cj
Yes, we called them snot flowers. If I remember the flower correctly, it looked something like an Iris---I have often thought, since leaving Da Region, that they might have been (or might be) a wild Iris--or in that species, genre, whatever--obviously I am not a botanist.
Where is our main researcher---KEN? We need your inquiring mind.
Essie
Yes, they were very much like the iris, and maybe they were in the same family, or they might even have been irises, like you said.
Tom
A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG] |
01-10-2009
( Reply#: 2632 ) |
S C Jones |
quote:
Originally posted by Tom J
quote:
Originally posted by S C Jones
quote:
Originally posted by seejay2
Snot noses.........Cj
Yes, we called them snot flowers. If I remember the flower correctly, it looked something like an Iris---I have often thought, since leaving Da Region, that they might have been (or might be) a wild Iris--or in that species, genre, whatever--obviously I am not a botanist.
Where is our main researcher---KEN? We need your inquiring mind.
Essie
Yes, they were very much like the iris, and maybe they were in the same family, or they might even have been irises, like you said.
Tom
A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG]
|
01-10-2009
( Reply#: 2633 ) |
S C Jones |
Tom,
There is a wild iris called blue flag. I looked it up online--it grows in swamps, wet meadows, and moist woodland areas.... Sounds like where I remember snot flowers. I looked for Snot Flower as a common name but didn't find that. BTW, I did find Life Everlasting / Rabbit Tobacco at one site. Did you ever smoke that as a kid in KY?
S C (essie) Jones
|
01-11-2009
( Reply#: 2634 ) |
Tom J |
quote:
Originally posted by S C Jones
Tom,
There is a wild iris called blue flag. I looked it up online--it grows in swamps, wet meadows, and moist woodland areas.... Sounds like where I remember snot flowers. I looked for Snot Flower as a common name but didn't find that. BTW, I did find Life Everlasting / Rabbit Tobacco at one site. Did you ever smoke that as a kid in KY?
S C (essie) Jones
No, Essie, I never had that experience.
Good work on the "snot flower." You might have discovered the real name for it! Does anyone else have a clue?
Tom
A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG] |
01-11-2009
( Reply#: 2635 ) |
seejay2 |
Aside from being a short term gross-out, the snot flowers didn't have too much combat value. Now the stickers!?!? Those were a different animal. Every kid had to enter a "sticker fight" war at some time in their life and the worse thing that could happen was everybody deciding to gang up on one guy. I can still feel those things all over my back, butt, arms and face. I don't see stickers or the snotnoses around anymore, but then I'm not going out of my way to look for them like I did at one time.
Don't forget about the "spears" either. They were some kind of weed that produced clumps of spear-like growth. The individual spears were about 5-6 inches long. You plucked one (or many) out of the plant and they were just sharp and weighted enough in the front end to throw like tiny spears and they easily stuck in skin. Not quite as bad as the stickers, but enough to let you know someone from behind just ambushed you........Cj |
01-11-2009
( Reply#: 2636 ) |
Tom J |
OK, Gang, I think the "snot flower" is the "Southern Blue Flag Iris," like Essie proposes. The Latin name is iris virginica.
Here are a couple pictures of the southern blue flag iris. Do you guys agree that we have identified the beloved snot flower?
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/irvi_003_pvp-1.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/irvi_001_php-1.jpg[/IMG]
A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG] |
01-11-2009
( Reply#: 2637 ) |
Tom J |
quote:
Originally posted by seejay2
Aside from being a short term gross-out, the snot flowers didn't have too much combat value. Now the stickers!?!? Those were a different animal. Every kid had to enter a "sticker fight" war at some time in their life and the worse thing that could happen was everybody deciding to gang up on one guy. I can still feel those things all over my back, butt, arms and face. I don't see stickers or the snotnoses around anymore, but then I'm not going out of my way to look for them like I did at one time.
Don't forget about the "spears" either. They were some kind of weed that produced clumps of spear-like growth. The individual spears were about 5-6 inches long. You plucked one (or many) out of the plant and they were just sharp and weighted enough in the front end to throw like tiny spears and they easily stuck in skin. Not quite as bad as the stickers, but enough to let you know someone from behind just ambushed you........Cj
Chris:
I don't remember the spears, but they sound pretty cool.
Tom
A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG] |
01-11-2009
( Reply#: 2638 ) |
duane |
Stickers I remember well. We even had a patch that grew in our front yard and were almost impossible to get rid of...just had to keep the yard mowed frequently and short.
I've got to admit, maybe "snot flower" was a Hammond or Hessville term, because I've never heard of it in my entire life. I find it interesting that a plant so beautiful as the Blue Flag Iris would be referred to as a snot flower! As a Forester, I've been school-learned in botany, as well as field-educated. I've worked in natural environments all over the midwest and lake states and most of these place do have Blue Flag Iris, as previously mentioned, which grows in wet habitats. While I've heard many local names for species (Bam for Balsam Poplar, Piss Fir for western fir, Lamb's ear for Mullien, etc.) I've never heard Blue Flag referred to by any other name.
Just curious, where did you all see BF Iris in the region? The only places where I would think that it might be would be in the swampy wetlands adjacent to the Grand Cal and Little Cal, and in areas around Wolf Lake or Lake George. |
01-11-2009
( Reply#: 2639 ) |
seejay2 |
In Hessville, back in the 50'-60's era, the land was replete with vacant lots and wooded areas. Those of us who had nothing better to do than "catch bugs" didn't have far to go. One of my favorite spots was the intersection of Kennedy & 167th, just north of Wachala (later someone put an in-ground trampoline center there). There was a huge snot nose garden and a more-than-ample supply of stickers and spears, although it was by no means limited to that spot. Yes, the iris was a beautiful flower, but when you broke the stem on one, a copious amount of snot-like sap would run out. It looked like nothing else but snot. It was a more than fitting name.
I also found it interesting that some women I knew could be so beautiful and yet so snotty.....Cj
|
01-11-2009
( Reply#: 2640 ) |
Tom J |
There are two varieties of blue flag iris, iris versicolor and iris virginica (southern blue flag iris).
I believe it was the southern blue flag iris that was commonly found in Hammond, and according to what I have learned via the Internet this morning, the southern blue flag iris does not require as wet an environment as does the other blue flag iris. The range of the southern blue flag iris is basically all of the U.S. east of the Mississippi, all the way from Canada down to the Gulf of Mexico.
I would find them growing in the alley behind my house. I'm sure I must have seen them other places as well, but I know they were fairly common up and down my alley, and I would see them when I walked my dog. There were stickers in my alley, too.
If you ever broke the stem of one of them, Duane, you would understand in a heartbeat why the kids called them "snot flowers."
Chris, the kids in my neighborhood called them "snot flowers," but you and your friends called them "snot noses?" I never heard them called that.
Tom
A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG] |
01-11-2009
( Reply#: 2641 ) |
Bill Bucko |
quote:
Originally posted by seejay2
In Hessville, back in the 50'-60's era, the land was replete with vacant lots and wooded areas. Those of us who had nothing better to do than "catch bugs" didn't have far to go....
Well said. Tom, way out on the west side, called them snot flowers; and that's exactly what we called them in my Hessville neighborhood, too. They grew right next door, in a sandy vacant lot that was not particularly damp, along with a profusion of stickers.
And ... of MILKWEED! When snapped, the green stems spilled out a milk-like substance. And they had weird pods, full of small brown seeds attached to long silky fibers to carry them on the wind, once the pod split open. I just turned to my old childhood friend, Herbert S. Zim's Insects (Golden Nature Guide). On page 60 he shows a striped Monarch caterpillar feeding on ... "milkweed"!
That sums up the local flora (at least, the flora we kids were most aware of): stickers, snot flowers, milkweed ... oh, and also the much more stately and dignified cattail, which you could pick in marshy places on the big prairie south of the IHB freight yard. You could light a cattail on a summer night, and fly it through the air like some sort of smoldering zeppelin. Its smoke was said to repel mosquitoes.
For milkweed, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias .
Internet search for "snot flower": mostly unproductive. Some morons have misapplied the term to some sort of submarine creature. One person says snot flower's more usual name is spiderwort.
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
01-11-2009
( Reply#: 2642 ) |
Bill Bucko |
While I was working on my post, looks like Tom has nailed down the snot flower's true identity.
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
01-11-2009
( Reply#: 2643 ) |
duane |
While we are on the subject of plants that are a contrast in terms (can oxymorons apply to plants?) What about Tree of Heaven or as Tom J. would say in the scientific genus/species, Ailanthus altissima?
Here was (an alleged) tree that had this wonderful name - Tree of Heaven, yet I've never seen it growing in unspoiled natural areas, rather, it just grew in alleys and in the cracks between concrete sidewalks and buildings. It had the largest leaves I've ever seen on a North American tree. The non-forester might think that the leaves were small, but they were actually leaflets on a compound leaf that grew sometimes to 3 or 4 feet long. And when you snapped off a leaf or a branch, this tree stunk to high heaven (perhaps that's where it got the tree of heaven name?) It wasn't the rancid smell of the female ginko tree's nuts (another contrast in terms there, don't you think?) but it had a really bad smell. |
01-11-2009
( Reply#: 2644 ) |
wvcogs |
Sorry for not getting in on this one earlier, but I was in junior high when we moved to Hessville and I missed a lot of those fun times. My wife, on the other hand, is a native of Hessville and described the "snot flower" perfectly when I mentioned Tom's post to her. She lived on the same street as Bill and a block east of his house. Until she was about ten or eleven in the early 1950s, there was an empty lot next to her house with the same flora as Bill mentioned.
Here's a web page with some good pictures of the iris virginica. It has a close up of the stem, which probably is the perfect identifier. Take a look.
[url="http://www.missouriplants.com/Bluealt/Iris_virginica_page.html"]Snot Flower Link[/url]
By the way Cj, the person who put in that in-ground trampoline center at 167th and Kennedy in the late 50s or early 60s was Nick Roknich, the son of the owner of the Hessville Department Store.
Ken... |
01-11-2009
( Reply#: 2645 ) |
duane |
When I googled "snotweed" I also came up with spiderwort, and the picture looked a lot like blue flag iris. Remember, unlike you Hessville neighborhood boys and girls, I grew up in East Chicago, where as Shep would have said "I festered as a youth" and I guess we didn't have all the same lingo.
Now, I'm waiting for spring, so I can go out and find me some snot weed and break the stem and see those boogies! |
01-11-2009
( Reply#: 2646 ) |
svea3 |
Virginia Rakos gave Judy Bogan and me those snot nose flowers. I think that there was a vacant lot on Kennedy at 174th or close to the telephone building and the Houghton's apartment before 173rd that had them. Sorry to join so late too.[8D] |
01-11-2009
( Reply#: 2648 ) |
seejay2 |
I heard the things called a variety of names; snotweed, snotnose, snotflower and whatever else I may have forgotten. The end result was all the same. Break the stem----snot!
Yeah, milkweed was another fact of life. Another factoid was this:
if you were fool enough to taste the "milk" in one of those to see how close it came to the real thing, then you can still remember, and taste, just how far from milk that juice was. Yeachh!!
Yeah, I did!
Do you remember the orange and black bugs that hung out on the milkweed? If you picked one off of the plant, it would make an audible 'squeeking' sound.
And lets not leave out the "puzzle plants". They looked like a small bamboo shoot that pulled apart into several pieces. I still see alot of those around the fishin' holes.
By the way, svea, Jimmy Houghton was my best friend for years during and after highschool. We both worked at LTV as well. His father built that little apt building by hand. That's more ambition than I could ever ramp up.......Cj |
01-13-2009
( Reply#: 2658 ) |
Bill Bucko |
quote:
Originally posted by seejay2
... And lets not leave out the "puzzle plants". They looked like a small bamboo shoot that pulled apart into several pieces. I still see alot of those around the fishin' holes.
Omigod, I haven't thought of those amazing plants in 45 years! As I recall, they didn't grow real close to my house; we had to trek "across the tracks" to the marshier parts of the prairie to find them. I don't recall what we called them, but I don't think it was "puzzle plants." Does anyone have any more information? alternate names? photos?
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
01-13-2009
( Reply#: 2660 ) |
Bill Bucko |
I think we called them "paint brushes."
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
01-13-2009
( Reply#: 2661 ) |
duane |
The plant is actually in a family called "horsetail" and another common name for it is bottlebrush. Here is a link to a photo and more information: http://aquaplant.tamu.edu/database/emergent_plants/horsetail.htm
We often called them Indian puzzle plants...I guess we imagined that Indian children back in the day would pull these apart and put them back together much as we city kids would play with tinkertoys or jigsaw puzzles.
We often ascribed natural outdoor things to Indians...it was not intended to be politically incorrect, but it was no doubt based on our watching westerns on television. Funny that in a state named INDIANa, few of us as kids knew or had even seen a Native American person in real life. Quite different here in Minnesota, where there are several reservations, and also many Native Americans live in non-reservation communities. |
01-14-2009
( Reply#: 2667 ) |
Bill Bucko |
Thanks, Duane! Horsetails! I finally remembered that we used to call them "Indian paint brushes."
NOW ... WHO can identify the vilest of all plants, worse even than the stinky ginkgo: the never-sufficiently-to-be-damned STICKER plant? In an outdoor biology class here in Michigan, I learned to identify one weed that's obviously its cousin, Burdock. But what exactly are stickers?
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
01-14-2009
( Reply#: 2668 ) |
Tom J |
quote:
Originally posted by Bill Bucko
Thanks, Duane! Horsetails! I finally remembered that we used to call them "Indian paint brushes."
NOW ... WHO can identify the vilest of all plants, worse even than the stinky ginkgo: the never-sufficiently-to-be-damned STICKER plant? In an outdoor biology class here in Michigan, I learned to identify one weed that's obviously its cousin, Burdock. But what exactly are stickers?
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63
Bill:
Stickers are fairly low growing plants (I would guess they don't get above 12" to 15" high) that have little spherical things with very sharp spikes sticking out of them. They hurt like the dickens when you get into them. They definitely like sandy soil, and they can be found in just about any vacant lot. The highest concentration of those things is probably in the sand dunes along the Lake Michigan shore.
Tom
A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG] |
01-14-2009
( Reply#: 2669 ) |
duane |
OK Bill - here goes. Stickers are another name for Sandbur, with the scientific name of Cenchrus longispinus (even I can see what that Latin translates into!!) They are a member of the bunchgrass family and this link has lots of pictures of them, including one that shows them stuck to someone's pantleg...just like I remember.
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=sandbur&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi |
01-15-2009
( Reply#: 2672 ) |
S C Jones |
Duane,
You got it right. The picture with the polished fingernail shows it as it was stuck to my socks when we had gym outside on "Sandbur Field". I was told that the sandburs were the reason Morton's football team never played on that field (though it may not have been regulation size.) I had not remembered sandbur until I read your post, but I certainly knew what Tom was talking about when he asked. Now what do we think about on these cold winter days?
quote:
Originally posted by duane
OK Bill - here goes. Stickers are another name for Sandbur, with the scientific name of Cenchrus longispinus (even I can see what that Latin translates into!!) They are a member of the bunchgrass family and this link has lots of pictures of them, including one that shows them stuck to someone's pantleg...just like I remember.
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=sandbur&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi
|
01-15-2009
( Reply#: 2673 ) |
svea3 |
SeeJay
Thanks for reminding me about Jimmy Houghton. His mother was a nurse, I think. He lived next door to me.
Linda |
01-15-2009
( Reply#: 2675 ) |
seejay2 |
I think you might be right about his mother. I only met her one time before she passed. That's when Jim was still in high school. I remember he took that passing pretty tough.
His sister, Mary, hated me to death and probably still does.
You must have lived right to the north of him then. I really can't remember what was next to his place. Wasn't there a little single level apt complex just to the south of him?
I don't have it with me right now, but I'll post a pic after I get home of Jim and I when I was home on leave in '69.
Good God, what Fr. Time has done to punish us!!.....Cj |
01-15-2009
( Reply#: 2676 ) |
seejay2 |
Here ya go, svea! The guy on the right is Jimmy and the other is yours truly. I was home on Christmas leave in '69 for this one...Cj
[IMG]http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u250/seejay2_photos/CJJIM.jpg[/IMG] |
01-16-2009
( Reply#: 2679 ) |
Bill Bucko |
Fer cryin' out loud, Tom, I KNOW what stickers are, in kids' terms!!! Didn't I say I lived next door to a whole patch of 'em? What I MEANT was, what is their scientific identification?
Thanks, guys, to those of you who somehow nailed it down as "Sandbur, with the scientific name of Cenchrus longispinus." That's what I was looking for. It's not in my Golden Nature Guide Weeds at all.
If I ever meet you in person, Tom, and notice a bunch of stickers stuck to your (ahem) behind, I'm not going to say a thing! [}:)]
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
01-16-2009
( Reply#: 2680 ) |
diskojoe |
The guy in the sweater w/the Stroh's can & cig looks just like Dennis Leary. |
01-16-2009
( Reply#: 2681 ) |
Tom J |
quote:
Originally posted by Bill Bucko
Fer cryin' out loud, Tom, I KNOW what stickers are, in kids' terms!!! Didn't I say I lived next door to a whole patch of 'em? What I MEANT was, what is their scientific identification?
Thanks, guys, to those of you who somehow nailed it down as "Sandbur, with the scientific name of Cenchrus longispinus." That's what I was looking for. It's not in my Golden Nature Guide Weeds at all.
If I ever meet you in person, Tom, and notice a bunch of stickers stuck to your (ahem) behind, I'm not going to say a thing! [}:)]
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63
Bill:
OK, after re-reading your post, I realize that I should have known that you are very familiar with stickers. Sorry 'bout that. [:I]
Now, will you PROMISE to tell me before I sit down if you notice stickers on my butt? [:D]
Tom
A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG] |
01-16-2009
( Reply#: 2682 ) |
seejay2 |
quote:
Originally posted by diskojoe
The guy in the sweater w/the Stroh's can & cig looks just like Dennis Leary.
Jim could get as caustic as Leary at times.......Cj |
01-29-2009
( Reply#: 2710 ) |
duane |
What Shep had to say about stickers:
I was just re-reading "In God we Trust" and came across this passage in Chapter 14, which is titled "Grover Dill and the Tasmanian Devil.":
Northern Indiana has a strange little green burr that has festered fingers and ankles for countless centuries. On of the great moments in life for a kid was to catch a flyball covered with a thick fur of stickers in a barehand grab, driving them right to the marrow of the knuckle bones.
|
01-29-2009
( Reply#: 2711 ) |
Jim |
Duane, you get the prize for being the first Region Rat to correctly identify the snot flower as spiderwort.
Here are a couple of pics that should bring back more memories.
[img]http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3313/3237269491_45f5a611c3_m.jpg[/img]
[img]http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3384/3237269465_d45f69b40c_m.jpg[/img]
Spiderworts are very distinctive late spring/early summer prairie wildflowers. Growing knee-high, their (usually) blue flowers stand out among the green of the new grass. Spiderwort flowers have a very short life - only a single morning - but each plant will produce 20 or more flowers per stem. The petals quickly decompose after blooming.
Break the tip off a spiderwort leaf and wait for a drop of sap to appear, then touch it with your fingertip and notice how far you can stretch a thread of sap. This resemblance to a spider's silk may explain where its name came from. The gooey quality of the sap definitely explains its familiar nickname of "cow slobber"!
An interesting tibit that I will never try: The stems, leaves and flowers of spiderworts are edible. The herbage may be eaten raw or added to stews. The flowers (which may be either pink, blue or rose-purple) make an attractive edible garnish for salads.
And, for brother Bill:
Scientific Name: Tradescantia sp.
|
01-30-2009
( Reply#: 2714 ) |
duane |
Thanks Jim, but Bill Bucko listed it in his post a full hour before I did. Just giving credit where credit is due! |
01-30-2009
( Reply#: 2715 ) |
SpaceCat |
Geez- who would have thought plants would generate so many posts! [:D]
Down here in Florida, Sandburs are called Sand Spurs- and if you should ever look at one under a microscope you'll find they have a particularly diabolical characteristic. Each point has lots of little barbs running in the opposite direction- so they hurt alot more pulling them out than going in! Real aggravating for their tendency to flatten bicycle tires too. [xx(] |
01-31-2009
( Reply#: 2720 ) |
duane |
Darron, at least two of us on this posting are Foresters so plants are near and dear to us (even the gross ones!). And ALL of us were kids at one time (some of us still are!) so stickers, Indian Puzzles, and snotflowers always held a mistique. |
01-31-2009
( Reply#: 2721 ) |
svea3 |
Guys
Love the pix... beer and all. On the corner of 173rd and Kennedy was my apartment. Next came a Laundromat then Houghton's building with the apartment upstairs. Going North was the telephone building followed by an empty lot across from the Bogan Burger place. The vacant lot had the dreaded snot flowers!
Judy Bogan is on Nevis until tomorrow. She and hubby have been there since November. Her dad died last year and they sold their parent's home on Alexander- 7405, I think. Mrs Bogan is in an assisted living place in Cayahouga Falls, OH.
Later[:I]
Linda |
02-02-2009
( Reply#: 2729 ) |
Tom J |
Hi, Guys and Gals! I am glad to be able to visit Sheptalk again! We have been without power at my house since last Tuesday at 3:00 AM. We just got our power back here at work yesterday, and, thank God, the Internet connection is up!
They say it could be up to two weeks before power is restored to all homes here in western KY. I don't know if they mean two weeks from now, or two weeks since the power went off. Tomorrow morning at 3:00 AM will make exactly one week that I have been without power at my house.
This was a TERRIBLE ice storm. There is not a single full grown tree that I have seen anywhere that does not have some of the upper limbs broken off!
OK, so, are we saying that the beloved "snot flower" is actually spiderwort? The pictures Jim posted sure do look to me like they are, indeed, the snot flowers that I remember, but it has been way too many years to say for sure.
Tom
A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG] |
02-03-2009
( Reply#: 2731 ) |
Bill Bucko |
quote:
Originally posted by Tom J
... This was a TERRIBLE ice storm...
But the politicians have "proved" time after time that they know what's best for us. Haven't they???? If they say we're in the middle of a global warming crisis, we're in the middle of a global warming crisis. It wouldn't dare not be true.[:(!]
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
02-03-2009
( Reply#: 2732 ) |
seejay2 |
You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time...
...but you can fool enough of the people enough of the time...Cj |
02-03-2009
( Reply#: 2733 ) |
S C Jones |
Tom,
Glad you are back online, at least maybe you can keep your fingers warm using the computer. I understand there is a fiercely cold wind coming through though that might be even more damaging to the trees--hopefully it will not be as predicted.
|
02-03-2009
( Reply#: 2734 ) |
Tom J |
It's amazing what a nice hot shower can do for your attitude after a week without having one! A buddy at work has a gas water heater, and even though there is no electricity at his house, he has plenty of hot water. I took him up on his kind offer to allow me the use of his shower this morning.
I asked him if he was up for some breakfast somewhere after I got my shower, and he liked the idea. We went to Denny's and guess what? They were serving FREE Grand Slam breakfasts! Pancakes, two eggs, sausage, and bacon.
I COULD NOT BELIEVE WHAT I WAS HEARING, but some idiot at the table next to us was complaining that he could not get his free "Grand Slam" with hash browns. The waitress told him that if he wanted to pay $5.99 for it, he could make substitutions. No way I could handle a job that involves dealing with the public.
Oh, Baby! A hot shower followed by a free breakfast! I'm a new man.
I am not very optimistic about getting power back at my house anyways soon. I still see power lines down everywhere.
I was hoping that we would not get any extremely cold weather while there were still people with no electricity, but it is supposed to get down to 10°F to 15°F tonight for a low, and the wind is going to be blowing.
Could sure use some prayers, my fellow Region Rats.
Tomster
A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG] |
02-03-2009
( Reply#: 2736 ) |
S C Jones |
Tom,
I went to a Walgreens Pharmacy today and the man behind me in the checkout line said he had been up to Paducah and thought it might be a year before normalcy is restored there.
I told him about your being able to get online but having none of the conveniences of electricity perhaps for another 3 weeks at least. His parting word to me was, "Tell him our prayers go out to him and all up there." So, I think you are covered with the prayers of many.
And re: the free breakfast at Denney's. I just now heard that their superbowl ad invited all to come for a free breakfast until 2 pm today.---the news showed big lines at several
local Denney's. I'm glad you got in on that deal.
Have you heard what is coming tonigh to Lake and Porter Counties in DA REGION? Looks like it might rival the 1967 snow storm. |
02-04-2009
( Reply#: 2737 ) |
Tom J |
quote:
Originally posted by S C Jones
Tom,
I went to a Walgreens Pharmacy today and the man behind me in the checkout line said he had been up to Paducah and thought it might be a year before normalcy is restored there.
I told him about your being able to get online but having none of the conveniences of electricity perhaps for another 3 weeks at least. His parting word to me was, "Tell him our prayers go out to him and all up there." So, I think you are covered with the prayers of many.
And re: the free breakfast at Denney's. I just now heard that their superbowl ad invited all to come for a free breakfast until 2 pm today.---the news showed big lines at several
local Denney's. I'm glad you got in on that deal.
Have you heard what is coming tonigh to Lake and Porter Counties in DA REGION? Looks like it might rival the 1967 snow storm.
A repeat of '67? That would be COOL! (As long as the power didn't go off.) I would prefer a huge snow to the ice storm we just had.
A friend loaned me his 5000 watt generator, so we have some power at home now. We can run the refrigerator and coffee maker, plus a couple lamps and the TV.
It was 10°F when I got in my car to come to work this morning! That one little kerosene heater we are using is a Godsend! We certainly were not "warm as toast," but we survived the night.
The Lord has not forgotten us.
Oh, just to clarify, I can only get "online" at work.
Tomster
A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG] |
02-04-2009
( Reply#: 2738 ) |
seejay2 |
Depending on where you live determined whether you go to work today or not. Where I am in Portage, we got about 6-8 inches with some drifting. I had to bull thru a 2 foot drift in the driveway to get out and just keep on going to work.
The Chesterton/Valpo area was not so lucky. The official measurement was 23 inches. Anything east of that may not even exist anymore. Only 2 of us in the Support Center right now, me and a guy from Crown Point. Normally there are about 10 people in here by now. The crux of these people are from east of Portage.
But a '67 Chicago Snow? Naw, not even close. That snow was a wet heavy snow. This stuff today is that dry powdery stuff, but I guess that doesn't mean too much if you drive a Prius.........Cj |
02-07-2009
( Reply#: 2747 ) |
Tom J |
Thank God! We got our power back last night about 7:40 PM!
It was off from 3:00 AM Tuesday, Jan 27th, until 7:40 PM Friday, Feb. 6th. That was a total of 10.5 days!
Hey, why is January 27th such a familiar date??? Hmmmm. Yep, that was the day the 1967 blizzard hit, right? (I guess it actually began on January 26th.)
Tomster
A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG] |
02-07-2009
( Reply#: 2748 ) |
seejay2 |
It was 61 sunny degrees in Portage today! All that snow that I thought for sure would never melt away is almost all gone. I guess that means I should get ready for at least one more sub-zero Arctic blast and a monumental snowstorm.......Cj |
02-07-2009
( Reply#: 2749 ) |
seejay2 |
quote:
Originally posted by Tom J
Thank God! We got our power back last night about 7:40 PM!
Let's give a special thanks to the linemen who had to climb the poles in that mess and do the work. Have you ever tried to work with wire in the freezing cold?
It was off from 3:00 AM Tuesday, Jan 27th, until 7:40 PM Friday, Feb. 6th. That was a total of 10.5 days!
Hey, why is January 27th such a familiar date??? Hmmmm. Yep, that was the day the 1967 blizzard hit, right? (I guess it actually began on January 26th.)
Tomster
A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG]
|
02-07-2009
( Reply#: 2750 ) |
Tom J |
quote:
Originally posted by seejay2
quote:
Originally posted by Tom J
Thank God! We got our power back last night about 7:40 PM!
Let's give a special thanks to the linemen who had to climb the poles in that mess and do the work. Have you ever tried to work with wire in the freezing cold?
It was off from 3:00 AM Tuesday, Jan 27th, until 7:40 PM Friday, Feb. 6th. That was a total of 10.5 days!
Hey, why is January 27th such a familiar date??? Hmmmm. Yep, that was the day the 1967 blizzard hit, right? (I guess it actually began on January 26th.)
Tomster
A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG]
You are right, Chris. I appreciate those linemen. They were in my prayers, and I asked God to keep theme safe as they went about their work.
One of those out of state linemen was telling people that in his 30+ years of doing that kind of work, he had never seen anything like the devastation to the power grid that we had.
I don't know how much they make, but they deserve every penny of it, however much it is. They worked 16 hrs a day in the cold, part of that time in the dark.
Tomster
A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG] |
03-21-2009
( Reply#: 2887 ) |
tom w |
Hi Tom
On the subject of snot flowers, the first thing that came to mind was milkweeds with their milky thick sticky substance and those horny, bulb-like pods full of feathered seeds. what an annoying plant to be near. Stickers to me were like water hazards to a golfer. Seems like they just reach out and grab you no matter how carefully you try to avoid them. Take care Tom W Hammond Tech 55-58 |
