The Norwood Village Museum - Part 1

I enjoy touring the small town museums in the area, but most of them are only open a few days per week and only in the summer. So as soon as it began opening, I drove to this former brick home on Main Street in Norwood to take a look:

The Village Historian introduced himself and welcomed me. I signed the guest book and began wandering through the rooms of the museum, which once served as the local doctor's home and office. The first exhibit had lots of old lanterns:

Toy trains and more lanterns:

More toy trains, photos and documents about railroads. It was at this point where I amazed the historian with my sharp mind by asking if Norwood used to be a railroad town. Indeed it had, and an important one at that. They are working on a railroad museum which may be open some time this summer:

There was an old wooden sign and sewing machine from the former Boyce Clothing Co. (Men's And Boys' Wear):

An old wig, which had lost most of its color, and a deluxe hairbrush set. The sign didn't say, but I imagined that the bright red wig must have been worn by some loose woman who entertained the railroad men at the former American Hotel, just down the street:

High-button shoes and other artifacts from the Victorian Era:

A lacy baby's bonnet and more high-topped shoes:

Carpenter's tools:

The kitchen was all decked out and furnished with utensils of every kind from bygone eras:

There was even a hand-crank washing machine:

Lots of bottles and kitchen tools. But I had more yet to see at the Norwood Museum, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Spring Has Sprung, Summer's Begun

Contrary to my former belief, the fantail pigeons did indeed begin raising babies this spring:

And what big, plump babies they were:

A friend had mailed me four Snowball Bush cuttings last year and I planted them in composted cow manure. They not only lived through our long, cold winter, they're already blooming this year:

The old-fashioned Bleeding Heart bloomed profusely. It's growing on the edge of rock pile, so one of these days, I'll have to move it:

Apple and Lilac blossoms framed the side view of the house and barn. The flowers are all gone already, and I miss them. Our spring was late, intense and brief:

The chickens began laying fewer eggs and I suspected they had an outdoor nest which I just hadn't yet found. They did indeed, for I discovered it one day at the base of the Mock Orange bush:

One of the chickens' favorite spots is the lawn beneath the apple trees:

The Prairie Rose flowering crab burst into bloom. That's the tree whose buds look so much like pink rosebuds:

They still look like roses after they open, but are a lighter pink:

Lilacs grow almost wild here and drop seeds which sprout all over the place. They too bloomed their hearts out this spring. It often seems as if they try extra hard after a rugged winter. I should add, however, that our sudden arrival of spring also seemed to suddenly turn into summer. Our apple blossom and lilac season was short and sweet:

I closed up the pigeon room one evening and prepared to secure them for the evening. Then I discovered that I had two less birds than I should. I opened up their window again and went outside to search for them:

Fantails are most certainly not designed for flight, but these two had made it to the top of the barn and seemed to be having a great time. I came back a half hour later and they were back indoors. Then I closed them up safely for the night.