General Store

This picture was taken in 1910, in Detroit, Michigan. As I mentioned in earlier posts, I think there was a more positive shopping experience in these old proprietor owned stores. Before World War II, my dad had a store not unlike this one in Fort Davis, Texas. Fort Davis is a small community in the Davis Mountains in West Texas. He also had the Limpia Hotel there. People used to go to Fort Davis in the Summer to escape the Texas heat. I went through there some time ago, and the hotel is still operating, and the general store building is there, but it is now a community center.

DOMESTIC UPDATE: Project Peacock Palace achieved a breakthrough yesterday, as the cement men showed up and poured the foundation for said palace.

If you look back in the trees, you can see the men building the forms for the foundation. The pickup and trailer has all their equipment.

This picture shows the cement truck pouring the cement into the forms. It was 107 yesterday, so a pretty hot day to be working in the sun. Once the men got the forms built, it was going to be about an hour before the cement truck arrived, so they all ran over to the river and went for a swim. I bet that was a refreshing break. They got the project all done, and now we should be ready for the next phase of construction. Mrs. PJM was at work, so she missed the excitement. When she got home, she did not notice the foundation had been done, and I did not tell her. Hopefully she will come home soon and be surprised to see the whole job done. Yep, that would get me a tractor next Birthday for sure.

For those of you who might be thinking of getting peacocks, I have been experimenting to see what they like to eat. These are my preliminary results.

What Peacocks Like to Eat: (In order of their preferences)

1) Boiled Eggs

2) That slimy seed pouch in the middle of a cantaloupe

3) Ripe tomatoes

4) Bing Cherries

5) Lettuce (not the normal lettuce, but the fancy kind)

6) Peacock food (the kind from the feed store)

What Peacocks do not Like to Eat:

1) Wolf canned chili

2) Bush's baked beans

3) Spam

4) Onions

5) Garlic

So, I think I am homing in on a good diet for them. I still think we should not provide their food, but let them forage, but Mrs. PJM still insists that we feed them.

Grocery Store

Today's picture comes from Lincoln, Nebraska, and was taken in 1942. Despite a more limited selection, I would much rather shop at a store like this than the modern behemoths like Super Walmart. Unfortunately, little grocery stores like this are pretty much a thing of the past in most places.

DOMESTIC UPDATE: OK, I finally got my Internet connection back up this morning, so no more sneaking around town looking for an open WiFi connection to post the Old Picture of the Day. As someone said in a comment yesterday, there are some downsides to rural living, and one is poor Internet service. A small price to pay for a more relaxed lifestyle, I say.

The peacocks are doing well. Lovie is a wonderful mother, and little Festus continues to distinguish himself as a wonderful little pea-chick. Now, there is the issue that the babies are growing up quickly, and are outgrowing the cage on the screened in porch. As you know, I contracted two weeks ago for the construction of Mrs. PJM's Peacock Palace. However, the contractor has not started on the project yet. When I call and ask, he says he is waiting on the cement man to do the foundation/floor. He is unable to give me a firm start date, and the babies are getting bigger every day. Hopefully they will be able to start soon.

Many have written and expressed concern over the cost of the Peacock Palace, as it was totally not expected when I took delivery of the "Free" peacock flock. Well, I am happy to tell you that money is no longer an issue. I have found an amazing source of revenue which will pay for the Peacock Palace, and pretty much whatever else I want. I know, you probably think I am going to try to get you to buy my amazing get rich quick system. No, you are wrong, I am going to give it to you for free. Not just part of it, but the whole system. Almost anyone can do it, and it promises to end all your financial struggles. What is it you ask? Well, I have two simple words for you . . . Selling Lightbulbs. I know, I know, you all are thinking that you can not possibly make money selling lightbulbs as they wholesale for about 67 cents, and retail for about 80 cents. There could not possibly be any money to be made in lightbulbs. Well, there is a trick, and that trick is that you keep selling the same lightbulbs over and over. Here is how it works; If I walk into a room and daughter has left a light on, and no one is in the room, I take the lightbulb. If she wants the lightbulb back, she has to buy it from me for $1. She is welcome to purchase lightbulbs elsewhere, but we are 40 minutes from the nearest Walmart, so she just buys the missing bulb from me. If one lightswitch controls, say, 4 light bulbs, and the switch is left on, I take all 4 lightbulbs. The system not only generates revenue from the sale and resale of lightbulbs, it has also had a noticeable impact on the electric bill.

The program has worked so well, I have recently expanded it. If a lamp is left on, I take the whole lamp. Cost to buy the lamp back is $20. Ceiling fans are going for $50 + $35 re-installation fee. Curling irons are going for $10, and TV's are $250.

Yep, the Peacock Palace will be paid for in no time.

Car Dealer

This picture was taken in Ohio in 1938 and shows a couple of used car salesmen in front of their shop. Really captures the slower pace of a bygone era.

Now, I still do not have an Internet connection. Right now I am hiding under some guy's bushes that does have an Internet connection, and an unsecured WiFi running. Hope he does not catch me, but the cammo face paint should help. No word on when mine will get fixed. When I call, they say "we are working on it, no ETA". Anyway, hopefully it will be working soon.

Internet connection down

Due to a thunderstorm last night my internet connection is down . . . so no picture for you today. Hopefully they will get it fixed by tomorrow. I get my internet beamed to me from a tower a mile or so away, and the tower got struck by lightening and took everything down.

Sorry, and will get back at posting pictures as soon as it is fixed. Right now I am "borrowing" someone's unsecured WiFi, but not good enough to get a picture up.

Natchez, Mississippi

This picture was taken in 1940, and shows a storefront in Natchez, Mississippi. I really like the unique nature of these old stores. Each one was different. Now it sometimes feels like every store in every city is about the same.

Mystery Person

Happy July the 4th to everyone! Hope you all have some great plans today, and do not spend the entire day on this silly contest. OK, GO!

General William Tecumseh Sherman

This picture was taken in 1864, and Shows General William Tecumseh Sherman on a horse outside Atlanta. Even to this day there are a lot of hard feelings towards Sherman in the South. He burned Atlanta, and followed it up with his "March to the Sea", where he destroyed pretty much everything along the way. The civilians in his path lost everything, as his army looted and burned. My great-grandfather was serving as a Colonel in the Confederate Army near Atlanta at the time. Seeing what Sherman was going to do, he sent a messenger to his family, and told them to take what they could, and he would meet them in Cass County, Texas after the war. He did catch up with his family after the war, and they got a new start in Texas. That is how my family ended up in Texas.

Civil War Women

This picture was taken in a Civil War Camp near Washington DC in 1862. Interesting thing is that it shows a soldier with his wife and children. It is hard to say if the woman had just come to visit her husband, or if she was living there in the camp. Either way, it makes an interesting picture.