Review of
Country
Things: Selected From the Newspaper Series, by Bob Artley
ISBN 0813826500
Five out of five stars
Bob Artley grew
up on a farm with no electricity or running water. He went on to become a
talented newspaper cartoonist, yet never lost his pride and joy in his roots.
This book is a collection of simple images of the farm objects that he was
familiar with growing up. Everything from the routine objects such as gloves to
the corn sheller used to separate the best kernels of corn from the best ears
so that they could be used as seed the following year.
One of my
favorites is the page featuring several forks that were used to throw and scoop
different materials, from hay to natural fertilizer. Artley also mentions some
of the special fragrances brought on by the seasons and the various harvests.
Buildings no longer in use such as a smokehouse, corn crib and icehouse are
also featured.
My father grew
up on a farm similar to the one Artley
grew up on and I have retained memories of some the farm work that I witnessed,
such as stocking the woodshed for winter. It is a time long past, yet there are
some things that should be retained, such as the skills to smoke meat properly
or to make apple cider from the apples on your property or wine from the grapes.
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