1910 FORD & THE WAY WE WERE

These are some amazing statistics showing how things have changed in just the past 100 years.

1910 Ford

 The above 1910 Ford touring car cost $950 and what a beauty! I just purchased a new Ford Expedition in and it set me back $50,000!

Big Red

Here are some statistics for the Year 1910:

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The average life expectancy for men was 47 years.

Fuel for this car was sold in drug stores only.

Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.

There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower !

The average US wage in 1910 was 22 cents per hour.

The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year.

A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian

Between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME.

Ninety percent of all Doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION!

Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press AND the government as 'substandard.'

Sugar cost four cents a pound.

Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.

Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.

Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.

The Five leading causes of death were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars.

The population of Las Vegas , Nevada was only 30!

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented yet.

There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.

Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write and only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.

Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores.

Back then pharmacists said, 'Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind,

Regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health'

Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.

There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A. !

Kinsey Barnard

EXERCISE, THE ELIXIR OF LIFE

As mentioned in my previous post EIGHT DAYS IN THE FLATHEAD Koty and I just returned from eight glorious days in the Flathead. Our summer has been pretty much ruined by my stupid decision to use Home Depot for my kitchen remodel. It was a worse nightmare than I could have ever imagined. Every conceivable thing that could go wrong, went wrong. Things like: 12 of 17 cabinets had to be rejected and re-manufactured; I had no water in my kitchen for two months; a remodel that should have taken a few weeks took four months. I could go on and on and one day I will probably tell the whole bloody tale but that's not what this article is about.

 Because of the above I was in a state of complete flux. I am creature of habit and when my world is turned upside down I get off balance. Unfortunately, what happens to me happens to Koty. Because I was constantly waiting around for people to come about the kitchen I was tied to the house. When I wasn't tied to the house I didn't feel like doing what Koty and I love the most, hiking. Prior to our trip Lakota was really starting to slow down and it pained me greatly to watch. I was worried that he would not even be able to make it in and out of Clementine (our RV). And sure enough when we got set up down in the Flathead he struggled with the steps. It broke my heart.

 My mission for this trip was to get in as much hiking and walking as Koty could handle. So we hiked everyday and took a walk in the evening. Each day I watched as Lakota got seemingly stronger. Until, by the time we left for home, he had actually gotten a little of the spring back in his gait. The effects of getting a good, daily dose of exercise was nothing short of miraculous. I came to realize that I had been literally killing my dog by not keeping to our normal active lifestyle. I hadn't been doing my own health any favors either. I lost weight from the kitchen debacle but it wasn't a healthy loss.

 I continue to give Koty Supraglan and flaxseed hulls daily. I can't say that these remedies are any kind of cure. Koty is still losing his hair. I suspect if he lives long enough he may end up hairless. He still drinks copious amounts of water and piddles in kind. His belly is bloated, his liver enlarged and his appetite insatiable. But, what I think these remedies may be doing is slowing the effects of these symptoms and offering him an extended happy period of time.

The point I would like to make here is how important exercise is not only for your pet but for its owner. Nothing I have tried to help Koty with is Cushing's has had a greater effect on his health than exercise. Whether your dog is sick or not take him/her for a walk everyday. The benefits for your pet as well as for yourself will be immeasurable.  You will most certainly have a longer, happier life together.

Koty will be 13 on October first. The average lifespan of a husky is thought to be 12 to 15 years. Going forward I will consider each day of quality life together as a supreme gift. I will see to it that Koty gets the most effective medicine available every single day, exercise!

Koty exploring Lion Lake Sept. 2012

©Kinsey Barnard

EIGHT DAYS IN THE FLATHEAD

Just got back from eight days in the Flathead. We had a great time. Very relaxing. Koty is a new man when he can hike every day. My welcome home committee was kind of a bummer. Not fifty yards from my gate the Forest Service was putting in culverts on the road. The road is only a single lane so I was stuck for over two hours waiting for them to finish. LOL! the joys of living in a National Forest. It made me kind of antsy to be that close to home and not able to get there but I made the best of it. Prepared some lunch and took a nap. Koty kept watch.

Kinsey Barnard

HIKING THE NORTH COAST TRAIL

Enjoy the hike!

GOING TO THE DOGS

I came across this little story I thought was quite cute and quite true!


A man wrote a letter to a small hotel in a Midwest town he planned to visit on his vacation.
He wrote: "I would very much like to bring my dog with me. He is well-groomed and very well behaved. Would you be willing to permit me to keep him in my room with me at night?"
An immediate reply came from the hotel owner, who wrote: SIR: "I’ve been operating this hotel for many years. In all that time, I’ve never had a dog steal towels, bedclothes, silverware, or pictures off the walls.
I’ve never had to evict a dog in the middle of the night for being drunk and disorderly. And I’ve never had a dog run out on a hotel bill. Yes, indeed, your dog is welcome at my hotel. And, if your dog will vouch for you, you’re welcome to stay here, too."

Kinsey Barnard 

PS: I just realized when I posted this that it is my mother's birthday. Happy Birthday Mama! She would have been 99.