Monthly Archives: February 2014

7 02, 2014

Winter on the Farm – Miller Farm Friday

By |2014-02-07T06:00:38-06:00February 7th, 2014|Friday on the Miller Farm, Miller Farm Friday|0 Comments

A Guest Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

In the past seven days, we have been under two different winter storm warnings.

While this may seem normal for those of you who actually have winter where you live, in Texas winter is anything below 60 degrees. Any chance of freezing precipitation causes great panic.

Last Thursday the weather began to get nasty and by Friday morning we awoke to what for us was a “Winter Wonderland.”

snowWP Now I have lived in the northeast and have actually been stranded in a blizzard in Deep Creek, Maryland, so I understand how silly this seems.

However, for the chickens, that have never seen a white ground, this was very disturbing.hen and snowWP

They were much slower to exit the coop and some decided to wait it out in the safety of their nest boxes.

By afternoon, the snow was gone and the chickens were out pecking the ground as usual.

By Sunday, we were in short sleeves again making it hard to believe the weather forecast for Tuesday which was predicting up to 2 inches of snow.

Sure enough on Monday, the wind shifted and the temperature dropped.

I bought more chicken and quail food and made sure all feeders were full. I even filled the waterers knowing they would freeze.  I planned to pour hot water over them in the morning to melt enough ice to prevent any bird from dying of thirst.

We have been watching a TV show called “Alaska: The Last Frontier.” I thought about how they prepared for their winter as I warned the chickens of the impending storm.

By the end of the day on Monday, the private school where I teach had cancelled classes for Tuesday. The public schools delayed opening for two hours.  The pool even closed so we all slept in.

Tuesday morning arrived with no snow and little ice.  iceWP

Children were disappointed, but I didn’t mind. I’ve seen enough snow.

The weatherman says it will be 70 degrees by Friday. Gotta love Texas :)

5 02, 2014

Ground Hog – One Word Wednesday

By |2014-02-05T06:00:58-06:00February 5th, 2014|one word Wednesday|0 Comments

Sunday was Super Bowl #48 and Ground Hog Day.

Denver Broncos didn’t do so well, which made for a tough day for fans and some very quiet Super Bowl parties as all hope for a comeback failed.

ground hogThe mythological Punxsutawney Phil, who has been predicting whether winter is over since 1887, gave a nod to the game with this year’s prediction poem:

“A Super Bowl winner I will not predict,
But my weather forecast, you cannot contradict,
That’s not a football lying beside me
It’s my shadow you see
So, six more weeks of winter it shall be!”

Not the report I wanted to hear. What about you?

Like the Denver fans’ hopes of a Super Bowl win, all thoughts of warm weather and sunshine arriving early have been dashed away.

The news will not be well received by most of the U.S. considering the extreme cold that has blanketed so much of the country this winter.

There is a bit of hope because Phil’s predictions have been correct only 39% of the time, according to the StormFax Weather Almanac and records kept since 1887.

I’d say the ground hog could be wrong again except the Farmer’s Almanac predicts “a wave of storminess stretching almost from coast to coast, bringing a wide variety of precipitation types as well as strong and gusty winds.”

It’s time to remember all the good things about winter –
• snowmen
• hot cocoa
• warm blankets
• and curling up by the fire with a great bookread 2

If you’re unsure what to read, check out The Pendant’s Promise or Love in the Morning Calm.

Both books are available in paperback and for eReaders. The stories will warm your heart and make you forget about the weather outside.

Happy Reading!

3 02, 2014

Fad Collectibles Part 2

By |2014-02-03T06:00:07-06:00February 3rd, 2014|Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

Last week’s blog on collectible fads was long and detailed. Too long, too many details. Sorry about that. I kinda slipped into teacher-mode and overloaded you with what I knew.

The week’s Part 2 will be short and sweet, but the news is no better for the items we’ll look at today.

Precious Moments, Cabbage Patch Kids, Thomas Kincaid and Longaberger baskets were all desirable and highly sought after fad items for collectors at one point in time.

The prices were reasonable. The anticipated return on the investment promised to be high. Let’s look at each and see what happened.

  • Precious Moments Pmilogo2007

Artist and illustrator, Samuel Butcher, began drawing pictures of endearing children in the 1970s. With a friend, he began a small company to make and sell greeting cards and posters that featured his “Precious Moments” artwork and uplifting messages. Then in 1978, Enesco Corp. produced a line of porcelain Precious Moments figurines.

Demand was high. Sales grew. Unfortunately, too many different figurines were made and the market crashed. According to Kovels’ recent newsletter over 50 different figurines were offered at $10 each at a recent charity auction.

Many buyers still love them, and you can still join a Precious Moments collector club and order special figurines available only to collectors. There’s even a Precious Moments collector cruise offered.precious moments

precious 2Buy because you love the precious figurines, but don’t expect a great return on your investment in the future.

 

  • Cabbage Patch Kidscabbage2

Cabbage Patch Kids, created by art student Xavier Roberts in 1978, were a popular fad in the 1980s. Each Cabbage Patch Kids had a cloth body, plastic or vinyl head and came with adoption papers. They had one-of-a-kind names and profiles.

cabbage3The dolls sold quickly in the U. S. I was so into the fad that I purchased three Cabbage Patch dolls on a trip to France in 1983. Yep, I struggled with those dolls and their boxes all the way back to the states.

Once again, the company was bought and many, many dolls were made which deflated the market.

The early Xavier Roberts’ Little People dolls (before the Cabbage Patch phase) still sell for high prices. Most Cabbage Patch dolls sell for $10 to $30 now although you can find higher prices on eBay.

I finally allowed the grandchildren to play with the Cabbage Patch kids that I’d bought. They loved playing with dolls that had reminded Nana of their mothers and daddy.

  • Thomas Kinkade Paintings tk_logo

Thomas Kinkade (1958–2012) began selling his oil paintings of idyllic scenes in supermarket parking lots. He added mass-market printed reproductions and many licensed products (mugs, stationary, vases, books, etc.), often using the limited edition plan. He became known as the “Painter of Light.” His prints were largely promoted with hard-hitting ads and direct mail.

As is the case with too many fad items, too many franchised stores opened, flooding the market with his merchandise. His work was no longer one-of-a-kind.

When Thomas Kinkade died, prices of all Kinkade items dropped, but Kinkade paintings are still reproduced and sold, retailing for $350 and up.

???????????????????????????????One of my favorite Christmas jigsaw puzzles is from one of his paintings. We bring it out to work every holiday.

  • Longaberger basketsLongaberger baskets

The handcrafted wood baskets made by the Longaberger Basket Company of Newark, Ohio became a hot collectible in the 1990s. The company issued expensive limited edition baskets. Collectors became swept up searching for them which made prices go up. After a while, the resale market collapsed.

Today even the most expensive original baskets sell for low prices. They can be found at flea markets and online for under $40, a fair price for a quality made basket unless you originally paid a hundred.long5

long4I still love my Longaberger baskets and use them all the time.

Your take away from this look at fad collecting should be to be cautious of high-pressure sales of “limited editions.” Buy a “limited edition,” but don’t buy it because you expected to have an investment. To truly hold its value an item must be very limited in production and very one-of-a-kind.

YOUR TURN: Have you been tempted or fallen prey to high pressure sales for “limited edition” fads?

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