Hoosick Grange News

Hoosick Grange had a fun night on Wednesday, August 10. They had a delicious covered dish supper first, than it was game night. They played Bingo with lots of prizes. Most people won at least one prize. When that was finished the Lecturer had jokes and a reading, “The Short Career of an Inept Thief.” This reading was about how farmers used to combine oats with horses and an old binder. The binder cut the grain, bundled it and tied it with heavy twine. The operator would wait until several bundles had been collected, and trip a lever to drop them off. The bundles had to be stood up in the form of a teepee, called shock. This helped preserve them in case of rain. This is a lot different from how they do it today. It was a very dirty and dusty job. Meanwhile, the women were very busy cooking for all the men. It seemed like they cooked tons of food and washed lots of pots and pans. We sure wouldn’t like to go back to those times of intense labor in the middle of the hot summer. It was great to recall how threshing was done. The lecturer had more jokes and a closing thought – We all know someone in need of a kind word, a smile, a moment of our time – there is no greater gift one can give.
Our next meeting is on August 24 and will include the election of Officers. The Lecturer is in charge on the program. Louise Ciuk and Mary Ramancus are in charge of refreshments.