North Platte Early Days

I was born in North Platte, Nebraska, and lived there until a few months after I turned 15. Though the railroad, Buffalo Bill, and placenames that included “Sioux” and “Pawnee” were part of the background of my life, I don’t remember learning anything about the early days of Nebraska, Lincoln County, or North Platte in school… Mike Goad, August 1, 2012

1869 Windmill at North Platte Station, photo by William Henry Jackson1869 Windmill at North Platte Station, photo by William Henry Jackson1
.
article from Condensed History of the Construction of the Union Pacific Railway2
compiled by Joseph Nichols.
Note: This material from the 19th century is unedited and may present some information in language that today would not be acceptable.  Some of the information may be in error and the compiler certainly plagiarized other sources. As an editor of History Nebraska, David Bristow, writes, works such as this are”…written from somebody’s limited perspective, and the passage of time has a way of revealing our blind spots.”3
The town of North Platte is located between the North and South Platte Rivers, in the triangle just above the forks, and on the Union Pacific Railroad just about half way across the county from east to west. The town was laid out in November, 1866, by Gen. G. M. Dodge, for the Union Pacific Railroad about the time of the completion of the road to this point. The first building erected here was about this time, and constructed of cedar logs. This was erected as a store by Peniston & Miller, and (in 1882) is still standing and is located on the corner of Locust and Front streets.
During November, 1866, the Union Pacific Railroad was completed to North Platte, and a town was laid here by the Railroad Company, though the plat of the town was not filed in the office of the County Clerk until the 31st of the following January. This town was made the terminus of the railroad until the following year. As soon as the town was laid out, it began to grow with rapidity, and the government at once made it a military post, and a garrison of soldiers was stationed here.
Previous to the Fall of 1866, cattle raising had not been carried on to any extent, owing to the danger from Indians. About this time, however, M. H. Brown, Nathaniel Russell and Peniston & Miller brought in herds, and this may be said to be the beginning of the vast stock raising business carried on here at the present time.
Early in 1867, the Railroad Company began the erection of their machine shops and round houses at North Platte. Until this time property in the county had not been assessed.  In April of this year, at a meeting of the County Commissioners, the Sheriff was ordered to assess all property in the county. The Railroad was in the Spring completed to Julesburg, and the terminus removed to that point.
During this year a freight train was wrecked and plundered by the Indians. A band of them stationed themselves along the track, after having torn up the rails. A portion of the train men were killed, but some escaped. The Indians plundered the train, taking everything they cared for, and ornamenting themselves in various manners, some of them tying entire pieces of calico to their ponies so that it would flutter in the wind; they then rode about in a wild manner, after having set fire to the train.
In September, 1867, the Indian chiefs were all called together to meet at North Platte, where they were met by the Commissioners appointed by the Government, to enter into a treaty with them. These Commissioner’s were Gen. Sherman, Gen. Harvey and John P. Sanborne, and a treaty of peace was entered upon. During the stay of these Commissioners, they were well entertained by the citizens of North Platte, which was then getting to be a town of some importance. Parties were given in their honor, and at a wedding which they attended, Gen. Sherman was the first to kiss the bride.
At a meeting of the County Commissioners, an election was called for the purpose of electing officers and to consider the proposition of removing the County Seat from Cottonwood Springs to North Platte. This election was held Oct. 8, and the County Seat was voted to be located at the latter named town. A total number of twenty-one votes were cast. The officers elected were: Beach I. Hinman, Representative; W. M. Hinman, Judge; Charles McDonald, Clerk; O. O. Austin, Sheriff; Hugh Morgan, Treasurer; A. J. Miller, Commissioner. In accordance with the result of this election, the County Records were removed to North Platte November 12, 1867. There was no court house at this time, and each officer kept his records at his own home, while the Commissioners held their meetings at the log house, used as a residence, of W. M. Hinman, who had that fall removed to North Platte.
The first term of the District Court was held at North Platte late in 1867, Judge Gantt then being the Circuit Judge for the entire State. Court convened at the Railroad Hotel, but there were no cases to be tried. A grand jury was impaneled, but no indictments were brought in.
It was during this year that the first county warrant was issued. July 1, the first levy on the Union Pacific Railroad in Lincoln County was made on assessed valuation of $49,000. This taxation the Railroad Company refused to pay, and the case was before the Courts of the State for some years; but the Company was finally brought to a settlement by the locking up and chaining of the railroad engines here, under a writ of attachment procured by the County Treasurer. This attachment and settlement, or rather compromise, was some years after the assessment referred to and after this no trouble was had with the Company regarding the payment of taxes.
During the summer there was an Indian scare, and settlers throughout the country thronged to the military posts for protection, the citizens of North Platte taking refuge in the railroad round house; but it amounted only to a scare, there being at this time no general hostilities.
In January, 1868, Charles McDonald, who had been re-elected Clerk , having neglected to qualify for office, R. C. Daugherty was appointed County Clerk. The first money collected from fines that was paid into the County Treasury was on February 4, 1868, when R. C. Daugherty, who was also a Justice of the Peace, paid in $21.50 which he had collected as a fine from a man convicted of having stolen an overcoat. This was the first money paid into the public treasury, and was the first contribution to the school fund, the laws of the State being that all money collected on fines go to support public schools. On the 23rd day of March , the County Commissioners established a liquor license fee, making it obligatory for all retail liquor dealers to procure a County license before selling their beverages in the County.
During the Spring the Union Pacific Railroad machine shops and roundhouses were completed.
The first school in the County was taught at North Platte during the Summer of 1868, in the old log building now occupied by Mrs. Thompson as a portion of her residence and millinery store. Theo. Clark was the teacher. The next term of school was commenced November 29th of the same year, taught at the same place by Miss Mary Hubbard, now Mrs. Gilman, who is proprietor of a millinery establishment at North Platte. 
The first Sunday School in the County was at North Platte and was founded during August, 1868, by Mrs. Keith, Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Cogswell, and Mrs. Kramp. There were only three children in attendance. This school was organized as a Union Sunday School, and has been continued as such until the present day.
During the year 1868, troubles with the Indians were on the increase. Attacks on small numbers of white men became alarmingly frequent. Several small parties were attacked, killed and scalped. On one occasion the men working on the Hinman farm were attacked, and five of them killed. During this or the following year, an incident is related of an engineer known as Dutch Frank, running an express train.  On coming around a curve with his train, he saw a large body of Indians on each side of the road, while a number were crowded on the track. Knowing it would be certain death to stop, he increased the speed of his train, and went plowing through the band on the track, killing several who could not get out of the way. In the meantime, his train received a volley of bullets from the rifles of the Indians along the sides of the track The front of the engine was covered with blood and the only wonder is that the train was not thrown from the track.
During 1869, these troubles with hostile Indians continued; but this county did not suffer so much as those farther to the south, from the fact of their [sic] being two military posts in the county. A great many small parties, however, were killed, and stock and horses run off by the Indians, and many depredations committed. Fort McPherson was the base of operations for the soldiers, and it may be well here to give an account of the expedition of General Carr, from Fort McPherson during this year. General Carr had only recently been placed in command here. The great troubles with the Indians at this time were in the Republican Valley, though whenever an opportunity occurred depredations were committed in this county. Beside the regular soldiers, the most of them belonging to the cavalry, was a band of some 300 Pawnee Indians, under command of the young and popular Major Frank North. Besides these was a band of scouts, under command of Buffalo Bill, who was chief and under whose guidance pursuits after the Sioux was made. It must be understood by the reader that the Pawnees and Sioux were inveterate enemies, therefore it will be easy to understand that the Pawnees would enter into the fight with zeal and earnestness and being well acquainted with the Indian mode of warfare, that they would be able to render invaluable services in these campaigns against the Sioux. This band was organized by Major North in 1867, under orders from Gen. Auger, and by this time they had become so thoroughly drilled as to understand thoroughly what was required of them, and any command by their admired young leader But in their appearance and modes of dress, they could only appear like the wild and untutored Indians that they really were. To show to the reader how they appeared, when they by special endeavor tried to show themselves to advantage as soldiers, we can do no better than to quote from autobiography of Buffalo Bill ( W. F. Cody), who was at that time chief of scouts at Fort McPherson. In depicting a grand review of the soldiers, he described the Pawnees as they appeared at a military inspection, as follows: “The Pawnee scouts were also reviewed, and it was very amusing to see them in their full regulation uniform. They had been furnished with regular cavalry uniform and on this parade some of them had their heavy overcoats on (in summer); others their large black hats, with all the brass accoutrements attached; some of them wore pantaloons, and others only wore breech clouts.  Others wore regulation pantaloons, but no shirts, and were bareheaded; others again had the seats of their pantaloons cut out, leaving only leggings. Some wore brass spurs, but had neither boots or moccasins. With all this melange of oddity, they understood the drill well for Indians. The commands, of course, were given to them in their own language, by Major North, who could talk it as well as any full blooded Pawnee.”
In the summer of 1869, Gen. Carr started out in pursuit of the Sioux , with several companies of United States troops, and with the band of Pawnees just described. The Sioux were then in the Republican Valley country but Gen. Carr came up to them on that extent of country lying between the Platte and Republican rivers, they being discovered by Buffalo Bill and six Pawnee scouts, while Gen. Carr and his command were still ten miles back. The Sioux numbered several hundred lodges, and were on the move toward the Platte. Bill rode back to inform Gen. Carr, who followed them up and they were overtaken in the sand hills of the Platte, not having yet discovered the near approach of the soldiers; but they were on the move and took to flight, leaving their luggage and everything that would impede a rapid march. The Sioux, to puzzle their pursuers, here scattered, small bands striking out in different directions. The troops also separated into companies but followed the general direction of the Platte River. Darkness coming on, the camp was made on the Platte River, but early in the morning the troops were on the move, each company striking out on a different trail. One company soon came up with a band of 100 Indians, who saved themselves by flight. After passing a short bend in the river, the tracks were observed to come together. Several companies of soldiers joined each other here also. On the third day, 600 Sioux warriors were discovered close to the Platte, by the division with Buffalo Bill. The soldiers immediately sought to shelter themselves in the ravines near the Platte. There was plenty of time, as the Indians seemed to be in no hurry to begin the attack. But at last a simultaneous assault was made on both sides, but the position of the soldiers was too secure for them to be dislodged, and their loss was but slight. Many of the Indians were killed, among them the famous Sioux chief Tall Bull, who fell a victim to the unerring aim of Buffalo Bill. Several days after, Gen. Carr, with his entire command, started out on the Indian trail. Soon coming up with the Sioux, who had by this time all come together again, a battle was fought at Summit Springs, Sunday July 11, 1869. This battle was short but decisive. Many soldiers and Pawnees were killed; while on the other side, more than six hundred Sioux were killed, including many of their bravest warriors. A large number of ponies were captured, and several hundred squaws were made prisoners.
Though this fight did not occur in Lincoln County, we give its description space here, as this was the headquarters and base of operations for the United States troops; and this battle put an end, practically, to the Indian war. The Sioux were completely broken down, and the troubles along the entire line of the Union Pacific Railroad in Nebraska were at an end. Though many depredations were committed afterward, they were confined to attacks on small numbers of settlers or herders, and to the stealing and running off of horses and cattle. Of course, many skirmishes were afterward had with the Indians, but they were of a nature common to an Indian country, where the Indians are kept in subjection by fear, but not of sufficient importance to be called battles.

.


  1. U.S. Geological Survey; photo “from 1869 taken at the North Platte Station in Lincoln County, Nebraska. At this point the Platte River ran through an almost entirely treeless plain, with but very few objects in nature to relieve the dead monotony, so that the windmills, which occurred at nearly all the stations, for the purpose of raising water to the tanks, formed a very prominent feature in the landscape. In the photo you can also see William Henry Jackson’s signature just below the first Union Pacific Railroad car.
    • Photo credit: William Henry Jackson
  2. Nichols, Joseph. Condensed History of the Construction of the Union Pacific Railway. Omaha, Nebr: Klopp, Bartlet & Co., 1892.
    • Much of this material appears to be plagiarized from Andreas’ History of the State of Nebraska, first published in 1882 by The Western Historical Company, A. T. Andreas, Proprietor, Chicago, IL.
  3. Bristow, David, ed. “No Mob? No Riot? What Really Happened When North Platte Forced Black Residents to Flee.” History Nebraska, July 30, 2020. https://history.nebraska.gov/blog/no-mob-no-riot-what-really-happened-when-north-platte-forced-black-residents-flee. accessed August 1, 2021
2 comments
american history, nebraska, towns

Formatting fun

WordPress is a great platform for normal, everyday blog writing.  Everything in a paragraph is grouped in a block. Then the paragraph ends and…

there is a blank space, followed by a block for a new paragraph.  That’s great for normal everyday blog writing or web page needs.  You just type what you’re composing and it appears on the screen.  When it’s time to go to a different concept, you hit the enter key and the new paragraph appears.

Sometimes, though, it’s useful to format text in a different fashion. In my American Civil War Chronicles blog, I sometimes format a report or dispatch in the form that appears in the source document. See the original post for the full text of the following example (paragraphs are intentionally truncated; this is an example of the formatting).:

Headquarters Department of the Ohio,
Grafton, Va., June 25, 1861.
To the Soldiers of the Army of the West:
You are here to support the Government of your country, and to protect the lines and liberties of your brethren, threatened by a rebellious and traitorous foe…
Bear in mind that you are in the country of friends, not of enemies; that you are here to protect, not to destroy. Take nothing, destroy nothing, unless you are ordered to do so by your general officers. Remember that…
Your enemies have violated every moral law; neither God nor man can sustain them. They have, without cause, rebelled against a mild and paternal Government; they have…
Soldiers! I have heard that there was danger here…
GEO. B. McCLELLAN,
Major-General, Commanding.
.

I’m not currently doing a lot of that as I am working to convert a backlog of draft documents into scheduled documents.  Once I have that accomplished, I may do more of that kind of formatting with newly identified material.

The formattings I use are HTML (hypertext markup language) tags and features.  For instance, using <div> and <span> tags, I can indent the paragraph and…

eliminate the space between paragraphs, resulting in a traditional indented formatting that might be found in a business letter and newspaper articles.

Another place that HTML formatting can be useful is poetry.  Standard WordPress formatting is not set up for the specialized formatting that is needed for that. For instance, using what I learned with formatting the civil war posts, I edited one of several poems I have posted.  The following is the best WordPress can do with Brignall Banks without using HTML text coding tags:

SONG

O, Brignall banks are wild and fair,
And Greta woods are green,
And you may gather garlands there,
Would grace a summer queen:
And as I rode by Dalton Hall,
Beneath the turrets high,
A Maiden on the castle wall
Was singing merrily:

‘O, Brignall banks are fresh and fair,
And Greta woods are green!
I’d rather rove with Edmund there
Than reign our English Queen.’

With HTML div and span tag usage, it can be formatted to appear more like the original published version:

SONG
.
O, Brignall banks are wild and fair,
And Greta woods are green,
And you may gather garlands there,
Would grace a summer queen:
And as I rode by Dalton Hall,
Beneath the turrets high,
A Maiden on the castle wall
Was singing merrily:
.
‘O, Brignall banks are fresh and fair,
And Greta woods are green!
I’d rather rove with Edmund there
Than reign our English Queen.’

.This poem is one of nine in an idle blog I started in 2019.  It is the only one that I have updated with the div and span tags for better formatting.

4 comments
blog, blogging

Hoardin’

Guess it's time to start hoardin' agin' cuz of that delta covid

Hoarding… shortages… toilet paper… meat…

One would think that we are past that.

I mean, the shortages last year were because we all of a sudden were living differently, right?  And the supply chains and shipping were screwed up because of the pandemic.

More people were staying at home. A lot of people were working from home.  A lot of people weren’t working at all. School was disrupted.  Everything was SO screwed up.

That can’t happen again, right?

We shouldn’t have to worry about shortages… toilet paper… meat…, right?

I think we might try to pick up a little bit of extra stuff… to stick away… just in case.

But, we’re not going to worry about shortages, right?

4 comments
covid, economy, humor, life, perception

Surprise

suprise lily

Lycoris squamigera is an herbaceous plant with basal, simple leaves, which are not present when the flowers emerge from the crown. The flowers are white or pink and fragrant.

These lilies are almost a surprise every year when they show up.  That’s what they do, just show up, with a stem and no foliage. This year is no exception, at least for me.

Lycoris squamigera1

Lycoris squamigera, the resurrection lily or surprise lily, is a plant in the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. It is also sometimes referred to as naked ladies (a name used for several other plants). It is believed to have originated in Japan or China. It is now cultivated as an ornamental in many places, and naturalized in Korea.

Lycoris squamigera is an herbaceous plant with basal, simple leaves, which are not present when the flowers emerge from the crown. The leaves sprout and grow in the spring, then die back during June; flowers appear in late July or early August. The flowers are white or pink and fragrant. The flowers spring dramatically from the ground in mid to late summer; it usually takes only four to five days from first emergence to full bloom.This suddenness is reflected in its common names: surprise lily, magic lily, and resurrection lily.


  1. “Lycoris Squamigera.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, (last edit March 22, 2021.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycoris_squamigera. Accessed July 29, 2021
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arkansas, around home, gardens, photography, plants, summer

Pope County, Arkansas, COVID End-of-July Trend

The county is averaging over 20 new COVID cases a day, around what it was in February when the new case trend was going down.

With 20 new diagnosed cases on average, there are probably several times that out in the wild that are undiagnosed.

Some of these are breakthrough cases.

It shouldn’t be surprising that there are fully vaccinated people who get COVID – they are in the other 10% or less.  It doesn’t mean the vaccine doesn’t work.  These cases are noteworthy because they are rare.

So far as how we’re coping with it—life goes on. We’re vaccinated, but, for the most part, staying home and, when in town, we’re masking and social distancing. The curve is from Pope County, Arkansas coronavirus cases and deaths at USAFacts.

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arkansas, around home, covid, health, summer

SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant

Delta Variant Be Worried, be VERY Worried

SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant, also known as lineage B.1.617.2, is a variant of lineage B.1.617 of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. It was first detected in India in late 2020. The World Health Organization (WHO) named it the Delta variant on 31 May 2021.

It has mutations in the gene encoding the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein causing… substitutions… which are known to affect transmissibility of the virus as well as whether it can be neutralised by antibodies for previously circulating variants of the COVID-19 virus. Public Health England (PHE) in May 2021 observed secondary attack rates to be 51–67% higher than the alpha variant.

COVID-19 vaccines are effective in preventing severe disease or hospitalization from infection with the variant, although some evidence suggests vaccinated people are more likely to develop symptoms from Delta than other variants of SARS-CoV-2.

Variant of Concern

On 7 May 2021, PHE changed their classification of lineage B.1.617.2 from a variant under investigation (VUI) to a variant of concern (VOC) based on an assessment of transmissibility being at least equivalent to the Alpha variant; the UK’s SAGE (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies) subsequently estimated a “realistic” possibility of being 50% more transmissible. On 11 May 2021, the WHO also classified this lineage VOC, and said that it showed evidence of higher transmissibility and reduced neutralisation. On 15 June 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared Delta a variant of concern.

The variant is thought to be partly responsible for India’s second wave of the pandemic beginning in February 2021. It later contributed to a third wave in Fiji, the United Kingdom and South Africa, and the WHO warned in July 2021 it could have a similar effect elsewhere in Europe and Africa. By late July it had also driven an increase in daily infections in parts of Asia, the United States and Australia.

As of 20 July 2021, this variant had spread to 124 countries, and WHO had indicated that it was becoming the dominant strain, if not one already.

[Read more on the Delta variant at Wikipedia.]

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covid, health, life

Woodlands Sunflower

The woodland sunflower is an herby perennial flower in the sunflower family. These showy yellow flowers thrive in part sun to full sun and hybridize easily. They spread through creeping rhizomes and seeds and may become invasive. The seeds are an excellent source of food for wild birds.

This showy sunflower is a volunteer1 addition to the vegetation in our yard.  We recently spotted it at the edge of the woods from our kitchen window.  The image is from my phone’s camera.2

Helianthus divaricatus3

Helianthus divaricatus, commonly known as the rough sunflower, woodland sunflower, or rough woodland sunflower, is a North American species perennial herb in the composite family. It is native to central and eastern North America, from Ontario and Quebec in the north, south to Florida and Louisiana and west to Oklahoma and Iowa.

Helanthus divaricatus commonly occurs in dry, relatively open sites. The showy yellow flowers emerge in summer through early fall.

The woodland sunflower is similar to Helianthus hirsutus, but its stem is rough. It is up to 1.5 m tall with short stalked, lanceolate to oval leaves, 1–8 cm wide with toothed margins. Its flowers have 8 to 15 rays, each 1.5 to 3 cm (0.6-1.2 inches) long, surrounding an orange or yellowish brown central disk.


  1. Volunteer plants are those that come up in the garden with no effort on your part. They germinate from seeds dropped by flowers in previous years or seeds can arrive stuck to the fur and skin of small animals. Birds that visit your garden bring seeds contained in berries and fruit that they ate at their last stop.
  2. iPhone 11 back dual wide camera; ƒ/1.8, 4.2 mm, 1/839, ISO 32
  3. Wikipedia, Helianthus divaricatus. (last revised 2021, March 21). Retrieved July 27, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helianthus_divaricatus
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arkansas, around home, forests, now that’s cool!, photography, plants, science and nature, serendipity, summer

Break-through!

Amongst vaccinated individuals Covid is now nearly universally a cold or mild flu like illness.Clinical trials for the first two US COVID vaccines showed that both were were over 90% effective at preventing COVID.  It shouldn’t be surprising that there are fully vaccinated people who get COVID – they are in the other 10% or less.  It doesn’t mean the vaccine doesn’t work.  These cases are noteworthy because they are rare.1

A new study of health care workers in India – not yet peer-reviewed2 – shows that of 28,342 vaccinated workers, only 5% developed symptomatic infections, only 83 required hospitalization, and none have yet died.3

In another study, also not yet peer-reviewed, during the study period Delta variants caused 58% of all COVID cases.  There were a “significantly higher rate of breakthrough cases (19.7% compared to 5.8% for all other variants). Importantly, only 6.5% of all COVID-19 cases occurred in fully immunized individuals, and relatively few of these patients required hospitalization. Our genomic and epidemiologic data emphasize that vaccines used in the United States are highly effective in decreasing severe COVID-19 disease, hospitalizations, and deaths.”4

Vaccines are the most effective weapon against the pandemic, but they only work if we use them.5


  1. Baker, S. (Axios 2021, July 22). COVID cases ARE Surging, and it’s not because of “breakthrough” infections. Retrieved July 27, 2021, from https://www.axios.com/covid-pandemic-cases-unvaccinated-vaccines-3d5ac3b0-78fb-473b-ae0b-0f8382d0501b.html
  2. Peer review is a lengthy process to certify the results of published scientific work.  COVID is a fast-moving, evolving pandemic, and referencing works not yet peer-reviewed is common.  However, when referencing such works, their peer-review status should be noted.
  3. Baker.
  4. Musser, James M., Paul A. Christensen, Randall J. Olsen, S. Wesley Long, Sishir Subedi, James J. Davis, Parsa Hodjat, Debbie R. Walley, Jacob C. Kinskey, and Jimmy Gollihar. “Delta Variants OF SARS-COV-2 Cause Significantly INCREASED Vaccine Breakthrough COVID-19 Cases in Houston, Texas.” medRxiv. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, January 1, 2021. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.07.19.21260808v1.
  5. ibid.
3 comments
covid, health, in the news, life, perception

Lush.

Lush

It’s nearly the end of July. Normally by this time of the year in west-central Arkansas, vegetation is starting to brown from the summer heat and lower rainfall. No so, this year. This year it is very lush and green.

I first visited this part of Arkansas in another July 41 years ago when I drove down from my in-laws up in northwest Arkansas for a job interview.

That summer was brutal for Arkansas and much of the rest of the country.  Little Rock had 20 consecutive days of 100° or higher.  Beedeville got up to 112° and Alicia hit 113°.  Little Rock hit 108° on the 13th, 14th, and 16th – I think we must’ve driven through there on our way from Pensacola to Pea Ridge on one of those days in in our Dodge Colt that didn’t have air conditioning.  Everything was drying up.  It was the driest and hottest summer in Little Rock since the weather station was established in 1879.  Normal rainfall between June 21 and September 22 is 9.5 inches, but that year, it was only 9.5 inches.

Rainfall this year has been above normal.  Over three days last week, we had 3.5 inches after a couple of dry weeks.  Karen hasn’t needed to water the garden as much as some years.

It’s been a little over 3 years since we had over 100°F days.  The current trend is towards more normal temperatures, which means it’s heating up.  We’ve got a heat advisory today.

Hopefully, though the hotter days won’t last long.

After all, September is just a little over a month away.

0 comments
america, arkansas, around home, landscape, summer, weather

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Note: My only participation in this recipe—or any others—is partaking in the results. These were GREAT!

This recipe is now on Karen’s blog where she has a number of other great recipes.

From Karen’s recipe:

1/2 cup softened stick of butter or margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large mashed ripe bananas
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons ground flax seed (optional)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt
1 cup wheat flour
1 cup white flour
1 cup mini chocolate chips (I use dark)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 and greased a muffin tin that makes 6 large muffins
Beat together first 7 ingredients until smooth – add in bananas, honey, and eggs beat until smooth.  Add in the dry ingredients and the yogurt and mix until smooth – stir in nuts and chips.  Spoon into the muffin cups – bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes (two were already eaten when I thought to get a photo)

2 comments
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