The Year I Became a Teenager

Much is being said about 1969, with the 40th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing, and a multimedia offering on the NY Times focusing on the culture from that year was a reminder for me that although I spent most of that year being 12, it was also the year I became a teen.

The moon landing was much on my mind that summer, as I had followed the earlier Apollo launches and built models of the Mercury and Apollo vehicles. My aunt Jan and her husband were in Florida working for NASA, and they sent me, just another kid far from the action, posters, articles, and even a NASA pocketknife. I had a poster of the Saturn rocket on my wall; my friend Randy Schumacher wanted it badly. He too was an avid fan of the space missions.

It's a long time ago now, but 1969 was a big year.

Gustav Marzion's Signature

I'm still thinking that the signature on the board found in our old porch is Gustav Marzion (or Murzion, perhaps more likely). I found a reference to Emma Marzion in our own Smith-Zimmerman Museum site; she's buried in Graceland Cemetary here in Lake County, SD. She died in 1910. No Gustav, though; perhaps he moved on. A search for his name exactly, however, turns up nothing but this humble blogger's reference to him.

The name Marzion is common; Murzion, not so much. JB wants to know more about the signed S-L-K crossways on the board. Who's SLK? Gustav's more reticent partner? Every carpenter needs a partner.

Winless to Wanless

I enjoyed this song, sent by LB, about the triumph of the Wanless guy from Winner who won the big lottery prize.

Climbing Down

JB says most accidents happen on Mt. Everest when climbers are coming down rather than going up. I can see how that could happen, oxygen deprived, tired, anxious, dragging their nail guns. But the big boom boom boom truck left today and so far nobody's taken the quick route off the roof. There's still some shingling to be done--the front porch is ready for new shingles and the back entry and the widow's walk (I'm gonna keep calling it that though the wife says that's not what it is) still await.

Today I found something I hoped might appear--a signed board by a person I'll take to be the original carpenter. But who is it? My guess is Gustav Marzion, though I could well be wrong. It's dated--2 August 1901. I found it under the roof boards (I was replacing the first rotten boards I've found) and hope to get a good pic of it to post here. Wherever you are, Gustav, here's to you and the house you built!

My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys

Seemed like it was time for a new post on ole' Horseshoe Seven, so the wife has hijacked the site to offer a little dedication to her hardworking roof cowboy.

Roofin’, Roofin’, Roofin’

Keep roofin', roofin', roofin',
Though Mother Nature’s disapprovin',
Keep them shingles movin', Rawhide!
Don't try to understand 'em,
Just nail and throw and grab 'em,
Soon we'll be living warm and dry.
Boy my heart's calculatin'
My true love will be waitin', be waiting at the end of my ride.
Tear 'em off, nail 'em up,
Nail 'em up, goop 'em down,
Tear 'em off, nail 'em down, Rawhide!

John is tearing off the last of the old stuff as I type, so with some luck (and a couple dry days), John should be back soon.