RANDOM THOUGHTS ON INA’S GARDEN

 We are about to dine off roast chicken and dressing and baked onions & apples. “Plenty of onions,” says you, and I agree. – Ina Dobson to son Vance, Dec. 31, 1933

Myrtle Dobson (left) and her sister, Pearl Dobson Sanders

On the previous post, Hallie commented that in 1935, the Dobsons had lived here over 40 years and were still taking notes on what worked best. She observed that the experiments never end. Yes, Ina’s little notebook indicates that someone, probably her daughter Myrtle (a.k.a. Lynn), suggested the need for garden recordkeeping and set her up with the little notebook. I see that Ina missed a few years. Perhaps Myrtle wasn’t around and it wasn’t so important to Ina. I can relate because I have a garden journal now, and I not only forget to make notes but forget that I even have it! I understand the desire to keep organized records for review the next year, and maybe Ina did, too. I just don’t think Ina was totally on board with the process.

Pearl Sanders, Bernice Dryden Dobson, & Myrtle Dobson

Gardening is an experiment, and Ina’s notes leave out a lot. When did she plant? When and how did she fertilize? When and how much did she harvest from her garden? Why was her bean crop short in 1935? Did she plant again late in the summer for a fall crop? Did she hoe the weeds or did Grandpa Jack? I think rodents were a problem, but I’ve heard that prior to Dworshak Dam, the deer ran mainly on the other side of the river. I know the garden wasn’t fenced.

At any rate, the vegetable garden was important to subsistence living. Today, 55% of the American diet comes from processed food, contrasted to less than 5% in Ina’s day. During the summer, they had vegetables in abundance – at least in a good year. Imagine – 11 tomato plants for two or three people! I plant three, and if they bear, it’s enough for the two of us. And why on earth did she need two rows of lettuce? She doesn’t mention spinach. Maybe she couldn’t plant early enough for spinach. Maybe they just didn’t care for spinach.

It’s clear from her notes that Ina loved onions, grew plenty of them, and served them as a side dish. The only time we actually eat onions is when included in pot roast, but my research shows that they are quite nutritious.

Ina also grew plenty of potatoes, but there’s no mention of corn in her notes, but I know from the family letters that Grandpa grew popcorn. In December 1932, Aunt Shirley wrote that “we have so little popcorn this year as something got so much of it before we gathered it in.” My dad was proud of the corn on the cob he grew here for years, but he didn’t grow popcorn.

Gardening is weather-dependent, and in Ina’s day, the weather was different. She saw late frosts and wet soil in the spring, and it could turn cold and frost in August. The growing season was definitely shorter then than now.

Growing up here on the farm, my dad’s knowledge of gardening was cultured through his mother. I think knowing what to do and when to do it became second-nature. He was a good gardener, puttering over his garden, watching it day by day, providing a little fertilizer here or a stake there. KW

INA’S GARDEN NOTES

 

My grandmother, Ina Dobson, with her daughter Myrtle at their garden in 1950

Please have plenty of vegetables cooked and a big cake, canned or fresh fruit. If handy, chicken. – Ina Dobson, 1926

Hallie opined that the homesteaders knew exactly how much food they would need to feed a family through the winter, and I commented that they might have known but wondered it they would always have it. Living off the land can be such a gamble.

As I thought about it, I remembered Grandma Ina’s little record book. This little notebook was an advertising giveaway from the “American Wire Rope” manufacturer obtained at the John Oud Hardware Company in Orofino. It’s just a common pocket notebook with lined pages, but someone, probably one of Ina’s daughters, made it special by pasting a bright cover onto it and labeling it “garden book.” She also tied a little pencil onto it.

It’s clear that two people made entries – Grandma Ina in pencil and the daughter (either Aunt Lynn or Aunt Shirley) in ink. I thought I’d transcribe some of these notes here since the subject of food readiness more or less came up. The dates are confusing, but I think it’s because sometimes it’s what she planted for that year and sometimes she’s making notes for the next year. Sometimes it’s an inventory of what’s on hand, not what she put up. These are her notes, and she never meant that they should be read by anyone else. It just proves Hallie’s point that she knew how much produce she needed.  

In 1935 when Ina began this notebook, her children were grown and long gone with the exception of Aunt Shirley, who was in and out. So, the household had dwindled to two or three adults with occasional visitors, and it’s fascinating to see the size of her garden. It surely puts me to shame.

1935

·      Peas – about 2 ½ rows, early and late. Decided to plant all marrowfat in 1936.

·      Beans – 1 row white stringless; 2/3 row brown (John Boehm)

[Their neighbor John Boehm probably shared those beans with her.]

·      Got peas and beans from Bee [her sister Bertha] for part of canning of short crop. [I think this means that Ina’s crop was short, so she filled in with peas and beans from Bertha.]

·      Pickling onions – 9 short rows. Plenty into fall.

·      Tomato seed saved from best plant. Note date on package of seed in box.

·      Plant 4 rows of lettuce. Thin for early use.

·      2 dozen tomato plants well-spaced enuf.

Canning Record for 1935

·      Peas – 23 qts. canned the 3-hour way. Note from 1934 tried and proved. Can like this in 1936. Cook open pot until tender, then 1 hour process. Taste fresher.

·      Beans – 24 qts.

·      Beets – 6 qts.

·      Tomato puree

On August 2, 1938, she notes what she should plant in 1939:

·      About 1 row peas or less. This all kinds.

·      1/3 row beets, parsnips, and carrots

·      8 or 9 rows of onions ample

·      4 rows of lettuce ample.

·      2 rows radishes

·      1 row cress

·      3 rows Swiss chard

·      3 rows golden wax beans

·      6 cucumber hills ample

·      2 Garden Queen squash [A classic acorn squash, also called Table Queen]

·      1 dozen watermelon

·      About 6 or 8 zucchini squash

1940:

Cut four 2-gallon pails of potatoes. It made 6 rows across garden. There was one row of volunteers.

1941:

Jack cut three 10-qt. pails heaped up of potatoes. One pail Irish made some 2 rows south of orchard. 2 pails Early Rose and 1 pail small Irish planted on flat May 2.

1942:

To can raspberries, make a thin syrup and pour boiling hot over berries. Put jars into hot water about same as jars are after syrup is in. [That’s what it says.] Bring to a boil, then pull to back of stove for a little longer – 10 to 15 minutes. This is fine. Try to put up strawberries the same way. Also Logans. Myrtle and I canned raspberries as above this year of 1942.

[The following are inventories. I found it interesting to see the variety on hand.]

Oct. 6, 1936

This was probably written by Myrtle

Fruit on hand:

·      Cherries, Bing – 11 qts.

·      Royal Ann – 1 qt.

·      Olivet – 1 qt.

·      Italian prune – 1 qt.

·      Logans – 2 qts.

·      Raspberries – 1 pt.

·      Strawberries – 3 pts.

Oct. 6, 1935

·      Olivet cherries – 5 qts.

·      Apricots – 5 pts.

·      Peaches – 6 pts.

·      Gooseberries – 6 pts.

·      Pears – 1 qt.

·      Petites – 5 qts.

·      Pickled beets – 5 ½ qts.

·      Elderberries – 2 pts.

Fruit

·      Cherries (Olivet) – 16 qts.

·      Apricots (Clarkston, WA) – 24 pts.

·      Peaches (Elberta) – 1 box, 15 pts.

·      Pears (local) – 13 pts.

·      Elderberries – 3 pts.

 

WASHING MACHINE WOES

Two years ago (2024), we bought a brand new Whirlpool washing machine for the farmhouse. It worked well for me, but last summer (2025), the dealer called to say this particular model was manufactured with a faulty motherboard. They wanted to replace it while the machine was still under warranty. Well, we weren’t experiencing problems, so they said that they would order the part for the eventuality that we would need it.

A couple of weeks ago – before I had even begun to do laundry at the farmhouse this season – I found the washer’s motor purring along on its own. The only way to stop it was to unplug it. The dealer said that they would install the aforementioned part when they had other orders in our area, which happened on Thursday (May 7). The repairmen arrived mid-morning, installed the new motherboard, ran diagnostics, and pronounced the machine good to go. That’s when I should have said, “Just sit tight while I run a small load of laundry.” But of course, I didn’t say that, and they left.

Mike was nervous about the repair and suggested I try the machine immediately, but I would not be pushed. “I’ll wash tomorrow,” I said. So, when Friday came, I loaded the machine, selected my options, and pressed “start,” but it just wasn’t right. It would only fill and then drain. I turned dials and pressed buttons, but no way would it run through the cycles. I was left with soggy, soapy, unwashed clothes. I called the dealer then, and he told me to unplug the machine for at least ten minutes and try again. I did that three or four times to no avail. I spent hours working with the machine because I didn’t want them to drive here only to have it be my fault.

Mike and I have experienced frustrating appliance problems for the last ten years. And you know, I marveled that in their latter years, my parents struggled with their appliances. Honestly – I thought their age was a factor. Well, 40 years ago, we didn’t realize that we were sitting on the cusp of the “it-can’t-be-fixed” era. The dealer admitted that 75% of these washing machines have defective motherboards. I say if 75% are defective, the other 25% are likely defective, too. He said he would work with us, but we will have to wait until they are coming our way.

The big question is – Will this washing machine ever be fixed and dependable? KW

GARDEN DILEMMAS

 

Just a country scene

The little tick I found on my leg the other night announced that tick season is indeed upon us. It only gets worse. I raked the path around the pond prior to Mike’s mowing, and in the next hour I took a tick off my shirt and two off my neck. Now it’s a given that my skin will crawl for the next two months. I won’t be able to tell if it’s a tick or just the creeps. Now I remember why gardening in the spring is odious to me.  

Empire Apple Blossoms

Over the warm weekend that we were in town, the farm dried out a bit. The puddle where the clothesline stands is now completely dry so that I can hang clothes without wearing boots. The puddles in the fields are smaller, and Mike was finally able to reinstall our mailbox. The water in the hole at “Mailbox Corner” finally dried out enough to complete the job.

All three tomato plants are small but have blossoms, but true to form, the peas and spinach are making a sparse showing. Why? After considerable online research with no real answers, I concluded that even though I planted mid-April, it was still too late. I further conclude that I will probably never be able to plant early here.

Empire Apple Tree

Well, to continue reasoning along the gardening dilemma – I sent Mike to the store for a head of lettuce the other night, and he came back ranting that he had paid nearly $5.00 for it. “Everything is going to be more expensive,” he exclaimed. “EVERYTHING! Plant lettuce.” But as long-time followers know, my gardens don’t produce much of anything. It’s not like I have a big garden plot where I can grow a “victory” garden of vegetables to sustain us throughout the year. Produce is always sparse – or even non-existent, like the peas and spinach.

I just think it’s too darn hot out there. We can’t water enough to make up for those spring/summer rains that used to bring relief to our corner of the world.

Meanwhile – the strawberry plants are blooming and the rhubarb came back. The blossoms have fallen from the cherry tree, and I hope for another good harvest. The Empire apple tree is just beautiful this year. I can’t say the same for the Honey Crisp, but it IS still alive. (I was a little worried.) The pear tree in bloom was lackluster. And the lilacs are gorgeous. KW

HATE IN IDAHO

 My letter to the Lewiston Tribune in response to the editorial, “This is who we are: Idaho is not too great for hate” (here) was published on Sunday, May 3, under the title, “Feeling Betrayed.” I’m sharing my letter below:

My issue with Idaho hate involves the corrections system. On December 10, 2023, my son Milo Warnock was murdered while incarcerated at the Idaho State Corrections Center, virtually kicked to death by his demented cellmate. I don’t hide the fact that Milo was a DUI offender who struggled with bi-polar depression and addiction. I do say that he received a harsh sentence and was subsequently harshly disciplined at the prison over an issue with his medication.

Life goes on. I’m used to the fact that Milo is gone, but every day I struggle to rationalize how prison staff (Idaho State employees) could look the other way while this middle-aged, non-violent individual was threatened, harassed, and finally murdered. Not that my family’s longevity in Idaho matters – I have the same rights (or lack thereof) as any other citizen – but as a native Idahoan whose grandparents chose Idaho as their home 130 years ago, I feel betrayed. No one apologizes. The lack of support for change is disheartening.

 What can we do to bring about a more enlightened society for the benefit of all? Basically, the only thing that matters in life is the way we treat others, but there’s little any individual or organization can do if our legislative, executive, and judicial branches don’t care. KW 

FEELS LIKE SUMMER

 

The pond is full to overflowing

Suddenly the temps have warmed into the 80s, and the sun is hot. We had to break out our summer pajamas. I retired my sweats. It’s always a challenge to stay cool in the summer when safety and comfort at the farm demand that I keep my legs covered. I like my winter wardrobe better than my summer duds.

Pear tree blooms are sparse

Mike and I spent three days at the farm last week (April 28-May1). It felt good to organize for the summer – housecleaning, making shopping lists for needed provisions, etc.

Our fields have yet to be planted, and as we hiked, we saw standing water and muddy patches. It seems strange because it was basically a dry winter and we haven’t had much rain. The roads are dry and dusty as are the gardens.

Mike tried to burn the slash pile on the west side of the north field, but it refused to light. He had better luck with the fourth and final pile located near the top of the lane behind his shed. It burned down to ash fairly quickly, and after lunch I found a stick and roasted a couple of marshmallows for myself. I wished that I could share with 4-year-old grandson Silas.

I don't remember narcissus here in prior years

The early daffodils have passed. The “poet daffodils” (my mother called them “narcissus”), are still in bloom. We had them in small patches for years – I mean, since my childhood – and suddenly they have spread. Fascinating! What are the conditions that encouraged this to happen?

True to form, the peas and spinach I planted are making a poor showing. Maybe it’s already too hot. Maybe they want more water. Maybe the soil needs to be enriched. Maybe I just don’t know how to plant those seeds. No matter. If I don’t have peas and spinach, maybe I can have summer squash. Maybe. Despite some overnight temps into the 30s, the tomato plants are holding up. I pruned up the strawberry bed, and it looks good.

Perhaps another bumper crop of cherries

Meanwhile, I’ve searched the orchard meadow, hopeful of finding returning plants. The grass takes over. I dream of clearing a patch or two so that plantings might have a better chance. However, it’s almost more than I can do, and as the soil dries even more and gets hard, it becomes impossible. KW

2026 STILLWATER AWARDS

 

Idaho State Correctional Center, Kuna

From our separate physical locations, Hallie and I met last night on Zoom to watch the 2026 Stillwater Awards, a national program that honors prison journalism. Patrick Irving, an inmate at the Idaho State Correctional Center (ISCC) whose prison blog (Book of Irving) we follow, won third place in the “Best Op-Ed” category for his essay, “Who Should Care for the Elderly in Prison.” (You can read it here.)

The following is from the website of the Society for Professional Journalists [SPJ]:

“The Stillwater Awards recognize excellence in prison journalism — one of the toughest places to practice the craft. The Stillwater Awards are named after the Minnesota town where Stillwater State Prison was built. In 1887, the warden founded The Prison Mirror, the first newspaper written and managed exclusively by inmates. Today, there are dozens of prison publications across the country. The Stillwater Awards are co-sponsored by SPJ and the Prison Journalism Project. Since 2020, PJP has trained incarcerated writers and published their stories. Because of that, PJP doesn’t participate in the judging of the Stillwater Awards. Winners receive certificates and recognition at a virtual awards ceremony.”

Since our son Milo’s wrongful death while incarcerated at ISCC, my goal has been to do what I can to increase public awareness of the inhumanity suffered within prison walls. Unfortunately, there’s not much one individual can do. Frankly, it’s a sad fact that individuals and agencies can’t do much until the executive and legislative branches of our government begin to care. I believe in consequences for wrong-doing, but in our country, our practice is to incarcerate all offenders, which ruins lives. Just to point out one fact, it’s been shown that if non-violent offenders served sentences which allowed them to continue as contributing members of society, it would be less costly to the state.

This thought-provoking chart is a comparison of worldwide incarceration rates developed by the Prison Policy Initiative. Perhaps it's slightly out of date, but I can guarantee you, things haven't changed much.

Well, I’ll get off my soapbox for now. Congratulations to Patrick Irving for this well-deserved recognition. And to all inmates who write from prison, I say, “Keep up the good work.” Keep on keeping on. It’s all we can do. KW