About Me

My photo
Recent retiree--35 year's experience teaching reading, English, adult basic education and volunteer leadership skills. Started this blog to exchange ideas and commentary with friends and others having an interest in joining the discussions. Greatest life accomplishments include: 1.organized my 3rd grade class to check out library books for me to get around librarian's weekly limit--Amazon.com, the Mullins Elementary 3rd Grade Class of 1956 is still waiting for "thank you" notes; 2. volunteered in the Peace Corps, island of St. Kitts, West Indies; 3.taught adults to read, earn their GEDs., and speak English as a second language; 4. bought a border collie puppy for $6, got evicted rather than give him up, and began a life-long love affair with all things "Dog"; 5. joined a physical fitness boot camp in my mid-50s--don't mess with someone who's been doing regulation pushups in wet grass at 5:30 a.m.; 6. walked across Northern England with best friend Sally--over 80 miles from the Irish to North Seas; and 7. travelled to many foreign countries for pleasure and work.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Honest Scraps


Debs , my U.K. (as in I can see the coast of Normandy from my bedroom window) blog buddy, gave me and Summit Musings this intriguing Honest Scrap award. At first I had no idea where the term "honest scrap" originated. Was it English slang? Nope. After a bit of googling, I found out that Honest Scrap was a brand name for chewing tobacco produced in the U.S. from 1890-1920s, possibly in Cleveland, Ohio.


I live in Kentucky, a major tobacco producing state. So, in this google search I was intrigued to run across an obscure legal clarification of the term "scrap" provided to the Louisville Brown and Williamson Tobacco Company from the U.S. Office of Tariffs. According to Mr. Tariff Lawyer, "scrap" is the reusable sweepings from the floors of tobacco processing plants--mostly stems and bits of leaves left over from making cigarettes. Scraps are processed into chewing tobaccos such as Honest Scrap, Redman, Beechnut. Another good reason not to smoke!

But now, back to the Honest Scrap Award from Debs. She asks her award recipients to share ten facts about themselves that may not be common knowledge. So, in no particular order, here are my Honest Scraps:
1. The first live play I saw on Broadway (late 60s) was Funny Girl, starring Barbra Streisand. Our seats were right in front of the orchestra pit, so we watched the boys in the band read books, newspapers, magazines until it was time to play some music.

2. I like people. I LOVE dogs.

3. I've visited over 20 foreign countries. Most exotic Caribbean islands, New Zealand and Ukraine.

4. I was robbed at gun point in a convenience store late one night. Moral of the story: wait until daylight to see if the latest issue of Glamour Magazine is on the newsstand.

5. I have a lightly used undergraduate degree in home economics. Totally out of left field. Thank goodness there's also majors in English, American literature, and adult education.

6. I had ONE date with a New York Yankee baseball pitcher, a rookie from Phoenix, Arizona. We had dinner, movies and then shopped for him--a shirt and tie, I think. Sad note: his citizenship may be questioned in Arizona today. . .

7. My best feature? Kind eyes.

8. I despise meanness and intolerance in the name of religion. There's enough room in this world for differences.

9. I've never spent a single night in a hospital, not even an emergency run.

10. I never traveled out of my home county in eastern Kentucky until I was a senior in high school. First time in town, the streetlight shining in my bedroom kept me awake.

So Debs, there you have my "honest scraps". Now I'm supposed to pass this award along to five other bloggers. How about we change the rules a bit? If you'd like to share some of your deep history with us, consider this award yours!


Just for fun update: I found this baseball card for my New York Yankee dream date. :-) Gil Blanco was just a teen when the Yankees signed him in 1965. I met him in the summer 1966. Can you see why this college girl was excited?

8 comments:

Gattina said...

Are you kind or your eyes only, lol ?

Jan n Jer said...

Wow Faye...thanks for sharing your scraps...I already know your a kind person and I am so glad your my blogging buddy!

Molly said...

You have given an interesting bit of Honest Scraps. In reference to tobacco, I keep wondering what Dishonest Scraps might be.

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

Oh wow! You saw Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl? That's so incredible.

I can definitely see why you were excited to go out with your New York Yankee too.x

Swampwitch said...

Congratulations ! Scraps ? Reminds me of quilt scraps...what a beautiful piece when all those scraps are stitched together.
~sWaMpY~

Living Life said...

Those are some amazing facts about you Faye. Some of them I am well aware of like your kind eyes. Not only are your eyes kind, but you have a very kind heart too! And I also know that you LOVE dogs! I am impressed by your "Yankee date". What a neat memory!

p.s. Cooper says hello! And in response to your question about my yard saleing...I usually go on Fridays and usually on a whim. Yard Sales in PA are on every block! lol

Have a great week Faye!!!

Lane Mathias said...

Those are some very fascinating 'scraps'. Gunpoint? oh my, that must have been harrowing.

I can see why a college girl would have been happy with that date. 'Dreamboat'. Isn't that what they call faces like that in old US sitcoms?

And I totally agree with your no.2

Swampwitch said...

FYI: Re: Your comment at my place today...we went to Greece and Turkey THIS trip...stay tuned. Those pics will be up sometime...sOoN...?
~sWaMpY~