"The New Yankee Workshop" wraps after 20 years on PBS!

Click here to hear the announcement from Norm.

My Dad was a Master carpenter, the kind of guy who could run a crew building wooden stair forms for fire stairs inside a condo and end up within a 1/4 inch on the 24th floor using a SLIDE RULE.. He also did trim work inside hundred thousand dollar offices. He died in 1982.

Norm's Show "THE NEW YANKEE WORKSHOP" Started in 1988, just about the time I had made my peace with the old man, rebuilt his old falling down shop into something I could use, and begun to really wrestle my own demons.

Over the years I've yelled at Norm having tools none of 'us' could afford, using gizmos when a hammer would have worked better and my favorite, screaming 'don't you have a laser-guided whatsis for that!!!' when he actually WOULD pickup a hammer.

See a very good Wiki entry here.

Old PBS shows never die as long as they pull bucks in begging for dollars weeks, but it won't be the same somehow.

More from the 'Peanutty' folks. It really was great to wander before the crowds got there, unescorted, getting in behind the scenes.

I'm keeping most of these in thumbnail size in the post to keep them from taking too long to load..., if you are interested click the slideshow to check them out.

Thanks,

Lloyd

***************Photo displays, looked like kids mostly. *******************

***************Pumpkin displays, by the kids. ***********************

***************inside the 'Huckster' area. *******************

I bought a new camera/shoulder bag from these folks. AMAZINGLY reasonable prices and they design and manufacture them themselves! My new bag was only $15.00. Go to the full sized shot and take a peek at the PRICES on these things..

If you are interested you can go to their website and order direct, free shipping over $50.00

The rest of the room wasn't quite as much fun except for the Sugar Glider guy and Randy the coin jeweler. Lots of product pushing, water systems, agribiz..

Still there were a few static displays from years past. Pretty well hidden though, and not too accessible.

and of course...

All in all, it was a fun thing to do. I am not sure I'd go again for awhile unless there was something I really wanted to see. I don't mind crowds, don't scare easily, and don't have that kind of deep seated fear that in a crowd it's not 'all about me' that some do, so I could go back. It's about an hours drive though...

Tara thought three things were really funny. As a special needs schoolteacher working with the autistic she has been VERY aware of the H1N1 procedures... when she saw THIS

and wondered just how many illnesses would be passed around.. they had these all over the grounds for people to munch on.

Her only other comment was a funny one, we walked past this carny's booth that was selling airbrushed license tags and she commented that (as people had started to filter in...), "there seem to be a lot of wannabee..."

here..."

"But most are really...."

Tough gal she is....

Hope y'all have enjoyed my trip to nowhere.

Last weekend at the National Peanut Festival I saw Randy Price, a coin jeweler.

He takes vintage American and foreign coins and using a tiny jewelers saw cuts out the outlines of the various embossed coin image. I saw items he had cut the indivivual NUMBERS of the dates out of the backgrounds.

Prices seemed quite reasonable, given the amount of laborius and exacting WORK involved.
See some examples below.

Target®: Archer Farms Premium Private Label Food Products

Like many people I tend to think of “store-brands” & “private-label” products as not being quite as good as the “name-brands” that are almost always more expensive. Recently, for the past 9 months, I have been part of a public health study that ahs been researching, evaluating & developing nutritional guidelines for and about “store-brands” & “private-label”  food products.

We have tested, tasted and used private/store brands from Winn-Dixie, Publix, Kroger, SweetBay, Wal-Mart & Target just to list a few. Many were very good, some where superb but only one of them ranked in the top 5% in each and every test category. I was curious so I began to research that particular “store-brand” a.k.a. "house-brand."

A I dug into my research I found that unlike many companies who simply buy “name-brand” seconds or have “name-brands” make their products for them to a slightly lower standard, this company only has their brand made to the very highest standard, following the strictest and most rigid guidelines and standards. They adhere to the American hearty Association’s guidelines and use no trans-fats, they follow the American Diabetes Association’s guidelines regarding excess carbs and they even follow the guidelines of the American Cancer Society regarding carcinogens, free radicals & boosting antioxidants. It was Target, an often maligned company, about whom many false things are spread among the populace. Further research has shown that those false things are just that proven to be so such organizations as Snopes, ItsTrue, etc.

Target has created, using only the finest ingredients, the Archer Farms premium food selection at much better pricing than the Big name grocery chains & the “brand-name” companies. Target offers an array of delicious foods for meals, entertaining & snacking at wallet-friendly prices. Archer Farms-labeled products are only available at Target® and SuperTarget® stores or from their on-line shopping site. In the stores Target provides shoppers with everything to stock a pantry, throw a huge party or a smaller one, and  so much more including a wide variety of the very best groceries, top-of-the-line quality cooking ingredients, excellent organic food choices, European-style baked goods & delicious frozen appetizers.

Archer Farms delivers on its “Everyday Incredible” promise, by combining & providing excellent savings with simple or extravagant food options for everyone and every budget. With prepared dishes and individual ingredients, Archer Farms is a natural choice for those looking to save time & money in the kitchen.

Healthy & Organic Products
The Archer Farms collection offers more than 100 delicious organic food choices. Starting from flatbread crackers, spicy organic salsa, whole grain pizzas, flavorful olive oil, tortilla chips, frozen fruit & hearty trail mixes, Archer Farms’ organic collection provides a wide variety of affordable as well as healthy organic food choices for shoppers.

Healthier Food Options
Archer Farms collection of products also offers a large number of products that allows shoppers to make smarter nutritional choices that are healthier than almost all of the other alternatives on the market. The line includes a number of whole grains, carbohydrate-modified, fat-modified, sugar-modified & nutritionally-fortified food products in order to meet individual nutritional needs. Pomegranate fruit bars, flaxseed bread, diet sugar-free peach soda & vanilla soymilk are only a small sampling of the healthier food options made available to us by Archer Farms.

Trans Fat Zero
In an ongoing effort to enable its shoppers in making smarter, more nutritious food decisions, Target actually reformulated the entire Archer Farms collection in 2008 to meet the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) standards for labeling items as zero-grams of added trans-fat. Shoppers now are finding Archer Farms products such as their triple berry pies, lemon cookies, blueberry muffins as well as their tiramisu desserts with zero grams of added trans fats. All done to insure that their products are the best available at a reasonable price for a health-conscious consumer!

Gourmet Standards
Target’s Archer Farms provides both the novice as well as the experienced chef with the quality foods and food products so necessary to prepare a meals to remember. Archer Farms offers for example, frozen appetizers for elegant soirees or casual get-togethers, for entertaining or just making a special meal for the family. Absolutely scrumptious & delectable appetizers cook at the same time & temperature in the oven for ease. You say that you don’t have time to cook? Target’s Archer Farms also offers ready-to-eat foods such as rye flaxseed crackers, rosemary & olive oil potato chips along with mission fig & kalamata olive spread just to suggest a few products that may be of interest to you.

Wake Ups!
A tasty breakfast prepared with Archer Farms products ensures that waking up is a nutritious as well as special wake up. Fruit slices & trail mix bars are a simple & quick on-the-run feast while vanilla bean crepe mix, orange blossom honey & a signature blend coffee allow for a more leisurely breakfast. Some other breakfast options include such goods such as croissant sticks, whole grain muffins & caramel rolls in addition to organic items such as hot instant cereal, fruit strips, cereals, teas & coffees.

Coffees & Teas
Archer Farms teas and coffees are only of the highest quality, produced by the most reputable firms and produced to the highest standards. Before deciding to install a 'house-brand' system at Target a lot of research was done. Many companies were examined and a number of them were found wanting. Target wanted only the very best for our customers! In the end a small group of companies were selected to produce goods bearing our 'house-brand' label, Archer Farms. Since the launching of Archer Farms. Target has continually received accolades for the quality and taste of their food products under that label. One company that has a lot to do with that success has been the Peerless Coffees & Teas Company, an Oakland, California-based company, with a superior record of producing coffees & teas of the highest quality and taste. Target is proud to sell their products under our Archer Farms label.

Accolades of Good Health
Archer farms label goods continually receive awards from such organizations as the American Heart Association, The American Diabetes Association, Pediatric Nutrition Council and many others for the healthy products we offer to the public.

Summation
No matter what you may have heard or what you think erroneously, Target’s house brand Archer farms products are simply the best, in taste, quality & price! One company cannot try as hard as they do, win as many awards & accolades as they do and not be the best at what they do.


Copyright © 2009 Donald R Houston, PhD. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the author's consent.