Scottish-American Pride

My friend Em posted this picture on her Facebook page. It was taken at the Carroll County (agricultural) Fair, which is was this weekend. Floyd is largely German but the surrounding counties have more Scottish and Scots-Irish ancestry. As you can see, some food preferences may be hard-wired in the genetic code of various ethnic groups.

I am told it was a popular concession.

Scottish connections

Ah, fairest of blogosphere connoisseurs, no reports of cats or plants today, in fact, not even reporting an event on the farm but rather what we are looking forward to attending. This weekend, there are TWO Scottish (not pan-Celtic) festivals within an hour's drive of the farm. The newspaper notice which is attached is the one we have decided NOT to attend. Instead, we'll head South to Ararat, Virginia, to the old J. E. B. Stuart (General, C.S.A.) homestead for the second annual Laurel Hill Highland Games and Festival. Did I ever mention how much this area reminds us so favourably of Fife? That includes the people, God bless 'em. Many descendants of the original Scottish settlers. (Did you know that Johnny Cash traced his family back to Strathmiglo, Fife?).

Mr. Fuzzy needs to get cracking to find the box with his kilts, dirks and bonnets!

When It Rains It Pours

Do you remember those reports of flooding in Scotland back in August? Here's a picture from the bottom of our road. That's the corner of our building in the middle ground. No worries about our wee hoosie... it was above the flooding and protected by a good wall along the park boundary. It must be said, however, that the news reports were not correct. The flooding in this location would have been directly caused by a "trash screen" installed in the stream several years ago just above our building. This is the second substantial flood caused by the failure of Fife Council to clear the collected refuse in a timely (and might I add, sanitary) manner.

Here, then, is news from our friends, the Goldsmiths, of the rest of the "flood" in Cupar and St. Andrews. Each of these small, local businesses were generally strong enterprise just four years ago.

Things are very slow here, with a lot of property on the market, particularly “2^nd houses” which have been hit by having to pay full local Council Tax, as well as the credit crunch. However, as Tannery Court is towards the lower end of the market – and above the floods! – it stands a chance of people down-sizing; particularly if the credit situation eases a bit. How is the Santa Fe place going?

Sorry to continue the gloom! Shops are closing almost daily, “Ian Joy” in St.Andrews is giving up the shop after 60 years, and Michael is just continuing as commercial photographer. The ladies’ woolly-shop opposite is in the hands of the Receivers, the Meal Shop (Rogers) in shut, although the Cupar one is surviving. Coffee Place in Greyfriars’ Street is closed. Cupar is struggling on, McColl’s newsagents is now a sandwich bar (that’s five in Cupar town centre – you can get a sandwich between visits to charity shops). The computer shop now also sells kitchen pots and pans. Megatronics, the computer experts in Methil, have shut – they used to be the biggest independent computer business in Scotland. And goodness knows what will happen with the banks … Bank of Scotland has been taken over by Lloyds TSB, and Bradford & Bingley has been nationalised; the Royal Bank of Scotland is struggling to keep it’s head above water. We are with the Clydesdale Bank, who are owned by an Australian bank, so fingers crossed …