Had a great time at Dinky’s Auction last Friday night. Huge place with hundreds of people there. Probably six simultaneous auctions happening across the three big buildings. Didn’t buy anything except a fish sandwich and sweet tea. Audio only because half the crowd were plain folks.
Posts in: local
I am thankful that, in 2026, a few anachronisms still exist in small town Indiana. Ladies and gentlemen, the White Steamer in Washington. Everyone clearly knows each other. Cash only. Menu on the wall with those black press-in letters. Old men at the bar talking about the weather. 10/10
At the top of Green Hill Cemetery. The wonderful stone carver memorial stands to the right and, up the next hill in the distance, stands St Vincent de Paul.
The local HVAC company we use puts out a newsletter with company news (like employee of the month) and a community calendar. It’s hokey and awesome. And, of course, the September issue has a persimmon pudding recipe.
Sometimes you’re so excited that it’s persimmon season in Lawrence County you eat persimmon pudding for breakfast.
We are now the proud owners of two burial plots in our town’s historic cemetery. Through a series of events, we actually got them for free. The cemetery holds some of my favorite examples of limestone carving. It was definitely the place we wanted to go. Bonus: the Owenses are there.
A word in favor of sticking
Marco Ament recently wrote something I have thought so many times over the years: If I learn today that my neighbors have political views that my “side” considers unacceptable and unforgivable, should I be able to have dinner at their house, shovel their snow, or even greet them outside? … Maybe we were better off before we knew everyone’s hot takes on everything It also reminds me of this passage from Wendell Berry’s The Need to Be Whole.
We went to a ceremony dedicating a new grave marker for Rebecca Dillingham Dewey (1788-1826), the first burial in what is now Green Hill Cemetery. Two hundred years ago. I’m grateful there are still people around for whom this stuff still matters.
Dividing the year
We’re in a heat wave right when the Abel house wants to start feeling spooky, so I’m thinking about seasons again. Here in southern Indiana, we have a relatively balanced year. Our summers are hotter than our winters are cold but such is the world at this point. I divide up the year in the following way, based on natural patterns rather than holidays or equinoxes/solstices. Spring March through May
I still really like this post from three years ago, in which I did some investigating/speculating into the impact “new” highway 37 had on our town.