Author Archives: CharlieClaywell

About CharlieClaywell

I have been a writer for years, mainly as a reporter, but I have always enjoyed history, especially non-mainstream stories buried inside old documents. My blog mostly centers around those stories. On occasion, though, I deviate and talk about my dog, vintage toys and what it's like to be middle-aged.

Living A Country Year Is A Nice Relaxing Read

Posted on November 20, 2014 by CharlieClaywell

Some books are just relaxing to read and that’s the case with Living a Country Year: Wit and Wisdom from the Good Old Days by Jerry Apps. The book is 12 chapters longs — one for each month of the year.

Each chapter begins with a interesting, and usually refreshing, story from Apps’ childhood days as the son of a Wisconsin farmer. He reminisces about the family pony, ice fishing, polio, and the two-week long ‘potato vacation’ he received each fall from school. The chapters also include a couple pages of quotes, snippets and vignettes one might find inside an Old Farmer’s Almanac — and a country recipe.

At just over 200 pages, it’s a perfect weekend read — especially as the colder weather triggers memories of those good old days.

Rated: 5 out of 5. I intentionally chose to not disclose much about the contents of the book because I did not want to spoil the reader’s first experience with the text. But some of the old quotes are priceless. Here is one:

No work is so important as to prevent a day’s fishing through the ice.

Categories: American History, Books I have read

Rare 3M Bookshelf Game Sells for $725

Posted on November 17, 2014 by CharlieClaywell

During the 1960s 3M (the company that gave us Post-It Notes) created a series of games known as Bookshelf Games. They were designed in such a way that all the playing pieces, boards and instruction fit in a box designed to be displayed on your bookshelf. The games ranged from strategy games to games of luck, but one game always attracts the attention of board game collectors: Jati.

Jati is sought after because it is extremely rare. The company never actually produced the game for public consumption, instead they manufactured a handful of games in 1965 and again in 1966 as reviewer copies and to test the viability of the strategic alignment game. Estimates vary on the number of games produced, but somewhere between 100 to 1,000 copies were created.

Even though games, like the one that recently sold on eBay, are in mint, unopened condition — should you stumble across one in an estate sale or flea market, it’s probably worth your time to purchase it.

To see other recently sold, high-priced board games, click here.

Categories: board games, Vintage Toys

Playing Educational Games Help Child to Be More Alert

Posted on November 15, 2014 by CharlieClaywell

Here is an interesting post on how online gaming may not be all bad.

Enjoying The Latest Entertainment

It may appear like a questionable subject to the popular belief of lots of moms and dads, kids in fact discover a lot advantage from extravagance in online video games, if properly kept an eye on and with correct small amounts. For numerous years, moms and dads have actually frowned due to their youngster’s involvement in these video games however what they do not know is that study has actually developed online video games are, in fact, beneficial towards the development of your child, Below shows some of that benefits:

1. You can make money as a reward
Numerous, if not all video games, have actually set a reward system upon reaching a specific level, being the best gamer on a particular game, or just passing a certain point. Due to benefit system, which is integrated in the majority of video games, more children who play video games feel encouraged…