Batten Down the Hatches!

Dear Diary,

The sun may be shinning but it is very cold and the wind was blowing a gale.  Things will deteriorate today and another storm is coming but mostly rain (she says with fingers crossed!)  Evidence of all our winter storms is everywhere you look.  This is an old one room school house down the road from me.  It is losing its metal roof.  While I was standing on the side of the road photographing it I could hear the banging.  Some brave soul will have to climb up there and re-nail it.

My little town used to have 12 little schools like this at one time.  Because of all the mountains, there had to be a lot of school houses.  They would open and close as needed according to the number of "scholars" needing to learn their A, B, C's.  The teachers boarded with local families and received a very tiny salary.  The door on the left goes to the outhouse, no plumbing inside of course.  Families were required to provide wood for the stove.

I read a long time ago that the amount of available knowledge doubles every five years.  I suspect that has accelerated now.  Then, basic skills of reading and writing, basic arithmetic and a little history and geography was all that was needed.  How things have changed...