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Joe and Nancy Stine celebrate the 38th year of their Rose Rock business 1971-2009

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

WE'RE THANKFUL FOR OUR LITTLE FRIENDS

By Norman Rockwell

THOSE WHO WANT THE RICHES OTHERS HAVE

Joe shared this old saying with me:  "Farmer: "I ain't land hongry, I jist want what jines  mine."

and this one:

ONE OF THE SIGNS AT A NAZI CONCENTRATION CAMP:

Arbienten Mach Frei     ("Work makes free.")  Somehow I don't think they meant what they said.

George Sand  1804 - 1876 quote:

"Guard well within yourself, that treasure, kindness.  Know how to give without hesitation, how to lose without regret, how to acquire without meanness." 

Sam Nance (my dad):

"I've got every cryin' dime I ever made."

Dessie Nance (my mother):

"You have to give if you want to get." and "The best way to defeat your enemies is to kill them with kindness."

This photo was made a few months before Dessie died.  Sam died in 1980.   They married in 1929, divorced about 1935 and got together again and remarried 1970.

FIREHOUSE ARTIST

We went after paint yesterday for the back of the Noble Museum at Home Depot.   Waiting for our paint, red for the door,  a young man was at the paint counter with his little girl, about three.  He was getting red paint and I asked him if he was painting a door also.   It turned out his best friend is the director of the Firehouse Art Center in Norman.  He is doing murals using big cans of latex paint, many two inch brushes and small roller brushes.   He showed me how he uses the small rollers to do outlines.

I told him we would be looking for his picture in the paper and he said it probably would be.  They are going to do a big mural at the Firehouse with the theme Noah's Ark.   Children will be able to contribute by painting animals.  A person could make a mural that way in their own home or business.   Sounds like a whole lot of fun to me!

OKLAHOMA TREASURE

This week's Oklahoma treasure has moved to Arizona, but my son is originally an Okie.   Ted saved an elderly man's life this week when he was making a food delivery.   Usually the man met him at the door, but that day, he didn't.  Knocking, Ted got no response, and went on in, finding the man dying from lack of oxygen.   Apparently his tank had run out.   He called 911 and the man was rushed to the hospital.   The company Ted works for gave him a commendation and writeup and the incident was the talk of the small town where it happened.  He was the hero of the day.   Thumbs up, Ted!  We're all proud of you.

Ted in the photo below and then wife Beth with granddaughter, Rachel.  A part time photographer, Ted did the photos himself.

FRUIT THIEF

Joe found a half eaten pear on the worktable today.  It had Penny the Pom's teethprints.   We have figured out she is jumping up on a chair and way up to this waist high table and eating our fruit.   At first we thought she got it off a lower table and made sure we didn't leave any on it, but this time the pear was still up there, incriminating evidence.   Funny thing is, how she did it without our noticing.   She's pretty doggone smart though.  Why she does this I do not know, because she has nutritious dog food out all the time and gets dog treats on a regular basis, plus occasional popcorn and chicken.   Maybe it's the thrill of the steal.  Future fruit will be in a cabinet with a door.   Let's see her open that.

YOU KNOW YOU'RE GETTING OLDER WHEN......

Your children start receiving AARP literature.

young women start to open doors for you.   Today at the post office when I was carrying nothing except my purse, that happened to me.   First she opened the outer door.   I started to the inner door, intending to hold it open for her, and she said, "Wait, I'll get that for you."   So I stood aside and enjoyed a moment of luxury as I tried to become use being an old lady.  

If she had known what I do on the weekends with sledgehammer, chisel, shovel and geology pick, she would have asked me to open the door for her.  It has occurred to me that some older people who are able bodied might take advantage of the help.  One day at Walmart last year, it was pouring rain and Joe went to get the car while I waited with the cart just outside the door.   I heard a young woman just inside bawling her husband out for not helping me get to the car and he came out. looking kind of sheepish and offered, but of course my help was on the way.  In this world it seems you only hear about the bad things, so it is refreshing to realize that many young people are caring for those who need it.

RED HAT LADY 1938

BOYNTON CONNECTIONS

Information for the Boynton, Oklahoma Historical Society

Roy Lee Mock, my grandfather,  owned a store at or near Boynton, Oklahoma.  He is pictured below in his filling station uniform.  His general store was combined with a filling station.  It was about 1936.  He is holding his daughter Betty June, from his second marriage.  If you look closely, you can see part of the filling station sign on the left.  It was, I believe, a Royal Crown sign, a brand for gasoline.  They may have lived next to the store.

  Below is Jessie, first wife of Roy L.Mock

Portrait of Roy L. Mock

STINE STORE NEAR BOYNTON

Below is the store and home of John Clarence Stine about 1925.  It was north of Boynton, 1 mi. S. of Hwy. 16 on Hwy., 62   It was the birthplace of James Harold 1925 and Joseph George 1928.  J. C. Stine sold the store to Virgil Dotson about 1930.   All that remains today, 2009, are a few bricks lying in the field.

     Below is a pic of the store I scanned this afternoon, which is closer up:

JOHN CLARENCE STINE

J. C. was born 1885 in Lincoln, Kansas, died 1965 in Muskogee.  This photo at his home and store at Yahola, Oklahoma, north of Boynton.

Below is Florence Timberlake Stine, wife of John Clarence Stine

VIRGIL DOTSON

He purchased the Stine store.  This photo 1935 courtesy of the Oklahoma Genealogy Society.  To view the web, search OKGenWeb.

HISTORY OF ALCATRAZ

If you live long enough, all kinds of people may cross your path.  For instance, we were watching the movie UNTOUCHABLES tonight and Joe reminded me we met Captain Philip Bergen of Alcatraz.  A resident of Noble, (a friend), introduced us at the museum.   Captain Bergen was on duty at the time Al Capone, Robert Stroud (the Birdman) and Machine Gun Kelly were there.  Captain Bergen was a friendly pleasant person.

Something disgusting about Al Capone is he had Syphilis and when he began to crack up, he smeared feces all of the walls of his cell.  Alcatraz was opened in 1934, the year I was born and is now a national park.   Captain Bergen's voice may be heard by tourists on a tape as they tour the place.  He died in Arizona 6-14-2002.  One of the things he remarked about the place is there was never any bad abuse of the prisoners and he also mentioned such a place of maximum security for criminals of the worst kind, is necessary.

JOE'S INDIAN

Below I have the blip about our trouble with the welding torch.  Without the flux I mentioned, he could not have made this little Indian we now have in our china cabinet.   (That, and a whole lot of patience.)

MICKEY ROONEY CONTINUES CAREER

Not a quitter, Mickey Rooney is still working as an actor at age 89 and has his 7th wife.   Asked how he managed this, he says "Positive thinking.   If you think you can, you can."  I think there is a lot to that.   On the other hand, it requires a lot of preventative measures to keep good health.

EAGLE WOLF

A visitor to the museum a few months ago, Eagle Wolf is now pursuing an active movie career.  A recent one is with John Malkovich.

NOW A CHEROKEE FILM ACTOR

C SPAN AND HOW THE WAR AFFECTED ABE LINCOLN 'S 1864 ELECTION

History professor Joseph Glatthaar, Univ. of Houston spoke on the subject.  He pointed out how Grant's decision to move west was a bad military action,  but apparently just before the election, he redeemed himself with better strategy.   We were entertained in between the interesting speaker's words with glimpses of the audience.  They were closeups of a man who with features similar to Lincoln who had mimicked his appearance by the trimming of his dark beard and hair.  The camera also focused on a man chewing on his thumbnail and a guy picking the right nostril of his nose, really digging in, but the camera quickly left him and went back to Lincoln a little later.   Apparently some of Lincoln's decisions were better than some of his leaders, but was criticized if he interfered too much with the military and not enough with domestic affairs, unfortunately.  In the end just before the election, the military did a better job, partly by improved strategy and partly by the use of repeating rifles.

Below is Lincoln at Antietan, Maryland with General George B. McClellan:

Mary Todd Lincoln:

General Grant:  In his case the old saying, "Go west, young man" was a bad decision.

 Abraham's aunt Sarah Lincoln, born 1727 married my six greats grandfather, William Boone, Sr. born 1724.   (father of Josiah Noah Boone) They lived in Pennsylvania.  He died in Maryland before she died in Pennsylvania, so I assume they may have moved to Maryland or he was there for some other reason when he became ill and died.  This information supplied years ago by a member of the Boone Society.

MYSTERY OF THE BIG RED APPLE

This morning we were visited by two older ladies.   One of  them asked me if we had a bird.   I said, "No, we don't.", wondering what in the world she was leading up to.   She said, "Well, you have an apple on your bathroom floor and  I was sitting there looking down at it and it looks like it was pecked by a bird, certainly not eaten by a human."    I said, "Well, maybe a visitor left it there."   Her friend said, "I saw it too!."

Going into the bathroom, there it was a few feet from the stool, a big beautiful red delicious apple.   However, it had been partially eaten.   As soon as I saw the bites, small half inch rectangular indentations, I knew who had been eating it.   Sometimes I give Penny a little piece of apple when she comes to my work table.  I knew those were her bite marks.    Also, when she gets a big treat, she heads off to another room where Crystal can't find her, so she won't have to share.   So it appears she climbed up on a chair, got the apple off a table and took it to the bathroom to eat.  Mystery solved............  And that was such a beautiful apple.  That's the culprit on the right.  She's the most intelligent dog we have had, seems almost human sometimes.  Crystal is more bossy and the leader.  Perhaps it's because she is five and Penny is about 1 1/2.

VICTORY GARDENS

During World War II, "Victory" gardens were planted to reduce the pressure brought on the public food supply because of the war.  People, even with apartments and small homes planted wherever they could find a little place for it.   It also helped the morale by making them feel they were helping with the war effort.   It occurred to me, with a poor economy, why not do the same, if a person has the time.   That's a problem we have,no time.   By the time we keep both the museum house and our home mowed and trimmed,  and dig rose rocks, there is no time left for a garden.   But for those who do, it's a nice option, besides the benefits, those home grown tomatoes and such.  

When my children were little they were each given a square of yard to grow seed.   Their lettuce and such came up and to this day they are interested in growing things.   There's a lot of satisfaction in it.  Below is a victory garden poster, World War II.

Do you ever talk to strangers?   You can learn a lot, I've noticed recently.   For instance, I was in a fabric store  waiting to check out and there was an interesting looking man with a lot of luxurious fabric of velvets and such.   Curious,  I asked him if he was making draperies.   He was a friendly sort and told me he was buying them for costumes for the THREE MUSKETEERS PLAY AT O. U.   He said it would be in production in November.  This morning Joe picked up the newspaper and there was this guy's picture.  He remembered my story about it and asked me if this was the man and it was.  His name is Mike Buchwald.  Turned out he wasn't a mere errand runner to buy fabric, but was a professor in the school of drama at O. U.   He is now about ready to retire.  What an interesting life he must have led!

PISTOL PETE

This is Frank Eaton aka Pistol Pete and mascot of Oklahoma State University with his daughter (no name on photo)

Frank claimed to be raised by Indians, crossed the Chisholm Trail many times with Jim Chisholm.  His eyes were crossed but used the guns strapped to his waist, not just decorations.  This photo and info was submitted by Gwynn Hayden.  She said she use to pass by his house and see him sitting on the porch braiding his hair.  Frank was a Deputy U. S. Marshal in Indian Territory, born 1860 and lived in Perkins, Oklahoma.

I mentioned all this to Joe and he reminded me he made a wedding ring for Frank's granddaughter years ago when she worked with me at DHS.  I would have a lot of questions for her if I was still in contact.    This photo was made at Cowboy Hill according to a note on the back, place unknown.

The "real" Pistol Pete a.k.a. Frank Eaton

What: Known as "Pistol Pete" for his gun-totin' skills, Francis Boardman Eaton was a deputy U.S. marshal in Indian Territory. Born in 1860, the Perkins, Okla. resident was one of the wild west's most colorful characters.

When: As a boy, young Frank witnessed the murder of his father, a Yankee, at the hands of six Confederate outlaws. Vowing to avenge the murder of his "pa," Eaton became an expert marksman by the time he was a teenager. True to his word, he tracked down and killed all but one of his father's assailants in true gunslinger style. The final desperado died before Eaton could get to him, but the ever-vigilant marshal attended the man's funeral anyway, just to make sure he was dead. Eaton, who lived to be 97, recalled this quest for frontier justice and other fabulous tales in his 1952 autobiography, Veteran of the Old West.

Why: In 1923, a growing number of Oklahoma A&M students were becoming dissatisfied with using a Tiger mascot, which had been copied from Princeton. After all, "Hold that Tiger" didn't represent the spirit of Oklahoma. When the students spotted the colorful Eaton leading Stillwater's Armistice Day parade on horseback, the idea for a new mascot was born. The rugged cowboy's likeness soon became a classic symbol of the university, complete with Eaton's trademark mustache and 10-gallon hat.

Today: In 1984, OSU officially sanctioned the cartoon emblem and "Pistol Pete" moniker, preventing unauthorized use of the popular symbols. For more than 70 years, the student body, alumni, faculty and fans of Oklahoma State have been a part of Frank Eaton's rich legacy. And here on the information superhighway, the legend lives on. Ride `em, Cowboy!

CARDINAL IN LOVE

This male cardinal thinks our car mirror is a possible mate and we have made sleeves to keep off the mess.   We took them off to get this series of pictures with our good camera and telephoto lens.  We had to take them through a window, so they are a little fuzzy.

"Hey, sweetie, why don't you come out of there and I'll sing you a tune!"

Hey, can't a fella get some privacy around here?

Okay, so we'll have a little staring contest!

FLORIDIAN CUTIES

These little maltese dogs were so cute we just had to get a picture!  Their owners, Jim and Jo Ann Ebeling,  were very nice and we enjoyed our visit with them.  Look at that pretty Florida tan they have!  The little dogs are groomed by a lady who works for a professional for show dogs.   The little one on the left was a rescue dog and her name is Lilly.  She was in bad shape when they got her, but look at her now!  The dog on the right is Weezy. They are so well behaved it's downright amazing.   They sat quietly in their arms and I got to hold Lilly.  I guess you could call them "Little dog angels".

Sean is a perfectionist with his work and adds extra detail.  We are going to miss hin when he finishes.

One of my all time favorite pet pics, Sherri's little Sabra

OUR ROSE ROCKS ARE FOR THE BIRDS TOO

Jess Parker brought her birds, Twizzle, Charly and Zevon to visit us last week before going on a trip.   They ride on her shoulders and arms.  Twizzle:  "Gee guys, couldn't you scoot over a little bit?" 

Zevon, nicknamed "Z" for short,  shows off for us a little.   Jess has had him the longest and he seems the most tame.  He walked up my arm quite readily.  The red one, Charly has been with her only a few months and was not treated well, so she is working with him to help him recover.

 "You think I'm cute?    Aww,  gee!  I don't know what to say!"

Rescue cats bond together

HOWLING HARMONICA 

 Youtube production by Debbie Teague,  photography by Nancy Stine, Actors are Joe Stine and Penny and a small bit part by Crystal

COVER OF CITY OF NOBLE DIRECTORY 2009

It's Joe Stine, who else would be digging these rose rocks? (and using a geology pick)

THERE'S MORE TO THE SEA THAN FISH!

Rose rocks were formed when the sea covered the sand in Oklahoma in a vertical narrow strip across the center of the state.   One day several years ago, I saw small cylinders of rock-like material sticking up out of the ground kind of like little plants.  There were about a dozen and I plucked them out and took them to the museum.  Two palentologists identified them as being "worm bores".  Sea worms had burrowed into the sea mud and later the holes filled with calcite and they became a fossil.   They looked kind of like the one in the middle below in the photo before I plucked them out of the sand.

The clump on the left above is a small section of sea mud which also calcified and became a fossil.   On the right is a rose rock with the calcite material attached to one side.  This shows us the approximate time frame when the rose rocks were formed.  Many of the rocks in the area have this on them.  We know that in order for the material to be on the outside, the rocks had to form either before or during the time the sea was there. 

"Oh boy, oh boy, great snacks!"

OKLAHOMA STATE ROCK

Barite Rose Rock

This near perfect specimen was pulled out of an area of extremely hard sandstone and required many hard rains to remove it S. E. of Noble.  It was taken from a very small area.

OKLAHOMA STATE CRYSTAL

Hourglass selenite

This is the only place in the world that selenite crystals form with hourglass design.  Found in the northwest part of the state, the park was shutdown for collecting specimens when a child dug into some material that caused a burning sensation.  However, it has been cleaned and reopened this year.   It is open April through October.

ROSE ROCK COUNTRY VISITED IN NOVEMBER

Here is an area we had not visited in a year.  It is pretty wild country out there.  The first photo gives you an impression of what it is like.   See the rose rocks at the bottom of the photo.

ROSE ROCKS DUG 11/2007

This is a small sampling I grabbed out of a bucket and power washed before leaving the shop Monday.  It looks really promising.  They are from two to two and half inches across.

PHOTO OF A ROCK HEART

Joe power washed some rose rocks we brought in last weekend and this one, we thought was quite interesting.  We have a collection of little rose rock hearts in the museum to add this one to.  It is completely flat on the back.

The rose below is another treasure the rain provided.

Below is a portion of the Museum's diorama: 

Some rock diggings above.  It's work that requires some muscles.

The dark red smaller cluster in the middle, front was dug early this year.

Unusual cluster of rose rocks pictured below.  They are on display in the rose rock museum.

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The above rose rock and dogwood tree was made for the City of Noble about 1985 and is on display at the City Hall.  Noble is the official Rose Rock Capital of Oklahoma.  Joe did most of the structure and rose rock work while I did the porcelain enameling of the dogwood blossoms.  Debbie cut out each copper leaf by hand, wearing garden gloves.  Later we had a punch and die made so the leaves could be punched out.

Below is a really large rose rock cluster located south east of Noble.  The boys are grandchildren of the owner.

The same rose rock cluster in the 1800's:

The largest known rose rock cluster completely removed out of the ground is pictured above.  It is approx. 10 ft. long, owned by Steve Meints, Muskogee area.  You can get an idea of the size if you notice the tires which are underneath it.  It originated S. E. of Noble, Ok.  Another large one, about five feet long is located at Love's corporate headquarters in Oklahoma City.  It also came from S. E. of Noble.

Above is a scene from our diorama in the museum. 

  :

The photo above shows how the little rose rocks look as they come out of the sand.  Below is a near perfect rose.  It came from an area which is just about depleted.  They were in an embankment which was so hard it took many hard rains to reveal them.