Jack and Zack and the Sickle and the Sieve
Last time Zack was dragging me off to see...of all things, old farm equipment; as if we hadn't seen that sort of thing before, being born on a farm! BUT, some of this was really old -a wood thing with iron spikes sticking out- and used by early settlers to break up the soil. No, the thing he had spotted was a sickle in a tree - yes, really IN a tree..at some time a farmer had hung his sickle in a tree and forgotten it , leaving it there for years and years so that the tree grew round it. Wonder who he was and what made him do that?
Now here is a winnowing sieve with grain on it -- perhaps if we lie on our back and balance the sieve on our hooves we...can...toss the grain so the chaff blows away and the grain falls back on the sieve....ouch....the grain has gone in my eyes and - everywhere I guess. What a mess - it's scrunching under our hooves. There are some huge ox yokes - don't know how they worked with that weight on their shoulders -poor creatures...(guess we are related to them). 
It is as much as we can do to push around a wooden, hand- made thing for sowing seeds - it's a bit wooobbblllyyy -oops - oh well. Ah, here we go - it's a thing for....winding wool? Anyway we can spin it round and round and round -yippee - oh, hmmm ...it hit a stuffed lamb standing next to it, and the lamb has shot off and landed where we... can't... reach...it... That's going to puzzle someone - I expect...what's that? We heard a voice.....coming from a dark area round the corner...there is not meant to be anyone here....I can feel Zack shaking and his hooves are clattering on the floor (mine aren't of course)...we want to hide - he is trying to go one way but I have a better place...in with the fossil models - the 'voice' will think we are part of the display.
Silence! I think it is safe to move - carefully - shhhhhhh. We can creep toward the voice and the dark patch. I'm ashamed to say we feel a bit nervous...because there shouldn't be anyone here...
"Hullo there...I'm Boiler Bob. I've lived behind ......" MooooOOOOOOOOO!
Jack and Zack and the Snowshoes
Zack saw them first - the big wood rectangular shapes with a narrow bit at one end….they are hanging on the wall. If one of us stands on our legs the other might be able to read what they are…whoops….steady there…..snowshoes? It says they are snowshoes. Hmm. If we could get on to them it would certainly stop us sinking into the snow - when it comes. I think we would have to put them on sideways, with the narrow bit sticking out at the side- I put my hooves on one and Zack uses the other, then we could sort of jump along …Hmmmm. Perhaps we could use one as a slide - with all 4 hooves on it and find a slope to go down…. Those snowshoes are rather big and heavy - hard work to use. We fancy the thick wool breeches seen there; if men aren’t wearing them - we will!
Jack and Zack and the Stove
Hi there - We found a stove - well Zack did really, and I wasn’t far behind! We found it interesting because it was made near here at a foundry in Brule. The foundry started some time in the 1860’s and produced all kinds of things from farm tools to school desks, and…stoves. This one is quite handsome with places for pots and pans, and doors opening to ovens; places for irons to heat up (no electricity in those days). There is a shelf underneath - we heard someone say that weakly newborn lambs would be placed on the shelf near the heat to help them survive - and in very cold weather even a new born baby might be placed there. That’s a bit scary…suppose you forgot and left it too long! Moooo.
Jack and Zack and the Tartan
It’s us again – Jack and Zack - and look what we found! We both want to wear something like that …we would probably have to take it in turns to wear the kilt, and the jacket could be a problem but we like the sporran and the ‘thing’ flung over the shoulder! We found out that lots of people in this area had ancestors who came from Scotland quite a long time ago...they had ‘Mac’ as part of their surnames. We think MacZack and MacJack would be good. We heard someone wondering what the tartan was….now we have to find out…perhaps someone in the Archives will know, or we will have to listen carefully when visitors go round the exhibits – let you know next week, and perhaps who wore it!
Jack and Zack and the Toys
Zack has just found a little glass display case of old toys...he keeps trying to open it because he wants to look at the book, and try using the marbles... it says they are made of stone! That's odd 'cause the ones in the gift shop are made of glass...oh well. Perhaps it is because they are old. I want the little bath... I could put one hoof at a time in it - maybe. And I rather fancy the little stove - wonder if it works...I could cuddle it when it gets cold. But it is no good. We cannot get in to the case and it is too high for us to break by jumping on it . Bother - we will just have to look for something else to do....Zack - what do you think THAT is.....?
Jack and Zack and the Washing Machine
You know, Zack and I thought we would have a bath! We found this ‘thing’ that said it was a ‘washer‘….we climbed in but it was full of funny bits of wood that moved up and down - so there wasn’t room for us as well….and there wasn’t any water…and we didn’t know what the handle on the side was used for. So it was a bit of a disappointment…but then we realized it was a clothes washer and the wood bits moved up and down bashing the clothes in the water when the lower handle was turned. And the roller bits at the top were for putting clothes through to get the water out when that handle was turned. Someone said it was a mangle…I tell you, it certainly would have mangled us if we had used it….makes me feel funny to think of my legs being squelched like that. Don’t think we will try for another bath. Anyway it would be awfully tiring filling the machine with water and emptying it. l think we will find a stream or pond....or we could go in the river behind the heritage building...Yes!
Jack and Zack and Traps and Horns!
It’s Jack and Zack…we had a bit of a scare - we nearly walked into the bear trap - luckily the teeth were closed - but what a nasty, cruel way to catch any animal….we heard that at one time people were trapped that way too. Gamekeepers set the traps to catch men who were hunting illegally on private property. Just imagine creeping along when - zap .. and the trap closes round your leg….but Zack forgot all this because he saw the pistol on display and wants to pretend to be a Highwayman…I don’t know how he intends to do this and carry a powder horn…made from a …cow’s horn!
That's not very nice, after all we are related to cows! I said he should use the metal powder case (on the right in the photo), or the shot case (on the left; the horns are underneath). Powder and shot were used before bullets came along, but it all sounds a bit too complicated to me. Well I am not going to do it, so he will have to go alone - but he can’t without me….so there! I bet he will sulk…but I am going to have a sleep before we go exploring again.
Zack and Jack on Stage
Hullo - It's Jack and Zack again. We think we have done most of the museum! Probably lots of things we have missed, but never mind -you will have got some idea of what it is like here. Now we want to go outside; if we are very clever (which of course we are) we should be able to slip out of the back door when no-one is looking. They are all too busy to miss us....so...here we go! Luckily the floor has carpet so our hooves won't make a noise...oh dear - there is a fly screen, but if we push our noses hard at the bottom - a bit of net is torn....oops....perhaps they will not notice. The rip in the net is quite a bit larger now...we're through....and there is a flight of steps; we both want to go first...perhaps we can go sideways. Careful - there are people working in a large shed with sliding doors. Cannot think what they are doing so must get nearer...if we creep behind this other structure - what is it? There's a raised wood platform with a wood wall at the back which has railings set in it and there is a roof but no proper sides......oooeeer.... someone's coming...lie down Zack, perhaps they won't see us. It's a man and he has walked to the middle of the platform, turned and raised one arm, and held the other out in front...what on......he's shouting something.... "Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears...I come to bury Caesar not to praise him..." Who is he talking to? We are not his friends, and what are Romans? And we are calves not countrymen...we don't care who he buries so long as he goes away.... Oh, there are a couple of people listening to him..."That's fine Fred, we can hear you easily. Is the poster large enough? Good - see you at the rehearsal." What poster? What rehearsal? Good, they're going - now we can see what they were talking about. One, two, three and we can jump on to the platform...there's the poster..."BARD BY THE BAY", The Senator Stage, Creamery Square, Tatamagouche, September 6th and ' The Year of Her Majesty's Reign' 4 of the clock. Bring your own seat!" That's here...Zack - we are on a stage...we can prance and mooooooo and our hooves will make tap, tap noises ...yippee. We can perform! Oops - we forgot the men in the shed, so must hide again - bother. They look a bit puzzled - thought they heard a cow. Perhaps they will go soon....hmmm...some good grass here - excuse us while we munch and think about what we do on stage..to be a calf or not to be a calf, that is the question.
Zack & Jack, the two-headed calf
Phew …it’s really hot here today; I can just see the water of the Waughs River through the open door.. and it makes me feel thirsty. Zack is moaning about the ‘nasty thing ‘hanging above his head. He says the twisted metal spike on the end looks like an instrument of torture and it could be forced into his body.
Oh he is silly – if he listened he would know that actually it is for breaking up the last bits of sugar at the bottom of a barrel – beyond arms reach -OR- it is for lifting the last apples from a barrel. We hear it is a little unusual. I would like to have a go – if I didn’t have hooves, and I had a barrel with something in it to lift out.
Tonight when no-one is around, we are going exploring – who knows what we will find! Tell you later.
See you, Jack.
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