Cold-Hearted Rake by Lisa Kleypas

Cold-Hearted Rake by Lisa Kleypas - 402 pages

Devon Ravenel has just inherited an earldom - something he has never wanted.  It's particularly bad as the estate is saddled with debt.  He plans on dismantling the estate and selling it but there is the little matter of the former earl's three innocent sisters and widow.  Can he manage to save the estate and win the heart of the widow Kathleen.

This was an unusual historical romance in that the main characters had very little interaction for probably 75% of the book.  I've read the second book in the series and it seems as if this book mainly serves as a set-up for rest of the books in the series -- introducing all the characters.

Bootstrapper: a Memoir by Mardi Jo Link

Bootstrapper: a Memoir by Mardi Jo Link published in 2013       258 pages
Mardi Jo Link has shared the worst time of her life in this book.
Financially broke, divorcing Mr. Wonderful, no steady job, three boys to raise, and awful things just keep happening.
Through it all she maintains her sanity and some bit of pride by relying on her three young sons and her faith in farm land.
Her story sounds familiar in that we all have been, or are going through, tough times. Mardi Jo Link demonstrates that as bad as things get, if you can find something solid to hang onto, you can live through just about anything.
I enjoyed the book, and I think you will too.

MSCHMITT--- Machines on the Farm by Sian Smith 22

 MSCHMITT--- Machines on the Farm by Sian Smith 22

This book teaches all about the machines on a farm and how they help farmers do their jobs. Plows help with planting, combines are used for harvesting, and forklifts help with moving large round bails of hay in the fields.

The Orchard and Vineyard of the West: A Description of Jefferson County, State of Missouri, Its Productions, Resources, and Advantages for Emigrants

The Orchard and Vineyard of the West: A Description of Jefferson County, State of Missouri, Its Productions, Resources, and Advantages for Emigrants

Compiled by the Jefferson County Emigration Society, 1867

8 pages

This informative booklet gives a glimpse of Jefferson County Missouri agricultural life in the year 1867. The book mentions the Iron Mountain Railroad that runs through the length of the county. Plus, Jefferson County is an easy day’s ride to St.  Louis, whose markets were always in need of supplies. Jefferson County had fine bridges at Le May Ferry and Fenton.

The hills were covered with useful timber, and three-fifths of the county is composed of high lands. These high lands were not first rate agricultural lands, but they have been proven to be adapted to the growth of all kinds of fruit including peach, apple, grape, strawberry, gooseberry, and blackberry.

The valleys produced about 60 bushels of corn or two tons of hay per acre. The booklet states, “Let an intelligent, educated farmer settle here, introduce better teams, better implements, more thorough cultivation, and combine stock raising with general farming, and we have no fears of the result.”

Lead mines were highlighted along with stock raising of cattle and sheep. The average winter temperature was 20 degrees. The average temperature in the Summer was eighty degrees. The extreme heat was 100 degrees.

In conclusion the booklet states, “Jefferson County has caught the spirit of the times, and is on the high road to progress. Her proximity to St. Louis, the great center of the Mississippi, her facilities for marketing her productions, her organized horticultural and agricultural societies, will not permit her fine lands to lie idle much longer… we invite all to come to our county and see for themselves, assuring every new-comer of kind, neighborly treatment, and a cordial welcome.”