Tidbit for December 6, 1999:
Shop The Old Farmer's Almanac
Okay... I'll admit it. One of my favorite sections of the millennium edition of The Old Farmer's Almanac is the "General Store," seven pages of small display ads near the back of the Almanac that feature quirky, unique mail order products, many of which I never would've dreamed existed. Though the Almanac has been published since 1792, you can tell from the General Store ads that it's definitely still viable as the Year 2000 approaches... almost all of the advertisers there include their Web site addresses!
If you're shopping for that hard-to-buy-for person that might just be delighted with a composting toilet, here's a quick tour of the Web sites of some of the Almanac's General Store advertisers:
Wireless Weather Stations
Want instant weather information at your fingertips without wires or cables?
You're in luck! Scientific Sales, Inc. advertises its wireless weather stations and
complete line of weather instruments in the Almanac's General Store. Explore their Web
site, or call 800-788-5666 for a free complete catalog.
The First Aid Kit of the Future
Sota Instruments, Inc. advertises alternative health products ranging from the
$76 Zapper to the $250 Magnetic Pulser. The ad says, "Brain Tuners also
available." Yikes!
Saw Your Own and Save
It slices... it dices. Well actually, it cuts logs up to 28" in diameter by
9 feet long! The $4,795 Wood-Mizer allows you to "saw your own lumber" and
"save money," plus, it's "easily transportable."
Big Bang Cannons
You'll be the big bang of your next 4th of July party. Or heck, the big bang of any
event with your very own Carbide Cannon from The Conestoga Co. Available in three sizes
priced from $59.95 to $139.95 postpaid, these authentic turn-of-the-century design cannons
are designed for "easy loading and firing." Check out these cool reproductions
online, or call 800 987-BANG for a free catalog.
Build Your Own Steel Buildings
SteelMaster advertises its "easy do-it-yourself construction" factory
direct steel buildings in its Almanac General Store ad. Select your steel building at
their Web site, or call toll free, 800 341-7007 for a free brochure.
Grow Organic!
Peaceful Valley Farm Supply sells more than 2,000 items for farmers and
gardeners--seeds, fertilizers, weed and pest control products, tools, books, and more. You
can request their free 128-page catalog at their Web site, or call toll free, 888
784-1722.
Rare Breeds
Murray McMurray Hatchery (great name!) is America's oldest rare breed
hatchery--no wonder they advertise in North America's oldest continuously published
periodical. With more than 140 varieties of baby chicks, bantams, turkeys, game birds,
peacocks, waterfowl, and guineas, plus books, equipment, eggs, and incubators--all
available for shipment to your doorstep--you'll never need to fight the crowds at the mall
to buy fowl again! Browse the hatchery's Web site or call toll free, 800 456-3280 for a
free catalog.
When the Bathtub Just Won't Do
Need a place to store your Y2K water supply? The Spruce Creek Company says its
attractive, 54-gallon rain barrels will do the trick! For $129.99 plus shipping and
handling, your barrel arrives fully assembled. Order online or call toll free, 800
940-0187.
Sudzy Clothes Washer
Advertised in the Almanac as "A modern hand washer for busy people,"
this old-fashioned gizmo from The SUDZY Company in Manchester, New Hampshire, will set you
back $12.95 according to the Almanac ad, but the Sudzy Web site says only $9.99. For that
price, they ought to wind up in all of your friends' stockings
this year! "Order and be happy," the ad says.
More Juice
"60% more juice from your apples," sounds like a good thing, I'd say!
Happy Valley Ranch says in its ad that its complete home cider press and fruit grinder
will "grind a bushel of whole apples in 5 minutes."
Now... just fill your rain barrel with some fresh-pressed cider, let it "ferment" whilst you plant your organic seeds, saw logs, and hand-scrub your clothes with the Sudzy, check the weather on your wireless weather station to make sure it'll be a clear night for shooting off your cannon, tuck the rare chicks into bed inside their steel house, and you ought to have a fine Year 2000. Oh... that is... if your brain is in tune.
Order your own copy of the Almanac and get more chuckles out of the General Store ads. The official Almanac.com Web site also has its own On-line General Store for you to explore.
Back to Farmer's Almanac Introduction
Archive of Farmer's Almanac 2000 Tidbits
More Weekly
Wisdom from Almanac.com
Visit the official Web site of The Old Farmer's Almanac for more weekly wisdom,
plus five-day and long-range weather forecasts for your area, recipes, historic facts, and
more.
Photograph of Farmer's Almanac 2000 by Kim Knox, copyright 1999.
