Darby_Crenshaw said:

although thermometers and hygrometers aren't anything new, they likely didn't measure anyway.  

Most of the time my grandfather did not measure temp or humidity. The closest I ever came to seeing him measure humidity was in the late winter when he was salt curing hams. While he could not get a actual "percent" or number reading, he gauged the humidity and his next step in the curing process by how much water built up on the glass windows when the inside of the house was 70 degrees. Crude? Absolutley it is. But it worked for him. I don't even pretend to know how he made his determination. But I saw him do this many times when I was a young lad. I never asked him, but looking back I wish that I would have, he only done this when salting hams. He never concerned himself with it that I remember for anything else. I know that he had a reason, I just don't know what it was. And all kidding aside, the above is honestly true about him reading the water on the windows. It's not some of my made up horseplay.  

Canugghead said:

@SGH gotta love how our elders did things in the bygone days ... 

Agreed^^^^^^^. All this has me thinking and reminiscing about some of the stuff I remember seeing my grandfather do. I'm going to do some research and ask some of the old timers that I know about the window/water trick. It was always this month and next month that I helped my grandfather. Sure wish I could see the old rascal just one more time. I really miss him to this day. Like myself, he was a uneducated man. But he could have written volumes (if he would have knew how to write) on meat processing and curing and held his own with even the most respected meat processors and curists. 

tfhanson said:

Scottie, you seem pretty educated to me....

Brother that's mighty kind of you and I really appreciate it. But I have never tried to hide the fact that I left school in the 9th grade. I probably project a illusion of being educated because i possess a decent working knowledge of breaking and processing meat. However the truth is, the little that I know comes from hands on experience and years of working with meat and out of redundancy. I have no formal training or education at all my friend. Pretty much everything that I can do (and it's not really that much) comes from working with my grandfather when I was a kid. When the other kids were playing sports or games, I was forced to cut meat or help with the slaughter. Not that I'm complaining, quite the contrary, but I had a rough start in life. Things didn't turn good for me until I was in my late 30's. Most of things that I do know a little about is because i spent years actually doing them as a child. By the time I was 10, I had already slaughtered more hogs and goats than most people will slaughter in their entire life. We all have certain strengths and weaknesses. I can help people with breaking and processing meat simply because I have a lifetime of experience doing it. Not a education though my friend. But again, I truly appreciate the very kind and thoughtful words my brother. 

Fellows I just discovered that it wasn't the imitation calamari that got my slaughter thread buffaloed. A few people complained about the head shot and the cut throat pics. Oh well. I forewarned of graphic images in the title. You would think that folks would just bypass it instead of reporting it as abuse. 

Darby_Crenshaw said:

@SGH  didn't they give you the ok to post the slaughter pics? I thought you contacted them and everything was cool?

Yes sir, they did. But it came with restrictions. A few people complained about the head shot and the cut throat pics. Oh well, I may try it again.