Dusting off the cover of a bound volume from 1992, I flipped old pages of The Daily Leader until I found my Great Grandfather’s obituary. “He was retired from Kellwood Co. in Summit and was a retired farmer.” I was curious what Grady did for a living because lately I’ve begun thinking about planting a garden and remembered some people telling me he owned a tractor. 

I asked my grandmother “What on earth did Grady Wallace farm,” this weekend at our Wallace Family Reunion. She told me about the fields of corn, cotton, watermelons, the chickens, cows and hogs they had. Most of the food they grew was to be eaten at home and not sold at market. A smokehouse was in the back yard and preserved the one or two hogs they slaughtered each year. 

Grady worked at Kellwood Co. in Summit as did a large portion of the Wallace family back then. My Meme said she met my grandfather there while working in the office. 

What is neat is you can look through The Daily Leader and see obituaries, birth announcements, anniversary announcements and wedding announcements through the years. They help tell a story and will likely survive in the print bound volumes or on microfilm unless there is a nuclear fallout. Sometimes the old submitted photos and announcements help answer questions you might have. Our Outdoor’s page had pictures of men and women celebrating their successful hunting or fishing trip in the 1990s.

A lot has changed over the years. Facebook, the internet and other technological advancements have made life convenient but have we ever asked ourselves what we sacrifice when we choose convenience? 

I try to forgo convenience when I can. I might go through a cashier line at the grocery store instead of self checkout, or clear an area for a food plot by hand using a garden hoe. It might take a little longer but it means a lot more. 

There is still value in the “old fashioned,” ways. Nothing is more rewarding to me than working the land by hand, experiencing nature or holding the physical form of the newspaper as I read about yesteryear. 

Technology is great and I’m more than appreciative of the fact I can drive to work, write stories in an air conditioned office and post stories quickly to the web. I am also thankful I don’t have to hunt and farm to feed myself because it truly is back breaking work. Instead, I can work, get paid and go to the store to buy what I need with a sense of security. 

But what if the internet, social media, and technology stop working. Where will your digital photos of birthdays, weddings and announcements go? 

I believe there is still value in utilizing our analog platform to share about our lives. It is great you can access things online but there is something special about holding old pictures or newspaper clippings while standing around a table reminiscing with family. I encourage people to submit wedding, anniversary, birth and engagement announcements to The Daily Leader. 

Did you win an award, catch a big fish or have the hunt of a lifetime, share it with us. Not only can The Daily Leader share these online but it will be included in print and saved in the archives for decades to come. It might come in handy one day. 

As for me, I fully plan to grow a garden of potatoes and onions. If we ever go into a great depression again, a simple country life sounds pretty good to me.