I finally completed the horrid task of cleaning my refrigerator. I clean it out weekly, scrub it down and take out what appear to be "science projects". They're really leftovers that Billy is suppose to be taking in his lunch but he forgets about. I absolutely hate this chore, it is definitly my least favorite. I then take all of the meat out of the freezer and scrub it down. My hands are pruney and cold by the time I get done. I think someone should invent a self-cleaning refrigerator. !!
My favorite chores are vacuuming and washing dishes. When we were making the plans for our new house, I requested that no dishwasher should be installed. People thought I was crazy. I don't know why, but I love washing dishes. I sure didn't when I was younger. My sisters and I had to wash dishes 2 nights a week when we lived with our dad and if we missed spots on several dishes he'd take EVERY single dish out of the cupboards and we'd have to wash EVERYTHING! Those were long nights.
We don't have a dishwasher any more.
Had one once, some 30+ years ago and found we didn't use it enough to make it worth our while.
Neither of us mind doing dishes.
Cleaning the refrigerator is something else, though.
Sometimes the food smells get in my throat and make me gag. I can taste smells.
To clean, then, I fill the sink with warm soapy water and Jim or the kids (when they're home) clean out the containers and throw the food away, putting the containers in the sink. I can wash them then.
My least favorite chore is dusting. I don't.
Well . . . not enough.
And with my Barbies and Smurfs and books, I should dust more often.
I'm trying to think what kind of household chores I like to perform! Let's see! Well, I don't know that I can think of anything that I really do just LOVE to do! There must be something! If I think of anything, I'll post it later!
You "girls" are really go-getters, and I really do admire you for that!
I've never had a dishwasher in my whole life (well, except when my kids were old enough to be "dishwashers"...LOL). We have one now but it's not installed and won't be until we get a kitchen built ... one of our many future projects. Of all the household chores, washing dishes is the one I don't mind doing. The exception to that would be a big greasy roasting pan from the Thanksgiving turkey. I don't like cleaning out the fridge either or cleaning a stovetop.
Cleaning a bathtub is a job I really hate (all that bending over to scrub the sides) and our plans are to have a nice bathroom with a large walk-in shower so we don't have to deal with a tub anymore.
Laundry is a lot more enjoyable now that we can hang clothes on the outdoor lines to dry. Ironing....well, we've got an ironing board somewhere (I think!)
Keeping floors clean is also easier now that we have Roombas (robot vaccuum cleaners), but I still have to use a regular vaccuum to get the stairs and baseboards. Our home would be a lot less messy if we didn't have cats, but we love our "girls" and it's worth the extra work.
Housework is a lot easier -- or at least not as unpleasant -- now that we have a living space that is more open and "on view" all the time. In the past, it was easy to neglect rooms that had doors you could close and didn't have to look at the mess all the time. We also eliminated a lot of "stuff" when we moved, which really cut down the amount of time spent polishing, dusting, etc.
I can honestly say that I am not a great housekeeper. Devyn know that, and I actually think that her son Lane probably runs that vacuum better than I do. I know that I have to keep it, but now that I have the daycare it becomes harder to keep both places as clean as I would like. I can't honestly think of one house hold chore that I really like to do. I would say that the worst is to probably tackle the girls rooms. I do make them clean with me, that has cut back on time alot. They are all old enough, and the oldest even does dishes. I have thought several times that I would like a dishwasher, but just don't know where I would put it in the house, so that is out.
I have decided that Devyn, being the master cleaner needs to just clean my house and the daycare!! Maybe she should just set up a housekeeping business. I know that her Aunt does several places around town. What do you think Devyn???? :-\ :-\ :-\
:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
This is an interesting topic. I don't mind doing the laundry, and I would much rather wash the dishes by hand, then to use the dishwasher... the only job that I would say I really hate is cleaning the bathroom... UGH.
I am very obsessive compulsive when it comes to my home. I have everything organized and in its place at all times! EVERYTHING is labeled in my house. The insides of my cabinet doors are labeled with what goes where. I know if someone has been in my kitchen or office that didn't belong there. LOL. I've always been this way. I vacuum my living room twice a day, once in the morning, and once at night. Even if no one has been in the house all day. I really don't mind cleaning the bathrooms, we have 2. It just makes me feel better when everything is clean. :-[ Even when I worked at Batson's, I was constantly dusting something.
If I had to pick something that I absolutely hated doing, it would be cleaning the mud room, cleaning Lane's "splatters" in his bathroom ;), and of course the refrigerator. The mud room just seems to be pointless to me. I can clean it up real nice, clean all the rugs, sweep and mop it and an hour later it's right back to where it was. Lane is potty training right now, so his aim is a little off...or sometimes a lot off. I HATE cleaning that up. Yuck ! And you all know how I feel about that dang fridge!
Sometime I'll take pictures of my pantry and cabinet's labels. But right now I've got to tame a toddler and get him dressed so I can get to work. !!
::) I forgot something....
I have cleaned for other people and would probably do it again. My aunt thoroughly enjoys it and has built up a number of regulars. When I cleaned for some people this last spring, I just kind of got lost. It bothers me not being able to do things my way, or put things the way I want. :laugh: I guess I'd have to get over that REAL fast.
Dishwashing by hand is the least thing I enjoying doing for housekeeping. I enjoy using a dishwasher, it hids the dirty dishes and a great storage for clean dishes. I enjoy cleaning refrigerators but not the bathroom. Dusting I don't mind but I have to wear a dustmask because of my allegeries.
I still iron. The loads are smaller of course, but this relaxes me.
I use to have a dish washer. I enjoyed having Bobby and Robyn and David and Terry doing them......LOL.
Told them if I was going to cook they would clean up...........
I did have a real dishwasher once but it didn't work and the best part of it is that it had a butcher block top and became storage in the kitchen.
I can't do the physical part of the cleaning any more...my get up and down, won't.........get up and down, and altho I do try I pay for that by not being able to move the next day or two.......so have a homemaker come in twice a month.
Least favorite is the oven...........glad I don't cook anymore and make messes, it does stay clean now.
When summer gets here I do garden, but I have gone to container gardening.....pots and pots of flowers. Feel I need some exercise.......LOL.
I USED to be almost as persnickety about my house as Devyn, when the kids were still at home. But I have laxed out a bit in my old age. LOL But I still change the sheets 2 times a week and get on my hands and knees every night to wipe my kitchen floor down.. ::) ::) ::) soooooo..
I still like a clean house and I keep it that way. My cupboards are organized but not labeled. but I don't mind doing any housework I like it in fact..always have.
BUT~~~
ohhh yeaa.... there is a but in there..
I HATE and I mean HATE and DETEST doing laundry. I'm better now. I used to really hate it more than I do now.. My mama and sister loved doing it.
My house was big and the washer and dryer were down in the basement. with a "hamper chute" that opened with a straight shot to the big basement commercial laundry hamper. ( This held LOTS of dirty clothes.. ( hence.. I didn't feel I had to do it as often :-[ ) Out of sight..out of mind..
And we had lots of clothes.. thank goodness. ::)
Mama and Sherri would listen to me grumble about being behind in laundry... so they would drop in and actually do some for me and take some home with them.. ( I am talking here... like ahhh being behind with 14-15 loads backed up.
Horrible.. :-[
I mean it.. I am embarrassed about it to this day.. but I HATED it! LOL LOL ;D ( Did I tell you all that already? HaHa)
I would rather have gone naked than have to do it. But like I said, Mark and I and the kids had lots of clothes.. and it's a good thing or we probably would have gone naked ;D
Anyway.. they would catch me up on it.. and I would swear I would keep it up after that and I would do good for awhile.. but then......................................................
And yes. I had 2 boys and a husband.. and they NEVER did laundry ..( didn't know how until they left home ) **I'm ashamed of that too. LOL**
Now they help do laundry. :) and so do I. I don't mind it as bad now and I keep it done up for the most part.. but I still despise it!
Other than the evil laundry, I love to do housework. I wash dishes by hand and don't mind cleaning the fridge or the bathroom or doing outside work.. I LOVE a clean organized house.. makes me happy.. :angel:
as far as housework goes, yep, I got some. My motto has always been "clean enough to be healthy, dirty enough to be comfortable". My biggest problem is "clutter" (the I'll put it away later syndrome). I do worry about tobacco smell (yes, Teresa, I still smoke) so I go through a lot of febreeze on the furniture, carpet and drapes. I can't smell it, but always afraid someone else can. Living alone I don't have a lot of laundry or dirt to clean up. I do have a dishwasher and only run it every 2 or 3 days, but I do enjoy it. Especially at holiday time. I want to be in with the company, not stuck in the kitchen washing dishes after I spent all morning cooking. Have a self cleaning oven, so no problem there. Now, if I could just find a current market for the penicillin that I am growing in the refrigerator, I'd do just great. Housework fascinates me, as the saying goes. I could just sit for hours and look at it. :angel:
About the only thing I really enjoy anmore is putting liquid gold on my oak furniture. It makes the wood look so pretty! Most of the other things cause my back to hurt.
Ok, after reading Teresa comments and Devyn I know that I am a terrible housekeeper. I don't like it and would rather be outside the house. I am however, trying to get more work out of the girls. I am trying to be better because I don't want them to be like me, when it comes to housework. When I was growing up, I didn't really have to do much cleaning, and I think that is why I don't like it now. I am better now that we moved to Granny and Grandpa's place, because they do come and check on how their old house is being taken care of. I respect that and them so I try to keep the place picked up. The only rooms that really need attention now are my room and the girls bedroom. I am so ashamed of the girls bedrooms that I am glad that they are upstairs. I am a packrat also. I need alittle of Teresa and Devyns organizational skills. I am getting better, but man it is hard. I commend Teresa and Devyn on their good housekeeping skills, Could you rub some off on me??? :-[ :-[
The dishwasher is the greatest invention on Earth!!! LOL!!! I washed dishes by hand for years. My boys would beg me to either play with them or watch them do something, and there I was chained to the sink. I love that I can now load the dishwasher, and then spend the remainder of my time hanging out with my guys!
I thought of something.....I really kind of enjoy doing the laundry! And, I don't mind doing the dishes. Even though we do use our dishwasher when we have "company" for lunch on Sunday, so have more dirty dishes to take care of. I'll have to admit that right now I'm enjoying the luxury of having someone clean house for me, every other week. I still work part-time, so I use some of the money I'm earning, to pay a housekeeper. And, it is a luxury! Kind of like "eating out!" When those of us who are of a different generation were raising our children, we didn't have the money to "eat out," and I've never gotten over the feeling that eating out is really something special.
I enjoy a clean house, too! When I lived by myself, my house was always clean and orderly and got cleaned once a week. Now that I live with a "boy" and we live in the country on a farm, my house cleaning has lapsed. Everything is still very neat and organized (except for hubby's desk...grrrrrrr), but I don't vacuum or sweep or clean the bathrooms as much as I should...but I don't have as much time as I used to, either (what happens when I get kids???). Laundry gets done every weekend, and my hubby usually does at least a couple of his own loads during the week.
But gals, I LOVE the dishwasher! I have a tall one, so I can fit almost EVERYTHING in it... and I do! Cookie sheets, mixing bowls, etc, etc. I can't stand to handwash! We had to do that for a year when we lived in town after we were first married. Once I got my dishwasher, everything went into it before going into my cabinets! Washed those tea stains right off everything. Maybe I wasn't a good handwasher, but I felt my dishes were much cleaner after the dishwasher took care of them.
I also love to organize things. I get that from my grandma. I usually can't start a project until I organize the room/area that I'll be working in first!
Well, I'm riding the fence on this one. I love having a clean house, but certainly don't work at it like some of you do! I don't mind doing dishes by hand, it's kind of soothing, but wouldn't give up my dishwasher. I feel a strong need to have my countertops cleaned off and if I didn't have a dishwasher I'd be washing & drying 10 times a day (or be irritated about it). As it is, I can stick random cups & bowls in and have my countertops & sink clean most of the time. This means that I do empty it promptly when it's finished ~ so I can put my latest coffee cup or drinking glass inside!
I don't like dusting; "Dust is a protective covering for furniture" don't you know! I actually only think about it when someone is over and I see them writing in the dust. "You may admire my dust, but don't write in it." HA! I don't like cleaning the bathroom, but really can't tolerate a dirty toilet, so I just do it and try not to think about it.
Laundry is okay, we got a new washer & dryer last month and it's almost fun now! We'll just see how long that lasts! I don't mind ironing really, but I'm not good at it so I make sure the clothes I buy are all washable and no-iron. Both my grandmothers did laundry for a living so you'd think I'd be good at it, but I never thought to have them teach me to iron. Come to think of it, my parents were both good at ironing all the dress ruffles when I was a kid, so maybe I'd better get one of them to teach me.
I don't like cleaning the refrigerator or the stove, and I put it off till they are really desperately UGH. By then it takes ages to get it cleaned up and put back together. Windows are the same, I can never get the streaks inside and out both; and there's never a stopping place so it's easier just not to start. I try to get them and cobwebs and wiping down the woodwork in one big job at least once a year. Floors are my worst chore though. I can sweep the entire house and feel really good about it, but it only lasts as long as the vacuum tracks in the carpeting ~ HA!
Quote from: Tobina Norris on March 04, 2008, 07:25:25 PMI enjoy a clean house, too! ... I usually can't start a project until I organize the room/area that I'll be working in first!
Boy! That sounds like me too. I want to devote a whole block of time to cleaning the entire house. I don't usually do a little at a time, which would be too easy!
I, too, like to make a big job of housekeeping, so let the whole thing go until it has to be done. Each to her own way.
I really don't mind any part of housekeeping. I don't enjoy it when I get 'way behind like when we moved and the ironing stacked up, or when I broke my wrist and couldn't use my right hand. But, here is a trick to cleaning self-cleaning ovens racks I found out about many years ago and it really works. Instead of cleaning the oven racks in the sink (or the bathtub as I've heard some people do). Take the racks out, put them in a heavy garbage bag. Spray Easy Off Oven Cleaner inside the bad, tie it up and leave it overnight. Take the racks out, hose them off and finish cleaning them, dry them off. If you leave the racks in the oven while it is cleaning, they will turn black. I like my racks to stay shiney.
Myrna
I clean my oven racks that way too, only I use amonia instead of oven cleaner, and just let the bag lie flat overnight in the driveway or somewhere it won't kill grass if you get a leak. It works great for me too (not that I clean the oven that often, see previous post ;) ) but I'll try Easy Off next time to see if it is better. Myrna, your way was the "recommened" method to clean all the stove parts when we moved into and out of married student housing at college. I couldn't figure out why the stove was so filthy when we moved in if they demanded that we clean it before we moved out... Such is life.
It sure is a lot easier than the way we used to have to do it. You know, though, housework as a whole is much easier. When I was growing up, it took all day to do the washing. Had to haul water, heat it, carry it to the washer (ringer type), had to make the starch, then had to let the clothes wash, ring them into the rinse water, ring them into the next rinse water, then starch what needed to be starched, and hang them on the line! Then, had to go get them from the line, fold them, and sprinkle the starched items to be ironed. Also, there are some great spray starches out now, and with a steam iron, it's no chore to iron. I love to make my husband's shirts and jeans looks great! Now, we put things in the washer, let it do the work, while we can do another part of the housework, and the same is the way with the dishwasher. I love the modern appliances! I don't put everything into my dishwasher, as I think some of the compounds are hard on some things, and have also lived in places where the water was so hard, it would build up lime on things, and I had to mix up several things to use to put in the dishwasher, or be sure that I could be there to put vinegar in the last rinse. Some of the spray starch now is great!
Things are much easier for me now, however, as our kids are all grown. Even with the modern appliances I used to come home from work, fix a meal, help with homework, get them off to bed, or take them to activities (baseball, softball, band, dance, etc.), and then put in another day with housework, mostly laundry and ironing, as I didn't want to run the sweeper and wake everyone. Saturday's were busy with kid's activities, Frank done the yard and cars, cleaned the garage, helped with their activities and I cleaned, baked and fixed meals for the coming week. I cooked nearly all day, as I could fix things and put in the freezer,come home on a lunch hour, set the timer on the oven, take things out of the freezer, and I had a meal started by the time I got home. I must admit, though, those were fun years, and even with the long days and short nights, it was well worth the effort. Sometimes after they were teenagers, when they would come in on Friday or Saturday nights, we would stay up and visit. We always heard them come in if we weren't up, and never knew how many would be sleeping in the den, and gameroom when we got up on Saturday or Sunday mornings. Frank always would fix "fried bread" (his family always made it on Sunday nights) and our kids all thought it was the best. They always wanted him to make it so they could let their friends share it. To this day, they want him to fix it when they are home and the grandkids like it too!
Myrna
Myrna, You did bring back memories with the laundry. Some of my most pleasant memories are washing and drying dishes with my mother. Also, doing laundry and hanging the clothes on the line. Beating the birds from the Mulberry tree to the clothes line was always a challenge. Cleaning chickens was another cherished memory with mother. Stinky but fun. And I had not thought about Fried Bread in years. We always had it because there was no toaster. Think I'll pop into the kitchen and have a snack of Fried Bread. Must use the cast iron for this. Thanks.
Ole Granny, you must be referring to making toast in a cast iron skillet. Frank's dad made biscuit dough, rolled it thin and cooked it on the grill at the cafe. On Sunday night, you never knew how many brother & sisters of Frank's and their kids would be there! Marion loved it and always had a big appetite ready. We sometimes had sausage or bacon with it too!
My mother made fried bread, but she used light bread dough and fried it in oil (like doughnuts). I used to make Indian Fried bread sometime. I worked with a lady from Barnsdall whe we lived here before who was part Native American and she told me how to make it.
Enjoy yours, we used to make it like that too, before we had a toaster, and always made it that way when we were camping with the kids!
Myrna
I remember dressing fryers too! We would eat a few along and then---the big day---worked all day! Dressed as many as 75-100. Dad would scald and help pick the feathers. Mom would singe and help us girls cut them them up. My brother would help make sure the pieces were sorted correctly to make a whole chicken. In later years, after Dad was gone, and I was away from home, the others changed out places (assigned details). Then, we would load up and take them to the locker plant to be frozen and put in the locker so we could enjoy them in the winter!
We didn't eat fried chicken for a few days after that, but sure tasted good later, and now it brings back lots of fun memories to remember those times.
Myrna, regarding the way we used to do "the washing," did you put "ball bluing" in your final rinse water? It's kind of amazing to me, that it seems like about all of us who grew up in the country, even through miles apart, had pretty much the same way of doing things! It was "Faultless Starch" that we'd use, the kind with powder that was mixed with hot (boiling?) water.
We would (of course) hang "like" items together, such as, first, sheets, then pillow cases, then towels, then washclothes, etc. I got to experience this not only before I was married, but also, long after I was married, as getting an "automatic washing machine" was something that we waited a long time for, due to our water situation in the country. Those were good days, as far as having our children home and having a wonderful life in the country, but I'm pretty sure I'd never want to go back to living that way! These "modern conveniences" are pretty doggoned nice!
Yes, Bonnie, we put bluing in the last rinse. Can't remember the name of it, but it was in a bottle, I believe. Yes, we used Fautless starch and cooked it on the stove. In fact, I used that after I was married too. Frank got my first automatic after we had been married about 4 or 5 years and I was pregnant with our first child. I still hung the wash on the line until after our second child was born. Frank's mother found a used dryer for $25 and we bought it. Even so, when the weather was nice I continued to hang out laundry until we moved to West Texas, if the weather permitted. When we moved out there, there was no clothesline and the backyard was too small to put one in and besides you never knew when the wind was going to come up and the sand would blow. I heard some horror stories about people living in the "oil camps" in the early days and having the laundry on the line. These were women who didn't work outside the home. Yes, we hung the sheets and pillow cases out first, done all the white, then the colors, and then the jeans, overalls, etc. When we lived in Western Kansas, Frank and I worked 2 jobs so he could go back to college and my youngest sister was with us too, as she was going to junior college. We had an elderly couple next door and he would tease that we were either awfully clean or awfully dirty as it seemed there was laundry on the line nearly every day!
We didn't know any different back then and frankly, didn't think anything about it.
When we lived here in Bartlesville the first time, Frank had to travel overseas quite a lot, so in the summer time, I had the kids, the house, the yard, the garden, etc. Many a night I stayed up until 2 or 3 or 4 making jelly, canning, freezing, etc. as I had to be at work the next morning at 8 and couldn't put it off until the next evening, or things would spoil. The boys were good to help shuck corn, pick strawberries, etc. Our daughter was born during that time, so she didn't get in on that!
Guess we all grew up in Elk County and things were pretty much the same for all of us! It seems like the 50's were the best of the best!
Frank just looked up the name of the bluing, as he could remember stocking the shelves in the grocery store with it. It was "Mrs. Stewart's Bluing"
We used Mrs. Stewart's Bluing. I think I remember it being in an opaque blue bottle. After my mother died and we were clearing out her house, I found a bottle of the bluing and brought it home with me just as a memory. It still sits in the cupboard in my laundry room. I just checked and the bottle is clear with the blue liquid showing through. I think the original bottles were blue, though.
Mrs Stewart's Bluing can still be purchased on Amazon.com.
My Mother used little balls of bluing, they were to be tied in something and you'd just swish them through the water until it was the right "blue." Then, you'd put it aside, and it would be ready for next week, etc., etc. I think that's what I used, too, as long as it was available. Then, we went to the bottles.
That's interesting. I don't remember those. My how times have changed!!!! I hope for the betterment of all of us! Life is certainly easier in some ways. Of course, most of use don't get the exercise that generations before us did! That's not good!
Bonnie, I have some of my Dad's grocery ads framed and on the wall, I was just looking at one from 1937, Oxydol (For Fine Garments) Large Pkg 21cents, Dreft Laundry soap, Small Pkg 14 cents and large Pkg 23 cents. My how times have changed.
Frank Winn
I imagine that 21ยข for a box of Oxydol was harder to come by than what we pay for a box today. Is Dreft still on the market?
Yes, I've seen Dreft on the market. In fact, when my grandkids were real small, I kept that in case they needed to do laundry while they were at our house. The oldest is 9 now. Also, their mother, was allergic to some soaps, so if she needed to do some laundry it was there for her as well. In fact, I think I still have some up in the cupboard and use it when I don't want a harsher
detergent
Myrna
Bonnie you are right about that. I am sure that in 1937 21 cents was hard to come by. I never look in the laundry soap section so I don't know if Dreft is still available or not. We drive to Sam's and Myrna always gets the big bottle of liquid Cheer. When I was little there was still 10 or so of us kids at home and wash day was a big thing. They set up the tubs and filled all of them, all of the clothes were sorted in piles and they filled the old washer and it seemed like it was an all day afair. The bigger girls would help and when the first loads were done they would start hanging the clothes on the line. Mom put the pants strechers in the legs of all of the pants before they hung them out. Dad had an old Mangle, I think that was the way it was spelled, and he would iron all of the aprons from the meat market on it and he ironed other things on it but I don't remember what. Automatic washers and dryers have definitely helped with reducing the big load that doing the laundry was.
Frank
Did any of you use the old gasoline powered Maytag? I remember Mother would check everything and then start it by stepping on a kick starter. If she couldn't get it started, she would wait until Daddy came in and he would start it for her. We were still using it in 1947 when we moved to Elk County as there wasn't any electricity in the country then. About a year later I moved to Ottawa County where there was electricity and we bought an electric washing machine, but still had to carry the water, heat it on the stove and carry all the rinse water. I didn't get my first automatic washer and dryer until after the last baby was out of diapers.
Wilma, the most I remember about one of the Maytag washer motors, during the 40s there was an old fella in Howard by the name of Clarence Macklin that mounted one of the Maytag motors on a bicycle and he rode it everywhere. That was the first motorbike I remember. Clarence never drove a car to my knowledge, but he was proud of his motor bike.
Frank
I remember that we had a washing machine set up in the "wash house". It had a small gasoline motor and there was a belt connected to the washing machine inside. I truly don't remember much about it other than that. I do remember that we had an ice box and when you went to town, you got the block of ice just before leaving town, and hurried home. We later had a kerosene refrigerator. It was one of my "chores" after school to make sure there was plenty of kerosene in the refrigerator! I can barely remember that we had a wood stove to cook on---can remember that it was blue. We then got a stove that used "white gas" . I can remember that you had to pump it, to put the correct air mix with the gas. The oven had a gauge on the side and it had to be watched to make sure it stayed at the right temperature. If it started going up or down, you had to adjust it. It was a great day when electricity was available at our place! My uncle came to wire the house and I "helped" him! I can remember crawling under the house to push the wiring through the holes that he had drilled. That was a part that I didn't like-- I was always afraid that I might meet up with a snake under there! It was wonderful, though, when we got an electaric refrigerator, and electric cookstove, and radio. Done away with the battery radio. I can remember thinking we were really up town. I think it was most exciting when we got electric lights to put on the Christmas tree!
Isn't it strange the things we remember?
Myrna
"Did any of you use the old gasoline powered Maytag? "
Yes, we had the gasoline powered Maytag washer, and, the same as you, if Mother couldn't get it started, we would wait for daddy to get home, and he would get it started. We moved to Longton from the country in 1945, and that was our first time to have electricity. Wow! A bath in something other than a "wash tub," lights with the flick of the switch, it makes me think we were back in the "Little House on the Prairie" days!
I can remember having an "ice box," then we got a "Servel Electrolux gas refrigerator" Daddy worked for Union Gas, and we had free gas at our house, so we actually had "gas" lights, that were installed and hung out from the walls some way, and they had mantles, if you broke one, you were not looked upon with favor!
Bonnie, our refrigerator was Servel--only it was kerosene. I remember the mantles too, only ours was on kerosene lamps (Aladdin). One of those lamps is now electric and in my living room! I can remember my great aunt and Uncle having electric lights at their house, but they were run by a generator (wind maybe?) I was too small to remember--I'll have to ask Mother how they were run.
Myrna
One of my friends out in the country had a gasoline powered generator and when the lights started to dim, someone had to go out and refuel the generator. I think it was called a Delco system. Some of you guys, am I right about this? They also had a wind generator. I think they only had lights hooked up to it. At that time we were living in town with electricity and had an electric motor on the old Maytag. My folks held onto the gasoline motor though and used it later when we moved to the country and when we moved to Elk County. We also had the old wood ice box and always had plenty of ice as daddy was the ice man. Mother cooked on a coal oil stove and I will never know how she managed to adjust the burners just right for the oven. There was an old wood cook stove in the house in Elk County when we moved there and she cooked on it for a long time besides the coal oil stove. And beans do taste better when cooked on a wood stove.
Wilma, I think you are right about the name Delco as I had seen or heard of other old gasoline powered Delco Generators. There used to be several wind powered generators around Elk County. Kind of ironic that wind powered generation is now an important part of the electric generating future of this country and around the world.
Frank
This has been such an interesting topic... thanks for sharing all these memories. I love it. Looking forward to reading more.
You know now that I think about it--did the Alladin lamps have wicks and no mantels? I know that we had a Coleman lantern that we used and it had mantels. Anyway, we used both and I remember how careful we had to be with the mantels. Also, the chimneys on the lamps were very fragile and when you were washing and drying them, you had to be very careful.
Myrna
There was a lamp that had to be pumped up like the lanterns and it had mantels. We never had one. Our lamps were coal oil and they had to be filled and the flues or chimneys washed every day and yes, they were very fragile. I still have 2 old lamps that I don't use and a couple of new oil lamps that I don't use. I prefer the battery lanterns in time of no electricity. There isn't any chance of accidental fires with them. Remember how careful we used to be to keep the lamps in the center of the table so they wouldn't get knocked off or over.
You know? These archives on subjects like these are priceless. Thanks for all the stories. The way you talk about them, should be in the classroom. These kinds of things are a big part of our heritage and history. And just as important as some of the silly dates kids have to learn in school and never remember. Wouldn't it be great to have a "history" class where the kids had 2 days a week to sit and listen to real people come in and talk to them about the past? Women who were in the professional fields.. Women who were home having to deal with the hardships and family.. men who had been in the wars etc..
I bet you a dollar to a doughnut that we would have our children coming out of the classroom hungry for more.
well, first off, Myrna, Aladdin lamps had mantles. Rayo lamps, I think, had wicks. We had several Aladdiin lamps when we were antiquing and had to buy mantles for most of them. Well, didn't have to, but did anyhow. I've read all these "good ole days" stories and lived all of them. Hated wash day and pumping the water and carrying it to the tub to heat outside in the summer or inside in the winter. Then when the hot water was transferred to the washing maching, you carried water for the rinse tubs. One with just water and one with blueing. Then when the laundry was done you carried the water to put on the garden or the flower beds. We had a barrel to catch rain water to wash our hair with. Hung out the clothes and brought them in. Dishtowels losts of times were just spread on the grass. Grandma thot that helped make them whiter. Our iron was "two. Ironed with one till it cooled off, unlatched the handle and hooked the one on the stove to continue ironing. I Remember the bluing, the furniture oil, but haven't heard anyone mention "stove blackening". Every spring the heating stove was cleaned inside and out and "blackened". Made it look almost brand new. We moved to the south end of town in 1951 and it is then that we got our first refrigerator. Not much of a one, very small, but you didn't have to put ice in it and you didn't have to empty the drip pan. :-\ Grandma had bought a gas cook stove before me moved. It had four burners on the right side and an oven on the left side. No thermostat, if it got too hot, you opened the door a bit and let some of the heat out. ;D But we thought we were right uptown with that cook stove. Well, enough of that.
I was thinking about those irons. I think they were called "flat irons?" I was always so afraid that I'd drop one, since it didn't seem to me that the latch was ever "fool proof!" You'd put your fingers to your lips to dampen them, then "smacked" the bottom of the iron, to see if it was hot enough. (It's a wonder any of us are still alive!)
And, we managed the water the same as you mentioned. Hand pumping it, carrying it in, then carrying it out to water whatever needed watering. We caught rain water, too. When you think about it, that's probably why we're "survivors," we learned how to survive in those "early days."
yes those irons were heavy and the handles always seemed to have a lot of wiggle in them. ;D But they made wonderful door stops after you got your electric iron. :)
Flat irons! I remember thinking how big I was when I finally helped Mother with the ironing. She must have been a grand psychologist. Started out with hankies, finally graduated to doing all the ironing as I aged. All the while thinkiing how special it was to be trusted with the clothes. When I was trusted with my Dad's overalls-that was the greatest. I now have the flat irons as door stops- three irons and one handle.
When I lived in the Colorado- our first home still had a wood stove for cooking. The hot water heater was connected to the stove and had a separate burning area for heating the water. You heated the water and hurried in to take your shower before it cooled. The holding tank did not have any insulation. At least it was the mountains and even summer it was not terribly warm.
Before I came to Colorado, when someone mention flat irons, I thought of the irons that I recall my grandmother on my mother's side heated on the stove to do her ironing. My other grandmother who lived on Wabash Street upstairs where Robin's church is now ironed big time. She had one of those big steam presses that you see in a dry cleaning establishment. She had it in a small separate room.
Below is what I now think of when someone mentions flat irons. We have been through there but have never hiked in them.
The Flatirons are rock formations near Boulder, Colorado. There are five large, numbered Flatirons ranging from north to south (First through Fifth, respectively) along the east slope of Green Mountain, and the term "The Flatirons" sometimes refers to these five alone. Numerous smaller named Flatirons are on the southern part of Green Mountain and among the surrounding foothills.
The Flatirons were named by pioneer women after the flat, metal irons used to press their clothes.
Blast it !!! I typed for 10 or 15 minutes and when I got ready to post it, it disappeared off in cyber space. Now I can't find it...and I'm not going to go through all of that again, just now --- maybe another time. sighhhhhhhhhhh
Jo, I know what you mean! That happened to me yesterday.
MLW
I might have been a better house keeper if I had less of the modern stuff to help!! What do you think???? :-\ :-\ :-\
Jo, I'm glad to see your postings. And, "I hate it" when we go to all of that work of typing what we want to say, then..."poof!" It's gone!
Quote from: angtown3 on March 06, 2008, 02:52:16 PM
I might have been a better house keeper if I had less of the modern stuff to help!! What do you think???? :-\ :-\ :-\
Nah, you would have been just like me..........like a clean/neat house but HATE housework.
I have enjoyed all the remember when's today.
I must brag and say that I was not in your generation and altho it is nice to see how you all did it,
I am sure glad I was a city kid.
I do remember when we had an ice box (still call my refrigerator that) and had to walk about 1/2 a mile to school. My ex husband had an aunt and uncle who lived very rustic when I was first married.
Belle use to cook a full course meal on her wood range and made the best ham and beans and her coffee was just great.
I tried to make it like she did, but I think you must have a very seasoned coffee pot and the wood stove to go with it.
Thanks for sharing.[/b]
Frank, I remember Mom's old Iron Rite. She did our sheets, pillow cases and tablecloths on it. (Al's mom had one also.) It stayed at home in the big kitchen until the place was sold in 2001.