Chores

[Joanna]

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.

[frawin]

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

[Ole Granny]

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.

[frawin]

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.

[Bonnie M.]

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!

[frawin]

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"

[patyrn]

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. 

[W. Gray]

Mrs Stewart's Bluing can still be purchased on Amazon.com.

[Bonnie M.]

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.

[frawin]

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!