Baldy
09-13-2010, 08:20 PM
A reminder of how good we have things now a days.
My mother's parents were substance farmers. For those of you that do not know, they grew what they ate, they did not sell what they grew, though they did sell melons and eggs to pay for things they could not grow.
They did not get electricity until the late 50s. They put their bathroom in, in 1959. Used outhouses before that and bathed out of a large wash bucket/tub. Water was drawn from a well just outside their backdoor. He plowed with a mule. Raised chickens for eggs and meat. Raised pigs for meat. Traded corn and use of a pasture for beef. Traded corn to a grist mill to get some of the corn ground into corn meal. Kept two ponds on the farm stocked with fist for meat also. Made their and their children's clothes. They heated with wood they cut themselves, cooked with it also. They never had air conditioning, even after getting electricity.
They raised 10 children like that.
Today I got an e-mail that reminded me of some of the things they had to go through, just to live.
"Years ago an Alabama grandmother gave the new bride the following recipe: this is an exact copy as written and found in an old scrapbook -with spelling errors and all."
Warshin Clothes Recipe
(Just imagine, they had a "recipe" for washing clothes.)
WARSHING CLOTHES
Build fire in backyard to heat kettle of rain water. Set tubs so smoke wont blow in eyes if wind is pert. Shave one hole cake of lie soap in boilin water.
Sort things, make 3 piles
1 pile white,
1 pile colored,
1 pile work britches and rags.
To make starch, stir flour in cool water to smooth, then thin down with boiling water.
Take white things, rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard, and boil, then rub colored don't boil just wrench and starch.
Take things out of kettle with broom stick handle, then wrench, and starch.
Hang old rags on fence.
Spread tea towels on grass.
Pore wrench water in flower bed. Scrub porch with hot soapy water.
Turn tubs upside down.
Go put on clean dress, smooth hair with hair combs.. Brew cup of tea, sit and rock a spell and count your blessings.
================================================
Paste this over your washer and dryer. Next time you think things are bleak, read it again, kiss that washing machine and dryer, and give thanks.. First
thing each morning you should run and hug your washer and dryer.
(For you non-southerners - wrench means, rinse.)
AND WE THINK WE HAVE IT ROUGH
My mother's parents were substance farmers. For those of you that do not know, they grew what they ate, they did not sell what they grew, though they did sell melons and eggs to pay for things they could not grow.
They did not get electricity until the late 50s. They put their bathroom in, in 1959. Used outhouses before that and bathed out of a large wash bucket/tub. Water was drawn from a well just outside their backdoor. He plowed with a mule. Raised chickens for eggs and meat. Raised pigs for meat. Traded corn and use of a pasture for beef. Traded corn to a grist mill to get some of the corn ground into corn meal. Kept two ponds on the farm stocked with fist for meat also. Made their and their children's clothes. They heated with wood they cut themselves, cooked with it also. They never had air conditioning, even after getting electricity.
They raised 10 children like that.
Today I got an e-mail that reminded me of some of the things they had to go through, just to live.
"Years ago an Alabama grandmother gave the new bride the following recipe: this is an exact copy as written and found in an old scrapbook -with spelling errors and all."
Warshin Clothes Recipe
(Just imagine, they had a "recipe" for washing clothes.)
WARSHING CLOTHES
Build fire in backyard to heat kettle of rain water. Set tubs so smoke wont blow in eyes if wind is pert. Shave one hole cake of lie soap in boilin water.
Sort things, make 3 piles
1 pile white,
1 pile colored,
1 pile work britches and rags.
To make starch, stir flour in cool water to smooth, then thin down with boiling water.
Take white things, rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard, and boil, then rub colored don't boil just wrench and starch.
Take things out of kettle with broom stick handle, then wrench, and starch.
Hang old rags on fence.
Spread tea towels on grass.
Pore wrench water in flower bed. Scrub porch with hot soapy water.
Turn tubs upside down.
Go put on clean dress, smooth hair with hair combs.. Brew cup of tea, sit and rock a spell and count your blessings.
================================================
Paste this over your washer and dryer. Next time you think things are bleak, read it again, kiss that washing machine and dryer, and give thanks.. First
thing each morning you should run and hug your washer and dryer.
(For you non-southerners - wrench means, rinse.)
AND WE THINK WE HAVE IT ROUGH