I was the remote control, I learned numbers before I could read.Quote:
Originally Posted by Willow Oak
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I was the remote control, I learned numbers before I could read.Quote:
Originally Posted by Willow Oak
My mom used to get very pissed at my stepdad and the polaroid camera.Quote:
Originally Posted by beeniesmom
Now that's funny!Quote:
Originally Posted by blue
I'm not even going to ask you to elaborate on that statement....... :eek::DQuote:
Originally Posted by blue
Thanks for that info. I definitely will send for it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Grace
I remember, too. Maybe too much!
We had an outhouse when I was about 7. It got real cold in the upper Michigan winters and smelly in the summer, so we didn't spend much time out there. Baths were Saturday night in the kitchen. Mom hauled the water from the pump next door on a wagon and heated it on the wood stove.
My brother & I were sent out to scour the edge of the roadway to collect bottles to turn in at the nearby store so the parents could afford cigarettes.
Dad had a shop where he fiddled with electronics. We had an oscilloscope to watch before there was a TV station in our area. Later, he repaired other people's TVs and finally got one of our own. All of the programs looked like they were being done in snowstorms.
We didn't have a phone for a long time. When we finally got one, it was a party line. We only had three numbers, no exchange.
Mom & Dad built the house I grew up in. The neighbors brought their dray horses over and pulled the logs from the woods so they could be stripped and slotted to fit. I remember using a two handled knife to strip the bark off the pine trees. Lard was the only thing that got the sap off your hands.
The big city of Marquette was 5 miles away. The school bus stopped right in front so I didn't have to walk "uphill both ways". Mom spoiled me in the winter by putting my socks on before I got out of bed because the wood stove wasn't hot yet. And she made me Coco-Wheats (chocolate flavored farina) in a glass so I could drink it before school. I still have a box of Coco-Wheats in my cupboard but I don't think they sell them anymore.
It was a good life, although I didn't realize it then. It certainly made me appreciate running water and central heat:D
I caught the tail end of the outhouse era. I've often wondered how folks in the upper regions got along during that time -- especially in the dead of winter.Quote:
Originally Posted by mruffruff
I know that when I was very young there was not even an outhouse in some cases. We would go to a country church. There was a pump in front of the church if you needed a drink of water; and a path behind the church if you needed to ...
I recall the man coming over and changing out the tubes in the TV. Then later on you could go to 7-11 and test your tubes there or buy new ones.Quote:
Originally Posted by mruffruff
Oh my gosh, yes! Testing tubes! I totally forgot about that.Quote:
Originally Posted by Willow Oak
As for outhouses, my sisters grew up resenting me because by the time I came along, we had indoor plumbing. One summer when I was a teenager, Dad took us (mom, one of my friends and me) to a cabin in the woods for a "vacation". (Groan.) I asked him if the bathroom was inside and he said "yes" so I figured all was ok. When we got there, I looked for the bathroom and said "Ok, where is it?" He said "Where is what?" "THE BATHROOM!" I answered. He pointed to the outhouse and I said "You lied to me! You told me it was inside!" He said "It is inside. It's inside that building right out there." My eyeballs were floating by the time we got home because I was stubborn and I think I used it only once.
Some of you may or may not have such a recollection of running hot water into your kitchen sink, filling it with dirty dishes, and then scrubbing said dishes by hand. I say that because although I do have an automatic dish washer I have never used it.
Also, this summer will complete four years since I bought Willow Oak. The clothes-line poles and line are still intact behind the house. I have never used the clothes-line here -- I use an electric dryer, of course -- but well do I recall the days of watching my mother hang the clothes out back to dry.
Medusa, your post bring back memories.... a half an hour before I had to get up, my dad lit up the stove (that took petroleum, and I believe coal when I was real little), and put my clothes in front of it. :) I have always hated getting up early, so every trick counted.
When I grew up, there was no hot water coming out of the tap, no, we had to boil a keddle of water if we wanted it hot! Sometime in the 70ties, my parents got a gas heater above the sink - what a luxury!
WO, I still don't have a dishwasher, I wash up by hand - and it's really not that hard, unless you have dinnerguests. I would much prefer a washing machine, but then, I have the laundrette everyone in the building use down in the cellar 2 min away. :) You really should try air drying your clothes, it's so much better!
I used to hang my clothes outdoors to dry but now there are so many bugs and mosquitoes flying around and they seem to light on my wet clothes so I don't do it any more. Yuck!
I was fortunate to not have known the joys of an outhouse, thank goodness.
And I remember Dad testing tubes in those then modern day early electronics, and he didn't take them to 7-11 to do it, since convenience stores weren't even in existence.
Does anyone still use an iron? I remember that Mom ironed everything including sheets, pillowcases, handkerchiefs, etc., and it took her hours every week. I won't even buy anything anymore if it requires ironing, altho I do own an iron - just in case. It's around here somewhere. :p
Hang out clothes? - not me. I don't even have a clothesline any more. A lot of these new housing subdivisions don't even allow them.
I remember that the folks had an icebox before a refrigerator. The iceman came a couple of times a week to deliver blocks of ice for it. In the summer it was a big treat for all the kids to run up to his truck since he would give us big chunks of ice to suck on. It sure didn't take much to make kids happy way back then, and we were never bored since there was always something to do outside!
We have an iron and use it all the time. Bruce uses it to iron his shirts for work and I use it each week to iron my pants.
How about 8-track tapes? We had the 8-track tape player in our old motorhome. I remember listening to The Oakridge Boys on it. That was the only place we could listen to it because it was the only player. LOL
I remember 8 tracks. :) My dad had one in his pickup. We had an old Curtis Mathis floor model tv with the knob for channels. I kept it until the late 90s. :)
I line dry a lot of things, sometimes indoors, sometimes outdoors.
I don't do a lot of dishes by hand, that's one chore that I can't stand.
My husband irons a lot of his clothes for work.
I make tea with a tea kettle that whistles. I love that thing.
We have an Airline radio that is from World War II. We need to fix it, but it even says on the front "When civil defense sirens sound, do not use telephone, turn radio to 640 or 1240."
I don't iron much anymore, but I learned how early. We had an old flat iron that had two inserts. The handle clamped over one when it was hot while the other waited on the wood stove. They were shaped like pointy ovals and weighed a lot for a kid of 7, 8 or 9.
We always hung our clothes outside. Mom had a washboard and had to do all of the laundry by hand. She had a wringer that clamped on the side of her washtub. Later, when we got electricity, she got a wringer type washer. She was pretty happy with that.
I remember my sister's diapers coming in from the clothesline in January stiff with ice and standing in the sink to thaw.
And this was in 1955!
I still iron whatever doesn't get dry cleaned. How do you get away w/not ironing? I don't get it. What am I missing here?
Diapers? I've heard of those. What are they?Quote:
Originally Posted by mruffruff
I find myself saying "when I was your age" a lot to teenagers...and I'm only 27 :rolleyes:
A lot of things have really gone up in price even in my lifetime. I cant immagine what things will be like when Im 50! :eek:
The lowest price I think I paid for smokes was about $2. Looking at prices now I'm glad I quit! Gas was about $1.60 a gallon when I first started driving. I recall food being a lot cheaper too..
BTW in Oregon, they still pump your gas. In fact pumping your own gas is illegal up here lol.
That's funny! I remember the first time someone called my son "sir". He was in his 20's and it freaked him out and he called me and said "Someone called me sir". I said "Yeah. So?" He said "Do I look old enough to be called sir?" "Apparently", I told him. Of course, they were little kids but it really disturbed him. :pQuote:
Originally Posted by DJFyrewolf36
Sweatpants - jeans - knits.......that's about all I live in anymore since retirement. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Medusa
When I was still working, I did touch-up ironing of slacks and skirts, but never much more than that.
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Originally Posted by pomtzu
True. I should've thought of that since I'm sitting in a velour jogging suit right now. I guess the bleach is finally making its way to my brain.
That's what I mean. The last time I wore anything that needed any ironing, was when I was working, altho I ironed a shirt for my grandson a couple of years ago!!! :eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by Medusa
Hey - remember silk stockings and garter belts before the days of pantyhose, and the stockings had that miserable seam up the back that you could never get straight? I know they are still sold, but not much for everyday wear, if you get my drift - Frenchie! :D
Great polishing rags! I still have some.....Quote:
Originally Posted by Willow Oak
Oh I sure do remember, Gigi! When I was pregnant, I got so phat that I couldn't wear my garter belt any more. We went to see Dr. Zhivago at the movies and back then going to the movies was a dress up occasion. I wore a dress w/hose held up by garters. Need I tell you what my ankles looked like after sitting through that long movie? And, of course, my girlfriend shrieked "OMG, look at your ankles!" (which looked like I had a tennis ball on each one) so that everyone in the theater turned to see the freak. When pantyhose was invented, I truly considered it a gift from God. I loved the seamed hose but you're right, it was nearly impossible to keep the seams straight. I think thigh highs are sexy now but I can't keep them up! That kinda spoils the look when your hose is down around your ankles. Makes ya look like the ol' lady w/her socks rolled down.Quote:
Originally Posted by pomtzu
:D :D Hmmmm - me thinks the part about "everyday wear" went right over your head........................Frenchie :D :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Medusa
Nope. I got it. This is a family forum, Gigi. LOL ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by pomtzu
Okay! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Medusa
And I am a "GG" - I just heard someone saw her with the baby. Too bad she couldn't let me know about it. :(
Quote:
Originally Posted by pomtzu
PM or email me and tell me all about it, if you want. That's a shame, Ellie.
You're not old enough to have been pregnant when Dr. Zhivago was playing at the movies. Dr. Zhivago was, is, and always shall be my favorite movie.Quote:
Originally Posted by Medusa
[QUOTE=Willow Oak;2150297]Quote:
Originally Posted by Medusa
If only.....
I read post about TV before the remote or having to test tubes to repair the TV you own. How many out there remember when there was no TV. I remember sitting around the radio listening to shows like "Amos and Andy" ,"The Shadow" and "Intersanctum" .
Day time radio had some of the same Soaps that we see on TV today. I remember a popular soap "Just plan Bill" was one of my mom's favorites. In the Radio days they depended a lot on sound effects to enhance the imagery of the story line. Special effects today means car crashes/chases and/or explosions.
Well, I'm not but a child. I did, however, listen to a radio program when I lived near Chicago, narrated by E. G. Marshall ("The CBS Radio Mystery Theater") -- something to do with the "macabre." It was great.Quote:
Originally Posted by kokopup
Did you live in the era when you did all or most of your cooking on a wood stove? My mother did, and a few years back when this area of the country was crippled with a massive ice storm, and electricity was out for weeks, mother cooked all of her meals in her fireplace.
My dad talks about the luxury of finally getting a wood stove for the bathroom when he was a boy. He said that one time when he was taking off his pants to take a bath in a #2 wash tub, his foot got caught in his pants and he stumbled ... backwards, butt-naked against the red hot stove!
Quote by Willow Oak
I missed out on Wood Stoves, Outhouses and the like. I was a city/suburbia kid that had most of the conveniences all my life. We even had a private line on our phone.Quote:
Did you live in the era when you did all or most of your cooking on a wood stove? My mother did, and a few years back when this area of the country was crippled with a massive ice storm, and electricity was out for weeks, mother cooked all of her meals in her fireplace.
I do recall as an 8 year old, me and my older sister going to spend the night with our black maid Essie. I don't even remember what the ocassion was but for some reason my parents were out of town. I remember the smell of her wood stove till this day. My fire place smell will drum up that memory from time to time.
The thing I remember the most about that night was when Essie woke me the next morning I saw my first snow. :)
But...I remember Rod Sterling and the Twilight Zone on tv. Some of the shows still haunt my dreams. Somehow the "suggestion" was more realistic and spooky in my mind than all the "special effects" that are now available!Quote:
Originally Posted by Willow Oak
Going my way????......
I remember the world before t.v. too. Mom used to listen to "The Guiding Light" every day. And of course Dad and my brothers always had to listen to the Red Sox baseball games.
I was about 7 or 8 when we got the first t.v. Dad's favorites were Victory at Sea, the Jack Benny Show, Art Linkletter, and Ed Sullivan. I can't really remember what early shows I watched other than American Bandstand when I was a little older.
Remember when stations went off the air for the day - you got the test pattern.
Do any remember what car your parents had? My first real memory was of a blue Kaiser Frazer sedan, but there was another before that - looked like an old Model T from pics I have, but just a very vague memory of that one.
For some reason, I can't recall the event of getting our first TV. I do remember my mother watching The Guiding Light and Search for Tomorrow, both shows being only 15 minutes long back then.Quote:
Originally Posted by pomtzu
As for the cars, my parents never had a car that didn't make me want to hide my face from everyone. When he finally was able to afford one, Dad bought a 1948 Hudson that had cloth interior and because Dad smoked then, I got sick every single time I got in that thing. He once bought a Plymouth something-or-other, a huge yellow car w/fins and rockets on it. It looked like a big banana. The worst, though, was a ridiculous car, I don't even know what make or model, that had different fenders on each side, a hood w/a doorknob on it because the piece broke off that was used to open the hood and all were painted various colors. He drove me to high school some mornings because school buses didn't run where we lived and I'd ask him to drop me off a couple blocks before we reached the school because the car was such an eyesore. My maiden name is Rhome and the kids called my dad's car the Roman chariot. Funny in the telling but not so much when you're a teenager and appearance means everything.
Among the images of my dad I have in my head are him working on the car. We always had an old used car, and dad was always "tinkering" with it: adjusting the brakes; greasing the chassis; changing the oil; tuning the engine; etc. Every once in a while he would take all four tires off and set the car on cement blocks. He would have me sit in the driver's seat and pump the brakes while he bled the lines. On one such occasion we did that, then later in the day, Dad put the tires back on the car, and we went for a ride in the country. We were all enjoying the afternoon drive among the trees and the birds when all of a sudden ...WHAM!!!
There we were, bottom of the car slammed against the gravel of the old country road ...
... Dad had forgotten to put the lug nuts on the tires! In my mind's eye I can still see the tires rolling past, all four in perfect synchronization.
Good thing we had no Interstates back then..... :eek: :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Willow Oak
On the subject of cars and driving...
How many of you older members had parents that both drove? My Dad was of the mindset that women had no need to know how drive, and Mom went to her grave at 79, never having driven a car. He wouldn't teach me how and wouldn't sign for me to take driver's ed either. My ex taught me to drive after we got married. I learned on an old used Opel Kadett that we bought in Long Beach, Ca. We were military, and he got transferred from CA to VA - piled all our meager possessions in the back and headed across country with me driving most of the way - with no driver's license! :eek: I finally did get it once we got settled in tho.
RC Cola, in bottles, 25¢
4 track tapes
45 singles
'Buy them by the bag!'
'Fill er up?'-A 20 won't do it today.
'Check under the hood?'
Landing on the moon??
Menu? LARGE bottle of pop, bologna and cheese sub and a bag of chips or Hostess snowballs/cups and change from a dollar.
Milk in the square wax paper box w/the flap stapled to the lid.
Disneyland ticket books. A tix were worth a dime and the E tix-I may be wrong-were 65¢ each.
Drop drills-Hide under the desk to escape the effects of Russian radiation-Now kids hide from their peers!!:rolleyes:
Friday a.m. air raid siren tests.
Protest marches with wet hippies in the streets and anarchy was a sit-in at the Dean's offie.
LOL-cappucino was the drink of Bohemians!
I learned to drive in a Kadett, too! Canary yellow!