Hello Cuties!
I made a post recently, the link is below to refresh. O2kar made a comment that got me thinking, about how men don't think anything, about all the sheds they need for their 'tools'. Most men around here anyway, do have more than one shed. I don't think they understand a woman could use a shed of her own,too.Nowadays, all you hear on those House Hunter shows are the need for a Man Cave in a basement. No thought of Craft Room/She Shed for a woman. (I do know there are women out there like us!)
Karen said her husband liked my response to her, in the link below. So Karen this is mainly for you and your hubby, but I thought others may enjoy what I believe to be a good read.
It could be worse.
This is no joke and all the community knew about it.
My maternal grand parents lived next to us in a small country community, where everyone knew everyone. I say next to us, but really we could see their house in the distance, but it was a good walk away.
They had a small, modest home. It had 2 bedrooms, one of which had Grandma's treadle sewing machine. It had one full bath, which was a treasure in those days. The living room usually had a quilt up, in the process of being quilted. Thank goodness they had a porch all the way across the house, because this is where we did most of our visiting.
She had a kitchen so small, looking back I wonder how she got meals done. Counter top was almost none existence. She had one small bottom cabinet with groceries, so the counter top probably was 2x3 foot, maybe not that big and no overhead cabinet there. Her sink was one of those one sink, not double, but made of porcelain, with wings on each side. I remember the flatware was in a drawer under one of those wings. She had storage beneath for pots,etc. and the only overhead cabinet was at the end of the sink for dishes, because over the sink were windows.
They also had a wash house.
It had her wringer washer and tubs in there. It had a rough concrete floor. There was a small mirror on the wall by the washer and a shelf next to it.
There also was a full size bed on the opposite side of the wash house. That is where my Papa slept!
(I hope Mr.Karen is reading this because like I said from the beginning, it could be worse. You could sleep out in the wash house or one of your sheds!-lol
As a child, I thought this was normal and never questioned WHY? Maybe it was mutual and they both liked this set up. I don't know if anyone ever knew why, but everyone knew he lived in the wash house.
I remember watching him shave in the small mirror. I remember he had his shaving brush and cup, on that shelf, by the mirror. I also remember where he kept his pipe and tobacco. Boy, do I remember.
Papa had a tackle box, a metal fishing box he kept under his bed, in the wash house, on that cold concrete floor. Instead of fishing lures or lead and lines, he kept his pipes and tobacco in it. I loved to smell Papa's pipe.
So one day, I decided I would try smoking it myself, only I didn't use matches or tobacco. I just sucked on that pipe.I don't know how long I 'smoked' but I ended up confessing when I got the worse sore throat I ever had!-lol
I loved my Papa! Momo was not as easy to love, although I cared for her, but not like him. He spent time with me. He took me fishing at the train trestle, even though we might not catch anything. He let me ride his horse bareback. (They never owned a car.) He joked with me and I guess thinking about it now, he is who I got my sense of humor from.
I remember when he got his hearing aid. He would turn it off around Momo and she would declare," Hawk wasted his money on that new fangled thing." She "tried to tell him it was no good", to which Papa would wink at me and smile. He could hear her but often didn't want to-lol
Anyway, Karen tell your husband I know he counts his blessings, but don't forget to count this one too. He lives in a house with a nice, pretty wife who so far as I know, hasn't kept him in the shed!-lol
Hope you like my read-Love and wishes for good health for all-Toogie
ps-Momo was born Sept 21 and my oldest daughter was born the 20th of September the day before Momo's birthday. When I embroidered my first wall hanging with family and dates, my daughter said, "Mom! You put Momo's birthday, Sept 21st for me!" When I looked to be sure I said, "Well at least I didn't embroider 1889!"-lol
Picture of me and Papa. He died shortly after that picture was taken. I was 10 years old and devasted to lose my best friend.
Picture of Momo in her burgundy, velvet chair.
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www.cuteembroidery.com
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Toogie! Your story reminded me so much of my grandparents and their little house. Your descriptions fit just perfectly with my memories. Thank you for writing this. PLEASE write MORE!
59631Toogie you have reminded me that in their later life y grandmother cooked by what my brother and I called 'remote control cookery' If the main part of the meal took two hours to cook then the veges went on at the same time and if only 15mins then all would cook for that time. I also remember when staying that my mother would have prepared the veg and put the potatoes on to cook she added a teaspoon of salt. Granny would pass a short while late and add another teaspoon of salt then Gramps would do the same. One summer when visiting my younger brother was slowly eating his sunday lunch he said to mum, this would taste so much better if you had cooked it. I can still hear my mother saying I did cook it.
1 comment
by toogie
08 Oct 2020
Oh my, the salt! Did everyone have high blood pressure?-lol
We used to go camping with a lot of other family members and one guy that was a friend of my dh's oldest brother. His name was Edwin. When Edwin and oldest brother ate with us Edwin asked for the salt box. I was thinking, did I not season it well? then I watched Edwin. He poured a levee of salt in a circle over all his food in the plate! I don't know how he tasted anything but salt!!! I don't know how the salt didn't strangle him, but he did that on everything he ate.
115775Toogie, Now I have read all the responses and I’ll chime in. My grandmother had 7 children in 7 years and my mother said then she figured where it was coming from and it stopped. Maybe her body just gave out. At any rate the doc told her to elevate the foot of the bed for a hernia and grandaddy got tired of sliding to the footboard, so he moved to another room for forever. I think in the absence of birth control, both sets of our grandparents found their own solutions. I had an older neighbor who despised her husband and he, her. They stayed married and in the same house because people didn’t get a divorce then and she had no way to support herself. Women had fewer options then and men, too. It sounds like your gran had her she house, and grandad had his he-shed. I’m thinking she kept good food set before him and he provided financially for her.
1 comment
by toogie
edited 08 Oct 2020
May be but I don't ever remember Papa working. He was pretty old but I do know he ate meals in the house.
66920I chose a great day to come for a visit before your story got pushed too far back and I would have missed it.
You painted a very vivid picture of your Grandparents lives and your very precious childhood memories. I am so glad I didn't miss this and thank you so much for sharing it with us, I really enjoyed reading it.
Huge hugs, M
1 comment
by toogie
08 Oct 2020
Thanks Meg, I almost look like, what you may call a ragamuffin, in your part of the world. Although my clothes were ill fitting, they were always clean. I also look like I have a scarf as an accessory-lol-maybe these were old clothes I wore when he and I went fishing, but we do have jackets on, so it may have been too cold to go fishing. I'm glad you enjoyed reading. Caroline usually gets a kick out of my escapades or true life stories-lol
122864I bet most of us have somewhat similar stories while not so much then, we can now think of them as the good ole days. I was the 8th of 8 and the story was that my mom and dad started their life together in a chicken coop. Made me glad that I was no. 8...……….lol I never knew but one grandparent...………….Granny sat and sewed quilt scraps all day and almost never spoke from about the time I was 3. Left such an impression on me that I still do very little quilting. Thanks, Toogie, for jogging the memories!
3 comments
by vkggal
07 Oct 2020
I guess cause I was three and everyone else was either working or in school and I cried a lot cause I wanted my mommy to come home. Maybe because she was sewing on a treadle and needed to concentrate. Thank God we have come a very long way from those treadles. I never could manage the coordination with the feet and hands...…….lol
millie
by toogie
07 Oct 2020
I do appreciate the machines we now have. I would have loved for my mother to have seen how an embroidery machine stitches a design. She would be amazed!
766Love reading your story. It also brought back memories of a time in the after war years of Germany. No bath (daily wash by the sink), sharing the toilette with the neighbor next door and the wash kitchen. Turns were taken with the people in the apartment building so one only had access to it once a month. I remember how much easier it became when we had access to a wringer for the wash. No driers and in the winter my hands froze hanging up the laundry. It always amazed me that it actually dried. The family all slept in one bedroom. I guess we were lucky that we had a roof over our head.
Sorry just memories creeping up. .
1 comment
by toogie
06 Oct 2020
No, don't be sorry or sad. I think memories are good. It helps us appreciate where we've been and I think in some ways, makes us stronger to have gone through such times.
My husband has many siblings and his mom had 2 double beds in a bedroom with at least 3 kids to a bed.
I don't know how the clothes dried in winter. I remember when we lived in Germany once I washed some clothes by hand and hung them out to dry. They froze stiff. I had to bring them in and make a make-shift clothesline in my apartment, for them to dry.
109774Toogie I have really enjoyed reading this. What ever a child grows up with is noramal to them and its only in adult life that we look back and wonder why something was as it was
1 comment
by toogie
06 Oct 2020
I agree and now too late to ask because all aunts & uncles, parents are dead. I know you like my writings so I’m glad you enjoyed reading. Such a simple life back then. I told my BFF we looked poor. I said look at my britches how short and my sleeve length too! I guess my sister hadn’t outgrown hers as I always got the hand me downs😩My BFF said maybe we were all poor and some still are but better hiding it with debt, Credit cards and consolidating bills.😳
115775What a great story to read to start off my day! And no, my handsome hubby will never have to live in one of his sheds. Although he would have no problem living in a small space, so he would say. I love being reminded of how good we have it with our large homes and modern conveniences. And knowing how much we love and appreciate our hubbies and they love and appreciate us.
1 comment
by toogie
06 Oct 2020
I still would like to know why they lived like that. I joke about doing that with my husband but would never really do it. On the other hand he might wanna put me in a shed if I ever tried-😉😂🤣
169064Wow, what a wonderful history lesson in living in the 'good old days'. Thanks Toogie it was certainly entertaining. Love Chris
1 comment
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