What Do You Remember.....

[Ann]

I copied this from another MB to share with you. As some of you know, I was raised in the beautiful hills of East Tennessee and I can remember my grandparents (and parents) doing many of these things. I helped my mom do the laundry on a wringer washing machine until I was about 12 years old. Then, we finally got an "automatic washer." It's a wonder there aren't millions of people with only one arm, due to encounters with wringer machines...lol!

What are some of the things you remember parents or grandparents doing that was environmentally friendly, that could or should still be done.

Grammie used an old bowl to wash dishes in, this was taken out and thrown on plants in the garden, or across the lawn (she had a system, Monday tomatoes etc.

She had a few old "butter" dishes, to carry food in to a picnic or something, but mostly had wonderful glass bowls. (no worries about clogging up anything, nor getting chemicals leached into the food!

Papa would take the sawdust from the workshop (he made lots of great toys and boats) and put it in the strawberry plot, or in the vegetable garden.

At various points in time peelings from vegetables were put in the "compost pile" as we now call it, or taken to a relative to feed the pigs.

Old clothing was used as pieces for quilt blocks or rags (depending on what it was, and how it was stained)

She had a wringer washer, you filled it with hot water, and on the back side was a huge tub of water for rinsing. after washing, clothes went through the wringer into the rinse water, after she agitated and rinsed it, the wringer worked in reverse, so you fed the clothes back through the wringer, (and made sure to catch them), the undies and whites got washed 1st, then the light colors, then the darks, any thing with greasy stains got washed last, all in the same water, just progressing up the chain of "dirty". These were taken out to the clothesline to dry. When I was in my teens she finally got a dryer to use in the winter.

so what are your memories? I have lots more, but these are just a few.

And one more, in the heat of the summer, when there was danger of the wells going dry, if you just tinkled the toilet was flushed every other person, if you did more, it was ok to flush.

[Patti B]

I remember my mom had a "mangle". It was this contraption that you used to iron with. Mom loved it altho she wasn't happy that Dad got it for her for Christmas one year. We were little, so at the time, it looked as big as a tanning bed. My parents were quite firm with us to stay away from - probably afraid my brother would put my sister or me in it and close the lid!!!

We also used an incinerator and Dad swore those were the best ashes to put on our tomato plants!!!

I remember being mortified as a teenager to look out the back window and see my undies flapping on the clothes line outside - altho sheets never smelled better!!!!

And noone used pesticides - Dad would "pick" the bugs off his vegetable plants. Dad had a huge vegetable garden with stone paths for easy reach - and I can still remember the horror when Mom would tell my sister and I to go get some tomatoes. You don't see them anymore, at least not in Ohio - but remember tomato worms?? They were huge and green and I swear they would hiss at you!!! Guess pollution killed them off!!

Lastly, I don't think I ever ate store bought bread until I was a teenager and Mom went to work. All we had was homemade bread. Mom would spend one day a month making it - and when us kids got home from school that day, she would have three little loaves waiting for us, hot from the oven with melted cheese on it!!

Thanks, Ann - that was fun remembering!!!

Patti B.

[Ry]

I remember my Grandma sprinkling the clothes with water before she ironed them. She had a thing that went in an empty pop bottle and shook the water on the sheets as she ironed. Instead of plastic wrap she had these vinyl bowl covers with elastic that you could re-use (these are coming back I bought some the other day).

My dad always saved coffee grounds for his plants. My parents also reused aluminum foil that was in food shape. They would fold it in a square and use it again.

[dannnie]

We have a family tradition that has been going on for generations. When the corn crops come in the whole family gets together and starts a assembly line. The men picks the corn in wooden baskets and takes them to the cousins (7- 14 yr olds). They shuck and get the silks off. Meanwhile grandma's are getting the jars ready for cannning. Moms and aunts are setting in there iron chairs with knives cutting the corn off the comb. Now picture it, Men covered with dirt and corn stalks, kids covered with shucks, moms covered with corn from head to toe and grandma's covered with sweat. There's nothing modern here just wooden baskets, wash tubs, old wooden knives, canning jars and a whole lot of love. Thats the best sweet corn ever made. I love memories!!!!

[lilyjohn]

Ok now you are really making me feel old!! First of all I remember everything you mention. Not only did my mom do those things but so did I.

I grew up where bread was cornbread, biscuits or homemade bread that Mama called Light Bread. Can't remember having a sandwich other than a hamburger until I was in my teens and then hamburger was rare. Once in a very great while when money wasn't quite as tight I might even get a nickle soda pop out of a machine.

Now I have helped raise cattle, pigs turkys, ducks and chickens. Also rabits. I slopped the pigs with all the things left from cooking and even used rice or potato water to mix their mash. Had our own eggs, beef, pork and chickens as well as rabit, geese and a turky if one got too onery.

I canned everything in jars up until about 8 years ago. I loved to work in the garden and tend to the animals that is all except the ducks. They are nasty creatures

Three days ago I made a big batch of Light Bread for all of my neighbors.

I actually asked for a wringer machine when I got married and raised my two oldest children with it. I also used cloth diapers and at times a scrub board to wash them.

I used to love to iron and would starch and sprinkle my clothes with a sprinkle bottle. My iron was electric but I remember Mama using one she heated on the wood stove. She also cooked on that wood stove and we used it for heat in the winter.

Mama had a burn barrel that she would burn all the paper in. We didn't have stainless steel flatwear. Back then silver was no big deal. Mama used the ashes from the burn barrel to polish the silver.

There are a lot more things that I remember. Times were hard but looking back I can see how really good they were. I sure miss Mama and Daddy and my 3 brothers who have passed. Thanks Ann it is so nice to remember once in a while.

Can you imagine this younger generation trying to live like we did? There is no way they would make it.

[lilyjohn]

Ok now you are really making me feel old!! First of all I remember everything you mention. Not only did my mom do those things but so did I.

I grew up where bread was cornbread, biscuits or homemade bread that Mama called Light Bread. Can't remember having a sandwich other than a hamburger until I was in my teens and then hamburger was rare. Once in a very great while when money wasn't quite as tight I might even get a nickle soda pop out of a machine.

Now I have helped raise cattle, pigs turkys, ducks and chickens. Also rabits. I slopped the pigs with all the things left from cooking and even used rice or potato water to mix their mash. Had our own eggs, beef, pork and chickens as well as rabit, geese and a turky if one got too onery.

I canned everything in jars up until about 8 years ago. I loved to work in the garden and tend to the animals that is all except the ducks. They are nasty creatures

Three days ago I made a big batch of Light Bread for all of my neighbors.

I actually asked for a wringer machine when I got married and raised my two oldest children with it. I also used cloth diapers and at times a scrub board to wash them.

I used to love to iron and would starch and sprinkle my clothes with a sprinkle bottle. My iron was electric but I remember Mama using one she heated on the wood stove. She also cooked on that wood stove and we used it for heat in the winter.

Mama had a burn barrel that she would burn all the paper in. We didn't have stainless steel flatwear. Back then silver was no big deal. Mama used the ashes from the burn barrel to polish the silver.

There are a lot more things that I remember. Times were hard but looking back I can see how really good they were. I sure miss Mama and Daddy and my 3 brothers who have passed. Thanks Ann it is so nice to remember once in a while.

Can you imagine this younger generation trying to live like we did? There is no way they would make it.