The World is Changing

[Smart Red]

I remember there was always a large kettle of water on the woodstove and would love to get an Aga some day for myself.

 

[hoodat]

Somehow, from reading this thread, I get a sneaking suspicion that a lot of us would have liked to be born in the first half of the 20th century.

I remember when we used to visit our grandparents on the farm in Virginia every summer they had a phone that would ring, but a different ring for each of the 3 or 4 parties on that line. We kids would pick up the phone and try and listen to other people's conversations, but my grandmother would shoo us away telling us "Don't be minding other people's business."

That brings to mind a funny but true story. My uncle had four people on his line. Most respected his privacy but one old gossip was always listening in. People would tell her, "Get off the line Addy", when they wanted to speak privately. She never figured out how they knew she was listening but she had a big grandfathers clock close to the phone and people could hear that tick-tock, tick-tock.

 

[digitS']

I get a sneaking suspicion that a lot of us would have liked to be born in the first half of the 20th century.

What? Oh, that is the "20th!" Well, yeah. Better that than not to be born, at all!

On the the farm, our party line only had a Czech family. I still liked to listen in .

Yes, it surprises me that some of us had such common experiences without utilities, etc. Thoughts of sitting around in the dark with only my kerosene lamps brings back tears ... Bathtub in the yard and the sink in the winter. Never did figure out how to bake anything in a cast iron wood range.

No, I'm in no hurry to go back.

Except for current medical advantages ...

There is that! Without "modern medicine," I likely would have died in the first month of life. What fun would that have been?! I'm just glad that my parents believed in antibiotics and the doctor.

Steve

 

[TReeves]

No TV here either. We have a computer that DH download movies to and Netflix. We have a radio in the kitchen that we listen to regularly usually while dinners cooking. The kids and DH have iPods (sometimes I'd like to throw them out the window). And we have smartphones. I necessitate the use of them because of DHs job. It allows us to stay semi connected no matter where he is in the world.I would be happy without most modern technology. Modern medicine not so much. It saved my life in December.
My great grandparents had cold running water (in the kitchen) and a pot belly stove. Taking a bath there was always an adventure.

 

[Nyboy]

When my sister was pregnant with her 1st child. she declared to family her kids where going to be raised without TV. By her 2nd child she had a TV in the backseat of her mini van !!!!

 

[MoonShadows]

When my sister was pregnant with her 1st child. she declared to family her kids where going to be raised without TV. By her 2nd child she had a TV in the backseat of her mini van !!!!

Just another pacifier.

 

[so lucky]

I remember outhouses very well. I don't have many memories of having to go out there in the middle of winter, but those hot summer days when the wasps were swarming around my head while I wondered why there couldn't have been toilet paper instead of the Sears-Roebuck catalog. And the view down the hole.....fearing my skinny butt would slip right down there....That is not an era I want to return to.

 

[Smart Red]

Because Uncle John drained the water pipes in cold weather, winter was the only time I remember using the outhouse. No problem with wasps - or with a lot of smell - and the toilet paper went outside when the facilities moved from the bathroom to the outhouse. We were spoiled!

 

[Beekissed]

We were too. Our outhouse had a pink pearly looking seat, carpeting, a skylight and a lime bucket for sprinkling over any number twos so the smell wouldn't be bad. Even had a stack of magazines for reading~ not wiping.

Quite the luxury outhouse compared to my grandma's outhouse. The one we have now is just as carefully tended for comfort and smells, though we don't have to use it often. We like having one around as the electric goes out all the time and then we have no water for flushing. An outhouse equals security out in these parts!

Winter time outhouses have a frosty seat and everyone tries to out wait everyone else to see who will warm the seat for everyone else. I used to take a towel out and form a cushy, warm seat for myself so I wouldn't have to wait for someone else to warm it.

 

[Smart Red]

Too cruel, Beekissed! That means you left the seat cold for the next user. That would have been shocking.