Sunday, February 11, 2007

Here's A Few More Things

Do you remember Berma Shave signs along the highway? How about the wooden doors outside the house where coal was dumped into Michigan basements. A Michigan basement has very wide earthen walls with a coat of cement. Blue canning jars with wire tops. Spring cleaning that included taking the rugs outside to beat them and washing the wall paper with some kind of paste. Wringer washing machines. My DH's mother in Arkansas finally got one operated with a hand crank but this was a big step from her washboard. Razor straps to sharpen the blades. Shoe horns. Oh, here's a good one. Getting your hair permed (fried) by being hooked up to electric curlers. Fun remembering!

5 comments:

Katie said...

Just wondering if my comments are working. Katie

Libby said...

I don't have a personal recollection of any of those things - but I do remember my mom talking about them. I think the reason I so enjoy doing things from scratch is due to the fact that I grew up in the dawn of convenience. A great relief for many chores, I'm sure - but not always an improvement.

Shelina said...

We all have a small basement window which was used to dump the coal in. My sister's basement has a separate room, but mine was just dumped in one big room. My neighbor has a little door for the milk.

Diana said...

Hi Katie, Thanks for stopping by my blog and commenting! You are right, the time passes anyhow, doesn't it?

My aunt had a wringer washer well into the 60's. I was always fascinated to watch her work it.

Judy said...

I remember all your memory making things! We had a neighbor with an old pitcher pump in her kitchen (we still have one in the yard at our summer cottage) and my aunt, next door, had a pot-bellied stove with isinglas windows and a wood burning cook stove. Grandma lived with us and used a curling iron that she heated on the kitchen stove and she wore aprons every day. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!