Thinking Back........

Grandma's large button jar always had a match for whatever might be needed in the way of buttons. Her ball of string grew a little bit each day. Every Piece of string was saved and then tied to the end of the ball. It was diminished quite a lot during the kite-flying season.

On wash day, the "whites" were put in a large copper wash boiler and the dirt was "boiled" out. Then they were smoothed out on the green grass in the back yard to dry and to renew their whiteness. First, of course, they went through the hand wringer - that machine which loved to eat buttons!

Carpets were hung over the clothesline and someone had to beat them with a wire carpet-beater. That was almost as bad as when we children had to climb into the silo with handkerchief masks covering our nose and mouth and tromp down the ensilage as it came in from the top. Playing in the haymow was fun, but not as much fun as wading around barefoot in the grain bins during the heat of the summer. Those were the days when cows were milked by hand.

Saturday night baths were taken in a round galvanized tub in the kitchen. The next morning, we went to church carrying our two nickels for collection - tied in the corner of a hankie. Everyone wore hats and gloves to church. The hat pins of those days were really dangerous weapons, if the need should arise. The coin purses were called finger purses. Grandma always had beautiful hats and lovely white hair. Someone once asked her how she kept it looking so nice and she replied, "I sleep on my stomach!"

My sisters and I each had a ruffled organdy dress with a tiny black velvet Bow on each ruffle. My youngest sister had a pair of pantaloons to wear with her dress. We wore shimmy shirts and babies wore belly binders. I remember when my two cousins, Rene and Elaine, got very daring and started wearing pajamas instead of nightgowns. (Even today, I would be daring if I wore some of the shortie nighties and shortie PJs seen in shop windows.) When it was time for me to get a new dress, it simply had to have puffed sleeves!

Men wore suspenders which were also called gallusses or braces. They wore caps, porkpie hats and bowlers. Pocket watches were sometimes called turnips and most of them had watch fobs dangling from them. Some were very fancy beaded fobs and some were tiny monkeys which had been carved out of peach pits. some people say that suspenders are the world's oldest form of "Social Security."

Days of Yesteryear

Do you remember when doctors made house calls. Now those were the days. Free yardsticks and pencils were given away at the County Fair. Boys wore knickers to school and girls had to wear those horrid blue gymsuits with the bloomer-type bottoms. Wind-up victrolas played the songs of Nora Bayes, Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor and Lauritz Melchior. Even today I still play "Apple Blossom Time," "Harvest Moon," "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows," "Peggy O'Neil," "Missouri Waltz," "Look For the Silver Lining," "Somewhere a Voice Is Calling," "Silver Threads Among the Gold" and "Tiptoe Through the Tulips."

Zane Gray was on the best-seller list. People were doing bird imitations to music. Whistling was in style. (I used to whistle all the time, but my pucker must be worn out! ) Once a week, as a child, I was allowed to buy the one thing I wanted most at the ice cream store. It was a lemon phosphate.

Strawberry and ice cream socials were held at various homes. Corn-husking bees with music and dancing were popular. Whoever found a red ear of corn earned the right to a kiss from anyone in the room! Newlyweds were always prepared (almost) for the expected horning or chivaree.

Sunday night song services were held at church. Everyone called out their favorite hymns and we sang one after another: "Life Is Like A Mountain Railroad," "Ivory Palaces," "From Sinking Sands He Lifted Me," "The Old Rugged Cross," "Blessed Assurance," "Yes, We Shall Gather At The River" and "I Love To Tell The Story."

The radio drummed into our ears such things as: "Oxydol's Own Ma Perkins," "Tony Wons Scrapbook," "Jack Armstrong - The All American Boy," "Fibber McGee and Molly," "Easy Aces," Orphan Annie saying "Fill your mug with Ovaltine," "Amos and Andy with (Buzz Me, Miss Blue and What a revoltin' development this is"), "I'm Buster Brown, I live in a shoe and here's my dog Tige, He lives in there, too" and my favorite commercial jingle for one of my favorite foods, "Tasty Yeast is tempting to the appetite, creamy wholesome food - try a luscious bite."