| Author |
Across the Fence:  older than dirt?  |
|
yarnmamma
True Blue Farmgirl
4247 Posts
Linda
Clarks Summit
PA
USA
4247 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 24 2010 : 3:13:40 PM
|
Hi farmgirl sisters, I didn't write this but enjoyed reading it....
and by the way ...I'm not telling my age! LOL 
Linda
Subject: Bring back any memories?
Someone asked the other day, 'What was your favourite 'fast food' when you were growing up?'
'We didn't have fast food when I was growing up,' I informed him.
'All the food was slow.'
'C'mon, seriously. Where did you eat?'
'It was a place called 'home,'' I explained. !
'Mum cooked every day and when Dad got home from work, we sat down together at the dining room table, and if I didn't like what she put on my plate, I was allowed to sit there until I did like it.'
By this time, the kid was laughing so hard I was afraid he was going to suffer serious internal damage, so I didn't tell him the part about how I had to have permission to leave the table.
But here are some other things I would have told him about my childhood if I'd figured his system could have handled it:
Some parents NEVER owned their own house, wore Levis, set foot on a golf course, travelled out of the country or had a credit card.
My parents never drove me to school. I had a bicycle that weighed probably 50 pounds, and only had one speed, (slow).
We didn't have a television in our house until I was 10.
It was, of course, black and white, and the station went off the air at 10 pm, after playing the national anthem and epilogue; it came back on the air at about 6 p.m. and there was usually a locally produced news and farm show on, featuring local people...
I never had a telephone in my room. The only phone was on a party line. Before you could dial, you had to listen and make sure some people you didn't know weren't already using the line.
Pizzas were not delivered to our home..... But milk was.
All newspapers were delivered by boys and all boys delivered newspapers --My brother delivered a newspaper, seven days a week. He had to get up at 6AM every morning.
Movie stars kissed with their mouths shut. At least, they did in the movies. There were no movie ratings because all movies were responsibly produced for everyone to enjoy viewing, without profanity or violence or most anything offensive.
If you grew up in a generation before there was fast food, you may want to share some of these memories with your children or grandchildren. Just don't blame me if they bust a gut laughing.
Growing up isn't what it used to be, is it?
MEMORIES from a friend:
My Dad is cleaning out my grandmother's house (she died in December) and he brought me an old Royal Crown Cola bottle. In the bottle top was a stopper with a bunch of holes in it... I knew immediately what it was, but my daughter had no idea. She thought they had tried to make it a salt shaker or something. I knew it as the bottle that sat on the end of the ironing board to 'sprinkle' clothes with because we didn't have steam irons. Man, I am old.
How many do you remember?
Head lights dimmer switches on the floor of the car.
Ignition switches on the dashboard.
Trouser leg clips for bicycles without chain guards.
Soldering irons you heated on a gas burner.
Using hand signals for cars without turn signals.
>
Older Than Dirt Quiz:
Count all the ones that you remember, not the ones you were told about.
Ratings at the bottom.
1. Sweet cigarettes
2. Coffee shops with juke boxes
3. Home milk delivery in glass bottles
4. Party lines on the telephone
5. Newsreels before the movie
6. TV test patterns that came on at night after the last show and were there until TV shows started again in the morning. (There were only 2 channels [if you were fortunate])
7. Peashooters
8. 33 rpm records
9. 45 RPM records
10. Hi-fi's
11. Metal ice trays with lever
12. Blue flashbulb
13. Cork popguns
14. Wash tub wringers
If you remembered 0-3 = You’re still young
If you remembered 3-6 = You are getting older
If you remembered 7-10 = Don't tell your age,
If you remembered 11-14 =You're older than dirt!
Linda in Scranton, PA
Thoughts become things... choose the good ones! www.tut.com |
Edited by - yarnmamma on Jan 24 2010 3:15:42 PM |
|
|
4HMom
True Blue Farmgirl
720 Posts
Kelly
Montana
720 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2010 : 3:41:49 PM
|
I didn't think I was older than dirt, but I remembered a LOT. Maybe it's because my grandma was so frugal that she still had "old" things that worked when I was growing up so she kept on using them (ie: wash tub wringer) LOL
"Be the change you want to see in the world" -Gandhi |
 |
|
|
ruralfarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
4309 Posts
Rene'
Prosser
WA
USA
4309 Posts |
|
|
yarnmamma
True Blue Farmgirl
4247 Posts
Linda
Clarks Summit
PA
USA
4247 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2010 : 3:52:58 PM
|
yes! dirt is a good thing! :-)
Linda in Scranton, PA
Thoughts become things... choose the good ones! www.tut.com |
|
|
|
lilwing
True Blue Farmgirl
1403 Posts
Brooke
Fulshear
Texas
USA
1403 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2010 : 3:56:42 PM
|
LOL! Loved this.... And this reminds me of when I was a kid :
" and if I didn't like what she put on my plate, I was allowed to sit there until I did like it."
That was me whenever cooked spinach was served!! ..but I never liked it. To this day! (but I like fresh)
I wish milk was still delivered! (maybe it is some places, but certainly not here!)
~~~~
Proud Farmgirl #775
http://maggielousdaughter.blogspot.com
(in construction!)
|
|
|
|
maggie14
True Blue Farmgirl
6784 Posts
Hannah
Washington
USA
6784 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2010 : 4:05:54 PM
|
That is funny! Thanks for sharing!!
Hugs,
Channah
If you can dream it, and if you are willing to put forth the work and effort, you can have anything you envision. |
|
|
|
sharikrsna
True Blue Farmgirl
185 Posts
Shari
Carthage
Illinois
USA
185 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2010 : 4:06:05 PM
|
OK so what does it mean if you didn't grow up with these things, but have decided to use them now? For instance, I prefer manual kitchen tools to their electric (useless) counterparts. I do alot of old time crafts and stitching, use a washboard on occasion, haul water for my bath, and hang up my laundry on the clothesline. I appreciate the way things were made way back when, and I appreciate the way things were done too. People dressed well, they were polite to each other, crime was minimal, in the country at least. Greed was nothing like it is now. Stuff, including the doctor was affordable, and if you had a job, you could buy a home. I'm not a big fan of progress, or where it's taken us. Computers are about the only good tool to come out of the twentieth century, because of the information that is instantly available, and because it puts us in touch with like minded folks, whom we might not otherwise meet.
Shari
Farmgirl Sister #607 |
|
|
|
Patty73
Farmgirl at Heart
5 Posts
Patsy
Winter Springs
Florida
USA
5 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2010 : 4:42:33 PM
|
this is funny but true for us who are "older than dirt". Sitting at the table until you learned to like the food happened in our home often for there were 6 kids at the table.
Farmgirl Sister #974
Begin Again |
|
|
|
Marybeth
True Blue Farmgirl
6418 Posts
Mary Beth
Stanwood
Wa 98292
USA
6418 Posts |
|
|
Faransgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
895 Posts
Beth
Houston
Texas
USA
895 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2010 : 5:07:37 PM
|
Me too, older than dirt. I remember everyone of these things. My Mom and Grandma used the bottle with the holes in the top they used Dr. Pepper 10 - 2 - and 4 remember that. I love the way we use to live. My goal for this year is to make life simpler.
Farmgirl Sister 572
May the force of the horse be with you. |
|
|
|
yarnmamma
True Blue Farmgirl
4247 Posts
Linda
Clarks Summit
PA
USA
4247 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2010 : 6:20:51 PM
|
I remember the clothes sprinklers too! My mom wet the clothes to be ironed and kept them in the refridgerator crisper....nothing else was ever kept in there but the wet clothes to be ironed..they would be in there for days. I didn't know why then but now I think it was to keep them from going sour. Anyone know?
Linda in Scranton, PA
Thoughts become things... choose the good ones! www.tut.com |
|
|
|
nut4fabric
True Blue Farmgirl
885 Posts
Kathy
Morgan Hill
CA
USA
885 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2010 : 6:40:58 PM
|
My mom still uses the sprinkling bottle and I am older than dirt.
Kathy |
|
|
|
Ingrid
True Blue Farmgirl
432 Posts
Ingrid
BC
Canada
432 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2010 : 6:51:18 PM
|
I am older than dirt. What a great feeling!
Give thanks to yourself everyday for all the wonderful things you do! |
|
|
|
yarnmamma
True Blue Farmgirl
4247 Posts
Linda
Clarks Summit
PA
USA
4247 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2010 : 6:51:39 PM
|
that was back when all soda pop bottles were glass and ya had to use a opener to take the cap off...long before cans of soda or plastic bottles...I remember!
Linda in Scranton, PA
Thoughts become things... choose the good ones! www.tut.com |
|
|
|
Marybeth
True Blue Farmgirl
6418 Posts
Mary Beth
Stanwood
Wa 98292
USA
6418 Posts |
|
|
Patty73
Farmgirl at Heart
5 Posts
Patsy
Winter Springs
Florida
USA
5 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2010 : 7:19:17 PM
|
Linda,
I remember my Mom sprinkling the clothes and wraping them in a towel and putting them in the refrigerator. I forgot about that until you guys mentioned it. I guess it was to prevent the mildew but my Mom did not finish the ironing and she would put them in the fridge until the next day. I iron when I sew and sometimes to get wrinkles out but times have changed about that ironing. I always knew when my Mom was mad at my Dad and she would get out the old iron and board and she would go to town on that ironing and hit that iron real hard on the board. I realized now that helped her to get it out of her system.
Farmgirl Sister #974
Begin Again |
|
|
|
yarnmamma
True Blue Farmgirl
4247 Posts
Linda
Clarks Summit
PA
USA
4247 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2010 : 7:27:48 PM
|
I think what she did was kept them wet after washing instead of drying them first....I'm just guessing here...but it always seemed strange to keep clean wet clothes in the crisper and then wet them again to iron them....but she did... it's funny how we remember things.
Linda in Scranton, PA
Thoughts become things... choose the good ones! www.tut.com |
|
|
|
prariehawk
True Blue Farmgirl
2914 Posts
Cindy
2914 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2010 : 9:18:43 PM
|
My mom used a 7-Up bottle when she ironed and she'd be watching "Secret Storm" or "Dark Shadows". Now I feel old.
Cindy |
|
|
|
paradiseplantation
True Blue Farmgirl
1277 Posts
julie
social springs community
Louisiana
USA
1277 Posts |
Posted - Jan 26 2010 : 07:36:00 AM
|
Yup! I knew I was older than dirt. And my kids make me feel it everytime they suggest I try to sell some of my old antiques on Ebay -- like my sprinkle bottle; my aprons and my USED enamelware lunch pails (no, not lunch BOXES -- but my great great uncle's lunch pail. Hey! It wasn't MY fault he actually used it to go to the local pub and have it filled with beer, because my great great aunt wouldn't allow him to imbibe of the evil spirits at home!)
from the hearts of paradise... |
|
|
|
Bellepepper
True Blue Farmgirl
1207 Posts
Belle
Coffeyville
KS
USA
1207 Posts |
Posted - Jan 26 2010 : 08:01:43 AM
|
Oh-Oh. I think I go back furthur than that. I started school in the same building that the Dalton Gang attended. The first year I was there the school didn't have electricity. The school did not have indoor toilets. In the 4th grade, they built a new school. It was wonderful, running water and all.
When Daddy milked the cows, we put the milk in a 10 gal milk can (now in the antique shops) and put the can down by the road so the milk hauler could pick it up and take it to the milk plant.
Some of the milk we kept was run through the seperator. We kept the cream and the blue john was fed to the pigs.
Belle |
|
|
|
Faransgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
895 Posts
Beth
Houston
Texas
USA
895 Posts |
Posted - Jan 26 2010 : 08:03:06 AM
|
I still do my ironing. One a week or so. I do know lots of people that don't even own an iron. I remember when we were kids my Mom would do the ironing. We didn't have a/c but we did have a broken window unit. It blew air but it wasn't cold so Mom would throw glasses of ice water into the window a/c unit and the blower would slowly blow the cold water back out on her as she ironed. My sister and I took over the ironing when we were tall enough to reach the ironing board standing on a stool.
Farmgirl Sister 572
May the force of the horse be with you. |
|
|
|
KayB
True Blue Farmgirl
540 Posts
Kay
Del City
Oklahoma
USA
540 Posts |
Posted - Jan 26 2010 : 08:38:28 AM
|
Yep, I remembered just about all of these. We were lucky in that we had 3 channels on the TV. According to my son, I'm 3 days older than dirt anyway, so what the heck. I remember having one of those coke bottle sprinklers myself and I moved out on my own in 1973. It was a gift from my mom. Also, melmac dishes that were "unbreakable" (yeah, right).
Ah, memories!!
KayB
Life's a dance you learn as you go |
|
|
|
Diane B Carter
True Blue Farmgirl
1270 Posts
Diane
Blasdell
N.Y.
USA
1270 Posts |
Posted - Jan 26 2010 : 09:34:03 AM
|
I must be older than dirt, I still have a sprinkler on a bottle of water on my ironing board, only now it's made of plastic. I did not hear of sweet cigarettes, but everything else I knew.
Thanks for sharing, it made me smile and I needed that today.
Hope all your days are Sunnydays.
dianebcarterhotmailcom.blogspot.com |
|
|
|
bobbinrobin
True Blue Farmgirl
590 Posts
Sharon
Newman Lake
WA
USA
590 Posts |
Posted - Jan 26 2010 : 09:51:21 AM
|
I go back further than that. I remember having to use the outhouse in the middle of a Northern Minnesota winter and pumping water ... indoors all year 'round. That was life at my Grandma's house. Guess that makes me older than older than dirt!
How beautiful a day can be when kindness touches it. -G. Elliston
www.sharnymcclarny.etsy.com
www.bobbinrobin.etsy.com |
|
|
|
Bellepepper
True Blue Farmgirl
1207 Posts
Belle
Coffeyville
KS
USA
1207 Posts |
Posted - Jan 26 2010 : 09:57:51 AM
|
The sweet cigaretts were cigarett shaped pepperment flavored (I think). They were white with a red tip. Like they were lit. They came in a box a little smaller than a cig pack. I think the little box had a camel on it. Or maybe Lucky Strike. Didn't smoke/eat many of them. Our candy was limited and I ALWAYS had a 3 Musketeir. It was the biggest candy bar at the time. Really wanted a Mars bar but they cost a dime. The rest of the candy bars were a nickle.
When I graduated 8th grade and then went to "town school" we ate lunch at a hamburger joint. Hamburgers were 15 cents, pie was 15 cents and pop was a dime. We had 50 cents a day for lunch. Either there was no sales tax or the guy didn't charge us. Oh, and there were no french fries. We saved the change for a pop and candy on the way home at the little country filling station. |
|
|
|
Miss Bee Haven
True Blue Farmgirl
4331 Posts
Janice
Louisville/Irvington
Kentucky
USA
4331 Posts |
Posted - Jan 26 2010 : 11:22:17 AM
|
Remember bubble gum cigars? Pink, yellow and green! :D And dry cleaners used to come to the house and pick up your clothes. I 'ate lunch out' every day in summer.....going two doors down to grandma's house! LOL! She was the first person in the neighborhood to have a tv set and I'd go and sit on the floor in front of her ottoman and she'd set lunch on it and let me watch old 'Our Gang' movies on a local channel.
Farmgirl Sister #50
"If you think you've got it nailed down, then what's all that around it?"
'Br.Dave Gardner' |
|
|
|
Across the Fence: older than dirt? |
|
older than dirt?
