Published: April 16, 2008 12:28 am            

Nothing was easy in Grandma’s day

Are “new-fangled contraptions” making your life better? Think about it.

A small group of us ladies from the old school recently were visiting, and the subject came up about conveniences of today. We all remembered about washday. First, the water had to be carried from the spring or pumped from the well. I remember how I used to love to pump water. It had a rhythm to it that almost was musical. After several tubs of water were pumped or carried, it had to be heated in the huge black kettle out in the yard. Then it was transferred to the Maytag gasoline washing machine and the motor was started. Boy, that motor made the loudest noise. You couldn’t hear yourself think with the noise, and when the washing was done and the motor turned off we all were shouting at each other. We started with the light-colored clothes and ended with the men’s overalls and rugs. We used homemade lye soap for everything. When the laundry was completed, we hauled the used water to water trees and shrubs. And we scrubbed down the back porch and outhouse and sidewalks. There was a real system to washday, from start to finish.

When brought in from the line, those clothes were so fresh and smelled so good. The towels and sheets carefully were folded when they were removed from the clothes- line. The tea towels were so clean and bleached from the sun. I still have mother’s old clothespin apron and soap grater to remind me of those days. Back then it was not so fun, but it sure sparks memories now. One good thing about those washdays, all the laundry was done and over with in one day. Now we have several loads each and every day, and it never really is finished. But I wouldn’t want to go back to the days of doing laundry the old way and give up my washer and dryer that are so handy and convenient.

Cooking was no snap back in the olden days. First, one had to gather the chips or corn cobs and wood for the stove. This usually was done with the evening chores and put in the woodbox for early morning. When the stove was just right, we put the biscuits or whatever in the oven. I still can remember Grandma holding her hand in the oven to check the temperature. She always said “just right” and pushed her pan of biscuits to the back of the oven. I guess she just had a sixth sense about when the oven would be heated. I can remember her making the best biscuits in the world. She had a bowl that she kept full of flour. She made a well in the flour and added milk and baking powder, etc. Then she gathered the flour into the milk mixture with a quick cupping motion of her hand and in a wink had a biscuit to put in the pan. She repeated this procedure until she had a full pan of biscuits and there still was flour left in the bowl. How she knew just how much of what to use and come out right is a mystery to me. Now many people use canned biscuits and pop open the can and have to time the baking just so.

Nothing was easy back in Grandma’s day. All food was made from scratch. Eggs had to be gathered daily. Cheese and butter were made fresh. All vegetables and fruits had to be canned in season for later use in the winter and until that season came around again. Some vegetables were placed in the root cellars and some fruit was dried to preserve it. We used many wild grapes and blackberries. We ate a few wild greens but usually had spinach from an early garden.

We think nothing of running to the grocery store for a few things now, but back then it was quite an ordeal to go to town. My parents and grandparents went to town to trade only on Saturday, when they took cream and eggs to sell. They bought only necessary staples and returned home. They saw neighbors and friends while in town, but they didn’t tarry long and were always home by chore time. Could we give up our well-stocked grocery stores and markets and go back to the old way of cooking with wood or coal oil stoves? What a marvelous convenience electric and gas ranges are today. To say nothing of the convenience of heating our houses with electricity and gas.

We complain about the price of gas today, but would we go back to horse and buggy days? It took time to bring in the horses from the pasture and put the harnesses on them and hitch them to a wagon. It took hours just to go to a neighbor’s house or to town or to church. It was cold in the winter and hot in the summer and always dusty and windy. The horses had to have water and feed while on even the short trips, and there had to be suitable shade for them while errands were run. See, are paying high gas prices the worst thing that can happen to us?

I haven’t even mentioned yet our mothers sewed all our clothes. Our shoes had to be taken to the cobbler often because they wore out with all the walking we did to and from school. Cleaning a house was a real chore because we had carpet sweepers but no vacuums like today, and the rugs had to be beaten on the clothes- line when we wanted them freshened. Dust blew in all the time because our air conditioning system was open windows.

Few had running water or electricity until about the ’30s, but we all managed because we knew no difference in the country. Everybody was in the same situation. Few had telephones, and even those were party lines we shared with 11 other families. We didn’t use the phone for just idle chitchat. It was for emergencies and important calls only. Now, practically everyone has a cell phone that is used at all times. And our lives would not be complete without our computers.

We take for granted toasters, waffle irons, coffee-makers, slow cookers, lawn mowers, edgers, leaf blowers and automatic shifts on our cars. Have you ever noticed if the electricity goes off even temporarily, how many times we automatically turn on a light when we enter a room? So many things make our lives so much easier these days. Our grandparents would be shocked and surprised.

I seldom use mixes or convenience foods because I have lots of time to cook the old-fashioned way, and that is what I enjoy. But sometimes we just want something sweet tout de suite and these fill the bill and are easy and delicious.



Lemon Drops



1 box lemon cake mix

1 eggs

2 cups whipped topping

powdered sugar

Mix cake mix, egg and whipped topping by hand until mixed well. Roll into 1-inch balls and roll in powdered sugar. Place on cookie sheet and bake 8 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees.



Send your comments to: Peggy Goodrich, Food For Thought, P.O. Box 1192, Enid, OK 73702.