February 22nd, 2021

Years ago, a black wreath on the door meant there had been a death in the household.  My mother would send me with some ham and baked goods.  I would also go to the neighbors to collect money.  These were farmer’s wives who would give ten cents from their small grocery money.  One time I was taking food to a nearby family.  I was asked if I wanted to see Pa.  You didn’t say no to an older person in the neighborhood.  Pa was laying on their sofa covered in a nice quilt.  His head rested on a soft pillow.  I thought he was sleeping.  A few years later, a man I knew better also died.  I had waved to him on his porch every day when I came home from school.  Later he had trouble lifting his arm and he had to wear a black patch over one eye.  Mother said I could go to the house funeral.  It was a big house, three room all with sliding doors and many chairs.  His casket was in one of the rooms.  Since I was older and had known him better this funeral bothered me more.   Later, his wife asked if I could clean for her.  I never said anything but I dreaded having to clean the room where the casket had been.  I dusted and used a carpet sweeper (no electric) but tried to do it quickly.  I also picked currants there for 2 cents a quart.

February 22nd, 2021

Years ago, no farmers posted their property with “Keep Out” signs.  Our neighbors knew their men could hunt deer in our woods and nearby fields.  As the years went by, people we did not know hunted through our woods.  That is when Dad had Hari bring in the three brown cows from the pasture.  They were then kept closer to the barn.  Some hunters would shoot anything brown that moved.  My brother and dad did not hunt but we did not mind if the deer was going to be used for food.

Farmers were smart even without book learning.  Some had learned to plant by the moon phases.  One farmer had recorded in writing what crops he planted, where and when he did his planting, the weather and the moon phases.  His books were at an auction and I wish I had been older and knew how to bid on them.  Perhaps the Amish farmers still use nature in that way.

February 22nd, 2021

We had hot summers years ago before AC. We didn’t even have big fans. Our windows didn’t open very wide. Many a summer night I put a sheet and pillow on my cool linoleum floor. If you picked cherries or tomatoes in the sun all day, you can sleep anywhere. We kids didn’t carry any water. Thirsty, eat some cherries or a tomato. The men doing field work carried water in thermos jugs. Some wore wide brimmed straw hats like the Amish, wore long sleeved shirts and long pants. No sun screen needed. Even though we were sweating, we didn’t have body odor. I wonder if processed food with sodium and chemicals cause our bodies to lose moisture and smell. Before indoor plumbing, we washed in sinks or the men might use outdoor tubs. Lava soap was the usual choice or Lifebuoy. We caught rain water in barrels from the down spouts on the corners of our house. This was “soft” water before “acid rain” was known about. Some words come and go. We drank well water with no chemicals. We ate lots of organic food. Today the stores sell body scrubbers. We got the same thing using one of Mother’s rough towels that had been dried in the sun. I don’t remember the word “cancer” growing up, maybe other words were used instead. I am glad I had an innocent growing up. During WWII city people had “victory” gardens. Ours was 60 acres.

February 22nd, 2021

Years ago, hoboes walked along the Ridge Road. They traveled alone. Farms were marked where they could get food and a barn was open for them to sleep in the hay. A man would knock on our screen door. When mother answered, they asked for food. She told them to sit under the big tree, we would bring it out to them. I would take out a paper cup of cold well water and a sandwich in wax paper. The sandwich would be a thick slab of meat from our smokehouse on homemade bread. It had catsup or mustard. Later they knocked on our door to thank us. They left nothing behind.

The second group came once a year. They were gypsies in 4 or 5 covered wagons, each pulled by 2 sturdy horses. A farmer let them use an empty pasture nearby. The wagons were put in a circle. The women with some children wore bright colored blouses and long skirts. They came with their children and sold small sewing items. They also told fortunes by reading your palm, long lines meant a long life. This cost 5 or 10 cents. The men offered to do farm work for a few days. They also fixed pots with holes on the bottom. They used small silver circles of metal and pounded them with a hammer into the hole. The pot lasted another 5 years.

My brother and his friends would sneak over after dark and lay in the grass. There would be violin music and dancing around a big campfire. My dad said a family always had a violin player behind the horse drawn wagon that carried the casket from the church to the cemetery. His violin playing matched the crying of the women behind him.
Hoboes and gypsies disappeared after about 20 years. People were not opening the door to give food to a stranger. Later generations of gypsies tired of the nomadic lifestyle and settled in one place so their children could go to school and get better jobs. An era ended.

February 22nd, 2021

Most farming communities had a Grange Hall, where men met who were members.  It also was the place to be on Saturday night for their square dances.  There was one in Johnson’s Creek.  Today the Baptist Church across the road uses it for a fellowship center.  All ages came.  Parents knew it was a safe place for older teenagers.  For some it was a date night.  There were chairs around the edge of the big dance floor.  The caller would say “square up” which meant 4 couples would be facing each other.  The caller had records and called out what movements the square would do.  He called 3 dances which were a set.  There would be laughing and swinging.

The only daring dance ended with “Kiss your honey if you dare” which you wanted to do with a boy you liked.  Then everyone rested, with only pop or water from the fountain to drink.

My husband said they had square dances just for their friends at his house when he was young.

His father had records and he was the caller.  These were big houses with big rooms for big families.  The furniture was pushed to one side.  Simple fun in carefree days or at least for one carefree night.