MODERN CONVENIENCES AND SOME EPITHETS

MODERN CONVENIENCES AND A FEW EPITHETS We all love our modcons and I am remembering a few from my history. The winter of 1947 was brutally cold. Dad was working in Gooding. They lived in a small house heated with a wood stove. Mom told me that one of my first ever bath was in a container of warm water sitting on top of the wood stove. Yum, steamed baby. I became acquainted with freeze dry clothes the winter we lived in the Bishop house, also heated by a wood stove. My job was to bring in the laundry, usually diapers. I would bring them in and stack them near the stove where they thawed perfectly. I then folded the diapers for use. The first ever washing machine I ever saw was at Grandma Horn's. There were three containers, the first was a tub with an agitator, the next was a tub for rinse water, a wringer and a tub where the wrung out clothing fell. The water had to be heated elsewhere. Grandpa Horn would go light the water heater which was located in the storm cellar. Then hot water was available through the taps in the house. I was fascinated by the wringer. All drying was confined to a line where it was hung to dry. Mom's most efficient line was where several lines were strung around a line that held at least fifty pieces of clothing. This was located at their Boise Cascade home near Mill Road in Emmett. Another device that is very oldfashioned was a good grinder. It was metal with several sized blades to use for which ever size of grind was wanted. The most common use was for grinding whole cranberries and one whole orange for the long time family favorite; cranberry, orange, black cherry jelly, celery, walnut. This makes a terrific turkey sandwich for left overs. The other use was for meat. I came home from school one day and a large gray thing was on a plate. I asked what it was and Mom told me it was tongue. Ugh. She boiled it, peeles it, ground it up with onions, dill pickles and mixed with Mayo. It made a very tasty sandwich spread. I am getting kind of hungry. The other kids at it up as.” they had never seen the original. Mom would save up chicken parts, back, wings etc for chicken noodle soup. She would make noodle by putting a pile of flour on a board and mixing in some eggs. This was then kneaded, rolled flat and cut into noodles. The noodles were then dried on newspaper in one of the bedrooms. For years, I thought that was where noodles came from. They were delicious! Epithets: My great grandfather was named Issac Newton Horn. When ever Mom visited Missouri as a youngster she would read the newspaper to him as he was illiterate. One time at dinner, he exclaimed, “Give me some of that there lickum dabby.” Another Missouri relative was displeased with the state of her daughter's underwear. “Julia, I do believe you have a buzzsaw in your ass!” Lastly, there was a local dance being held. It was well attended. One of the dancers was a large, tall, redheaded woman who was a vigorous dancer. She slipped and fell on the dance floor. One local wit shouted. “ There is a big red down in the herd!”