Lost in the Time/Space Continuum By Marsha Meyers
Last weekend, I went to a "31" party-- where you buy storage boxes and bags made of canvas for boocoos of money, so that your hostess can get a prize. Sort of like Tupperware for the storage world, made of canvas. ANYWAY, they had a flat bag in the catalogue, labeled, "Flat Iron Pouch".
I sat there, among the group of ladies, all of whom are band moms and range in age, from 10-20 years younger than I, and thought, "That won't fit my flat irons."
It took me about 5 minutes to actually realize what I was seeing. It is a pouch to put your flat iron in-- the kind of hair care flat iron that makes your hair straight. Not at ALL what I was thinking, which was this:
So the funny thing, besides my obvious misunderstanding, is that I am working at my mother's house, (now my house), and living at least one, perhaps two centuries behind the times. I found quite the flat iron collection up in the attic, and am finding more, every day I go up in the attic. I have this same flat iron, but mine is a smaller model-- it was my Grandma's when she was a child-- a toy. Like, yeah, I want a toy I can work with... NOT. But anyway, I have her flat iron and use it, every day, to prop the bedroom door open.
Then, it dawned on me, (thanks to John Russell's suggestion), that maybe you would all enjoy seeing some of the things that I use just about every day at my mother's house, that are not a normal part of the environment any more. The little anachornisms that are still hanging around, a part of daily life, that aren't found in homes any more, but will soon become a part of the daily fabric of my life here at home.
First, you have to understand. I'm an only child, and an only grandchild, and an only great niece, and an only family member that was under the age of 21 when everyone was still alive. There were 12 of them, to start with. 10 of them were 65+ when I was born, and they used their old stuff. Old stuff is pretty indestructable. All of the stuff they inherited and used from their parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great-grandparents were still being used during my lifetime. So, at my mother's house are 6 generations of stuff. Stuff dating back to 1812, or before, because it all came down the Ohio River on a flat boat, wrapped in straw and placed in barrels in 1812. Or more recent than that, but it a lot of it is stuff from before 1900.
This is the old harness bench from Grandpa Bruce's house. It came from my great-great grandpa's house and was used by my great-great-half uncles until their deaths in the late 1960s. It was their father's, who was my Grandma's grandpa.
Anyway, ours lives in the den, and is a handy place to put jackets and things that you throw on to go outside. If you mash on the little bar at the bottom, it opens the top clamp, so you can actually get it to hold a jacket tightly, or whatever. Ours is covered up right now, with jackets.
Repurposing seems to be the only way I can go.
This is the antique cherry washstand that was my great-grandmother's, Grandma Hutch's. We have always used it to store placemats and napkins. On top of the washstand is a washstand set, which I have used many times when the bathroom sink was stopped up.
This is the washstand set. It sits on top of the washstand, except for the chamber pot that lives under the bed, and it was Grandma Scherer's. And no, I've never used the chamber pot as a chamber pot, but we use it to put keys in that we don't want to lose... Mine has a lot more pots and jars and things and I have no idea what they were used for. Can't imagine, actually. Plus, mine is solid white with a burgundy band around all of it-- no flowers. But, I dn't have a picture of mine... Mine has 8 pieces. At any rate, when the sink in the bathroom is stopped up, we use the bowl and pitcher to wash with, and it's real handy. Mine also has a soap dish. You just dump in out in the kitchen sink, or, if the problem is with the sewer, in the backyard...
This is a boot jack. I use it all the time to take my shoes and boots off with it-- it stays by the back door. It's very handy, because you don't get dirty taking your shoes off inside the house. You just put your heel in the antennae of the bug and pull. Works like a charm! Then, when your shoes are dry, you can diddle with them.
This was my other great-grandmother's sewing machine. Grandma Scherer's, my Grandpa's mother's. At any rate, I love it, because it sews straight. My mother has one of those 1960s fancy dancy zigzag machines and it's all over the place. I have a fancy dancy 1990s zig zag machine and it is all over the place, too! If you want to sew a straight seam, use this one! It grabs the fabric and won't let go!
Those little drawers are really handy for thread and stuff, too. You can make it go lickety split, just by pumping harder.
This is a close facsimile to Grandma Bruce's sugar chest-- it came with her mother, Grandma Combs, down the Ohio River. Anyway, back in the day, white sugar was so expensive and so valuable, that they kept it under lock and key. We have always, during my lifetime, used it to store the best quilts. Sophronia's quilts live in here, as well as her coverlets that she wove. It isn't cedar, but no bugs have ever gotten in it-- I think it is made of poplar. I think its key is one of the many that are kept in the (empty) chamber pot. I have Grandma Combs' silver spoons that came with her, too. They are at least 200 years old...
This is a rug beater and I still use this on throw rugs. I take them outside and thwap them with this handly little tool and it gets the dust out of the rug. When you're done, you take the rug inside and vacuum it. But this really does help. I have to be careful, and make sure the dogs are in, because they get scared when I go to rug thwapping.
Every family dinner holiday, we get these out. Grandma had enough for everyone, and they matched. They were Grandma Bruce's as well, but I think Grandpa Bruce bought them for her. They are salt cellars, and they come with a tiny spoon, to put salt on your food. Ours are cut-glass and very beautiful. They are home with me, now.
This, too, was Grandma Scherer's and it is the only kettle that my mother has. So, I use it. It weighs about 20 pounds, empty, and does not sing, but once the water is hot, it stays hot. You can have that 2nd or third cup of hot tea, even if it is the dickens to lift! But, too, it isn't going to drop the bottom out of it, either, like 3 of my kettles have done... This was built to last, and it certainly has! Ours says 1881 on the bottom.
This was my Grandma's doll dresser and I've always used it as a jewelry box. The drawers are unlined, but you can put your costume jewelry in it, and use the mirror to put on your earrings. I've now got Grandma's porcelain-headed doll-- Miss Merry Anne. This is from the 1890s-- Grandma was born in 1891.
The drawers are loose by now, but it still holds a LOT of jewelry!
I've always loved this...
I still use the antique coffee grinder, if I want freshly ground coffee. I'll be dad-blamed if I'm going to buy an electric one, when this one was used by my great-great grandparents. It grinds well, still. This was Grandma Scherer's, my great-great grandmother's. She was German and large and strong.
Ours says 1862 on the bottom. And it is all in one piece and works. Fortunately, I rarely want freshly ground coffee.
This is the antique revolving book case that still is loaded to the gills with books. It holds about 125 books, and creaks a little, when you turn it. It has been mine since 1970, but I left it at Mama's so she could use it. It will be coming home with me. It was specially made in Louisville in 1885, ordered by Grandpa Bruce, my great-great grandfather. Grandma Hutch kept her violets on it, so the top is stained. I love it because you can get a lot of books in it, but it doesn't take up all that much room.
This is Grandma Hutch's, (my Grandma's mother's), chocolate set. All my life, we've had hot chocolate out of this set, and it is still all in one piece. It is at my house, now, carefully wrapped. I love it! I only use it in the living room, so if I drop it, it won't shatter...
This was my great great great great Grandpa's pewter powder horn. The Grandfather of Grandpa Bruce. At any rate, this picture looks a lot like ours, but it is in worse shape, and ours has an impression of a stag on it. The thing at the top is an automatic measure, so you get just the right amount of powder. It came down the Ohio River on a flatboat in 1812. It now lives in the gun safe. I don't use this, but look at it every now and then, and try to imagine what it has seen...
I now have about 50 antique pen nibs. Some of them are stuck on decorative wood, and some of them are just loose. You can fit a feather in some of them, and some of them are attached to a metal pen. All the old fountain pens are gone, as I guess my mother threw them away when the rubber petrified. But these are still good, and I'm keeping them. Besides, who knows? Someday I may want to dip them in ink and have a go!
This is a Chrysler or Kaiser winged radiator cap that came off of Grandpa's car. He saved it, because he liked it. I have used it on the cat's heads as a Viking headdress, and they haven't been at all pleased. Mainly, it sits on a shelf, but it is also handy to keep papers down when the fan is on. 
Well, maybe you can see why I'm lost in the Time/Space Continuum. I go to my house and everything was someone else's, from long ago, and I come home, and everything was someone else's from long ago... If you liked this article, I can do one on artwork of the 1870s. Quilts of the 1800s. Weird Victorian silverware. Jet mourning jewelry of the 1880s. I'm still looking for Grandpa's marbles, which were quite large and beautiful... (Maybe, I need to look for my own my own "marbles".) Then, there are pictures. Of everyone. Doing weird 1890s things in buggies and weird 1900s things in cars. Or old books, one of which, (that I'm still looking for), is German poetry of 1783...
One last thing:
This is what I learned to type on. It was Grandpa's from the Union Station Railroad office. I could also do an article about railroad memorabilia-- lanterns, and bridge cards, and pencils, and, oil cans, and, well, you get the drift.
Thanks for coming by!
Tags
Who is online
431 visitors
getting the spaces right in this article has been a nightmare-- If some things seem squished and others don't, that's why...
At any rate, I'm really lost between centuries and when they name something of today that was named the same thing as yesteryear, but has a new meaning...
I think I need to open a museum. I have no idea what I am going to do with 7 bedroom suites, etc....
Thanks for coming by!
I feel quite a bit like I am, John... I love it-- but it is also discombobulating. All of these things are normal to me, and no one else has ever heard of them!
Oh well...
Well, because they have been used, they have been maintained... The harness bench-- I am very careful with the leather strappings, because I expect them to disintegrate at any moment. My great-great grandfather died in 1903, and, according to my Grandma, she remembered him using this in his barn.
Pretty much anything cast iron, as long as it is kept dry, it is in good shape. I have quite a few more cast iron pieces, and need to do something to get the rust off of them... The lfat irons are great from propping doors open, and you can hook your foot in the handle to move them. Handy!
Grandpa was a railroad man, so he oiled everything. I guess I get it honest because I oil things, too-- furniture oil, and metal oil, etc. Besides, I don't beat rugs with abandon, I am careful with things. I want to leave them to my son, so HE can use things...
China, glassware, silver, etc., is either packed away until I can find a safe place for it, or is kept carefully in the china cabinet, the buffet, or in the special silver drawers of a little cabinet I have. I've got a lot of things to clean up, but mainly, it's just dusty.
We were all little people, too-- none of us have ever been over 6' tall. I think that has resulted in not a whole lot of wear and tear on the furniture. All of us fit into these:
You might want to have that sugar chest appraised by someone you trust.
Thanks for the link! Neat! I am not selling it, but should likely insure it. It has never been refinished, but has no center board.
I wonder if the sugar inside somehow preserved its innards...
from your link, this one looks more like ours than the one shown...
Wow-- this stuff in incredible! I'm sure you'd like to keep it all of course. But if you wanted to sell some of these items, a few would "fetch a pretty penny". (As they used to say in the old days). They have stood up over time because your family obviously took good care of them. And many things made back then were of really good quality, and made to last.
My grandmother had an old Singer sewing machine that looked just lie that-- drawers and all. Operated by the foot pedal of course, not electric. (The only difference is the colour--it was black).
And my grandarents had a revolving bookcase just like that one! When they died my old aunt got it. I am quite a bookworm, so I hoped to inherit it, but my cousin got it.
radiator cap... those old cars were so cool..dont make 'em like they used to!
Thanks! I need to try to leave it all to my son...
Several pieces are now being reunited that haven't been together in 70 years or so... The washstand will finally get to be with the German bed... The loveseat will finally get to be with 2 of its parlor chairs... sort of like a family furniture reunion!
I hope that my son can keep them-- or, sell them once I'm dead. It was drilled into my skull to not get rid of it, but to pass it down, as it was passed to me.
No, they don't! I love that old radiator cap!
It fits the cat's heads so well!
Cast iron is nowhere near as popular as it was back in those days ... even though it is said to distribute the heat more uniformly than modern cookware . Heck , now even pickup trucks are made from aluminum to replace steel :
I laughed for 5 minutes at the flat iron confusion.
You have been blessed with some lovely things and it is clear you have taken excellent care of them.
7 bedroom suits? Sounds like you need to open a bed and breakfast.
What a fascinating article. Thank you so much for posting it.
What is a harness bench used for?
The cup with the washstand set would be used to mix a lather using a shaving brush to put on a man's face for softening his whiskers before he shaves, back in those days with a straight razor.
I have a manual coffee grinder, a new one but similar to that one. It takes ages to grind the coffee beans. I guess I've become lazy because now I just buy the coffee already ground.
I can tell you why, too! It's HEAVY. Good gosh! You have to use a pot holder to pick up that kettle, and it takes all my strength to pour... But, it does keep the water hot, I must admit.
My kettles are Wally World kettles, I have two, in case one of them falls apart. They're junk.
That is exactly what I've been thinking... I have two living rooms full of furniture, 7 bedrooms, 2 dens, one dining room, and 2 kitchens. SOME of it, I can get rid of, but most of it stays. How does one get rid of a bed where one's great-great grandfather died, one's great-grandfather was born and died, and one's grandfather was born? The answer: You don't.
All 7 of them are like that, except for the bunk bed set, that my Grandpa built in 1933 out of the Old Hickory Tree on my great-great-grandfather's property. No one was born or died in it, but 3 generations have slept in it.
The trouble is that it costs so much to open a bed and breakfast... And, do I have the strength to do it?
Thank you, for coming by!
The harness bench held the harness while you worked on it. By mashing down the lever, you could hold a piece of the harness up in different configurations so you could mend it. All that was hand-stitched, and, because it was leather-- thick leather-- it required two hands to puncture and sew it. You could also use it to make harnesses. It was just out in the barn at Grandpa Bruce's house.
Yes, there is definitely a cup to the washstand set-- Grandpa used dove soap and a brush to make his lather to shave. He used to use all kinds of straight razors and had a whole slew of them. I haven't found them yet, but I imagine there are a few there... I have wracked my brain as to what all these pots were used for... The powder ones wouls be shallow flat bowls that one could put a powder puff in, with a lid. There are three of those, at least. I guess the rest are for soap and stuff. Wish I could ask someone!
It takes me two days to grind enough coffee, (because my arm gets tired), to have a pot of coffee. It amazes me that they did that-- every day...
That was a nice gift! They cost a fortune, I thought...
I don't know that these would be so great for storing a hot iron, as they were lined with plastic... I have electric hair curling irons, modern, but are large diameter. I also have hair curling irons from my Grandma Hutch, my great-grandmother. These look just like the ones I have: Evidently, you put them on the hearth to heat. If they had called it a storage bag for a hair straightener, I would have had some idea!
Just checked their website - "The perfect way to store your flat iron or curling iron, now with an inner compartment that keeps the cord safe from a hot iron." That's a relief. My kids probably wouldn't speak to us again if we ruined their straighteners!By the way, those things in the picture look like torture devices.
Well, maybe the ones I saw in the catalogue were older or something... I'm glad that they have dealt with something!
My curling irons come with a warning that they have to be stored, when cold, with a little plastic doohickey on the end to protect the ceramic barrel. Maybe that's what its all about.
90% of the stuff from back then looks like torture devices, to me!
Even the jewelry...
Heavy is good at times . In vehicles it uses more fuel , but it also adds strength . That's a tradeoff .
If Peep ever wants to try one of those, tell him to take it very slow and be very very careful. You can cut your face to shreds with one of them. When I was little, I watched my grandpa using one. He took a long time to shave with it; maybe that's why he only shaved about every three days. Of course, he was a farmer and the cows didn't complain (sometimes my grandma did, though)
.
Fantastic stuff Dowser. It's like living in a museum; one where the exhibits actually work.
Actally recently its been coming back into style (I think becuse it does distribute heat so well). L odge brand seems to be especially widespread. I've seen it in Whole Foods Market & Williams Sonoma carries it:
One thing that has been popuar with serious cooks has been enamled cast iron cookwre. Le Creuset is a top of the line brand-- quite expensive but durable, utilitarian, and beautiful (also it almost never goes on sle-- and even there its suually only very small sizes-- or some colour they can't get rid of)
(Photos are on that page)
____________________________________________
Williams Sonoma Le Creuset . Top of the line (well, so is Staub brand). Le Creuset keeps briging out new colours such as Lilac. There are really beautful. But you can buy other brands that work just as well for much, much less money.
I've seen pictures of the old corsets women used to wear-- those certainly look like torture devices!
I have a little electric coffee grinder by Cuisinart-- its so fast.LOL!
But of course not as beautiful.
I love those old things.
We use boiler heat in our home. Nothing carries heat better in super cold windy wintery weather better than the big 'ol cast iron radiators.
When I was a young kid, my brother (4 years older than me) and I slept on a bunk bed. I had the top one. Eventually, when my brother moved away it was taken apart and reassembled as a pair of twin beds.
There was a time when I wanted to open a bed and breakfast. I recall reading a book about it - about the great experience someone had with opening one in New England. In many of our travels we stayed in B&Bs and they were mostly wonderful experiences. I make almost all of our breakfasts now because I always thought that breakfast was the most important meal of the day - it got you started on the right foot.
I've got 4 giant notebooks of information about B&B's... Laws, regulations, rules, helpful hints, how to open one, etc. There are so very many permits one must have! Then, where do you open one? If you serve cooked food, or cook the food, you have to have a commercial kitchen. If not, will people be satisfied?
It needs to be near an attraction of some sort... Some place that is easy to find. Not too far from town, if not IN town, because you want gas heat and reliable electricity and internet, and good water. Then, older homes don't have enough bathrooms, and newer ones may have lots of bathrooms, but the rooms aren't proportional for the furniture.
I really would like to do it, but there are just so many obstacles to overcome... I can feed about 75 people with good china, (different patterns), silver-plated or sterling flatware, crystal goblets, and dessert plates, etc. But then, do I really want strangers breaking my china or stealing my forks? I just don't know...
I think it would be loads of fun to decorate, host, and meet the people-- but am not sure I can hold up under the strain of changing so many beds, every day, and getting up at 6 to feed people, and gee, I'm an ok cook, but certainly not a great one! There is a lot to think about, anyway.
I love the bunks-- but they are not "standard"-- the top bunk is really close to the ceiling. I've always loved it! We're going to move that to storage, and let Matthew have his pick of several suites. I'm definitely using the suite from Germany!
Thanks, TTGA!
No.... I don't think Peep should try to use a straight razor! They are a bit wicked looking! But fun, too, to see!
It IS a lot like being in a museum-- but I don't honestly think that much about it-- I just use the stuff like they did.
It's only when I get out and about in the real world that I realize just how weird my life really is!
I do too, Krishna! Such fun!
The old one is a lot of fun to use, until you think your arm is going to break off. It takes about 2 days of grinding, resting, grinding, to get enough coffee for a pot. I don't do this often...
OH my gosh... My little great aunt Lois wore one, up to the day she died at age 98. She wore it upside down and backwards, so she could lace it up... Looked like a torture device to me!
Excellent!
Thank you.
Thank you, for coming by!
What a treasure collection you revel in each day, my dear Dowser! I love those typewriters! I learned to type on one similar to that. too. You could actually "feel" the keys. And you had to push on them! Oh, they made you a good enough typist - making mistakes cost a whole lot more paper!
Curious about those things you use when you have backed up sinks and things - you sure seem to have a lot of stopped up plumbing! Sure the toilet isn't one of them??
My, that would be, well, er, kind of gross to scoop out with those lovely antiques!
Cool stuff Marsha! I was drawn to the coffee grinder...I have one that seems very similar. Jay, my husband, was into collecting a variety of antiques...mostly clocks but there is that coffee grinder! I'm going to have to see if I can figure out how to take and post a picture of it here.
Thanks for sharing!
UGH... The house is 50 years old and the plumbing is, nyeh... The sink in the back bath has a tendency to stop up, for some reason. The front sink goes along with it, in sympathy!
Yeah, all the commodes backed up at once, last year, when Mama was at her sickest. It was awful! Funny thing, it never occurred to me to use the chamber pot-- I used a coffee can. They came out and by the end of the day, it was all fixed. But UGH!
I love the old typewriters, too-- they had mechanisms to help set margins and stuff... Grandpa used this one to type out messages he received via Morse code on the telegraph. Pretty neat!
I just love that coffee grinder, too! It is just so neat! Plus fun to use! (until your arm feels like it is about to break off...)
I would LOVE to see your clocks! I love old clocks, as well!