When Technology Changes Everything

We were talking about the old butcher shops and general stores from days gone by and it brought up a whole long discussion about another era.  The following are a few examples of how times have changed

Today when we go into a grocery store to purchase meat, everything is pre-packaged or pre-cut.  You would be lucky to find a butcher who still knows the trade without using machinery to do the work.
In the old days people would head to the butcher shop, take a number and wait their turn. You would order ground meat, cut up pork chops in a thickness of your choice and in a number of your choice whether it be 1 pork chop or a dozen.  When affordable or for a special occasion  a nice roast cut from a large piece of meat, hand cut and tied by the butcher.  Then wrapped in paper and labeled as to what is in the package.  Their time with the butcher may have been 5 minutes or 30 minutes depending on your order but everyone expected to wait.

These days there are no Mom and Pop stores so we go to Walmart or Target and load up our carts with everything from food to clothing, even appliances and mixing it all together.  When it is time to check out it seems so impersonal and robotic.  The cashier hands you a receipt and say "sign here" and sometimes, not even a thank you for dropping your whole paycheck in their register.

In a general store people could go into the store, ask to order items with an actual person, shop leisurely and go to the counter to have your bill added up, all the while finding out how the store clerks family is doing and probably some town gossip.  If necessary it could be added to "your account", and then it could even be delivered.
It was based on neighborly goodness and human kindness.

If needed you would visit the druggist or pharmacy where the customer could talk things over with the druggist and would go home with the feeling that someone truly cared about them.  Just 20 years ago I stopped at a local Rexall about my son's dry cracked feet.  The pharmacist went in the back and scooped something out of a larger container, put it into a small container and gave it to me.  He said try this for a week and if it works, we will order more.  It was pure Lanolin and it did work.  I would not find that assistance anywhere today especially at no cost. Sadly that store went out when the chain store came in.

When folks were sick, the doctor came to their homes by "house call".  Day or night.  He did not ask who their insurance was or how they were going to pay the bill.  He might even have had medicine in his bag and leave that with the patient to help their symptoms and would come back in a day or two to check up on them.  There were no trips to the ER at $500+ per visit.

As for the telephone, these days we call a number it is "push 1" for this, or "leave a message after the tone" We did not rely on our phones for every movement we made. If people were not home when someone called, then the person would just call back. I remember how appalled my mother was when someone (wink wink) suggested she get an answering machine.  She wanted to know "why"?  They will just call back she said.

A lot of these scenarios are stories I heard from my mother who grew up back in that time, so they are not just imagined, they were truly how life was.

Technology is moving us forward into the future, yes, but sometimes we long for the days when it was just nice to meet face to face.

How On Earth Did They Do It?

I was looking at a recipe the other day for a German cookie called Springerle.  The directions said to beat by hand for one hour.  One hour!  I am lucky if I can beat brownies for 10 minutes.  This got me to thinking about the chores from the old days when electricity was not a thought in anyone's mind yet.

In order to bake something you had to start a fire in the stove, wash the clothes on a washboard, shred cheese or cabbage on a grater, grind your own meat with a crank handle, knead the bread for who knows how long or to make a hole in wood for building using a crank or push drill.

No wonder they went to bed early, from total exhaustion.

Today we have food processors, washing machines, home delivery groceries that come to you frozen, hand mixers, power drills, lawn mowers and more.
As I look at the flab on my arms and legs, I realize if I took the old fashioned route and really did the work I probably would look a whole lot better.  I love to look at all the old tools and think back to how they used them, maybe even try them out and realize how lucky we all are to have the inventions that are out there today.

So the next time you see some of these items, just think of all they had to go through back then to get a loaf of bread, the laundry done, the food sliced and diced, the meat ground up or that special Springerle cookie.  I'm so glad there is a bakery in town!

Grandma's Hoosier Part 2

Grandma's Hoosier
part 2
 My father brought the Hoosier cabinet to me early in August that year.  I had setup outside, so I could strip the cabinet for refinishing.  I just knew that under that white paint, was a beautiful piece of furniture. 
 I tried conventional strippers, and scrapers, working every spare afternoon.  Sweating, thinking how beautiful it was going to be when I was done.  The conventional strippers, were just not cutting through the layer of paint.  Finally I had this bright, or not so bright idea of using oven cleaner (what could it hurt right). Layer after layer of paint came off,
my Grandmother really loved to paint that Hoosier.  I counted three different layers of white, two different shades of blue, and even a layer of yellow.  My how she loved to paint.
 I made great progress, in Oct, I finally got down to the wood and discovered the oak, oh how I love oak wood. However, all of the panels on the doors were a veneer, which I could not tell until of course the paint was off.  The frame was solid, but basically I had a lot of pieces of doors, without anything in the middle.  I was broken hearted, what had I done.  And now what on earth was I going to do.  I am not a carpenter, and at this point not a good re-finisher either. 
 One day out of the blue, my father asked me what I wanted for Christmas.  I think he must have known what a mess I had made of the Hoosier.  I said the only thing I could think of was grandma's Hoosier in my kitchen.  He smiled and said I think I can help you with that.  He came out with his truck and loaded up all of the pieces, and took them home to his wood shop in the garage.  Now, my father has a lot of talent, but I know even he was wondering if he could repair what damage I had done.
 The day before Christmas, my father brought the truck back out to my house.  He carefully unloaded the completed Hoosier.  He had replaced the bottom door panel with solid oak wood and the doors on top had been replaced with glass, so I could display my treasures.  He had lovingly sanded each piece and part and put it back together.  Oh my did the tears flow.
 That was fifteen years ago, and the Hoosier is my kitchen to stay.  One day my children will look back and say do you remember when mom tried to refinish Grandma's Hoosier and hopefully it will be a warm memory and story that they will pass down to their children.

 Pieces of the past are what make us who we are today, whether it be fond memories of boiled coffee on the stove, or a nature walk with a beloved family member, or a warm hug from a Grandparent.  Treasure them in your heart!
Mary and Cathy

Grandma's Hoosier

Mary's Story

 When I was a little girl I spent many a Saturday afternoon with my Great-Grandmother Rose. Some of my fondest memories are of my times spent at her house.  She was a gentle soul, who I never heard utter a word in anger.  That is not to say she did not get angry, but she such a gentle way about her that you never knew she was angry.    She did not have a lot of possessions.  She was born in the late 1800's and learned to get by with what she had during hard times.

She was widowed early in her 50's, so she spent the second half of her life alone in a small farmhouse that my great-grandfather built.  She was the kind of person who never seemed lonely or bored.  She had busy hands. She put out a huge garden every year, canned her own veggies, and quilted in the winter months. She always had a hoe with her in the yard in case she encountered a snake. She never learned to drive, was actually a little afraid of riding in a car.  Never ever showed her knees, her dresses were always on the long side, and as far as I know never put on a pair of pants in her life.
 
On Saturdays my parents would drop me off for the day with Grandma.  I would be greeted with a wonderful hug and kiss (oh how I still miss those hugs).  She would put the coffee on, which was boiled on the stove in an old perculator, and served in an old Jadeite mug. That is probably why I still love strong coffee LOL, minus the grounds of course.  And for a snack we had homemade warm biscuits with butter and brown sugar.  When I want comfort food, that is what I want even as an adult. We would discuss the weeks events, like most Grandmothers and Grandchildren.  She was full of wisdom, and love. Unconditional love, which when you are a troubled teenage girl that is what you need.  She never judged. The only time she disciplined me was when I was at that stage when hormones were raging, and I didn't have my emotions under control. Her only statement to me was don't be ugly.  That word "ugly" was the one word that gave me pause, and made me think about what I was saying.  I pull it out now once in awhile in my head when I know that I shouldn't say what I am thinking lol.

Her kitchen was not a modern one by today's standards.  She had a hand pump at her sink that hooked to her well.  She did not have true running water until the 1970's, when my father insisted on putting in a faucet.  But what she did have was a wonderful cabinet which I would later learn was a Hoosier.  It was the center of all her kitchen activities.  In it held her flour with a built in sifter.  All of her baking needs were inside of this cabinet.  Her storage needs were all met by this one free standing unit.  She had painted it white to brighten up her kitchen area.  I loved opening all of the doors and drawers to see what magical things we hidden inside.  I found it to be intriguing, with all of its little hidden places.  It also had a work space that could be pulled out, and pushed back in as needed.

Several years ago, after my Grandmother passed away, my mother asked me if I would like to have the old Hoosier. Of course I wanted it, it was a part of my Grandmother, and a huge piece of my past.

Little did I know what that was going to involve.  I had done some small refinishing jobs in the past, so I thought sure I can handle this LOL.  Famous last words, of someone in over their head, who has no clue what was really going to happen.  Stay tuned for part 2 coming soon.
Mary and Cathy

Why We Love Our Vintage Pieces

My sister and I go to resale shops, flea markets, antique stores and garage sales just to browse.  Each of us will stop in front of different pieces and say "I remember that" or "my Mother or Grandmother had one of those".  So these are items we tend to pick up as we go on our treasure hunts.

We thought we were unique until we started to receive messages from our customers at our Etsy shop and we were touched by so many of them.  People seem to want to let us know about the item they are looking at or purchasing without us ever asking.  What a wonderful sharing atmosphere we have fallen into.  Lovely people on the other end of a computer telling us their stories, never meeting us in person so we thought we would share just a few of the comments with you.

A nice gal in Texas was in the unfortunate path of the wild fires last summer and she lost her home including the dishes her mother handed down to her with only one dish remaining.  Thankfully no loss of life, but a loss of a home and treasures.  She saw our dishes and immediately contacted us and asked if we would consider holding them for her until her insurance money came through...........well of course we did.  How could we not?  Making her smile was a wonderful feeling for both of us.

Another gal's Grandmother had given her 3 starter pieces and because of that love, she is buying up as many pieces as she can.  It gives her a connection to her past.

One sweet lady bought one of our upcycled pedestals that matches her current vintage pattern she uses. She was so excited to have an add on piece that no one else in the world had, and was ready to proudly display her desserts for the holiday meal.

One artist was looking for a vintage glass patterned serving platter in a unique design.  She found one in our shop and felt she could now do justice in photographing her beautiful jewelry she wanted to sell.

So we are not alone in our adventure in treasure hunting, which is wonderful because we now have so many new friends, even though we have never met.  Some have asked us to look for specific patterns and they will buy them no matter what.  We never thought we would be in this position just from a little shopping for fun, but here we are in this wonderful spot together.

Do you have a story to tell?  We would love to hear it.
Also if you could click on our sponsor ads, we sure would appreciate it.

Have a great week....Spring is on the way!
Cathy and Mary

Our Dream Road Trip

We have never been on a "sisters road trip" and have thought about this for a really long time.  We are both treasure hunting every chance we get to find new things for our Etsy store or to add to our homes.  Until we can live in the same area of the state we can only shop when we visit each other once or twice a year. We thought it would be so much fun to go together somewhere for a few days treasure hunting and in the back of each of our minds was the 6 state yard sale called the 127 Corridor Sale.  We started investigating further and this is some of what we found.

It starts the first Thursday in August of every year and ends on that Sunday, so this year it is August 2-5.  This sale runs on Highway 127 from Hudson, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama.  There are special signs posted on the route so you know where sales are located. Anything can be sold from antiques, collectibles, food items,  handmade, produce to farm implements!  Hopefully no free puppies or kittens along the way.....

Can you even imagine 675 miles of sales?

So we talked again about the trip and how we would need to bring a trailer in case we found something larger (my son has one) and how we would have to learn to drive with a trailer attached without hurting anyone else (laughing out loud now).

We could talk, shop, eat, drink coffee, shop and talk, eat and drink coffee, and some more coffee all along the route while stopping a little diners along the way.  Now that is what we call bonding!

Sadly this year not going to be our year (a wonderful wedding in the family!) but we can dream on it, and make our plans, practice with the trailer a little too.  For now we will have to settle for our twice a year visits and plenty of Skype time, but next year Highway 127, first Thursday of August.....we will be psyched and ready for adventure.........sister-style.

For more information on the 127 Corridor Sale please go to http://www.127sale.com/

What Could It Hurt! Adventures in Plate Drilling with The Twins



This past summer we decided to to work on some hand drilled tidbit plates for our Etsy shop.  Cathy was visiting from Chicago and brought her drill and new drill bits.. This was a learning adventure for Mary, as she had not tried the drilling of the plates yet!  Well, of course we decided to drill outside on the hottest possible day of the summer.  But for us it is not really work, it's play.  We work/play in just about all that we do together.  

It really takes quite awhile to carefully drill holes in porcelain or depression glass plates. If you drill too fast you risk breakage.  So it is a rather slow, long drawn out process using a hand held drill.  So we take turns, cause you end up with hand cramps.  After drilling several plates successfully,  we decided to try something completely different.  We had never tried a clear glass plate before. 

 

So we had purchased a beautiful vintage green depression glass plate a few day earlier and we decided to use that one for our very first glass plate.  After about an hour of taking turns drilling this plate, we noticed the plate and the drill seemed to be smoking just a little.  So it was time for a break.  We got some ice water, to relax with.  A discussion began on the best way to handle this plate.  And then we remembered that sometimes water is used to assist drilling.  This seemed like a brilliant way to speed up this process to us.  Little did we know!  We went back to drilling,  and Cathy says " Do you want to add water?"   I said "At this point what could it hurt".  So as I am drilling she proceeds to slowly dribble water into the area I was drilling.  Suddenly there is a loud pop, that was even louder than the whine of the drill.  I look at her, she looks at me, and we both end up on the ground laughing hysterically.  The water she used was the water she was rehydrating with and it was ice cold with a few small ice cubes left in the glass.  With the heat of the drill and plate and the hottest sun possible, the plate shattered.   So much for our lovely vintage plate, but we had the best laugh that both of our stomachs ached from laughing so hard.

For anyone else, this could have turned into a disaster.  But for us it was another day of bonding, and laughing.  Of course we learned a valuable lesson in plate drilling.  Never ever add ice water to drill a plate LOL.