Our big farmhouse was heated only by wood burning stoves until I was in high school. I can remember how cold it got in winter when the fires would go out at night. If we took water up to our bedroom to drink, it would be frozen in the morning. It was that cold! In the morning we would grab our clothes and run downstairs and stand around the stove and dress. Talk about dressing fast! Mother would always have the stoves blazing hot in the morning.
Our front porch had a rail around all three exposed sides. I liked to sit on the rail and pretend I was riding a horse. I got carried away riding my imaginary horse and fell off the rail onto the flowerbed below. I cut a gash in my forehead when I fell. There is still a scar there today. I don’t think I got stitches for that but I did get stitches in the back of my head when I fell against the butter churn. This was probably when I was about 5 or 6. Mother got out her needle, thread and alcohol and stitched me up. You couldn’t just run to the doctor in those days as you can now to get stitches.
Danny Sommerer says
That picture of Joesph just doesn’t look right without a couple of pelts around his head or a coon-skin hat for accent.
Has anybody heard from Pete since last night??? Or is he in a bunker just trying to get through the election… Ha Ha
Danny Sommerer says
Aunt Naomi, I think that was all of our play horses, was that the one facing the orchard??
Julie Baker says
I remember my hands and legs were always white after I played on it. I guess the paint rubbed off on to our skin. Did it do that to you to Aunt Nazomi?
Naomi Vetter says
Yes, it was the porch facing the orchard. I don’t remember any white rubbing off on me from the paint, but it probably did.
Rachel says
I didn’t have a porch growing up but I did have have a play horse. It was the tractor tire on my dad’s C Farmall. The axle was my stirrup and I pulled a jump rope through the rim for my reins. (I did make sure that I sat in the direction WITH the tire treads and not against them.) It was about the right height AND I would get to play in different locations, depending on where Dad had the “horse” parked.
Lauren says
I get all woozy with these ‘got stitched up’ stories. You are a tough bunch.
Lloyd Jr. says
Aunt Naomi, did you get your dollar for letting grandma stitch you up? From what I understand, that was the going rate.
Julie Baker says
wow how different things are now days. Now you have to pay someone else thousands to sew you up and you dont get anything! (except some fancy stitches)
Naomi Vetter says
I wish I could remember if I did or not…but I don’t remember. I have my doubts…. The only time I can remember mother giving any money was one time Lolly and I (we had learned there was such a thing as an “allowance” decided we would tell mother we wanted an allowance for all the work we did…probably a nickle or dime…but I can remember. We stood upstairs by the pink bedroom door and hollered down to her that we needed our money (a quick get-away into our room in case we got into trouble with her for being so nervy). We were totally shocked when she actually did give us some money. I think she gave us some money for a few weeks and we forgot about it…counting our lucky stars that we got as much as we did without getting into trouble.
Aunt Lolly says
She did get her dollar Lloyd.
Christina Rowland says
I remember playing on the porch…at least when there weren’t any hornets nests on it! But I seem to remember being told not to use that door a lot. (probably because we let it bang shut and all of the adults were in the dining room right near it) I don’t think I ever played “horse” on it…..there were too many sheep to ride to use a stationary horse!
Jane says
I can’t remember you ever riding the sheep. I must have been inside talking. I can remember feeding them late at night when they were super little. I could never sew someone up. I just don’t have the nerve to do that. That’s why Lloyd always took the splinters out. He must have grandma’s ability.
Lloyd Jr. says
So, did dad stitch me up after the bloody jumping on the bed affair that Tina mentioned last week, or was that just what you told her to keep her from jumping on the bed?