What did they do before ... ?

[Bubblingbrooks]

I love all the responses; thanks everyone!
I know we all love and appreciate many of the old appliances in the kitchen, tool shed, etc., but what I was hoping to hear were the times when you suddenly realized that *whatever* was done another way rather than the way we do it now - kind of like that grating stale bread for crumbs thing. Not so much the older version of what people use now, but rather the step before. If that makes sense.
As to the crank egg-beater - no thanks! I'll keep my whisk. I grew up with one of those things, and hated it - of course it was always my job as *daughter learning to cook* to wield the thing. It pretty much requires three hands - one to hold it, one to crank it, and one to add in any additions that need to go in while the beating is going on. And sometimes a fourth to hold the bowl A nice whisk that fits the hand (I have several that don't), and a sturdy wooden spoon and I'm set

I can't recall any times like that. I grew up always wishing I lived prior to the Industrial Age, so the old way of doing this has always apealed to me.

 

[big brown horse]

I love all the responses; thanks everyone!
I know we all love and appreciate many of the old appliances in the kitchen, tool shed, etc., but what I was hoping to hear were the times when you suddenly realized that *whatever* was done another way rather than the way we do it now - kind of like that grating stale bread for crumbs thing. Not so much the older version of what people use now, but rather the step before. If that makes sense.
As to the crank egg-beater - no thanks! I'll keep my whisk. I grew up with one of those things, and hated it - of course it was always my job as *daughter learning to cook* to wield the thing. It pretty much requires three hands - one to hold it, one to crank it, and one to add in any additions that need to go in while the beating is going on. And sometimes a fourth to hold the bowl A nice whisk that fits the hand (I have several that don't), and a sturdy wooden spoon and I'm set

I can't recall any times like that. I grew up always wishing I lived prior to the Industrial Age, so the old way of doing this has always apealed to me.

Same here with me. Wanting to live in The Little House on the Prairie (or as a Boxcar Child ) was a dream of mine, that with the love of remote camping and many summer days pretending I was an American Indian.

My mom is an antique shop owner and antique show promoter and has been for the last 50+ years. I grew up with American/heritage antiques in my house, I've always loved using them.

 

[Denim Deb]

BBH, I used to pretend I was an Indian too! In fact, if you had asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, if I had given you an honest answer, instead of what I thought you wanted to hear, (teacher, nurse, mother, etc) I would have told you I wanted to be an Indian. I always admired them for their knowledge of plants and animals.

 

[big brown horse]

Me too!

One thing I can say is when I was in college, my room mate got a bread machine. I thought I wanted one too and actually got one when I was on my own. Mmm the smell of fresh baked bread that I didn't have to touch seemed so nice...until I realized making bread by hand wasn't that hard. Plus, it was so much more fulfilling to me to actually get my hands in the dough.

 

[Blackbird]

Me three!!

I was lucky enough to move to a place filled with old stuff out in the woods, etc.
The house we first moved into on the property was about 100 years old, had a stone cellar, huge attic that got 120+ degrees in the summer... It tons of fun!

While we're on about lawn tools..
When we first moved here we found a manual push lawn sweep, which I believe is still around there somewhere... About two years ago, across the field out in the swamp I found this;

Does anyone know of those old curling irons? You heated them up on the stove to use? We found a couple of those as well.. I think I have a picture around here somewhere.

 

[Denim Deb]

We used to have an old mower like that, but got rid of it. I don't recall now why.

And, I see you also have an old tractor seat! Does it have the rest of the tractor?

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

Me three!!

I was lucky enough to move to a place filled with old stuff out in the woods, etc.
The house we first moved into on the property was about 100 years old, had a stone cellar, huge attic that got 120+ degrees in the summer... It tons of fun!

While we're on about lawn tools..
When we first moved here we found a manual push lawn sweep, which I believe is still around there somewhere... About two years ago, across the field out in the swamp I found this;
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa194/esquirrelepic/003-5.jpg

Does anyone know of those old curling irons? You heated them up on the stove to use? We found a couple of those as well.. I think I have a picture around here somewhere.

I know what you are talking about! For people that could not even afford those, they would actually heat one end of there slate pencil to use.

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

I know many would say why in the world would you want to digress, but honestly, with progress has come a great deal of bad stuff.
We have the privilage today of being able to choose the best of the old ways, making them work with our modern homes.

What kind of satisfaction do you have, if a machine did all the work for you? I know its not very healthy!

 

[Blackbird]

Here's one... One handle is missing, you you get the idea. We actually found this between the walls of our old house.
We had the fire Dpt. come out to use it as a practice house; when they were going through to get the layout they also checked the walls for electrical units and used a sledge hammer to knock a couple holes through for ventilation.
The attic above was separated into two halves by the main wall below, which ran the width of the middle of the house. So there was a board missing in the attic floor at that separation.. (does that make sense?) Anyway, when they made a hole in that one wall, all of this stuff fell out. They postponed the burning for us so we could go through it all; tons of glass ware, odds and ends, etc. We actually found a baseball, a little girl's shoe, a dog collar, other items.

 

[bibliophile birds]

Does anyone know of those old curling irons? You heated them up on the stove to use? We found a couple of those as well.. I think I have a picture around here somewhere.

DUH! haven't you seen the Little Women movie from the 90s? one of the best lines is when one sister burns another sister's hair and the youngest says "What's that smell? It smells like burnt... feathers?"

ahhh, i love that movie.