William Baffin Rose and Maggie

This was one of my very first posts. I've always liked it...so here it is again!

It's All In The Details...

I just love old houses!! Especially the one we are lucky enough to live in! Our home contains many beautiful features that I enjoy living with everyday, but my favorite detail put in by the original owner is the leaded glass window shown above.

The first time we walked through this house that would one day be ours, the windows in the dining room were covered by curtains. On the day we moved in we were so surprised to find this beautiful feature...and even more surprised when the sun began to dip down in the western sky that evening. As the late-day sun shown through the window, little rainbows reflected onto the walls through the prismatic bevels of the glass diamonds. You can measure the seasons by their height and the time of day they appear.

Details matter! Look around the site for other photos from the house.

Great Grandma's Christmas Music

The holidays are such a nostalgic time. I've always wished I could have met my great grandmother. My mother had been very close to her, and she talked about her quite a bit when I was growing up.

Great-Grandma was born in England but was sent to an orphanage in Canada when she was very young, along with the rest of the girls in her family. She was adopted by an older couple looking for a boy to help with the farmwork...but they fell in love with her dark curls and bright blue eyes and took her home with them instead. (If this story sounds familiar, I suspect it's because Lucy Maud Montgomery brought to life a similar one with "Anne of Green Gables"!)

Many years later, a young man asked her parents for her hand in marriage and was told that she would not make a good housewife because she had learned to do farmwork and not the usual work of a woman. But, my great grandfather did not care. They married, and after he served in WWI, and their family had grown to include three children, they loaded their belongings onto a wagon and crossed the border into the United States, settling in the North Country...which is where I grew up.

I am proud to own several items that belonged to my Great-grandmother, including one of the trunks that she brought here with her. I also am the current care-taker of her collection of 78rpm records, which I like to think may have traveled underneath the rounded top of that trunk. It is an honor to me to own such a thing...and it is even more incredible to listen to the same sounds, scratches and all, that previous generations of my family listened to...and with the same technology, as I crank up the phonograph!

The video clip above is of "It Came Upon The Midnight Clear", performed by the Victor Oratorio Chorus. It is most likely from about 1915. (Sorry for how dark it is...it looked much better before I uploaded it...)

Merry Christmas!

An Evening of Society Craps

Last evening, with two members of the family gone for the night, my youngest and I were looking for something to do in between listening for the strains of the Jonas Brothers that were drifting over to us from the fairgrounds!!

"Let's play Society Craps!" I suggested. When I was a kid we loved to play this game with my mother, who would sit down at the dining room table with us and deal out the cards.

Society Craps was once a fun way for women to gather together...and gamble!! They would usually use pennies or nickels, as this game was popular at a time when a penny would actually buy something. But I grew up using buttons. My mother always had jars and jars of buttons...something she inherited from her mother and grandmother, both of whom had tins and tins of buttons. Now, I am the proud owner of some of those tins so I brought one out and dumped a couple of handfuls onto the table. Using buttons does nothing to quell the competition of the game. It is amazing how prized certain buttons will become during play (usually the largest, or those with unusual designs), or how concerned kids can become when their stockpile of buttons begins to diminish!!

Besides the buttons, a deck of cards, a pair of dice, and a dish of some sort (for the "kitty") is all you need. Each player chooses a suit and receives all the cards of that suit. Lay out the cards in numerical order in two rows as seen above, face up, but discarding the seven and the king:

2, 3, 4, 5, 6
8, 9, 10, 11 (jack), 12 (queen)

Each player receives a pile of buttons...40 or 50 each is a good starting point, but everyone should have the same amount. Place the "kitty" in the middle of the table and everyone "sweetens" the pot by throwing one button into it. Now each person takes turns rolling the dice. If they roll a number on one of their cards, they flip that card over. If they roll a 7 or a number they've already flipped, they throw a button in the pot. The first person to flip over all of their cards wins the "kitty"!!

If played in earnest, you would eventually want to be the last one left...with all the buttons!! How rich you will be! But, as I have always played as a child or with them, the banker is usually very generous in handing out loans to those in need!

We had a great time last night playing a simple, old game. So much better than watching TV. But having the Jonas Brothers providing the background music added a modern touch, for sure!

The Smell of Late Summer!

Ahhh... Pickling time!! The end of summer is near. Although we're currently having record warm temperatures in central New York, we've had just enough cool, crisp days to remind me that fall is just around the corner. Of course, the groans of the kids heading out the door for their first day of school yesterday left no doubt. The warm, hazy days are almost at an end. But that also means that pickling time is here!

When I was a kid my mother spent many days at the end of each summer packing the bounty of our large garden into jars. For two or three weeks the whole house would have a sweetly tangy smell that emanated from the numerous batches of tomatoes, pickles and relishes that she sealed in her canner on the stove. My sister and I would help peel and chop the vegetables, but mostly she worked alone adding this spice and that, until the smells made us positively drool! Then all winter she would send us to get a jar or two off the heavily loaded shelves under the stairs, and we would open up the flavors of warmer days.

I was fortunate to have parents who loved to garden, and who had the space and time to do so. With my small yard, my garden usually only gives us enough to eat fresh. My poor kids have only tasted grocery store pickles! Horror!! But that's about to change. In four to six weeks we will get to taste my first experiment with canning my own pickles! Rest assured, it's not the first time I've canned something, so I had some idea of what I was doing. Hopefully they'll taste as good as they look!!

Following is the Ball Blue Book recipe for Bread and Butter Pickles that I used:

4 pounds 4- to 6- inch cucumbers, cut into 1/4 inch slices;
2 pounds onions, thinly sliced (about 8 small);
1/3 cup canning salt;
2 cups sugar;
2 Tablespoons mustard seed;
2 teaspoons turmeric;
2 teaspoons celery seed;
1 teaspoon ginger;
1 teaspoon peppercorns;
3 cups vinegar;

Combine cucumber and onion slices in a large bowl, layering with salt; cover with ice cubes. Let stand 1 1/2 hours. Drain; rinse; drain again. Combine remaining ingredients in a large saucepot; bring to a boil. Add drained cucumbers and onions and return to a boil. Pack hot pickles and liquid into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.

Mmmmm....Fresh-Squeezed Lemonade!

Making fresh-squeezed lemonade on a hot summer day is one of those activities everyone should be required to do on their summer vacation. The recipe really doesn't matter so much as the experience of squeezing the juice and drinking the end-result under a shade tree in the backyard.

There are as many recipes for lemonade as there are people who like to drink it! But here is a very simple and quick way to stir up a pitcher full of old-fashioned flavor! Measurements are not exact because much depends on your own individual tastes.

You'll need 5 or 6 lemons, about 1 1/2 quarts of water and a cup or so of sugar. Squeeze the juice of all but one of the lemons using a reamer or glass juicer. Strain into your pitcher to remove the seeds and pulp. Add the water and sugar, to your taste, and stir. Slice the remaining lemon and place in the pitcher for added flavor and to make it pretty. Or, you can place a slice in each glass before serving. Voila! Easy!

An optional step that I use when I have time is to boil the lemon rinds in 1 1/2 cups of the water for 7 or 8 minutes to extract even more lemony flavor. Add that to the juice, sugar and remaining water and stir. Fill glasses with ice and pour in the delicious beverage!

Enjoy!

vintage image from http://www.art-e-zine.co.uk/vintageresources.html

Collecting Antique Linens

Antique shows and garage sales are everywhere in the summer months, and with them comes the opportunity to pick up some great items at bargain prices. I always try to compile a list of pieces I'd like to find before the season arrives so I don't go too crazy with spur of the moment purchases, but one item I almost always go a little overboard with is old linens. For whatever reason, the look and feel of these once common, everyday items and the importance they held in households of the past are absolutely irresistable to me. Used here and there in the home, they give a very cozy, cottagey feel to every room.

Once upon a time, every respectable home contained a nice assortment of tablecloths, napkins, dresser scarves and doilies, most of which were likely the handiwork of the woman of the house, a collection amassed over a long period of time. Unfortunately, the skills required to create these beautiful items are becoming lost as fewer and fewer women have the need, desire or time to learn how it's done.

Thankfully, many of these old collections are finding their way into the hands of people who treasure them. Right now there is a great abundance of them available, but that has begun to change, as well as the prices attached to them. The quality of antique linens is often much higher than manufactured pieces found in department stores, so their value is only likely to rise over the years as they become harder and harder to find. Time is of the essence, so begin your collection now.

Choose linens that appeal to you, and don't be afraid to use them. That was, after all, why they were created. They do, however, have to be cared for properly but it is not difficult to do and is, in fact, something I look forward to. And I don't even like to do laundry!

An excellent source of information on laundering antique linens is http://antiques.about.com/cs/textiles/a/aa031900.htm

There are so many reasons for collecting old linens: availability, affordability, beauty and history. It's hard to leave a show without a few in hand.

An Evening in Fair Haven

What could possibly be better than spending time at the lake on a hot summer day? According to my kids there isn't anything that comes close! We spent Saturday afternoon and evening on the bay in Fair Haven, NY, a small community on the south shore of Lake Ontario. Each year their Fourth of July celebrations include a beautiful tradition called "The Ring of Fire". At 9:30 or so on the specified night, all the residents surrounding the bay light flares along the waterfront.

After about 30 minutes, the flares began to burn out and the lake became dark again...just in time for the huge fireworks display to begin. What an amazing way to wrap up a long day on the water.... and what fantastic memories to bring home!!

Here are some other photos taken:

75 Years of Little House

In 1932 Laura Ingalls Wilder published her first book in the famous Little House series, Little House in the Big Woods, and started on her path of becoming one of the best-loved authors of all time. In the years that followed, she would publish seven more stories chronicling her childhood days and preserving forever the experiences of her pioneer family. A ninth book, The First Four Years, was published in 1971, three years after the death of her daughter, Rose.

After 75 years, the popularity of Mrs. Wilder's stories has not diminished. Today they are still often missing from the library shelves due to their popularity, and multiple copies have to be ordered to satisfy the eager readers. From time to time I still page through my threadbare copies of the books, which my parents gave me so that the library copies would not fall apart from my constant borrowing of them. They do not lose their charm as the reader grows in age, despite the fact that they were written for children.

Many people are not aware that Mrs. Wilder was a published writer before she wrote the Little House books. She was a regular columnist for the Missouri Ruralist and also wrote articles for various magazines during the first two decades of the 20th century. Several books have been published in recent years that include collections of her writings. These writings, which are written in the same friendly style as her more famous books, give us a peek at the adult Laura and are surprisingly relevant to life today. A Little House Sampler, edited by William T. Anderson, Little House in the Ozarks, and I Remember Laura, both compiled by Stephen W. Hines, are filled with bits and pieces that when read together give us a different, yet equally charming view of this talented writer.

People often smile when I tell them that Laura Ingalls Wilder is my all-time favorite author. They find it amusing, but I think they really do understand why...at least if they've read the books. Mrs. Wilder has left us a historically significant record of the frontier days of the United States written in a manner that makes you feel like you're listening to a good friend. Her writing is like comfort food for the soul. As a history buff, parent and school teacher I come back to her time and time again.

Just as a side-note: I grew up in New York's North Country, nearby to the setting of Laura's second book, Farmer Boy, which tells of her husband Almanzo's boyhood in the town of Burke, NY, just outside the village of Malone. Almanzo would be 150 years old this year. The Almanzo Wilder Farm in Burke is the only homesite of the Little House books that boasts the original house. You can explore the kitchen and pantry, Father's attic workroom, the dining room with it's woven carpets, and of course, the parlour which once wore patched white and gold wallpaper to cover the splotch made from the blacking brush.

Please see the links at left for more information on Almanzo and Laura.

Travel Back in Time to Sharon Springs, NY

On Sunday I hit the road with a carload of teenage Girl Scouts bound for a day trip to Howe Caverns, just east of Cobleskil, New York. Traveling south on route 10, we passed through many quiet, quaint rural towns that offered beautiful views of the rolling foothills of the Catskill mountains. But when we rounded a bend and entered the village of Sharon Springs we knew we had found something a little extra special. As we slowly drove along the winding Main Street, past the huge Victorian homes and abandoned hotels, we made the decision to stop on our way back and explore this place that seemed to be frozen in time. What we found was the nostalgia of the past just waiting to be rediscovered and enjoyed in the present.


Sharon Springs was once a busy and thriving resort town for the wealthy at a time when mineral water spas were all the rage. From the second half of the 19th century through the early 20th century, Sharon Springs played host to many of the socially elite, including the Vanderbilts, Ulysses S. Grant and Oscar Wilde. Several grand and elegant hotels were built, and beautiful homes, many of them serving as summer residences, sprang up along the hilly side streets. As time passed, however, tastes changed and people began frequenting other resort areas not so far off the beaten path. Without patrons visiting the grand hotels, they were abandoned and fell into disrepair. The amazing architecture of Sharon Springs became victims of neglect, their fading facades telling the stories of their glory days.


Fortunately, there are many who have recognized that the neglect has in some ways preserved the charm of this village and it's history. The restoration of several buildings, including the American Hotel, is calling people to this place once again. While visiting, we spoke with several villagers who expressed hope that Sharon Springs will once again become a destination, rather than just a place to stop "on the way through". The owner of the Cobbler and Company (shown above with one of our scouts holding Midnight, the resident black cat) told us that when she opened for business no one thought she would succeed in such a small town. As a bit of a joke she had customers sign the old plaster walls as a record of the visitors to the shop. Today the signatures represent visitors from all 50 states and 40 countries! The shop's maze of rooms are filled with a dizzying array of gift items, jewelry, antiques and candies. There is also a nice selection of books and stationary celebrating Sharon Spring's rich history.


Across the street we stopped at the American Hotel. We entered on the premise of looking for a brochure, but we really wanted to take a look inside of this historical gem. The hotel was built about 1847, and was purchased by the current owners in 1996. Beautifully restored, it now has 9 rooms available as well as a 4-star restaurant which has been featured on the Food Network and HGTV's Restore America. A photo of the hotel can be found below.


As we drove along the streets of the village we were charmed by both the architecture and the residents, who would stop and stare as we rolled by as though they weren't used to seeing visitors driving through. The people were eager to tell us their story and asked us to come back again to visit this charming piece of history. I'm hoping to do just that. There aren't many places that take you back in time to the extent of Sharon Springs. Like a seashell at the ocean, if you stand in one of the old gazebos, erected during the days of the mineral spas, and listen carefully you might actually hear the beat of horses hooves and the creak of carriage wheels.


All information for this post came from the walking tour and brochures from the Chamber of Commerce and the American Hotel. The most valuable information came from several village residents we spoke to, whose names I am afraid we did not get. Thank you for sharing your village with us!! Photos were taken by me, the Housewife. For more information, please see the links to the left of the web page.

Old-Time Aprons

The following came from an email that I received awhile back. I don't know who wrote it, but it's worth passing on. There aren't many women today who'd consider an apron to be a necessity, but most of us can probably remember someone who did. Reading this made me glad that I have some of my Grandmother's old aprons. In fact, I think I'll go tie one on!

Enjoy!

Aprons

"I don't think our kids know what an apron is.

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven. It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears. From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids. And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms. Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove. Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron. From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls. In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds. When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes. "

Listening to the Past: Antique Phonographs

Looking back over his long career, Thomas Edison once said, "Of all my inventions, I liked the phonograph best." Well, Mr. Edison, your light bulb was pretty amazing, too, but I have to agree with you. There is nothing that quite compares to cranking up the old phonograph and listening to the music of another era, hearing the sounds as they were meant to be played.

My father had a large collection of 78 rpm records that he would pull out from time to time and play for us. He always played them on his stereo turntable, but would tell us about the crank phonograph his mother used to have, always giving a little sigh when he'd talk about it. A few years ago I received one of his albums, and my quest for an antique phonograph began.

It turned out to be easier than I expected to find one in working condition. These machines were produced in large numbers in their day, and many were lovingly preserved over the years. Others have been carefully restored by people who enjoy and respect the charm and nostalgic value these machines possess. Of course, just as many were stored in attics and barns, used as liquor cabinets or, inevitably, as plant stands, so you need to make sure of what you're getting before you hand any money over.

It's extremely important to do your homework before investing in a phonograph. There are several brand names that come to mind, such as Victor, Columbia and Edison. These are probably the most common machines available today as they were produced in the greatest numbers. However, there are many off-brand machines that offer high quality and can often be found for lower prices. My machine is a Silvertone, which I found listed in the 1927 Sears catalog for $45. I purchased it a couple of years ago for $282.00, definitely on the affordable end of the scale; and it works perfectly.

There are many ways to find a phonograph. Antique shows, antique and estate auctions often have them pop up. We purchased ours through eBay, which can be a great source if you're careful. There are a lot of fakes out there. Plus, many people do not know the actual value of their machine and list it as "rare" when it's not...with a price to match. I once saw a fairly common machine with a price in the thousands because the seller claimed it came with a ghost!! Yikes! So, as I stated before, do your homework.

I strongly recommend the book The Compleat Talking Machine by Eric L. Reiss. This gives valuable information on the history of the machines, tips on where to find them, and how to spot fakes. The book mainly focuses on the repair and maintence of phonographs, which is the reason I purchased it. I wanted to know how to care for my little piece of the past. A well cared for machine will continue to entertain for many years.

Thanks, Mr. Edison.

Defining Nostalgia

Webster defines nostalgia as a "longing for former times or things." In today's fast-paced, high-tech world I sometimes find myself doing just that. But as I am, in fact, a big fan of hair-dryers and indoor plumbing, I don't really want to go back in time. I do, however, enjoy preserving bits and pieces of the past in my home and lifestyle, items and ideas that allow me to relax, simplify and enjoy the little things that were once so common but are now considered quaint.

In the ever relentless quest for progress, human beings have the tendency to label the customs of the past as obsolete, and in many cases (such as taking a bath only on Saturday night, whether you needed one or not) this is true; but there are also many things worth hanging onto. Antique furniture and tools generally exhibit a higher attention to detail and craftsmanship than similar items that are mass-produced today, and they are often just as functional. Plus, many old ideas are finding new relevance in today's race against global warming, such as starting a compost pile, or walking to your destination rather than driving. On a much smaller scale, making a loaf of bread from scratch can do wonders to release the stressors of life, from kneading the dough, to the wonderful smell of it baking, to the amazing flavor that no package of Wonderbread could ever compete with.

So, my own personal definition of nostalgia is more of a desire to preserve the good things from the past that cause us to stop and take notice; the items and ideas that make the day to day a little less hectic and a little more enjoyable, whether serving a practical purpose or simply adding a quaint touch of beauty to our surroundings.

With this blog I would like to share some of the ways I have brought nostalgia into my home. I've learned quite a bit over the past several years and hope to post information about everything from kitchen utensils and antique phonographs to gardening and housekeeping tips. It will be as much of a personal record for myself as I hope it to be a source of inspiration, however small, for readers. Keep checking back as I will continue to search for ways to bring the past into the present.

Thanks for reading!