As I walk around our home and farm, I am reminded of how things used to be when I was young and even before my time. At my childhood home, the old well bucket used to hang from a rope and was hitched to a wooden pulley. I clearly remember having to draw water from the well and water the horse and cow. It took many buckets hoisted up from the well and poured over the well curb, which was made from a large cypress tree. I would turn the bucket over and pour the water down the wooden gutter into the horse trough. It certainly did not feel good on my little arms to get the bucket almost to the top and have the rope slip and burn my arm. Before the pulley, I recall the long well sweep that was used to let the bucket down but I was too small to use it.
I also remember the numerous large black iron wash pots, metal and wooden scrub boards, wash tubs of all sizes, heavy irons and antique wooden ironing boards. I watched mama many times build a fire under the wash pot and draw buckets of water from the well to fill the pot and wash tubs for the weekly washing. She would put the scrub board in the tub and scrub the clothes on it until they were clean and her knuckles were raw. The irons were heated in the fire place until they were hot and we ironed the clothes on the old wooden ironing board. One of the wash tubs was also used as our bath tub.
I still have a few old Clo-white bleach bottles and jugs. We used to pile them in the woods and break them. They are worth a lot of money now.
Our outhouse was almost covered in bright green ivy. I used to open the door slowly to make sure there were no possums hiding inside. There were two 1933 Macon newspaper pages that made for good reading while sitting in the outhouse. A Sears and Roebuck catalogue sat near the seat and a white enamel bucket of red and white corncobs sat in the corner. I did not have an inside bathroom until I was married in 1965. Toilet paper is definitely softer than catalogue pages and corn cobs!
I remember the horse-drawn farm wagons we had. I used to ride in the wagon on top of a load of dirt that daddy had dug to go in our yard. I loved riding in the wagon pulled by our horse, Old Maude. Mostly, I remember daddy using the wagon to haul the corn from the fields to the corn crib in the fall. We loved to crawl in the wagon on top of the corn and ride from the field to the crib.
When I see a heavy, black iron kettle, I’m reminded of the times in winter when we filled our kettle and put it in the fireplace to heat the water for our nighttime baths.
Old kerosene lamps and lanterns remind me of the days before we had electricity. Our lamp was always sooty and did not give off much light. Daddy used the lantern when he needed to go outside at night. The lamps had to be filled with kerosene and the wicks trimmed every day. We had to be very careful when carrying a lantern to avoid setting a fire. Our use of lamps and lanterns came to an abrupt halt the day the Canoochee EMC man came and performed magic by turning on the electricity!
I remember seeing my daddy walk behind a horse-drawn plow, getting the fields ready to plant corn, peas, velvet beans and other vegetables. He spent hours holding onto the plow handles with his strong hands, following the horse or mule in the fields through hot and cold weather. Daddy used to have me follow behind him and dust off the corn if it got covered with the freshly plowed dirt. I tried to follow in his big footprints, but I could not reach from one to the other. The corn planter reminded me of the time my little sister Lois pushed it over and poured out all the corn seed while we were eating dinner. Every grain had to be picked up.
Mason jars remind me of the jar mama used to have filled with extra buttons. When a button was needed, the jar was emptied and sorted through until the right button was found. No old, worn-out clothing was thrown away until the buttons were removed and stored in the jar. We also looked through the jar for large buttons to put on a string and play with.
I still remember walking by the water shelf at the end of the porch and seeing the wash pan under the red hand pump. A mirror was hung on the wall behind it and a large towel draped across a set of deer antlers. Those were the days when we had to pour water down the pitcher of the pump and move the handle up and down to get the pump started. Hot water had to be poured down it in the winter time after it had frozen. Washing your face in the ice water certainly woke you up fast. I was 16 when we finally had one spigot on the outside water shelf and one in the kitchen. I see so many more reminders of years passed, but I will stop for now.
This is the Thanksgiving season. After recalling all of the things we had to use years ago, I am very thankful to have modern conveniences in our world today. We should be thankful that we live in the United States of America and we must appreciate all the service men and women who fight to keep our freedom. Let’s be thankful that we still have the freedom to worship and freedom of speech. Take time from the hustle and bustle of your busy, daily lives and thank God for all of His blessings — life, health, happiness, family, food, work and shelter. I’d like to take this time to thank all my readers who tell me they enjoy reading my rambling thoughts. Happy Thanksgiving!

Love is a history buff and writes Liberty lore periodically for the Courier.