Combination King Size Fly Shooer and Ceiling Fan

Back in the "the good old days" advanced technology came slowly. One noteable exception was the contraction that was a combination king size fly shooer and ceiling fan(see picture). The tool was placed strategically over the dinning room table for obvious reasons. A rope was attached to the device and a servant would pull the rope back and forth making the thing swing back and forth while the family was dining. It kept house flies at bay and stirred the air to keep everyone cool. There was no electricity back then, so making the thing work was cheap. As you can see, it was decorated with a nice design to give it fashion and function. Not a bad idea.

What Time Is It?

Time has been on peoples minds since the beginning ot time. God created "time" when He created day and night. There have been some super ideas for measuring time over the years, and a lot of words and phrases have been coined that refer to time. How about these: in a minute, just give me a little time, be back in a minute, have it done in a flash, just in time, time out, time to go..........just to name a few.

Some of the best time keepers in plantation days were the mantle clocks. In most cases they were treasured pieces of furniture that was usually displayed on the fireplace mantel. They usually had a swinging pendulum (some did not) and would usually chime on the hour. Some of them would chime on the quarter hour, and count the number of hours with a "bongging" sound. The number of bongs told people in the room(s what time it was. At night, people in bed could hear the bongging sound and know when to take medicine, when to get up, etc.

Anyone For Music ?

Music has always been in the hearts of mankind. Singing, playing, making joyful noises.........everybody likes some kind of music. When mankind began to record music.....wow......what a technological break-through that was! You could hear your favorite song played by your favorite band over and over and over. The encore didn't end until you said so!

The small containers in the photo held "canned" music that you played in a special machine. The machine was invented by non other than Mr. Edison. Believe it or not.....this particular machine still works. People of that day were surely wondering, "What'll they think of next?"

Back Porch Essentials

The back porch was "the" place to be for family business. Here, you shelled peas, shucked corn, snapped beans, washed potatoes, peeled pears, cracked pecans, washed your hands before meals, and a million other manual tasks. The porch provide protection from rain, wind, sun, and mud while you performed your assigned duties.
The photo shows some of the essiential tools and accesseries necessary to assist in job performance. Many a yarn was told, the truth often got stretched, and local news got enhanced on the old back porch. This is where whispers ran wild, and tales that shouldn't be told..........got told!

Wash Pot

The photo features a "wash pot". It should not to be confused with a "wash tub". The wash pot usually had a fire built under it for cooking or cleaning. The wash pot was made of iron, while the wash tub was made of steel coated with zinc......or sometimes they were made of tin. They could not hold up under a hot fire.

Here are examples of wash pot uses: making apple sauce, washing clothes, making lye soap, boiling water for dipping dead chickens in before picking off feathers, frying certain foods for large gatherings, etc. They were useful tools and just about everyone had one or more.

Wash Tubs

Wash tubs should not be confused with wash pots. Wash tubs held liquids, but never had fires built under them. The wash pot had fires built under them for cleaning and/or cooking purposes. The wash tub was usually pressed into service for cleaning and/or short-term storage. They was also used for "wash tubs" for people. On Saturday nights in the summer, all the kids got a bath need it or not. After 3 kids baths, the water was changed and the next three got their "turn". A straight back chair was placed in front of the tub with a big towel placed over it to give the girls of the family privacy. After all the kids had their bath.........it was time for a bath for Mom.........then Dad got the "grave yard" shift. Not a bad sustem...just took some time and lots of drawn water.

Early Door Hinges

In early days, things around the house and farm were handmade if at all possible. That went for door hinges to. If you look hard enough you will find that some were made of leather, some of metal, some of "whatever would work". The one in the pictured is a typical one used back in the early 1800's. It was probably made by a local blacksmith or a person with blacksmith skills on the farm. It did the trick and look good to.

Musical Instruments From Africa

When slaves were brought to the United States, they brought their music and musical instruments with them. Some of them were quite similar to those that were already in America. Others were very much different in sound and appearance. The instrument in the photo is a ?????? Maybe it was meant to be played as a single instrument or maybe it was meant to be played in concert with other instruments. That doesn't matter in the grand view of things...........what does matter is that even though those people were viewed as broken in life-style, they certainly were not broken in their culture and spirit.

Roofs Made Of Tin

Early rural Americans usually started out living in log cabins. Later, there was enough milled lumber to build dog-trot houses. Most of them had pine - shake shingles for roofs. Then came the modified dog-trot (no open central hallway). Those were the first homes with sheets of tin for roofing. It was a big leap forward. Tin was affordable, lasted a reasonable length of time, and was a snap to put up. As the tin aged, it would begin to rust (see photo). At some point, there would be rust holes sufficient to warrent a new tin roof. Tin roofs were a welcomed improvement in the home improvement world and served their purpose well.

Cisterns

Before electricity came to rural areas, people relied on cisterns for water for cooking, bathing, etc. One reliable source of water was the cistern. They were containers made of wood, brick, or other materials for the sole purpose of storing water. Water from rain ran into house gutters, then into a catch gutter that sent the water to the cistern (see photo). If the cistern didn't have a top on it, there was usually some type of screen made of wire or cloth to filter out sticks, flowers, pollen, and other undesireable matter. Without the screen, all would go into the cistern. Another problem with a cistern was "wiggletails". That's what people called mosquito larve. Sometimes they would be there in hugh numbers.

It was a happy day when electricty came to the area and pumps brougt water from the earth, clean, clear, and cold........YEA!!!

Old Steel Bridges

They are mostly a relic of a by-gone era. However, a few of these treasures still grace the rural landscape. This one is near Natchitoches, Louisiana. A new bridge had been built along side this steel one. Why did they leave the old one in tact? Maybe they just didn't have the heart to tear it down. Once upon a time,these old steel structures were once as common as clouds in the sky. They were easy on the eyes, a monunent to the enginering ability of man, and just plain beautiful. Sorry to say, they are vanishing icons of a time gone by.

Black Drought

People of all ages have needed medications from the dawn of creation. Some people have had special complex health problems that required unique medications. Most people have just needed common medications on an "as needed" basis. One such medication was one for the relief of constipation. Everybody needed that kind of medication sooner or later. You needed to have some in your medicine cabinet at all times. One never knew when the need may arise! There were many brands of laxatives on the market from day one. The sign you see in the photo advertises one called BLACK DROUGHT. It was popular back in the early 1900's, and continued its popularity until the late 1980's or so. It captured a big market segment and was a "name brand" for curing your constipation ailments.

Goats

Living in the country had its pleasures and problems back in yesteryear. One of the problems was the proliferation of grass and weeds in and outside the yard. There were a couple of animals that helped eliminate, or at least reduced this problem......chickens and goats. Goats were the best "machine" for the problem. If it could be eaten, it was. Weeds, grass, vines, brush, even paper and cardboard were on the menu for them. There was one small problem......goats didn't know the difference in a flower plant, a garden plant, a weed, or a field of young corn plants. Frankly, they just didn't care. Left alone they were simply a machine to remove green plants. In today's language they would be listed as "a non-selective" plant eradicator. Shucks.......guess everything has a down side.

Recycled Refrigerator

Back in time, people threw away very little if it had a secondary use. Cloth scraps were used to make quilts......bits of wire were bound together to make a longer piece.......bent nails were straightened to be used again......and flour sacks from the store were used for clothing.

Even broken down refrigerators were used for storage of goods. The space inside was dry and shady so you could store just about anything in there that did not need refrigeration. The stick you see in the photo was used to discourage critters from opening the door. Sometimes you might see several old refrigerators and/or freezers on a front porch, back porch or in the yard of a country home. Remember....they were still useful.

Sunday Hats

Back in yesterday, girls wanted to look dressed "fit to kill" on Sunday. A pretty dress, the proper shoes or boots, and to top it all off........a very nice hat.
Most of the hats back then were made of straw accented with ribbons, lace, and/or artificial (sometimes real) flowers. There was a type of "one-upmanship" contest when it came to Sunday dressing........but the hat had to be fabulous. If it was windy, a scarf or other type of tying device was used to hold the hat on a womans head. After all, you couldn't let the wind mess up your nice hair do!

Yep, hats were the thing and the more you had the better.

My Boys

There's a Bible verse that says: "A wise son, makes his parents happy". Parents always wanted to be proud of their kids. When boys got to be young men, they were often the pride of the family. When dressed in their Sunday best, they looked and felt like kings (see photo). Yessiree.........they turned the heads of girls and young women alike. Their smiles could melt hearts of stone. Their wise conversations could win over arguements, and their songs of love would capture all in listening distance. With vigor they attacked every challenge, with honesty they approached all transactions, with dignity they went off to war. God bless our boys.

Mamma Takes A Break

Folks, you are looking at a rare moment in time......Mamma taking a break. She seldom had time for herself. She gave sacrificially for her husband and children. It was a labor of love and she cherised her moments of solitude. If she wasn't cooking, she was washing. If she wasn't sewing, she was planting. If she wasn't praying, she was reading the Bible. If she wasn't nursing a sick child, she was feeding one. Her giving was great, her taking was miniscule. Her praises for others were many, her bragging on herself was non-existant. Yet for all this......she would not have traded places with anyone on this earth. For those fortunate people who had mothers like that, we remember them in honor and bless her name.

Eroded Land

During the Great Depression, eroded and eroding land was all too common in many places in the Nation. Not only did this situation render the land unproductive, the soil that was eroded often caused pollution and the filling of many creeks, rivers, and lakes. That had a very negative effect on fish populations. Thanks to cooperative efforts between private landowners, local, state, and federal agancies, most of the serious land erosion areas have been recovered to a productive state.

Old Style Oil Well Pump

Oil was discovered in many parts of America in the early 1900's. What a difference that product made in the lives of the people. One of the early style pumps was the one in the above photo. It was made of metal and designed to pump at a designated speed. Sometimes there would be several hundred of these pumps in a small geographic area. Although the noise from these pumps was deafening, it sounded a lot like money to those who heard them. You don't see many of these types working today. Photograph them while you can.

Tar Paper Siding

Back in the early 1900's people were transitioning from log houses to dog-trot houses,to variations of cottages. Boards that formed house walls had holes, splits, and cracks,here and there that let in a lot of heat and cold. In an attempt to cover those holes in a (somewhat attractive way) manufactuors came up with a product that was called tar paper. It came in various size rolls and colors. It was easy to install with special large headed tacks and could be cut with sissors or any sharp edge. It was an instant hit. Cheap, available, and a big saver on heat and
electric bills.....it was a winner.

Swim On Babe!

The Moon and The Steeple

Nice White House - Nice Fall Color

Mighty Pretty, Huh?

Church Steeple and Maple Leaves

Don't You Just Love Red Berries??

Rope Swings At The Old Swimming Hole

Just Hanging Out

Reds and Golds

Fall Colors In The Country

The Whiskey Chitto River In Louisiana