I
almost wept when I saw the lovely tapers, silver table ornament and luscious
holly! Those were the most beautiful holly I’ve ever seen, it seems to me – so
full of berries, and how beautifully your blue boxes looked in among the silver
sprays. It was a veritable treasure chest. -- Ethel Dobson Robinson, January 1937
Wouldn’t
you know it! Tuesday was such a busy day that it slipped by without a post. The ironing,
which was done in the kitchen because the irons were heated on the stove, had
to be finished before they could cook or bake. Shirley ironed while Ethel and
Ina did the breakfast dishes. Sadie was restless, so they sent her to the barn with Grandpa Jack.
There
was always a stock pot of water heating on the wood range. As soon as some was
used, it was filled again from the barrel on the porch. Water had to be hauled
from a spring in the canyon. Jack would see to that today so that there would
be plenty on hand for the Christmas celebration. A full kettle of water also remained
on the stove in winter, and that was used to make tea or as an auxiliary to the
water from the stock pot.
After
lunch, Aunt Bertha telephoned and invited Ethel and Sadie to come for a visit. Ina
had planned to bake cut-out gingerbread cookies, but she and Ethel thought it best that she accept Bertha's invitation so as to prevent hurting her feelings. To Sadie’s delight, Aunt
Bertha served delicious frosted cookies and apple juice.
Jack
brought more Christmas cards from the mailbox as well as a large package from Vance
containing holly with beautiful red berries from the Washington coast, bright red candles, and a swag for the front door.
Makes me so grateful for all my modern conveniences. I can't imagine not being able to just turn on a faucet, but I guess if you've never know any different, it doesn't matter. And I do love holly! When I was growing up we got some for a few years but I don't remember how. I do remember that it didn't have berries though because there wasn't a male bush to pollinate the female bush. Or maybe it was male holly bush and there was no female bush. Whatever, no berries.
ReplyDeleteIn those days, being a homemaker was a full-time job for sure and hard work. And the work was never done!
ReplyDeleteIt still feels like magic in this place to have hot and cold water. Of course, sometimes it's a debacle.
My dad used to substitute Oregon grape for holly in his decorations. He would spray paint it gold or silver. He also used teasel, which I remembered yesterday when I saw some at the pond.