Does anyone remember having a prop stick by the window? You know, that stick you put in the window to hold it open because the cord on the window weight had broken. What's that you say, what's a window weight? Well, I was thinking about such things last evening as I lay in bed. We still sleep with the windows open, but they stay up all by themselves thanks to modern manufacturing techniques. I suspect thanks to air conditioning many people rarely open their windows. That led me to think I wonder how many folks have a door stop anymore? My Mom had a cast iron cat for that purpose and it was used often. I guess nowadays along with the air conditioning running you have to worry about home invasion as well, so no propping the front door open. Our front door was always open, even in winter. Of course we had one of those aluminum storm doors, and yes it had an initial in the center. It wasn't our initial though, Dad had gotten that door used and it had the original owners initial. Didn't need the door stop when the glass was in that door, but spring/summer when the screens were in, the doorstop was necessary.
That is just a couple things I remember from my childhood that you don't see much anymore. I can't say when the last time I saw a television on a swivel base was either. Televisions with an actual picture tube are getting to be a bit of a curiosity as well. Antennas are still being used somewhat, just rarely mounted to the roof or on a separate tower alongside the house. Put one of those up today and the neighbors are going to be suspicious. I do remember turning the channel by twisting that knob, click, click. Dad yelling, don't turn it that fast, you want to break it! Yes, I was the remote and the butler. Bring that hassock closer. Does anyone call them a hassock anymore? Or are they ottomans these days? You could use a footstool but they aren't as comfy. And Dad always had his ashtray alongside his chair. I'm certain you remember those. They were on a pedestal, usually brown glass in a silver colored holder. A handle with fancy looking scrollwork bridged that receptacle. Well, I remember when ashtrays could be found everywhere, even in the waiting rooms at the Doctors office or Hospitals. Have you noticed cars don't have ash trays anymore, or lighters? Now all that is there is a power port. Expensive cars even had ashtrays in the backseat, with lighters. Did you know they were really listed as a cigar lighter. Yup, that's the real name for them and the reason for their size. Funny how stuff works out isn't it? The standard size of a cigar is the standard size for all power ports. Guess cigars and power still go together. Only the power has changed.
I continued to think about this and wondered how many folks would have wooden kitchen matches. Grandma always had a box of them close by the stove. My mom always had a box but they were in the junk drawer. They were there just in case the stove pilot went out, or you lost power and needed to light a candle. Yes, mom kept candles for just that reason as well. We had ice trays with pull handles on them. They were those aluminum ones, you know the type well, amazing those plastic twist ones don't break, modern technology. The can opener was manual and we had several " church keys " around. Remember when you got those free? The fancy ones had a magnet on them, a great idea. All those things we just took for granted, normal everyday things. A sprinkler bottle and a black metal lunch box. Dad called his a lunch bucket! That is what he carried a small child and so the name stuck, how many of you call the refrigerator an ice box? I find I still do that every now and again. It's like " taping " something when we don't use tape anymore. We create a digital file these days, if you're up on the proper terminology. My camera will tell me to raise the flash but I still haven't found where the flash bulb goes. The cube with four flashes sure was a technological marvel. Does anyone else remember wetting the end of the flash bulb before putting it in the camera? Ah, the good old days. Mom did have an electric hand mixer but she had the old hand crank one as a backup too. We kids liked using that one. Grandma's washing machine had a wringer on it but she seldom used that machine, preferring to do them by hand, on a scrub board. Anyone here have a scrub board used for anything other than decoration? How about a rug beater or a boot jack. How about clothespins? Well, progress is being made, or so I'm told. Just keep the doors and windows locked, make sure your identity isn't being stolen and record everything in case of lawsuits.
That is just a couple things I remember from my childhood that you don't see much anymore. I can't say when the last time I saw a television on a swivel base was either. Televisions with an actual picture tube are getting to be a bit of a curiosity as well. Antennas are still being used somewhat, just rarely mounted to the roof or on a separate tower alongside the house. Put one of those up today and the neighbors are going to be suspicious. I do remember turning the channel by twisting that knob, click, click. Dad yelling, don't turn it that fast, you want to break it! Yes, I was the remote and the butler. Bring that hassock closer. Does anyone call them a hassock anymore? Or are they ottomans these days? You could use a footstool but they aren't as comfy. And Dad always had his ashtray alongside his chair. I'm certain you remember those. They were on a pedestal, usually brown glass in a silver colored holder. A handle with fancy looking scrollwork bridged that receptacle. Well, I remember when ashtrays could be found everywhere, even in the waiting rooms at the Doctors office or Hospitals. Have you noticed cars don't have ash trays anymore, or lighters? Now all that is there is a power port. Expensive cars even had ashtrays in the backseat, with lighters. Did you know they were really listed as a cigar lighter. Yup, that's the real name for them and the reason for their size. Funny how stuff works out isn't it? The standard size of a cigar is the standard size for all power ports. Guess cigars and power still go together. Only the power has changed.
I continued to think about this and wondered how many folks would have wooden kitchen matches. Grandma always had a box of them close by the stove. My mom always had a box but they were in the junk drawer. They were there just in case the stove pilot went out, or you lost power and needed to light a candle. Yes, mom kept candles for just that reason as well. We had ice trays with pull handles on them. They were those aluminum ones, you know the type well, amazing those plastic twist ones don't break, modern technology. The can opener was manual and we had several " church keys " around. Remember when you got those free? The fancy ones had a magnet on them, a great idea. All those things we just took for granted, normal everyday things. A sprinkler bottle and a black metal lunch box. Dad called his a lunch bucket! That is what he carried a small child and so the name stuck, how many of you call the refrigerator an ice box? I find I still do that every now and again. It's like " taping " something when we don't use tape anymore. We create a digital file these days, if you're up on the proper terminology. My camera will tell me to raise the flash but I still haven't found where the flash bulb goes. The cube with four flashes sure was a technological marvel. Does anyone else remember wetting the end of the flash bulb before putting it in the camera? Ah, the good old days. Mom did have an electric hand mixer but she had the old hand crank one as a backup too. We kids liked using that one. Grandma's washing machine had a wringer on it but she seldom used that machine, preferring to do them by hand, on a scrub board. Anyone here have a scrub board used for anything other than decoration? How about a rug beater or a boot jack. How about clothespins? Well, progress is being made, or so I'm told. Just keep the doors and windows locked, make sure your identity isn't being stolen and record everything in case of lawsuits.
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