Are you hot enough yet? It’s going to be a scorcher here in West Texas today at 103! Summer officially arrives tomorrow but it’s a day early. The next three days will see no relief. I hope it’s cooler where you live.
Summers mean gardens and planting crops. Canning. It was work. Hard work. And everyone did their share.
Often people in the 1800s and even earlier had some darn good ideas that I wish we’d implement today. The people were mostly poor folks so how did they make do and survive when they had little money?
One really great idea was starting a seed library. One place or person was designated to collect seeds so when someone got ready to plant a garden, they’d go get what they needed. Then as their gardens died out at the end of the season, they’d take five seeds of each kind of plant back to the library. I always thought this was a great idea and no one went hungry.
I’m not sure why we don’t have these today. But then, people don’t grow gardens anymore. Not like they used to. They just run to Walmart.
I recently saw where scientists are collecting seeds from all over the world and storing them in a bunker up in the Arctic. Some plants are becoming extinct.
Another thing they did on the frontier involved the schools. Back then, as in the schools today, they had little money to operate with. Everything went for a building and a teacher with none left over for buying schoolbooks and supplies. The children would bring one egg each day for the teacher. She’d collect and sell them and use that money for what she needed.
Also, often the school board didn’t even have a place for the teacher to live so she took turns staying in people’s houses. I don’t think I’d have liked that very much.
People back then found ways around every obstacle. Delta Dandridge in a book I wrote called Texas Mail Order Bride used these ideas to help the town of Battle Creek, Texas. She also founded a women’s society and called it Women of Vision. The women all pitched in and restored the run-down town. They rebuilt buildings that were falling down, painted and gussied everything up and that attracted new businesses and settlers.
In case you’re interested, here’s the Amazon Link for the book. But it’s also available everywhere. 
Another practice that was not in the book was snow homes. In the winter when school children couldn’t get home because of the snow or rain, they went to the neighbor’s house that had been designated. Often they stayed overnight and then just trudged back to school the next day. Snow homes were a place of safety where you were warm and fed. You were always welcome. I love this practice.
Kids today sometimes don’t always have a safe place to go. They’re just left on their own to figure things out as best they can. But that’s a topic I don’t want to get into.
What do you think of these? Did your mother or grandmother ever tell you about other practices they had back then?
I’m giving away one ebook copy of Texas Mail Order Brides.
This started my Bachelors of Battle Creek series.
Here in the Texas Panhandle, we do love our cowboys. There's just something about a man in a Stetson and jeans that makes my heart beat faster. I'm not much of a cook but I love to do genealogy and I'm a bit of a rock hound. I'm also a NY Times & USA Today bestselling author of historical western romance. You can contact me through my website and I'd love to connect with you on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and more. HAPPY READING!
https://petticoatsandpistols.com/sweepstakesrules/
My grandmother and great aunts told me about what they did as did my parents who lived through the great depression. Glossing eggs, canning, growing crops in the yard, hunting alligators, etc. we’re all done to stretch the budget. Dandelions are a good food source.
Hi David, yes they did a lot more to sustain themselves than we do today. But wives didn’t work outside the home usually so it made a difference. We’ve lost a lot of that self-sustainability over the years and I think it’s sad. Thanks for coming.
My mom went to a one-room school till high school.
My dad went to a one-room school till he moved to Virginia. He always talked about walking to school with his cousins.
My grandpa told lots of stories about school days and olden days in general.
Good morning, Denise. I think it really helps to keep those stories alive. They were a lot simpler time but people made an effort to be good citizens and look after each other. I guess I’m feeling really nostalgic today. Thanks for stopping by.
When we lived in Mexico, we would hunt for asparagus along the ditch banks, & after we moved to the states, we often picked fruit from friend’s trees & split it with them. Then we went home and bottled what we had, to save it for the winter. I also learned to mend & sew my own clothes, although that’s not something I enjoy. I did teach these skills to my children, so that they can be self sufficient and help others around them.
I do save seeds from plants that do well here where I live & plant them the next year… this practice allows my plants to be hardy for the area! Each generation of plants becomes more acclimated to the weather that is common here (the seeds do need to be heirloom & not hybrid, as hybrid seeds don’t create plants that are similar to the parent plants). There are organizations that collect seeds and preserve them if you shop around. Some are locally based, & some (like the arctic storage group) are world based.
Good morning, Ami. I’m glad you came over. You seem very knowledgeable about plants and seeds. I’ve heard wild asparagus is very delicious. I just think we need to go back to some of the old ways in order to strengthen today’s lives. Every bit that someone learns will be useful. Thanks for coming.
Nice post this morning Linda! The things we learn from our parents and grandparents are priceless! My parents walked to school also and to a small school behind our church called Clayland. It’s still there. The old cafeteria is the church’s fellowship hall. A place where we have our family reunions on both sides of my parent’s families. Both sides of my grandparent’s are buried in the same cemetery.
I learned so many things from both of my grandparents. Love of flowers, gardening, fishing, digging for worms(and how they helped the soil)saving and recycling. Recycling wasn’t a trend back then but a way of life. I just can’t think of all the important things right now, but I think I implement them in many ways everyday.
And it is storming here in Florida this morning! Major lightening strikes. And more rain! But, this keeps the heat down! We have the humidity over here Linda to go with the heat! 😉
Good morning, Tracy. I’m glad you enjoyed my post. I saw your horrible non-stops lightning strikes there on the weather this morning. That’s scary. And you can keep your humidity. ha! I guess hot and dry is okay. I agree that grandparents can teach us so much if we’re willing to listen. The more we can learn, the better off we are. There’s so much knowledge that’s not taught in school. I love those old school houses by the way. 🙂 And how nice to have your grandparents buried in the same cemetery. Mine are scattered everywhere so I don’t visit their graves. Watch out for that lightning!
I love all these ideas and the way that everyone worked together to support one another and their community at large. We could use some of that mentality today. They were resourceful, to say the least.
My parents canned for a few years. All I remember was how hot the process was and the jar of pickles was ruined if a cucumber seed messed up the sealing process. Thanks for the chance to win a prize.
Good morning, Vickie, I’m glad to see you. Canning really was a hot, messy process but they had to do it so they could eat during the winter. We lead such busy lives now and women have to work outside the home. I remember how my mother stood over a hot ironing board during all kinds of weather when she took on customers. I think she charged $.50 a dozen but every penny counted. Yes, they were very resourceful and did whatever they had to in order to survive. I, too, love how communities pulled together. Neighbor helped neighbor. We knew how to behave ourselves and have common decency. Thanks for coming.
I enjoyed reading this very much. I’m a teacher and love the idea of snow homes. Thanks for sharing this information. People figured out ways to survive and thrive.
Good morning, Julie Ann! Great to see you. Snow homes were really beneficial, especially up north where the winters got bad. Everyone looked out for each other’s kids. Now neighbors don’t even get to know each other. We’ve lost something important–that spirit of working together for the good of all. Thank you for coming and enjoy your day.
We had 2 huge gardens when growing up as the 2 houses had a 10 acre field between them and now as then Grandma always planted marigolds around the garden to keep the bugs out – I set them on each side of the door at home – they really work – no more flies!
Good morning, Teresa! Wow, those marigolds were not only pretty but very beneficial! Those are things that prove very helpful but few today know about that. I’ll bet summers kept everyone very busy in that huge garden. But how nice to have the room. So much healthy food. Love you, lady.
My dad’s parents died when I was very young. My mom’s mom and dad were small town people, born around 1898. He was part of a glass manufacturing company and she was a SAHM although college educated in home economics (her only sister was a school teacher who retired in 1976)
Good morning, Kate. I learned so much in home economics in school and now they don’t even teach it anymore. Girls learned to sew and cook and so many basic things that gave us a well-formed foundation. I loved it. My senior year I made a really nice, lined woman’s suit. It wasn’t all aprons and simple things but even that’s very helpful. My girls didn’t want to learn any part of sewing and can’t even put a button back on. My mom had an old treadle sewing machine and I loved to sew on that. The only thing I regret is that my mom didn’t teach me to embroider or knit. No one in our family did except her. I guess I’m not too old to take lessons. Thanks for coming.
My mother told me her mother made dresses for her and her sisters from grain sacks. My grandmother always had a large garden and a large field of strawberries. She would give strawberries to everyone. Of course they raise chickens so we always had fresh eggs.
Good morning, Karijean! Our ancestors were very frugal and did make clothes out of flour sacks. Back then they came with pretty designs on them. One story in our family was of an aunt, oh she was a prissy thing, but she had to wear flour sack underwear. She was walking down the street and the wind lifted her skirt. Her underwear had “America’s Finest” scrolled across her rear, strategically placed. 🙂 I’m sure she might’ve helped the wind lift her skirt just a bit. She sure got a lot of attention. But back to your story. Your grandmother was so generous giving away those strawberries. I wish I had some chickens. I’ve heard it’s so soothing to watch them and the eggs are out of this world. My nephew has some chickens and they lay those good brown eggs. One kind of chicken he has lays green ones. They sure taste good. Thanks for coming.
I think my dad went to a one room school for a while. Growing up we always had a big garden and I spent many days out their picking veggies or chopping out the weeds. Now I just put out a few tomatoes plants and cucumbers. I do love me some fresh tomatoes off of the vine.
Tempts here have been in the 80’s.
Good morning, Quilt Lady. You know, as we get older, we just scale back a lot. We can’t labor in those gardens like we did. Bad knees and too hot. Glad you still do a little. Local Farmers markets are a huge help. Sending love and hugs.
I recently learned that our public library (Amarillo) has started a seed library. I think it’s so cool. I’m a terrible gardener but my dad has always enjoyed growing food and flowers and is quite good at it.
That’s great, Christy! I didn’t know that about the seed library. That’s good. I think slowly communities are returning to a few of these old ways and it’s heartening. Yay to your dad! Glad he still does it. 🙂 Thanks for liking my post.
My grandmother taught me how to can, dry fruit, and my grandpa taught me how to garden and when to pick it. My favorite vegetables are tomatoes and purple hull peas..
Linda, thank you for coming to share. Sounds like you were close to your grandparents. I never was. One set died before I was born and the other lived so far away. Yours taught you some valuable things. Thanks for coming.
My mother and the two oldest girls, that would be me and my older sister, helped her keep up a very big garden. Oh, did I love that job, out in the hot sun in Iowa in the summer. Sun and humidity. My grandmother on my dad’s side, had a huge garden and also an outdoor underground cellar where she kept her canned goods and things that had to stay cold. She was a farmer’s wife with a family of 5 kids. I never helped her but I got enough with Mom’s garden. Nothing special was collected or shared that I can recall. This sound like a very good read which I look forward to reading. Have a blessed day.
Sounds like you had a busy summer, Judy. Good thing you liked working in the garden. I’m sure your mom appreciated the help. 🙂 Those underground root cellars were perfect for storing canned goods and fruit. Then they also protected you when storms came. Very practical. Thanks for coming to share. Stay cool!
Our local school district required those of us who lived far out, for us 30 miles, to have an in town home designated for emergencies, even in the 1990’s. We were very glad we did the day our youngest daughter and a neighbor girl who was staying with us had to stay in town because of a dust storm. The interstate highway and county roads were closed so no buses that afternoon. This was in early October, definitely not a snow day. The wind settled down enough that we drove in after 8pm to pick up the girls. Our two older girls never had to use the town home because the times they had bad weather the roads cleared and the buses left school one and a half hours late. Our girls took care of the younger kids on their bus in the Home Ec room while they waited to leave.
Our school does still teach “Family and Consumer Science”, the newer term for Home Ec. It is one of the most popular classes at the high school. A lot of that is because of the excellent teacher who also serves as the senior class advisor. Unfortunately it is no longer taught in the Middle School/Junior High.
Great blog. I am not an e-reader so don’t enter me in the drawing.
Hi Alice, I’m glad you dropped by to chat. I’m so glad you have safe places for kids to stay in bad weather. You never know when you’ll need them. How nice that your school does still teach some form of Home Ec. I think it’s so important. Thank you for coming and I’m happy you liked my post.
I like that idea of the seed library. I hadn’t heard that one before, but I really admire their ingenuity back then. They always seemed to be able to figure out ways of getting things done.
Hi Megan, thanks for dropping by. I admire our ancestors too. They had a lot of good ideas that made sense. It made life so much easier for everyone.
All of these sound like great ideas–except the teacher living with different people. And how awful that had to be for her/him as well! Packing up and moving over and over–and what if you didn’t get along with the people you were having to stay with? EWWW! I never heard of the egg money, but what a great idea! They were so resourceful! Loved this post, Linda! Hugs, my filly sis!
My mom would always tell us that they would walk to school every day, it was a little ways from their house.
I remember spending summer days in the kitchen with my mother and grandmother canning what ever fruit or vegetable we happened to have that day.
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The weather has really mixed up the growing season. We had overly warm weather early in the Spring that got everything started and then we had a series of freezes. Several tree fruit crops were severely damaged. Things are ripening at odd times and out of order.
My paternal grandparents were closer to the basic way of life. With 6 sons and one daughter they did what they could to get by. My grandmother always had a garden right up into her 80’s and worked it herself right up until the year she died. She canned her produce and I can remember looking forward to her canned green beans for Christmas dinner. She and my grandfather worked at a shirt factory. The workers were allowed to take fabric scraps home. She used the scraps to make basic quilts, just large squares sewn together and tacked. Nothing fancy, but warm and serviceable for some rough and tumble boys. I have three of the quilts and a topper that was never finished.
None of my grandparents ever talked much about the lean years. The only comment my grandmother made about the Depression was they had an uncle who owned a butcher shop. They would get sausages that had a bad spot on them and were starting to go bad. She would scrub them down, cut out the bad parts and cook them well. I think for many people during those hard times, they were lucky to get even that for meat in their diet.
I love the idea of snow houses. They provided safety in bad weather. With the number of latch kids today, it would be nice to have similar options for them. Some communities have programs where participating families have signs in their windows designating them as a safe place for a chid to go if they feel threatened or unsafe in any way while walking to or from school. I can remember a bad storm that made the roads unsafe to travel. The schools parked the buses and kept all the students and staff at the school until it was safe for them to go home.. Our daughter was at a pow wow when this happened once and they kept everyone at the school for the weekend until the roads could be cleared.
I have your Mail Order Bride series so there is no need to enter my name in the giveaway.
I have collected seeds for my plants, trees and garden… sometimes they grow, sometimes not, but I love trying!