I owe many people here a big thank you!

[TamTurkey]

Yum meeeeeeee

 

[maryhysong]

Good for you! I have several young'ens out there that will be going to freezer camp in a few months too! In the meant time I've got four more big ducks to do, just never enough hours in a day.

 

[Elke Beck]

Mary, there is never enough hours in the day. I don't know how they did it all before modern conveniences, because I seem to have trouble just getting the basics done.

I do not envy you doing ducks. The chickens were enough work for me without all the extra work involved with ducks. I'll bet they are delicious, tho.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

Mary, there is never enough hours in the day. I don't know how they did it all before modern conveniences, because I seem to have trouble just getting the basics done.

I do not envy you doing ducks. The chickens were enough work for me without all the extra work involved with ducks. I'll bet they are delicious, tho.

Our ancestors lived differently. A typical woman's day started with a big breakfast for the family and then she probably started planning on what whe was going to serve the family for dinner. Maintainig a household, not to mention a garden, was a full-time job. Now we have all these modern conveniences, so most of us work full time AND maintain the household.

 

[Elke Beck]

Yes, and women typically died 10 years earlier than men. My mother learned to bake on her grandmother's cast iron stove, and one of her chores was to wash the clothes for her family on a wringer washer. I think I will stick with my busy modern life and leave the past to the past.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

I'm with you on that! Although I have enjoyed maintaining a garden and raising chickens, I could do without chopping wood for the stove, pumping water for the bath and washing clothes by hand. Thank you GE!

 

[Life is Good!]

I'm with you on that! Although I have enjoyed maintaining a garden and raising chickens, I could do without chopping wood for the stove, pumping water for the bath and washing clothes by hand. Thank you GE!

Agreed!

Frigidaire isn't such a bad thing either!

 

[maryhysong]

I'm with you on that! Although I have enjoyed maintaining a garden and raising chickens, I could do without chopping wood for the stove, pumping water for the bath and washing clothes by hand. Thank you GE!

I think I like living with a bit of a compromise. I was a stay at home mom when my kids were little and I really miss being able to stay home now. I kept a huge garden, dairy goats, rabbits and chickens. I milked, made cheese, yogurt and ice cream, canned veggies, butchered meat ect. But I did have running water and electric lights and wood was easy to get. I did wash clothes on a rub board and later a wringer washer; wasn't that big of a deal really. The girls used to help wash their own clothes, especially in the summer when it was hot, they had a good time playing in the water.

I think being able to pick and choose the parts you like and that work for you is the best thing.

 

[Elke Beck]

Mary, I think you have it exactly right. What makes it work is that we have a choice in what methods we use, unlike people in previous eras. I like having the choice. It is like the discussion I have had with my brother for years about whether a food processor is better than just using a nice, sharp knife. I think my brother, who loves gadgets, would use his food processor for everything if it were practical, where I use my trusty chef's knife that I have had for about 30 years for everything except big jobs like slicing a peck of cucumbers for putting up lots of pickle chips.

 

[maryhysong]

Mary, I think you have it exactly right. What makes it work is that we have a choice in what methods we use, unlike people in previous eras. I like having the choice. It is like the discussion I have had with my brother for years about whether a food processor is better than just using a nice, sharp knife. I think my brother, who loves gadgets, would use his food processor for everything if it were practical, where I use my trusty chef's knife that I have had for about 30 years for everything except big jobs like slicing a peck of cucumbers for putting up lots of pickle chips.

I am not that much of a gadget person. There are some that I think nearly indespensible for some jobs however; My Squeezo all metal strainer with three screens to process any kind of fruit and a lot of veggies into sauce, jam, jelly and pie fillings. My apple gadget that peels, cores and slices in a few seconds, perfect slices for dehydrating. Those are both hand cranked and are my favorite special appliances. The blender and regular food processor might get used once a year, sometimes not that much. I'm like you, sharp knife for slicing up veggies; mmmm bought that one in 1976. The tip of the blade is broken off but still my fav over my whole drawfull.