35th Anniversary plans - cancelled

Northern California is on fire.

The Bay Area has been suffering from the smoke and ash from the wildfires in the Sacramento area.

This has been going on for days, but we cannot be suffering as much as those who live in the wildfire area.

Wildfires are attacking Big Sur. We planned to spend Monday there.

Staying indoors with the windows closed is advised.

35 years ago, we would be doing that already!

Floods, Fires and Pestilence!

Heat, Drought, Price of Petrol and ‘Going for the Rations.’ 2

We didn’t have a car. We walked to the local shops. On Fridays, the grocery boy delivered groceries on his bike. Milk was delivered daily by Jimmy the milkman and his horse, Peggy.

I said my first swear word when I repeated I heard what Jimmy called Peggy. She didn’t deserve it, but it was just the way he spoke!

Now with the price of petrol, I can say it again! “@$##%”

Richard and I take pleasure in saying we were ‘Immediate Post War Babies.’

We remember some food rationing that continued till 1954 when bananas were no longer rationed.

Mam always called grocery shopping, ‘going for the rations.’

Richard still has his ration coupon book. ‘Per ration per person per man, woman or child.’

We’re not THAT old, but how is it that our lives are quickly reverting to our childhood memories?

I think we’ll have a Victory Garden and keep chickens and a pig!

Do you dig it, Man?

Heat, Drought, Price of Petrol and ‘Going for the Rations.’ 1

Finally, after days of record temperatures, the air is cooling and we are more comfortable. The garden suffered a bit, and since we are under water restrictions, because of the drought, we didn’t water as often as we’d like.

We’re doing all we can to save water and we’re glad we installed low flow toilets and showers. But, we are diligent in cutting down our water use.

Should I start to live the way I did in Buckie, in a house with no bathroom, dishwasher, or washing machine?

We were a household of 4 adults, Mam, Dad, Granny, Granda and myself, the quinie.

The lavy (toilet) was in a wee cupboard in the shed where we cooked, kept the coal and did the laundry, by hand, in the 2 sinks, with the mangle between them.

I stripped washed daily, at the laundry sink, washed my hair once a week and had a full bath in a tub by the fire on Friday evenings.

Food was prepared simply, without the aid of food processors, chopping devices, or blenders. When I had to dispose of the contents of the house for sale, after Dad died, I had to toss the blunt knife that Mam had used to peel and chops all the vegetables she used in the Sunday broth. I am really sorry I never bought her decent chopping knives, but I left home before I knew anything about knives and I forgot about the blunt knife with the broken handle.