Morning all. Yesterday, I was working on the wallpaper scraping some more. Ick, what a job. Some areas are very loose and flaky and then much of it is stuck for eternity!!!! LOL
I think I could consider it an ancient ruin!!! Oh my.
Well, any way I was peeling and scraping, the TV was on behind me, and there was a program on about living in the past. As I sat on the floor cursing the wall - a lot of things went through my mind. (Scary place to be!).
I am griping and hissing and moaning about this job - and then I think how good I have it.
All of our ancestors (at some point) had to cut through the woods and forests, to go a mere feet. As they traveled to new parts of the land - there were NO roads. They had to hand chop with an ax every single tree out of their way and move every rock and boulder. Over mountains and through gullies and valleys and over rivers. WOW
They had to down trees and haul them and then build their homes. Pretty much had to build everything. There weren't stores to rush out to, to get new furniture or pretties. Furniture was made.
They had to do everything. They had to clear the land. Down the trees, Build the houses (with crude tools). They had to grow the food. Raise the animals. Hunt and fish. Spin the wool. Make the soap.
Tan the hides. Collect the water or dig the well. NO cars - ride a horse or a mule. Chop the wood for heat. Fight off the wildlife.
Heck even vices had to be done by them - they had to grow the tobacco and make the moonshine!!!!!
I guess my point is we are so fortunate to have all the things we have. We take most all of it for granted. Shoot if the oven breaks down, or the washing machine quits, or the microwave stops or the lawn mower stops working - we are just frantic. What are we to do now?????
We go in and turn a handle and we have hot and cold (clean) water. Flip a switch and we have light. Flip another switch and we have heat. We have mechanical equipment for building and plowing that our earliest ancestors would probably think was the devil at work!!!!!!
My mind - it can wonder!!!!! This is where it went while scraping wallpaper and feeling sorry for myself! I sat on my nice wood floor, in a warm house with a sturdy roof overhead, next to a glass door that looks out to see the sunshine, in my comfy clothes - feeling sorry for myself for a moment.
Seriously!
Just take a moment and look around today - no matter what you may be fixing or re-doing or remodeling - you are lucky!
I love the history of the past and hearing the stories. I love watching programs about it and reading about it. Would I have survived? Oh probably, as we would have been conditioned to living that way - but it sure was a hard life. They knew nothing different - I think to myself, what they would think today if they could see things. Magic - the devil!
Take a moment or two to just be thankful for the life you have and lead today.
(Promise next week the story of my ancestors and their Indian mishap!)
Have a fantastical day!!!!!!!
Wonderful post. And so true. I was watching a you tube channel where a woman cooks over an open hearth, holy cow is that a lot of work and skill! Thinking about how lucky we are to have a warm house and electricity…a moment of thankfulness is important. Hilogene in Az
ReplyDeleteEverything they did back in the day was a lot of work!!!
DeleteWe are just so blessed to have all we do. I figured this being the beginning of the holy season - maybe we should take some time to be thankful for all our blessings.
Reading "The Trees", "The Fields" and "The Town" by Conrad Richter really brought home to me the harsh realities of life a couple hundred years ago. Makes me very appreciative of living in the era that I do.
ReplyDeleteAs for the wallpaper, have you tried renting a steamer? Are you using a wallpaper removal gel? That is a miserable task, so anything to make it easier has to help.
Looking forward to hearing about your ancestors and the Indians.
It is amazing that we are even here - our ancestors sure had grit!
DeleteJust me and a scraper at the moment. Today will be using the mister with some fabric softener added - that works too. Just starting into this foray - trust me, I will try other stuff!
This post puts our grousing in perspective. The folks who think they want to go back to the old days have no clue how hard it would be to give up their mod cons. I can remember "helping" my mother do laundry with her wringer washer. She hung the clothes on the line except in the very worst weather. This was in the '50's so it wasn't all that long ago.
ReplyDeleteRainy, gloomy day! Think I'll make some hummingbird muffins.
It sure does. Oh, I remember the wringer washer - that was work. It surely did get clothes clean though! Ironing everything - absolutely everything! Now I iron maybe a couple times a year!!! Yep, even in the 50's things were a lot more work than now. (I really do miss those times though).
DeleteIt is gloomy for sure.
I agree we are lucky to live in the times we do in many ways. I have peeled lots of layered wallpaper in my time. Having a paper tiger to make the small 'holes' in the old pieces that remain helps a lot. I also used a spray bottle of hot hot water with a bit of fabric softener mixed in-let it be on there for a few minutes and then scraped it.
ReplyDeleteThe water and fabric softener is on my list for today! I remembered that yesterday afternoon. It is a job - but it is a chore that needs done. Life is always something!!!!!!
DeleteOh yes, we are very blessed to live in the times that we do. I’ve had to scrap wallpaper like that and one spot was particularly hard to scrap, so I sprayed it down with vinegar and it finally came off. Best of luck to you.
ReplyDeleteSome of it seems to be stuck for eternity!! I will try other things today. I will prevail!!!!!!!
DeleteYep, lucky we are.
Yes indeed, Cheryl. Bad storm today (snow/wind) and the power keeps going off, then back on. Hoping we don't lose power entirely. Virtually everything in one's home requires power.. including gas stoves and water heaters. --Elise
ReplyDeleteGood luck. Hope you keep your power. Here's hoping your pellet stove is no electric and you have a generator of some sort. Stay safe and warm.
DeleteHere is a different perspective: Mom was born in '23 and married in '48. Their first "home" was a rented 2nd floor maybe 15x30 feet. They were pregnant with #4 before they left that space. Wood stove provided heat and cooking. Water was boiled and poured in the tin tub in "the kitchen" and everyone got the same water. Each of 6 days had a task: baking, sewing, cleaning etc. Dishes were washed quickly after each meal. Open shelving on the wall held just enough dishes/cookware for 1 meal for the family. No more.
ReplyDeleteNow here is the different perspective: Mom and I were talking in the early 2000s when she was visiting us. She said, you and your sister have it much harder than I did. (We were the late born #5 and #6). You have all these machines that do all the things I did by hand. You go to a job, then still have all the chores I did. You don't do 1 thing each day of the week and then have time to yourself to read, embroider, visit with girlfriends etc.
Wallpaper. Ick! I put it up once in a bathroom. Left that house in 1991. Good riddance. Best of luck ridding yourself of it :-)
Isn't that something. A totally different perspective.
DeleteI would still see it as a gift - even working and having to do all the other stuff - the machines make it all easier.
I remember the big old metal tub by the heat stove or back door for bathing!
I will never rid myself of paper - it is everywhere in this house - just covered up!
I find it hilarious when people says our lives today are so busy! No, we have it easy, very easy, much of what those people (usually women, sadly) are doing is self inflicted, they equate 'busy' with important. Well, I have no need of either.
ReplyDeleteYES - most is self inflicted! Keeping busy with activities and such is not the same to me, as the physical hard work people HAD to do just to survive years ago. Agree!
DeleteDaddy carried water from the river daily as they had no well, dug coal from the hill for heat and to cook with. Daddy was the "horse" for the plow Grandpa had. For year's they had no light if the sun wasn't up and shining. Thought they were rich when Grandpa saved up enough money to get 1 kerosene lamp for their 3 room shack. 6 kids and 2 adults, Grandma had polio and couldn't walk, they carried her on their backs to the outhouse Daddy helped Grandpa dig. I am grateful everyday. Doesn't take much to remind me.
ReplyDeleteWow, what a testimonial. Thank you. Isn't it amazing what family did for one another and how well they survived? We are here because they did. I am grateful each day as well - grateful especially for those who came before us.
DeleteGreat post, Cheryl - we really do need to stop & realize how fortunate/blessed/spoiled we are! We have so much compared to how our ancestors had things. I often think that when I use my huge, powerful Kitchenaid mixer to knead dough. My Babci (grandma in Polish) used to knead her bread by hand - what a bada$$ she was! And it was the most delicious bread I have ever had in my life. They worked in the garden, washed clothes on a washboard, etc. Life was not easy for them - but you know what, I never once heard her complain. Maybe because her life here in America was better than it would have been in Poland had she stayed - and she realized how "fortunate" she was.
ReplyDeleteIt's so helpful to focus on the positives in life rather than the negatives. I'm to the point in life I don't have time for the negative - there is just too much to be thankful for. Every.Day.
I feel for ya doing all that wallpaper - slow & steady wins the race! Been there, done that! Hang in there - it will get done! (PS - using an iron with steam really helps - hold it there for 30 secs or so & then scrape - should soften things up!)
I am sure her life was better here at the time. Glad she made it here. They worked hard for everything they had. You know you are right - I don't think I remember mom ever complaining. I know how tired she got - but she just kept going.
DeleteI am one for positives as well. It just makes the world (at least mine) a little better.
OOOOOoooo the steam iron - never thought of that!!!! Thank you!
I am very thankful for all that I have. A hot shower, a clean bed to sleep in, food, shelter. These are some of what is most important to me.
ReplyDeleteYes mam. Blessed beyond blessed. They seem like simple things - but not all so blessed.
DeleteSuch a timely post, as I've been thinking a lot about my grandparents and how they grew, built, fixed, etc. If using a spray bottle and fabric softener, remember to wear protective gloves or your hands will get very dried out and possible develop cracks. There's a story there, with late hubs and his good friend who spent a "guys" weekend away to tackle walpaper removal at his friend's cottage. After they worked at it all day with fabric softener. They broke out a couple of Corona's and realized the damage their hands had taken when they went to squeeze the lime wedges into their beer. Ouch!
ReplyDeleteOur ancestors were amazing people. Such true grit.
DeleteThank you for that tip. Would not have thought of that. Ouch I bet that was uncomfortable. I love all the tips!
Oh boy that wall paper! There are so many borders in one of our bedrooms that have borders and paint and borders and borders that we finally put up a very wide one to cover all the mess. But, yes I do agree with all you have said here. I feel for those who have been through this very cold winter without the means to keep the house warm and oh my I hurt for the homeless.
ReplyDeleteLOL - my bedroom is kind of the same. Border over border!
DeleteThere were times I cried this winter when we had the especially frigid weather - just praying all found a place to be inside. I know some choose to live that way - but I can't help but to worry. Can not imagine.
I'm glad you recalled using the fabric softener in the mister - I've scraped many a wall of wallpaper and I wouldn't do it without some sort of moisture. Scoring the wall first with your scraper or sanding block helps to get that moisture under the paper too.
ReplyDeleteThe early pioneers definitely worked very hard to create a home and a livelihood. We certainly have it much easier these days with all the conveniences available to us. While I grew up without running water (until I was 17), and oil burners for heat, I wouldn't want to go back to those days.
Thanks. I may try to stem iron as well - that is a great idea too.
DeleteYep, it was different. I could do it, like it was as a kid - but it would be a lot harder. Mom and daddy worked so hard for a basic life. They gave us a good one - but they sure worked at it.
Cheryl, I was laughing when you started on 'the olden days'!!! Not because it's funny, but it's a joke between me and the hubs. Whenever we're on a long trip ANYWHERE and im driving, he starts pondering the surroundings. I call them his pioneer stories!! I think it all started with our first vacation to Tahoe and our stop at the Donner Party monument and museum. The docent told us that travel was so slow at times, that when they stopped for the night, they could see the fire ring from the previous night. They might've traveled 1800 ft. all day! Yes, it's quite humbling. We don't need to go that far back tho. The reality is that our poorest people are living like rich people in some third world countries. My friend was in the Dominican Republic in fall and she said they live in shacks, haul water in buckets, etc. and they seem way happier than most people.
ReplyDeleteAs for surviving, I definitely would have been dead several times from health issues. Pneumonia and a ruptured appendix come to mind. My friends and I were talking about that one day. We figured that modern medicine was what saved us! Pneumonia, a ruptured appendix, a very bad baby delivery, and a severe allergic reaction. We all would've died between 8 and 41! And that was assuming we didn't die from bad water or getting eaten by a bear!!!!
G and I used to talk the same way when driving through the woods. Like "these roads weren't here - they had to ax their way through these hills". It is pretty incredible.
DeleteIt is all perspective. What is rich to me - is poor to someone one else. And what is poor to me - is rich to another. Perspective!!!! It is all quite humbling.
Medicine is definitely a huge advancement. I guess back then it was more survival of the fittest!
Sometime in 2020 I discovered the show Absolute History from the BBC on YouTube. They had a series where they set up an environment to reflect different times and then dropped present day folks into the time. They had to survive for a certain amount of time. It was really tough in some of the time frames. Some of the individuals had the resilience necessary and some had more difficulty. I think knowing it was only for a little while may have helped. I also watched the how to build a medieval castle series and found it very interesting.
ReplyDeleteI have been grateful my entire life for indoor plumbing since as a child when we would often visit my grandmother who did not have that modern feature in her home.
When I was a young mother and I complained about having to rinse out poopy diapers in the toilet my mother told me how she had to do that in a bucket on the porch when my brother was a baby because they had no indoor plumbing. She also only had 12 diapers which might every night she washed diapers with a wash board to be ready for the next day. Sure changes your perspective on things.
Nancy in Washington state
Nancy I watched a show a few years ago - kind of the same principle. Took modern people and placed them in old west setting - had to build lodging and build stoves and learn to garden and chop wood - you name it. No technology! That itself just about killed some of them!!!!!! LOL
DeleteIt was interesting to watch. Some people had obviously never studied history - as they had NO clue whatsoever.
I remember in the 70's going to my ex's grandparents. They still had outdoor toilet, pump for water and a wood stove for heat and cooking. They lived in the holler between 2 mountains. Terraced the sides of the mountain to grow a garden. They were up in age too. I was so amazed and intrigued. I asked so many questions they poor people were probably glad when I left!
Pampers today - amazing how many diapers our parents must have washed. Yes mam - perspective says it all!
I wish I was there I love to scrap wall paper. Make sure you score and wet it thoroughly. We are all very spoiled.
ReplyDeleteWell, heck darn, I wish you were here too! If you love wallpaper, I could put you to work!!
DeleteYeppers, we are spoiled and blessed.
Oh my, you poor thing. I wonder how old that wallpaper is? I'm intrigued by those things...I've seen some from the 20s - 30s from an old baby nursery and it was so sad to me for some reason. I think it's because the culture now days upsets me and it's such a contrast to back then. I also know we are very blessed in many ways. But then again, say during the 40s, the country had a healthy fear of God. I know and understand what you are saying though. When we lost our chicken pets, and when we lose our garden veggies, I have to wonder how people did it back then? That must have been terrifying.
ReplyDeleteVery thought provoking post Cheryl, you enjoy your comfy clothes and I hope you've gotten the majority of that paper off now.
Have a good evening relaxing! : )
It is old paper. This house was built in '47 - so I would say early 50's! Much of it still there - just didn't have the gumption today! LOL (story of my life)
DeleteVery true. It was a very God fearing nation - yet there was the crazy wild west as well. I imagine many, many lost their animals and gardens to wildlife and poachers. Think about the dust storms and torrential rains back then - no way to predict things like now - SURPRISE.
I guess it is a lot of up and down and good and bad with both.
Oh, and also, many little babies were lost and also the mommy too in child birth and from infections, both adults and children, no antibiotics when they were needed in contrast to over use now. I was shocked when I looked at the German side in find-a-grave and saw my grandfather had been married as a young man before my real grandma and they had a little baby boy that had passed away and his young wife passed also several days later. Then I saw that my real grandma had a baby girl before my Uncle Wesley...The odd thing is no one ever spoke of these things. I have to wonder if my dad even knew...I have the old scrapbooks with photos where pieces come together now and it's a bit haunting.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing isn't it. I know I had an uncle and grandpa die of the flu in 1918 within days. My uncle (dad's little brother) was 6 months. Can't imagine the horror grandma went through. So sad.
DeleteI had another grandpa that had 10 children with his wife and she died in childbirth with the last. Later he married her sister (close proximity) and they had 11!!! Geesh, I guess they needed something to do - no TV! (Amish side of family) LOL
It was a very serious problem - so many lost for such simple things that we would not think of today! You are right - it is haunting.
Are you scoring the wallpaper with a scorer that you run across the wall and then wet with a sponge and warm water? That will really help the paper come off. In my first house I had 5 layers of paper in the master. Every bedroom, the kitchen, dining room, bathroom, were all papered, so I know what you’re dealing with. Did I mention hallway and stairwell?
ReplyDeleteI didn't at first - what I show gone - just peeled very nicely. It was cracked and had started to peel. The rest YES - it will take moisture for sure. I have paper in ever room here as well. Now I have done paper to chair rail in part of living room and dining room myself - years ago. I wasn't real bright then!
Delete5 layers?? YIKES. Thankful mine isn't that bad. I will get it eventually.
I often think about how hard our ancestor's had it (even Grandparents) and am so thankful I don't live in those times.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
It sure says so much about them. If they hadn't been so strong and hearty - we wouldn't be here. All that had to change was ONE thing!!!!! It is pretty amazing.
DeleteI put a wood burning stove into the house I built 22 yrs ago. My dad said, "Do you know how much wood you have to cut to heat a house for the winter?" No. Although I grew up with wood/coal stoves, no running water until I was 11 yrs old. I remember getting electricity when I was 4 or 5 yrs old. I joke that we were the original organic farmers - if we didn't grow it, pick it or kill it, we didn't eat. It wasn't that far from the truth. Not a day goes by that I don't think of the hardships back in the day.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that something. Wow, even today, people are remembering some of the hardships. As much as you remember going through - just think about what your great grandparents or great-great grandparents went through. It is just amazing to me. We sure are lucky today.
DeleteWe were without power from 3 am to 3 pm today. High winds and blowing snow with a downed power line somewhere. I'm SO happy the electric is on! I've NO desire to live like my grandparents. Not even for a few hours, sissy that I am.
ReplyDeleteEllie
Central Az
Sorry you lost the power. It sure is something we take for granted and until losing it - we under appreciate.
DeleteGlad you made it through. Stay safe and warm.
Our power went in and out a lot of yesterday, and our internet was down for awhile, too. The GOOD news about so much wind (if there is such a thing) is snow build up isn't as deep. It's snowing/blowing again this morning. But I've seen something I've never experienced before... vertical snow! As in on the house siding and windows. Crazy. --Elise
DeleteThank you for this post. Today I have been feeling mighty sorry for myself, a real wallow in misery. I have been asked to leave my Church because I don’t follow our new Pastors idea of the “right path”. After 25 years, various volunteer jobs, lots of donations, suddenly I am not good enough. Your thoughts made me wake up!! Thank you Cheryl, you are a real blessing.
ReplyDeleteFirst huge hugs! You are entitled to your ideals. Many times our churches change to doctrine that just doesn't follow the Word. I understand you have given a lot to this organization - BUT you ARE good enough for God!!!!!!! Your religion doesn't have to be based on a building of people - it is far more than that. I am so sorry that you are going through this - but you are good enough - don't let them tell you different.
DeleteThank you for your kind words.
Before our 2nd son was born (he's now 30), I had the same thing happen at a church we were members of. That Pastor had asked me to be Sunday School director. It was a new church. I handed out Bibles to all of the kids for them to take home with them. He thought they should have been kept at the church. I reminded him we'd bought them. I was told I wasn't a good fit for the church and we should look for another. It was devastating. We did soon find another place of worship, though. You will, too. As Cheryl said, you ARE good enough; God made you as you are for a reason. Hugs!
Delete--Elise
Thank you both for your kind words.
DeleteThis is a lovely community that you have here Cheryl, you should be very proud of what you have created.
Thank you and yes, the community here is wonderful thanks to all these sweet and caring folks. I do believe all have a genuine love and caring for one another. I hope you find the right fit for you.
Delete