This Old House

This house is located on Adams St. in Stillwater. Ok.

Pictures can bring back so many memories. My family was living in this house when I reached my 16th birthday. There were two little one room houses  behind this house and a pen. My brother Ray had a horse in the pen. He called the horse Sox because the horse wore white anklets as I called them. Ray always said, " They are not anklets they're socks".

The other shed was used for a laundry room. My Mom went into the business of doing laundry for the many service men that were stationed there during WW11. This was before clothes washers and dryers as we know them today. Everything was hung on a  clothes line to dry. She had an electric clothes washer with a ringer to ring the item with. She spent many hours standing by an ironing board ironing the uniforms. Dad had a job with the city driving the street sweeper and also spent time in the Fall working with the threshing crews when it was harvest time. Most of the time he was also the Preacher of the church they were attending. We moved from there because the landlord wanted to move into the house as I recall. My little sister, Carol was born when we lived in this house. She was the 8th child my mother gave birth to. All the births were home births except the last one. They all had a doctor assisting the birth except the one born in a hospital. A nurse ignored my mother when she told her the baby was coming and told her it would be hours before the baby will be born. She went on her merry way and mom gave birth all alone without anyone. When Dad got through discussing it with the head of the hospital it was decided there would be no charge.
They were the start of a very large Lockwood family. I know all of us are very grateful for Dennis and Letha Lockwood. 

Wrinkles

When I was young wrinkles was the enemy. We lived in an old farm house without electricity, but those wrinkles had to go. Wash day was a living nightmare, but I won't get into that now. The next day was Ironing day. It was wrinkle removable day and it was an all day affair. What would people think if you showed up at church or anywhere with a wrinkle in your garment. The good people in China started this obsession. Without electricity you had to heat the iron on your cooking range. There would be four or five irons heating on the stove top. One detachable handle would be attached to an iron and the garment would have the creases pressed out and when the iron cooled it would be returned to the stove and another iron would be attached to the handle and the beat goes on. Don't forget to add a little more wood to the fire. It doesn't matter if it's a 100 degrees already because those wrinkles have to go.
When Sunday came you could put on your wrinkle free garment and strut off to church. Your soul may have had a wrinkle or two, but not your garment.

I wish I could iron my face.