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The Huron Expositor, 1976-05-06, Page 12BUILDING CENTRE CLINTON 482-3405 HENSALL 262-2418 SEAFORTH 527-0910 BRIGHTEPtUP YOUR PATIO & YARD FIBERGLAS. TRANSLUCENT PANELS • tom" ti Use these translucent panels in areas such.as patios, fencing, dividers, enclo- sures, etc. Ensures privacy while allowing a certain amount of light through. Can be sawn, drilled or nailed. Available in white, green or yellow. • tos 2 •. ONLY 477 26" x 96" 4 OZ. WT. PANEL ‘f AVAIUIBLE ONLY WHILE QUANTITIES LAST There's no place like home for barbeque entertaining Once recognized as the travelers of the world, Americans now bend to stay much closer to home. The current state of the economy, coupled with concerns about energy, have combined to change our lifestyles. Home owners and apart-ment dwellers alike are creating and using home recreation centers for their leisure time, regard-less of whether the activ-ity is centered on a tiny apartment balcony or in a spacious backyard. The new focal point is the patio „ area, totally equipped for outdoor liv-ing and entertaining. The patio scene With increasing fre- c—iiiefric gas and electric batWIfeat are an impor-tant elm:tient in the patio scene. Outdoor gas and electric- grills are both cleaner and more depend-able than charcoal models: any backyard barbeque' chef can cook with gas or electric-controlled heat without the problems asso-ciated with charcoal. Also, gas and electric grills are self-cleaning — another popular feature with con-sumers. Automatic enjoyment To make outdoor cook-ing even more enjoyable, Charmglow, the leading marketer of outdoor gas and electric barbecues, has introduced "Charmlite," the industry's first self-contained electronic igni- - tion system. - Designed to eliminate lighting problems associ-ated with matches and uncooperative weather conditi6ns, the Charmlite can be adapted to ungrade virtually any existing full- size Charmglow gas bar- beque. "It permits you to light your grill without matches . . without any trouble," says Nat Stoddard, Charm-glow's vice president of marketing services. "Just turn the knob to 'High' or `Medium,' push a button and your grill automati-cally ignites." The electronic ignition unit is pilotless and should operate for up to a full year on one "D" cell alka- line battery. ' Saving energy Another feature — one that saves energy—on all Charmglow natural and LP gas models is stainless' steel twin burners, which are at least 10 percent more efficient than the the older cast iron burners. The outdoor . barbeque fits any lifestyle — from the most frenetic to the most sedentari—and can be permanent or portable to suit your needs. . i 44 ;.; 1881 CO Z Cr—T1 Z > Irn Z After you look all around„ you'll want a John Deete Riding Mower. • Start looking in back. The engine is fully enclosed on a John. Deere to reduce sound for a quiet ride. Look at the hood. Its made of rust-resistant fiberglass to keep your rideflooking showroom new. It lifts for easy access to the engine and _ the one-gallon (U S ) gas tank Sit on the padded, contour seat. Touch the clustered controls.. • Stretch your legs-on the. - roomy deck. • Notice the mower. The 30- inch mower has a tough steel blade and a deep tunnel for strong Iift'and discharge. Put it in gear. The shift- • on-the-g6 transmission offers a neutral start for safety.. A reverse gear, And 5 forward speeds-1.4 to 5.3 mph on the 66, 1.5 to 5.7 mph' n the 68. Se the handsOme 'styling with sleekcontouis and enclosed clesiin..pptionai wheel covers adcta finished touch to your Machine_ John Deere Riding Mowers are avail- able in two gas-powered models. The 6-hp rider comes with 30-inCh mower. The 8-hp model is available with . 30- or 34-inch mower... and has a 'syrichro-balanced engine to reduce • vibration. An optional rear-mounted Come in today ...look all bagging attachment for the 30-inch mower lets you trim close to shrubs and builidings The hamper removes easily for Buck dumping. For super-quiet mowing, an electric riding mower with 34-inch‘cut is also available. • around a John Deere. Fred McGee Auto Electric LTD. SALES BACKED BY SERVICE WINGHAM 357-1416 JOHN DEER the farm (By W. G. Strong) It has been said that elderly folks' memory ebbs and their senses wane. Be that as it may, at times one does feel pangs of nostalgia when thinking of the days that are no mpre. Wash Day on the- farm as elsewhere was a big and busy day for mother and children. This was a proverbial job for Monday 'following the regular Saturday night bath and complete change of clothing on Sunday.If Monday's weather did not appear to be propitious, the event had to be postponed until later in the week. Usually wash day was a full forenoon assignment and the earlier it began the better. Early warm sunshine and a breeze in summer seemed to provide ideal conditions. The last thing junior had to do on Sunday evening before going to bed was to m ake sure that the wood-box was full of .dry wood, that there was ample kindling under the_ .stove and that the regervoir•was full . That was a copper tank at the end of the wood-burning - stove ' holding water-which was warmed by the heat from the flames of the fire-box, as it passed around the oven enroute to the chimney. This fresh water had to be carried in pails from the wooden pump several yards away or from the underground pipe that carried spring water to the barnyard trough where animals quenched their thirst. Woe betide the urchin lo tired easily and left the `reseryoir only pattly filled. At ad lady hour on Monday morning . father started the fire and made his way to the barn to do some — of the chores. Immediately after breakfast was over and the dishes washed, mother removed the two front lids and the interlocking device over the fire-boX with the aid of the proper poker and plaCed the partly filled copper boiler in the open space. More water was added to' bring the contents up to the required level. Often rain water was caught in tubs or rain-barrels placed under the downspout frbm the- eaves trough. This soft water was used in. summer to :supplement the hard water from the Well. Sundry kettles and pots were utilized to heat additional supplies on the back -lids. In summer the washing was done on the back porch or in the summer kitchen but in winter the kitchen . proper was the scene of • operations. The first job was to set up the wooden bench which supported two wash=tubs. If the wash happened to be unusually large an extra tub was placed on two -kitchen chairs facing each other. One of the tubs was partly filled with water from the reser- voir, the other with colder water for rinsing to which was added the bluing, a cube of blue powder in -a cotton bag which' had to be swished around in the water until it dissolved. Have you seen any such product on the shelves of the supermarket lately? . The dirty laundry had been -carefully sorted into piles - white clothes -in one pile; coloured clothes in another; hand, face and dish towels in another; work clothes in another-and .so on. The white clothes were washed first. After a brief period for soaking the washboard came into use: Coarse homemade lye soap was in common use in rural areas on wash day. Comfort soap . was a luxury and was often supplied by Harry Martin; the ashman by fjp.vhich appellation he was popularly known. Annually he toured the country concessions, the green wagon box and the team of well-matched long-johns, sheets and shirts was a task not soon to be forgotten. By the time the assignment was finished fingers were numb, feet cold, ears. tingling and temper rising. - With -the advent of the Beatty washing machine and the double wringer-washer early in this century much of -the labour was. removed from wash day. Yes, technology has done a lot for man and woman and smoothed their paths in divers ways.' In some ways, perhaps, it has made us lazy and arrogant. Too many gauge success in this world by the number of automatic household appliances we use ,by the variety of the power tools and garden equipment and even by the size of the car we drive. Technology Clydesdales being recognized by all. His mission was to pick up the accumulation of wood • ashes dumped not too far from the house but far enough away as not to endanger the buildings. These ashes were carefully screened to re t ve unburned portions, of wo d and cinders that fell into the ashpan under the firebox when the fire, was stoked or frAh fuel. added. If memory serves me well one bar of soap was exchanged for each bushel basket of ashes. The making of lye soap is a story in itself. - When the first batch of clothes was thoroughly scrubbed and washed by hand, they were transferred to the boiler of boiling water on :the stove. Usually the dishpan was brought into use to convey the load. The.coloured clothes were then placed in the -first, tub to soak briefly. By the time they had been washed the white clothes were fished from the boiler by means of a wooden stick some thirty inches long, allowed to drain briefly, returned to the dishpan and deposited .in tub number two and tossed about in the rinsing liquid. Then followed the tedious .- task of wringing the wash by hand. This required strong wrists, muscles and arms as well as a stout back. The clothesline was given a : leisurely mop with a wet rag, and soon the weekly wash was on ... display. Those who depended upon:the clothesline and the weather often developed an elaborate but unwritten code of rules with, regard to the proper hanging of the wash. Appearances were very important. - "What will the neighbours say?." was on many a lip. Tattle-tale gray had to be avoided by every painstaking housewife. Colours had to be more , _of less matched. 'Undergarmentt had to be pinned according to size. Socks had to be paired and hung b y the toe. To leave clothes out overnight - was often the sign of a • careless housekeeper. Needless to say, each clothesline on wash day was a multi-coloured patchwork. All day the wash swayed and flapped in unison with the wind's tunes and vagaries. The lone weather- vane rooster atop the barn roof seemed to direct the dancing clothes as the wind changed direction. In winter the frozen wash-did a stiff, drunken dance. Perhaps there • was nothing more one hated to be asked to do on a mid-winter afternoon than to bring in the wash, especially if a cold north or east wind was blowing.To struggle with frozen clothes pins, stiff • and rigid although meant to serve us can become our master unless we are knowledgeable enough to curb its influence. For many, however, technological 'advances have made life easier - the coin wash, the laundromat, the automatic washer and dryer. It has meant the disappearance of the Chinese laundry around the corner but the commercial laundry firms continue to operate but with lessening demands for their services. There are some women today who still do the weekly wash by hand, hang out the" clothes and worry about showers. They take comfort, however, in the fact that no wash out of the dryer smells as fresh as the one from the outdoor clothesline.They seem to derive a deep sense of satisfaction when they see a. line of bright, clean clothes snapping and waving and popping in the sunlight. Like so many other unpleasant jobs in life there are . true compensations even if on a rainy day the clothes have to be brought in and hung in the basement to dry. Invillages, towns and cities the art of clothesline reading gave one instant information about the neighbours' -activities. Close -quarters rencouraged familiarity and there was almost daily conversation from the back porch or rear window. Neighbourhood gossip was exchanged freely and liberally. "The Murphy baby has finally arrived. I saw brand new diapers strung out proudly." "Mrs. O'Reily, poor soul, is still sick. Pete hangs Out the wash by himself. She would never have left those open spaces or hung the - shirts the way, he did and they don't lobk too clean, either." . "Debbie Smith is back from summer camp; 'Her mother will have snnimer's washing and mending to do.-" These lines' stretching across backyafds for sun and neighbours to see told more about the family than the neat front lawns and tailored shrubs. "There -is I no question that things do, change, That age does alter one's point of view; That passing years -do seek t!- - exchange As time trades .old 'things for -„ - z- (Reynolds) Everyone helped with. Wash day on the new.