For those of you who love reminiscing about your firstappliances, here are some of my memories.
After our marriage, Jerry and I moved into our first home in 1954. It was an old green, two-story house in a tiny place called Caverna, near Jane, Mo. We bought a couple of used wood stoves, one of which was a cooking stove for the kitchen. It kept us warm on cold mornings, after I’d finally get the kindlin’ lit. We soon replaced it with a modern Roper gas range with money we earned from a batch of chickens we’d raised. Seems like we paid $50 for that stove which we used for half our marriage.
Most of our furniture was hand-me-downs. Our first new purchase was a smallblack and white TV. Jerry’s family had never owned a television. A few years earlier, when my mother purchased a small black and white set (there were no color ones yet), we were one of the first families in Gravette to own one. I have a picture of all us kids staring into this marvel.
My first refrigerator was a small Frigidaire. It was also the first time we went into debt to buy anything. My mother had driven me into Bentonville to buy groceries, and I decided I’d lived long enough without a place to keep food cool.
Oklahoma Tire and Supply also threw in a couple of 12 X 9 feet linoleums for our wood floors, and I agreed to pay all that out at $15 a month. My husband wasn’t too happy with me, and I’ve never made a major purchase since without consulting him.
I’m not sure when I got my initial vacuum cleaner. After buying our first homewest of Rogers, I carpeted the lovely hardwood floors because I tired of cleaning black marks. Someone likely gave us a used canister, or I bought one.
I do remember well our first automatic washing machine, purchased about that same time. I’d been using a wringer-type, which I’d drag out every Monday. It took all day to do the laundry. On other days I’d wash diapers by hand (disposables were unheard of, and I couldn’t have afforded them). On rainy days, I was forced tohang my wash on wooden racks inside.
A dryer was considered a luxury, and I only bought one after moving into our present home. Since our house is all-electric, Jerry was afraid I’d use too much electricity. I promised I’d use my new dryer exclusively in bad weather. But, once I pulled out that first fluffy load, I never hung clothes outside again. We eventually took down our outside wires.
When microwaves came on the scene, I bought one. I still use it mainly to defrost meat or to boil water, but I can’t imagine being without one. In addition to a dishwasher, we now have two TVs, a computer, electric clocks, radios, toaster, irons (we still have a few antique flat irons, but they now decorate our house as door stops) and various other appliances.
Any electricity my appliances use is a bargain.
Marie Putman is a former Gravette resident and regular contributor to the Westside Eagle Observer.
Opinion, Pages 4 on 04/03/2013