LOOKING BACK: Appliances came into my home much appreciated

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

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