CHAPTER XII
Another important event in our calendar year was threshing day. Several neighbors pooled their teams, and personnel to form a thrashing ring. When threshing time came they contracted with a threshing machine operator to do threshing for the entire ring. It required several teams of horses and considerable manpower to keep the threshing machine in operation.
The most important item of the day was the dinner. Each housewife tried to outdo the others in quality and quantity. Usually after the threshing was completed, an oyster supper or ice cream social was planned to celebrate the end of the harvest.
Another humorous event has remained with me thru the years. We were shredding corn, which is a process where the corn stalks are fed into a machine, the ear of corn is shucked, and the fodder chopped in small pieces and blown to the hayloft for cow feed.
Several neighbors were helping us. Dad took me to town to buy me a pair of shoes, called Bump Toe shoes which were the prevailing fashion for adult wear. I set my heart on buying Bump Toe
shoes even though they were all too large for me.
I persuaded my Dad to buy the over sized shoes, and wore them home because I thought it would be nice to give our neighbors who where shredding corn, a fashion show. My legs were small and skinny, and my heavy ribbed black stockings which met my knickers at the knees, increased the effect of skinniness. The over sized shoes, increased by the big bump tipped toes, made me look like Mickey Mouse.
I walked by Dillon McCracken, the community dude, who I most wanted to impress. I expected to receive a flattering compliment from Dillon on my Bump Toe shoes.
Instead, he doubled up with uncontrollable laughter, and when he could get his breath again,
remarked, "You look like you have traded legs with the stork, and was cheated out of your rear."
I got the point of his joke, but I still loved my big Bump Toe Shoes.
I attended the little old one room Hanfield School. I liked school, and always made good grades. I developed an ability to concentrate because we had to study while other classes recited. My ability to concentrate was a talent I used to advantage through all of my educational experiences and on into the practice of medicine.
In school we regularly terminated the week by having spelling and ciphering matches on Friday afternoon. Our competitive inclinations were developed and whetted in the school room instead of on the playing field or in the gymnasium.
Once or twice during the winter we traveled to a neighboring school in horse drawn sleds where we engaged our rival school in spelling and ciphering matches. The contests were spirited, exciting, and the trip was especially nice because it afforded an opportunity to snuggle close to your favorite girl in the sled.
The last day of school was the biggest event in our social calendar. Parents came to school with well filled baskets and tables were fashioned out of boards laid across desks on which a veritable banquet was spread.
The pupils presented a program of theatrics, readings, and singing which always received the enthusiastic plaudits of our visitors. I was always anxious for school to end and equally anxious for it to start in the fall. While our present day educational system is far superior to the one room concept, there is some good that can be said about the schools of yesteryear.
Stress was laid on the fundamentals of reading, writing, spelling and arithmetic, which are
still the bedrock of an education.
Another social was sometimes held, the so called box social. The girls would bring fancy boxes decorated with crepe paper and filled with fancy sandwiches, cookies and other delicious tid-bits. The boxes were auctioned off to the highest bidder. The purchaser then was entitled to enjoy eating the contents, along with the seller. I am sure many a romance budded from a box social contact.
To be continued
Another important event in our calendar year was threshing day. Several neighbors pooled their teams, and personnel to form a thrashing ring. When threshing time came they contracted with a threshing machine operator to do threshing for the entire ring. It required several teams of horses and considerable manpower to keep the threshing machine in operation.
The most important item of the day was the dinner. Each housewife tried to outdo the others in quality and quantity. Usually after the threshing was completed, an oyster supper or ice cream social was planned to celebrate the end of the harvest.
Another humorous event has remained with me thru the years. We were shredding corn, which is a process where the corn stalks are fed into a machine, the ear of corn is shucked, and the fodder chopped in small pieces and blown to the hayloft for cow feed.
Several neighbors were helping us. Dad took me to town to buy me a pair of shoes, called Bump Toe shoes which were the prevailing fashion for adult wear. I set my heart on buying Bump Toe
shoes even though they were all too large for me.
I persuaded my Dad to buy the over sized shoes, and wore them home because I thought it would be nice to give our neighbors who where shredding corn, a fashion show. My legs were small and skinny, and my heavy ribbed black stockings which met my knickers at the knees, increased the effect of skinniness. The over sized shoes, increased by the big bump tipped toes, made me look like Mickey Mouse.
I walked by Dillon McCracken, the community dude, who I most wanted to impress. I expected to receive a flattering compliment from Dillon on my Bump Toe shoes.
Instead, he doubled up with uncontrollable laughter, and when he could get his breath again,
remarked, "You look like you have traded legs with the stork, and was cheated out of your rear."
I got the point of his joke, but I still loved my big Bump Toe Shoes.
I attended the little old one room Hanfield School. I liked school, and always made good grades. I developed an ability to concentrate because we had to study while other classes recited. My ability to concentrate was a talent I used to advantage through all of my educational experiences and on into the practice of medicine.
In school we regularly terminated the week by having spelling and ciphering matches on Friday afternoon. Our competitive inclinations were developed and whetted in the school room instead of on the playing field or in the gymnasium.
Once or twice during the winter we traveled to a neighboring school in horse drawn sleds where we engaged our rival school in spelling and ciphering matches. The contests were spirited, exciting, and the trip was especially nice because it afforded an opportunity to snuggle close to your favorite girl in the sled.
The last day of school was the biggest event in our social calendar. Parents came to school with well filled baskets and tables were fashioned out of boards laid across desks on which a veritable banquet was spread.
The pupils presented a program of theatrics, readings, and singing which always received the enthusiastic plaudits of our visitors. I was always anxious for school to end and equally anxious for it to start in the fall. While our present day educational system is far superior to the one room concept, there is some good that can be said about the schools of yesteryear.
Stress was laid on the fundamentals of reading, writing, spelling and arithmetic, which are
still the bedrock of an education.
Another social was sometimes held, the so called box social. The girls would bring fancy boxes decorated with crepe paper and filled with fancy sandwiches, cookies and other delicious tid-bits. The boxes were auctioned off to the highest bidder. The purchaser then was entitled to enjoy eating the contents, along with the seller. I am sure many a romance budded from a box social contact.
To be continued
