Milford chronicle., 1954-12-24
Those OId-Fashioned Winters

fitch in the pantry mixed buckwheat batter cooked
breakfast. By the light from kerosene lamp. At
terward she washed the dishes in a dishpan with
soap she had made from grease and ashes back in
October Then she had to clean and polish the lamp
globes trim the wicks, fill the lamps with kero-
sene, clean and fill the lanterns, and start dinner
Her feet were cold. The windows were steamed and
frosted BY keeping roaring fire in the cook stove
and the chunk stove in the other room she could
on mostdays, raise the house temperature to point
where she couldn't quite see her own breath
Grandfather had his fun, Of course He could go
to the pond river andAcut ice and haul it to the
ice house and pack it in sawdust or straw joyful
occupation full Of shouts and laughter-for about
fifteen minutes. Till his hands were half frozen till
somebody fell in, till one Of the horses slipped on
the ice. or he could shovel snow. Or roll the snow
on the road to the highway he could get out the
bobsled or cutter and go to town for salt and sugar
and coffee. Or haul hay. Or hitch the horse to the
grinder and grind more feed for the cattle. Or
butcher q hog Or, a few times each season. go
hunting. And between times he could watch the
thermometer. Grandmother, Of course could knit,
or piece quilt, churn butter, or braid rags for
new rug But shortly after dinner she had to start
supper and put the bricks to heat to warm the beds
that night Grandmother hadn't much time to nope
or think she was underprivileged
Nowadays, out where -grandfather's remembrance
is rooted, winters aren't the same The countryside
is laced with electric power lines There is gaso-
line tank with its own pump on the farm, and fuel
oil tank beside the house The water pump runs by
electricity The watering trough has its own heating
unit and no ice The ice house is a relic There's a
mechanical refrigerator in the Kitchen and a deep
freeze full Of vegetables and vitamins. There's a
furnace and a sink and a water heater and bath
room There are lights obedient to thumb switch
in the barn well the house There's an electric
milker mechanical feed eonveyor a mechanical
barn cleaner. There's tractor with a snowplow tc
clear the barnyard, and a truck and car which
can, and usually do go to town every day. The cal
has its own heater and radio There's radio in tn,
barn we'll as one in the house. often televisior
in the living room. There may be an electric blanke
on the bed
Grandfather's memories are largely accurate
He recites them with fondness that amounts t,
nostalgia. He lived those days and he knows tina
winter should have its hardships Where are thos
hardships today? Gone with the winters Of the past
They call it hardship today when the snowplow il
two hours late or electric line comes down.
Grandfather is right Of course; but he ignore
thing or two Winter never did consist entirely o
weather Whether temperatures have eased or not
or snowfall diminished, winter has changed Fo
winter always has and always viii be compounded o
many matters and most Of those matters have beef
revised since grandfather looked at that thermom
eter and whistled admiringly at his own hardihood