Friday, March 31, 2017

Double sockets, Remote light switches and black pots





Awhile back Pauline of ‘Tales of the country roads’, wash & ironing days. We older folk do that, bring up subjects from the past. When I read that I thought of mama ironing on a wooden ironing board with her Iron’s electric cord swinging above at the light socket. There was  a double socket. Screwed in between the light and the actual light socket.

The Iron was plugged into a double socket screwed into the light socket and the bulb screwed into the double socket.


A string was tied to that little chain and run to the head board of the bed and allowed the light to be turned off from the bed. The first remote control light switch. LOL
 
Looking back I remember seeing several cords from double sockets, there were no wall sockets. They were dangerous. But folks did try to be careful. IF the fuse blew too many times a penny was put behind the fuse, actually bypassing the blown fuse.

Growing up there were cast iron pots and pans. The largest one was the Wash Pot that sat out back for the first 6 years of my life. When we moved to the city of Burlington, NC I do not remember it being out back. But boy do I remember the cast iron pots and pans in the kitchen. I would be willing to bet my mama had the same Black pots until she died.


Now she did go modern on some, and bought some ‘Miracle Maid’, waterless cook wear. I would be willing to bet also that with mama it was never ‘waterless’. When something is working don’t fix it. My mama’s cooking was the BEST, I think she knew it, at least for her family. She was never one to brag.

I have told it before but it is worth repeating, My buddy Sonny once bought a sand blaster. He was so proud of it. He sand blasted his greasy and rusty tools, cleaned everything. AND THEN he took all Colette’s black pots outside. You know, the ones with all that black stuff caked on them from 40 years of married cooking! He was so proud, they looked like new when he presented them to his wife. It was a wonder she didn’t crowned him with the frying pan. Nuff said to those who KNOW!

Nite Shipslog   

And then there  was the '64 Pontiac GTO1

6 comments:

Paula said...

Like this post Jack. I still have the three iron skillets I received as a wedding gift. Mine need all that gunk burned off. Someone suggested I get John to use the pear burner that he burns the stickers off cactus for the cows to eat. Guess it would work then I would have to re-season them but that would not be a problem. I love all the old stories. I've thought of writing about all my memories. Such as when we first got electricity. Exposing my age here, huh?

betty said...

Hubby has a few cast iron pots (one is so heavy it is hard to lift). I don't touch them, LOL. He cooks with them and cleans them up afterwards. He has his special way to do so and I'm not going to "mess" up his routine :)

betty

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

We used cast iron skillets and pots a lot when I used to camp and when I quit I gave them away. I regretted the fact though as nothing makes good cornbread half as well as baking it in an iron skillet. So one of my sons gave me a cast iron skillet for Christmas the next year and I use it faithfully. You can fry in it, cook stew in it and bake in it. I'll never give this one away!

Dar said...

For years, we used one of those light sockets for our outdoor lights by the door...it was screwed into the existing outdoor light, protected by the eaves. It had one of those pull chains to turn off the outdoor light so just the Christmas lights on the timer came on. Glad we don't do that anymore.
As for the cast iron pans, I have a bunch of them, several sizes and uses from the dutch oven to the griddles. I use them faithfully at home and at the cabin. They are the most wonderful to cook, bake and grill with and clean up so easily when rubbed with salad oil lightly after each cleaning. Oh, and Never use soap on them...except the very first time if you purchase one of these new ones...........You wouldn't believe how many I have gotten cheap at garage sales. No matter the shape they're in, I get them if they're the oldies but goodies.
Have a wonderful weekend. The sap should run like crazy today and all next week..., that is, if we last that long. We're getting so tired and the road has broken up so badly with the frost out. We've had to make a couple detours.

Mevely317 said...

That 'first ever' remote control cracks me up!

... as does Sonny's sand-blasting. :) I'll never forget my former mother-in-law gifting me with a cast-iron skillet, then proceeding to tell me she had to 'season' it. I had no idea what she was talking about, and to tell you the truth, I still don't. 'Don't know whatever happened to that old thing; I probably threw it away ... SMDH. Don't seem right not to be able to soak one's cookware in hot, sudsy water.

TARYTERRE said...

We had those sockets and you're right they were dangerous, indeed.