Things From Yesterday
Things From Yesterday
Sometimes I look at the things people used in the past and am amazed at what we expect of our “stuff” today. These are three totally manual, non-electronic things, and yet they worked okay.
The icebox was made of solid oak with thick doors that closed tightly, very well engineered to do the job of keeping food cold, a huge innovation for the time and probably saving lives by keeping food from spoiling and saving time by enabling people to stock up a little bit and keeping foods fresh or frozen.
And those toys—a scooter that has to be pushed! And whatever that other thing is supposed to be…actually, it’s not supposed to do anything, just supposed to be visually entertaining for a young child who can experiment directly with seeing the results of their actions: push, things turn around, machine moves forward, it plays a little tune or just makes plinky noises.
I’m glad I live with many of today’s conveniences and even electronic gadgets and such; even though I don’t use most of them, it’s nice to know they are there. It wasn’t so long ago, my childhood, in fact, that toys like this were modern and innovative, and my parents’ childhoods when iceboxes were new. Amazing.
Teddy Bear’s Tea
Teddy Bear's Tea
Two Victorian teddy bears made from retired quilts repose and converse on the Victorian settee leaning against pillows made from antique draperies at Carnegie Antiques.
I’m not big on teddy bears, but these ingeniously made from patterned, worn quilts have less cuteness and more art. Note the shape of the teddy bear’s nose, more pointed than fleshy and round—this is the Victorian pattern for a teddy bear, the “original” teddy bear, named for Teddy Roosevelt. I just learned that today from the proprietor, Judi Stadler, and a few other people who were discussing the bears.
Today 