School Days When They Walked Uphill in the Snow Both Ways!

Ah Ha!  We are in the dog days of summer and the school year is rapidly approaching.  Today, that means the frantic scramble for clothes, lists of school supplies, meet the teachers, finding classrooms, athletic practices and...

While standing in line at a local retail store, visiting with one of the stressed mothers, it occurred to me how much simpler things were, not that long ago.  My father attended rural schools up through the 40s in Kansas, for instance.

The start of the school year in those country schools meant a new pair of shoes for the oldest if the younger could wear the hand-me-downs of the older, perhaps a newly sewn dress or britches, perhaps a new ribbon for the girl's hair or a hat for the boy, paper and pencils.  Children might bring homemade bread with butter and jelly, cheese, boiled eggs, dried meat/sausage, fruit and cookies in galvanized tin pails like this one.

Younger children frequently learned not only from the teacher, but from older students which was a blessing with potentially many students for a young teacher.  Teachers in rural schools frequently were young, barely older than their students, fresh from their exams and rooming with one of the local families.  They were the first one to the school to build the fire or open the windows, bring in water, and possibly shovel off the entry.  They were the last to leave, cleaning the school house, banking the fire and closing up for the day, unless there was a school board meeting or community function.  Then they went home to review papers and the children went home for chores and studying frequently with only the aid of lanterns.  For the teachers' efforts, they might earn between $25 and $30 per month (estimated in 1896).

We are blessed in the area that I live that there is an active organization that works diligently to preserve the old country school houses and demonstrate what life was like for our ancestors.  For example:

Cherry Mountain School
First established in 1883, this limestone structure built in 1926.  Consolidated in 1949.

Pecan Creek School
Built in 1916.
Consolidated in 1955

Cherry Springs School
Built in 1885.
Consolidated in 1962

Crabapple School
Original Structure built in 1878.  This school built in 1882.
Also used as local post office.

Willow City School.
Established prior to 1876.  This building erected in 1905.
Consolidated in 1961.

And of course the very important feature of a barn where the horses were kept during the school day. Children would either walk to school or several would share a horse or a parent would bring them to school by buggy/wagon/sleigh.

Barn at Cherry Mountain School.

School houses too were frequently meeting halls, hosted dances, community programs, churches and other social events.  These schools were the backbone of every community.  The land for the schools was donated by the settlers.  According to the Friends of the Country Schools group, two families were vying for the honor of donating the land needed for the Crabapple School.  The fathers ran a footrace to decide; the winner got the privilege of the donation.

My goodness how different things are now!  Of course, one thing never changes and that is the innocence of childhood.  The daughter of the before-mentioned stressed mother told me how excited she was to start kindergarten.  She had new shoes and a new dress.  She had seen the campus and was really excited about music class.  And, she added, her school had a cemetery, you know where you eat lunch!  We all chuckled and asked if she meant cafeteria!  Darn, big C words!

Do you have a story to share about life with the country schools?  We'd love to hear from you.  Please comment with any stories, comments or questions!

Have a blessed day!

A Snapshot of a Store to Come, or Holy Cow, There's A Lot to Set Up!

We met some of the coolest folks, saw some great vintage tractors, and heard some neat old hit and miss engines when we set up our Positively Prairie tent out at this year's Antique Tractor and Small Engine Show. Oh yes, we also sold lots of treasures!

The weather was beautiful, with only one early morning shower, the temperature not too bad for mid June in central Texas and the atmosphere was charged with lots of good folks celebrating the history of America.

So many goodies!

Burlap and Calico Sign.  Yes, these are pegboards from school - lucky for me hubby works for our school district!

Hubby looks thrilled!

Prim Dolls and two great window screens from my in-laws make a great display

Mom's chilling!

Great restored Farmall tractor!

Creative use of a garden tiller and a small trailer!

I have to share the story one lady told us that was too cute.  This was a lady in her retirement years and somehow we got on the topic of how important it is to keep a sense of humor in a lasting relationship.  She told us that she was a city girl that had caught the eye of a farm boy in school.  So there they were, out on their first date.  She was quite nervous and really didn't know the boy that well.  They were out in the country, driving to another town for a dance, bouncing along in his old beat-up farm truck with manual everything, dents, etc.  I am picturing something from the 40s that had given it's all to hauling lots of stuff needed on the farm.  Anyway, he stops the truck on this rural road and tells her he needs to go wee.  Naturally, she was embarrassed and wondering where she should be looking to avoid this private moment.  Not to fear!  He jumped out of the truck and ran around it yelling WEE,  WEE, WEE, then he got back in and proceeded to drive on.  Apparently he was checking to see if she had a sense of humor; they've been together over 50 years, so it worked out alright!

I love stories like these that are so funny and innocent.

Do you have a great courtship story to share?  I'd love to hear from you!

Have a blessed day!

Kimberly

Oh It's So Cute...aka Maybe I Shouldn't Have Sold It!

I am in business to find great vintage treasures and put them in the hands of people who will appreciate them...I am in business to buy cool antiques and sell them to great people...I am in business to buy and sell, not buy and keep!

This is what I keep trying to remind myself with particular treasures.  Sadly, I am experiencing seller's remorse on two particular vintage finds that I sold last weekend from our booth out at the Antique Tractor and Small Engine Sale.  More of that to come.

The first regret is a great colored covered cake pan that I found at a local estate auction.  I didn't know the lady but I know some of her kin and I could picture her fixing a pretty cake for the family and covering the leftovers using this cover.  

Aren't the colors great?  The flowers and plaid detailing cheerful? Honestly, I've never used one (I am layer cake challenged, so just make cakes in 9x13 pans), and I am told they really weren't great at food preservation, but it this one sure has preserved it's charm! This dates from the 40s or 50s.  

The next item, I really hadn't ever noticed before searching for one for a friend last fall.  She wanted a plastic tea pitcher in red and white, which we were successful in finding.  About six months later, I was helping clean out my great grandmother's home and found one in gray and pink.  But my favorite find was a yellow and white one that I discovered at a garage sale.

These were made by the Burroughs Manufacturing Company of California in 1948 out of a material called Burrite.  The company also produced canisters and other storage containers.

I've recently gotten on a kick about wanting to restore a vintage Airstream trailer in 50s yellow and red and realize these would have been great pieces for it!  Maybe it's the summer heat, but I think it would be a lot of fun to go glamping!  A girl can dream!

Meanwhile, I am motivated to replace these treasures and continue to search for other awesome vintage goodies!

Do you have a story to share about seller's remorse?  I'd love to commiserate with you!  Or do you have any other questions or comments?

Have a blessed day!

Kimberly

I Am Having a Fling With Homer...Laughlin China

Hello, my name is Kimberly and I have been having a long standing affair with Homer Laughlin China and other floral dinnerware.

Well, no, I am not quite ready for an intervention, but these are a few of the items that started my love of antiques.  It started when my mother shared one of the platters that was a gift to my great grandparents when they married in 1901.  From then on I loved the simplicity and beauty of these florals that were frequently used between 1900 and 1950.

When I started digging I found that several of the pieces that I collected were manufactured by the Homer Laughlin China Company which actually best known for its line that started in 1936 - Fiesta Ware.  The company actually started in 1871 by brothers Homer and Shakespeare Laughlin in East Liverpool, Ohio.  Their goal was to manufacture high quality pottery that was made in America.  By the turn of the century, they had grown so much that they were able to build a series of plants in Newell Farm, West Virginia where they still are today.  During the Depression years, they expanded into restaurant ware.

You may be wondering if there is a way to determine how old your Homer Laughlin China is?  From my research, the company had a system that was applicable to all of their lines, including the most popular original Fiesta Ware.

First look at their trademark stamped on the bottom of their pieces.  Anything prior to 1890 had a horseshoe mark.  During the following decade, they used an eagle carrying a lion.  A variety of trademarks were used after 1900 with the one above being the most common.

As seem in the pictures above, Homer Laughlin also used a series of letters and numbers showing the date and plant number to show where and when the piece was made.  This is a basic summary:

                                  Manufacturing Dates                Series of Letters and Numbers

                                        1900 - 1910                                2 Numbers + 1 Letter

                                        1910 - 1920                                3 Numbers

                                        1921 - 1930                                1 Letter + 2 Numbers

                                        After 1931                                  1 Letter + 2 Numbers + 1 Letter

After 1921, they used the first letter to indicate which month the piece was manufactured in, with the first 12 letters of the alphabet corresponding to a month.  For example A = January, K = November.

So with the platter, it is stamped with 27L, meaning that it was made between 1900 - 1910.  The second number is the year, so 1907 and the letter references the plant.

The bowl is stamped H43N8 which has an extra number which my sources did not indicate, but if we go with Homer Laughlin's policy, it indicates that this piece was manufactured in August of 1943.  These are general guidelines.

Below are a few more of the pieces I have collected.  Yes, I also love yellow ware, but that is a topic for another day!

The bowl on the far right of this picture particularly intrigues me.  It is made from the same pottery manufacturing process which is supposed to seal the piece with a glaze thus giving it the ability to hold liquids and be oven safe.  However this one is distinctly darker and the crackling of the glaze is very obvious.  The cause is generally from a variety of temperature changes; these dishes were not made like modern pyrex which can go from refrigerator to oven.  Where an item is stored, like a garage or attic over the years, can also impact the color and glazing.  The general consensus, though, is the old manufacturing process included lead so we should be very cautious about using pieces that have crackling like this because not only could it leach lead but also harbor bacteria.  These are not pieces I use, though.  I just love their look!

If you have any questions, comments or would love to share some pictures of your collections,  I'd love to hear back from you!

Have a blessed day!
Kimberly

Great-Grandma Emily's Table

I feel so very blessed to have been able to save my great-grandmother's kitchen table!  Yes, I use it as my office desk now, and it makes me proud.  It is heavy, solid, dinged up and scarred, but I love it.

My great-grandmother Emily was born in 1886 and was married to a man 16 years her senior in 1903.  I have a romantic notion that she was in love with someone closer to her age that her parents did not approve of, so they matched her with great-grandfather William.

Together, they farmed 100 acres given to them by her parents and raised four boys, one girl and later a grandson and granddaughter.  One of the boys was my grandfather.

Even though this table was small (though originally it did have one more leaf), it stood the test of time through all of the family meals, celebrations, canning and butchering sessions, and the somber times (like William's early death in 1933).

My mother fondly recalls all of the Sunday dinners great-grandmother and our aunt prepared.  Since everyone couldn't fit at the table, the men ate first, then the ladies, then the children.  Mama said that was okay, because her sister and cousins could always find plenty of fun out at the farm!

And the food this table held.  Most everything was made from scratch using ingredients raised there.  The fresh fried chicken, homemade noodles, fresh green beans, sauerkraut, dewberry pie...yum!

This, to me, is why I love antiques.  Every piece has a story, a memory, a unique purpose, a representation of a feeling.  

Please share what your favorite antique is and why.  We look forward in hearing from you!

Grandma Betty - An Example of the Values of Positively Prairie

Isn't she just the most adorable lady?!  I really admire her great-grandson for recognizing the value of learning from our older generation and showing so much love and respect for his Grandma Betty - a real role model for a younger generation.

I chose to start out my blogging career with this video because it touches me deeply.  She personifies qualities I admire and try to emulate.  These are the values I hope to share with you.

When creating my business and website, I knew I wanted to find and create things that convey a sense of whimsy; the first antique I thought of was the Felix the Cat Clock - you know with the swinging tail and eyes that move back and forth?  I also wanted to share other things that were inspirational and reminded folks of the core values that made America great - faith, family, hard work, a strong community, respect.  Thus is our logo, "Primitive finds that warm the heart and tickle the soul."

Grandma Betty certainly warms the heart and tickles the soul!  She is spunky, loving, adventuresome (just think, at 80 years old she's learned Instagram and bonded in a new way with Zachary), lives by the Golden Rule, and doesn't spend energy on what she can't control.

Being over 25 does technically qualify her as antique, you might say.  Just think of everything she has seen:  smaller, faster cars, the interstate system, space flight, rapid transit, all of the kitchen toys we take for granted, televisions, computers, wars, assassinations, great leaders, globalization...the list is quite lengthy.

All of these components of our history fascinate me.  I hope to share with you interesting tidbits about the items that were products of that history.  I also plan to share things that amuse and inspire.

Meanwhile, say a little prayer for Grandma Betty and her great-grandson.  Remember her Happy Dance when you're having a rough day!

Talk to you soon and have a blessed day!