The Simple Life (standard:non fiction, 1306 words)
Author: dcastle	Added: Dec 28 2004	Views/Reads: 3628/2250	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
This story is about the summers I spent in the 50s with my grandparents and how simple life was back then in the country.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

A large round wooden bathtub was kept on the enclosed back porch. The 
same water was used by everyone. The men bathed first, followed by the 
women and then the children. Because of the difficulty of getting the 
water and warming it, the bathes only took place twice a week which was 
fine with the kids but I'm sure the adults hated it. 

Like most of the women in the area, Grandma made her own quilts. My two
sisters and I shared a king size bed and Grandma would cover us with so 
many of her heavy quilts that all three of us had to work in unison to 
lift them off of us in the morning. Light was provided by kerosene 
lamps which were on the walls through out the house. Over 40 years 
later I can still remember what they smelled like and how the light 
they produced danced along the ceilings when we were lying in bed. The 
wonderful smell of bacon, sausage, eggs and potatoes being prepared 
greeted us each morning as we made our way downstairs. Throw in the 
smell of oak and walnut wood being burned in the stove and it was 
almost more than a person could stand. 

In the country, breakfast is the biggest meal of the day and a time to
discuss what work would be done that day. Grandma always said the 
lightest meal of the day should be dinner and the biggest should be 
breakfast. She said it wasn't healthy to eat a big meal right before 
going to bed and I must say that I agree. 

My grandpa and uncle owned about 50 acres of farm land next to the
river. They pumped water from the river into these 50 acres every Fall 
until it reached a depth of two feet. This was done to attract ducks so 
they could lease it out to duck hunters from Kansas City. As the pumps 
flooded the field it also pulled Crappie and small catfish through from 
the river. In the spring we would line up a dozen or so cane poles 
along the bank of the now shallow lake and use minnows for bait. It 
wasn't long before we would fill a stringer with 40 or 50 fat Crappie. 
We would leave the fish on a stringer and set out for the woods in 
search of morel mushrooms. With a little luck, we would fill a sack 
with the tasty mushrooms in a couple of hours and head back to the 
house with them and the crappie. I don't think there are too many 
people that would disagree with me when I say that a feast of morels 
and crappie has got to be the closest thing to heaven! It simple life, 
but a very happy one. 


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