|
What's |
|
Remembering how it used to be...and realizing it wasn't actually bad! --------- > |
Things your accountant (spousal unit) will want to know
Non Gi-hugey Trailer Links
| Home |
What would the smartest person you know do?
Grandpa was fun.
Grandma was smart.
We are very fortunate in our generation to have all the modern conveniences that make domestic life easier.. and much cleaner.
Grandma didn't have it so lucky, but she seemed to do just fine. Almost everyone but the very young remember when they had to do things "The Old Fashioned Way". This wasn't a pain, it was just the way it was.
I am 47, and in 2006, I remember most of those times. I am not talking about when there wasn't home computers, laptops or DVDs. I am talking of the every day household essentials.
Stuff we used to use (and didn't complain about)
|
Yes folks, coffee comes from pots that do not have clocks in them. * As a side note, the red pot is more commonly used as a hot water heater. No electricity required. ** Instant coffee is even easier, but I have no clue why anyone would drink it. Coffee can be had in Tea Type bags. This works OK, but is often bitter. |
Percolated Coffee I personally have always had an electric drip coffee maker at home. In my younger adult days, they were kind of noisy, messy and not real efficient. I remember Mom and Grandma making it in a percolator, however. For those that may not have ever been exposed to one of these antiques, that red thing over there is a 10 cup good old fashioned percolating coffee pot. It uses no electricity. Fill it with water and fill the basket with grounds.. turn on the propane burner, 15 mins later.. Walla, hot coffee. Not necessarily Starbucks, but it got your "Iens" balanced in the morning. I prefer a slightly more robust brew, however. Since I usually travel solo, I rarely have the need for such a big pot. The fancy schmancy Italian thing to the right there is a manual espresso pot. And speaking of Grandma, it was hers. From Italy, just like her, where she lived on a farm with no electricity. These things never die. They are as simple to use as the percolator. They load the same way, but work more like a pressure cooker does. Water goes in the lower chamber, the grounds go in a center basket, and when the water boils, it pushes through the grounds and into the top chamber. Once the coffee is in the top chamber, it never filters through the grounds again. The result is a strong and un bitter brew. Takes about 10 minutes. I make up my bed and feed the dogs while this is brewing. You can pick lint out of your belly button, fold your socks or read the paper with the rest of the time. I have no other suggestions for your time use. These are more designed for making many dainty small espresso cups, but there is no rule that says you have to drink it out of one. I get two full mugs of coffee from this, and that lasts me the morning. It's far better than any drip brew I have ever tasted. I am Italian, don't argue with me on this, K? |
|
They STILL make Jiffy-Pop, and you can make it on your trailer stove! Old guys, get out your rockers and tell the kiddies how you used to put oil and kernels in the bottom of a pan to pop the corn. |
Cooking without a Microwave Most of us used to do this all the time. Soups can still be made from scratch on your stove in the right pot, or can be heated in a pan when Mr. Campbell provides it for you. Meat can be fried in a frying pan, or if that is not suitable, a big frying pan makes a reasonable oven with a lid on it. Yep, you can bake in a frying pan. I may have alluded to my Italianess earlier, in a subtle way. I make spaghetti almost nightly, the old fashioned way. Pasta is boiled and the sauce is done in a frying pan for camping. If you like pre packaged meals ("TV dinners", for the geezers) they can be removed from their packaging and heated in standard pots and pans. I also "float" the plastic trays in boiling water until they are heated properly. Make sure the package is floating though, ugly things will result otherwise. You don't need cooking lessons from me. Just do it the old fashioned way, whatever it is you are making. No power consumed! Is there extra clean up? Yes. Sorry about that. |
|
Don't look at that junk under there. A dust ruffle is in the works.
|
Bedding Grandma never camped with a heater. She rarely left the heater at home on at night either. (She was a cheap old coot) I have two 25 degree bags. I don't usually camp in those temps, but, you see where I am going. The bags are zipped together to make a double bed. I stay toasty in them, even with an open window. Rarely do I run the heater when I am in bed. The bags are often warmer than I desire. The bags were not all that spendy. I got them at Sears, and even though they are extreme cold bags, they were not intended for wet and snow use. A mountaineering bag used by, say, Sir Edmond Hillary, would probably cost a zillion bucks. Yeah Grandmas cheap rubbed off on me too. Viable alternatives are down and faux down. I even have a faux down comforter. Go figure, one of my dogs is allergic to geese. |
Other "Old Fashioned" items and methods that consume no power
- Wind up and battery powered clocks
- Hand washing dishes, drip drying too
- Brooms instead of vacuums
- Letting your hair dry... naturally
- Drinking water from the sink faucet, not the water dispenser in the fridge door
- Hand Crank Can openers
- Paper and pencil instead of PDA or comp and printer.
Just a few ideas.. you can think of more, I am sure.