Sharing Our History, for Homestead Sunday #5

Welcome to Homestead Sunday, where we share what we have learned, what we do on a regular basis, and what projects we are building, rebuilding or working on. Who are we? We are a three generation family living on six acres in South Eastern Texas. 

And while we have only been in Texas a short time, we have had the homestead mentality and lifestyle for quite a few years. Starting out with our time living in Montana. And, although we are not experts in any way, I hope that what we share with you with this series is helpful, as well as inspirational for you and your own homestead journey. Or even with your own home and yard in the suburbs. Because to homestead is an much an action as it is a lifestyle.

Smalling down, sorting out, and gifting to others...

When we arrived here in East Texas, each family had come from a larger home in Wyoming. Each truck and/or trailer of household goods was filled with enough "stuff" to insure complete comfort for everyday living and all family needs. Among those carefully packed boxes was also a few collected household items, that had come along for each move, year after year. For me that has always been kitchenware! Spoons, scrapers, pots, pans, dishes, glassware. I think you get the idea...

Then our housing quest made a radical 180 degrees turn and we settled into a comfortable, yet spacious for the two of us, 5thwheel RV trailer. I call it our Caravan, even though we will never hitch it up to a truck and take it anywhere!! Unpacking all of the household goods we brought with us took some time, on a couple of different levels. First having a smaller space to move everything into, and the needing to decide about what stayed, and all that needed to go. 

Even new to town, we were popular at the charity shop, drop off!

Extra bedding, glassware, dishes, baking pans, and a few décor' pieces that I had enjoyed for literally, decades. It all had to go, once I had taken the time to outfit our Caravan with everything we needed. And I have to admit, it was a bit of a relief to find just how little we actually needed in this new smaller home. The hardest possession for us to part with? Books. We have been book collectors for years and years. My inventory of cookbooks before we began traveling as NPS volunteers (the first small down to take place) was numbered at over 6000. (yes, you did read that right...) and my husband had at least 2000 novels. 

To ease the space restrictions of living in our little Caravan, we do store some books in a storage building on our property. But they will need to be read and offered up for others to enjoy. They won't be staying on...We have also considered putting up our own little free library box at the driveway. The books we love the most are in the Caravan where it is more climate friendly. Here in East Texas, our usual humid weather, is hard on books.  

The handle was a shiny gold color when new, now worn to a silver hue from use. 

Still, a year later, I go in reach of certain kitchenware items...

Even though my kitchen in the Caravan is well stocked, I still reach for many of the items no longer stored there. Plus I have no room for anything more! I know that for a fact because I have tried a few different organization ideas for more room. but they did not pan out, no pun intended! Much of what I purged has gone on to other families. Families that had a need for that pan or spoon or even that serving dish. But there were also various pieces that held too much family history to be given away. Pieces that I have had in my kitchen and used for more than five decades. 

Truth is, they are nothing out of the ordinary. Except for the fact that they held the most history and such good memories. Which meant, they were gifted to my daughter's kitchen. The bonus with this decision is that they are in her kitchen, and I can use them each time we cook together. She asked me the other day to remind her of their history. And then she commented that maybe I could write about them...so I did. 

Even with the solid spoon gone, this set continues to cook up a storm in any kitchen.

 

A whisk in my first Christmas Stocking.

When I was growing up my family of origin, did not have stockings at Christmas. I always thought it would have been great fun, but it simply never came about. When I got engaged, and then married, I married into a family that did have Christmas stockings! And I will always remember that first Christmas stocking that my husband filled for me. While the stocking itself was not filled to overflowing, it did have a kitchen whisk that he had purchased at a local kitchen shop. And from that Christmas on, I used that whisk for each pan of gravy, and pot of pudding ever cooked. Along with what ever I was cooking that called for a whisk. Until I gave it to my daughter, for her to use when she makes gravy or pudding. Looking back, I have to admit I was fairly inept at filling a Christmas stocking those first few years, but I caught on quickly!

But that whisk is not my oldest kitchen utensil!

I was engaged to be married at a young age. At the same time I held a full time job to help pay for college classes for my husband to be. One day after work, there was a knock on the door. It was a door to door salesman, he was selling Cutco products. And while I would have loved to have purchased a whole new set of pots and pan, the only item I had enough money to buy, was a five piece set of cooking utensils. Now these are not just any old cooking utensils. 

No they have handles made from the same material as a bowling ball. The stainless steel is thick, and it is riveted, not spot welded. The salesman was talking long and hard at the quality and I knew why. The price was quite high in 1971 for five cooking utensils, at $17.00 plus shipping. While that does not sound like much money, that is equivalent to $132.48 in today's money. And trust me, I would never pay over $100 today, for kitchen utensils....

But that set has been used for 53 years, and they are still going strong! The only problem is that one of the spoons (the solid spoon) got lost along the way in one of the 35+ housing moves I have made in my lifetime! Note I said lost, not broken! I doubt this set will ever break. But just like the whisk they show no signs of wearing out, and will be around for another 50 years of meals being cooked for family and friends, to nourish the people sitting around the table. Happy cooking my friends, because when you take a look back, you will see that you too made history, just by cooking for your family.  

Thank you for stopping by Homestead Sunday #5!

You may also enjoy: 

How to Retire an American Flag, for Homestead Sunday #4.

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