Life in the 1500s


The next time you are washing your hands and complain
because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how
things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500s:

Most people got married in June because they took their
yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were
starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor.
Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The
man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other
sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies.
By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the
saying, Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water..
Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no
wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the
cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof When it rained it
became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof.
Hence the saying .. It's raining cats and dogs.

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the
house.. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings
could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung
over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into
existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other
than dirt. Hence the saying, Dirt poor. The wealthy had slate floors that would
get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to
help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until,
when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood
was placed in the entrance way. Hence the saying a thresh hold.

(Getting quite an education, aren't you?)

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big
kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added
things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They
would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold
overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that
had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme, Peas porridge hot, peas
porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old..

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel
quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show
off.. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, bring home the bacon. They would
cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the
fat..

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high
acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead
poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400
years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the
burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or
the upper crust.

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The
combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days.
Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for
burial.. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the
family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would
wake up. Hence the custom of holding a wake.

England is old and small and the local folks started
running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would
take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these
coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and
they realised they had been burying people alive . So they would tie a string on
the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground
and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night
(the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be, saved by
the bell or was considered a ...dead ringer..

And that's the truth...Now, whoever said History was
boring ! ! !

2 weeks ago today, my father died. Of course it has been the most devastating last two weeks of my life. However I am not trying to make this a sad post, I am introducing you to a cat named "Shady" for Camera Critters.

Shady is owned by my dear friends Charlie and Cindy. It was with them that we stayed when we travelled down (my husband and I) to southern Ca. to my Daddy's funeral.
Always being more of a dog person myself, I can not express how much enjoyment this dear little cat gave me while we were down there.
Personality should have been his name and he never failed to make me smile when I thought I perhaps would never smile again.
If I did not have 2 dogs and 2 birds I would consider becoming a cat owner after meeting "Shady"



Shady loves to look out of the window of his second story apartment.





And give "Shady" a box and he has a place to sleep along with a place to have a really good time!







"Shady" fast became one of my greatest friends, just like his human owners are my best friends!!!

For more Camera Critters click below!

On the night before Friday, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring not even a mouse. 

The flag was brought in and the lights were turned off in hopes that myself may get a good night of slumber.

When out on the utility porch I heard such a clatter. I JUMPED out of my bed to see what was the matter. I grabbed my camera, and put it on flash when I turned the corner to see"Buick" eating some stash!

Seriously tho' he was making such noise I really expected to see a racoon or something BIG. That is why I grabbed my camera. Little did I know I would find my own dog having a midnight snack!

Skywatch Friday