Caroline McMurray Davies - Hauling Water

Water - Easy to Take for Granted

It's Saturday morning, and my firm commitment for family history sleuthing will help me press forward today as I clean my house so latter I can sit unencumbered to work on family information gathering.

I will be thankful for the modern appliances I have that help make my life easier. I just put the linens in the washing machine and turn a few dials. They will be washed (through no effort of my own)and then I can move them to the dryer and in a short time they will be dry and I can  take them upstairs and remake my California King size bed..

My mother told me that while she was growing up, her mother, my Grandmother Davies had to haul all the water she needed everyday into the house,  then she had to haul it all out. They kept a reservoir (steel or tin tub of some kind) on one side of the stove so that they always had some warm/hot water. Imagine for a day that everything you needed water for you had to walk to the well, carrying a bucket, then pump the water or pull it up from the well and carry it inside, then heat for cooking and bathing, and laundry, and for any other needs. Then once the water had been used it all had to be carried outside again.

I have no excuses about getting my laundry done today.  I won't even go into other details of my easy life- that can come later.