LOOKS LIKE this guy was taking a bath in the days before the use of electricity became widespread. Electricity came to our town in 1947 – and, even then, it took everyone a while to get their houses wired for electricity. And, of course, electricity was available ONLY in town – it was not until several years later that outlying farms had access to electricity. We would go out in the pasture every morning to gather up dry cow pies in a burlap bag, then bring them home in stash them in a large empty oil drum, which we kept beside the front door – so the cow pies could “cure.” We used the cow pies for fuel in the KITCHEN stove. After supper on bath night, Mom would use the indoor clothes line to hang sheets around the kitchen and put kettles of water on the stove to get warm. We stood in the laundry wash tub and she poured water over us after we had been soaped up. After we kids had finished our baths, we got dressed in our warm PJs and headed upstairs, with a brick (which had been warming on the back of the cook stove) wrapped in a towel, to keep our feet warm in bed. Then the adults would take turns dousing each other with warm water from the kettles on the stove, until they were all clean. When I see Western movies with people having baths in regular bath tube UPSTAIRS – I always wonder who had to run up all those steps with buckets of warm water and whether or not any of the water was still warm by the time they got their buckets upstairs. When each bath was finished, we tossed the used water out onto the herb garden, which was usually growing beside the kitchen door. Looks like Jeff disturbed this guy while he was getting his washtub bath, and he decided to toss the water out on Jeff rather than onto the herb garden . The artwork looks like around the mid 50s, but I know people who lived on farms outside of our town who didn’t have electricity – and running water – until well into the 60s.
Wow. I grew up on a small farm in Bonnyrigg NSW Australia in the mid 50’s.We had electricity and running COLD water until my dad installed a simplex water heater and plumbed in a separate hot water line to the kitchen and laundry. The bath tub was still filled from a wood fired chip heater though. Reminds me of great old times.
BasilBruce about 1 year ago
I can’t tell what the strangest part of this strip is.
LoisG Premium Member about 1 year ago
LOOKS LIKE this guy was taking a bath in the days before the use of electricity became widespread. Electricity came to our town in 1947 – and, even then, it took everyone a while to get their houses wired for electricity. And, of course, electricity was available ONLY in town – it was not until several years later that outlying farms had access to electricity. We would go out in the pasture every morning to gather up dry cow pies in a burlap bag, then bring them home in stash them in a large empty oil drum, which we kept beside the front door – so the cow pies could “cure.” We used the cow pies for fuel in the KITCHEN stove. After supper on bath night, Mom would use the indoor clothes line to hang sheets around the kitchen and put kettles of water on the stove to get warm. We stood in the laundry wash tub and she poured water over us after we had been soaped up. After we kids had finished our baths, we got dressed in our warm PJs and headed upstairs, with a brick (which had been warming on the back of the cook stove) wrapped in a towel, to keep our feet warm in bed. Then the adults would take turns dousing each other with warm water from the kettles on the stove, until they were all clean. When I see Western movies with people having baths in regular bath tube UPSTAIRS – I always wonder who had to run up all those steps with buckets of warm water and whether or not any of the water was still warm by the time they got their buckets upstairs. When each bath was finished, we tossed the used water out onto the herb garden, which was usually growing beside the kitchen door. Looks like Jeff disturbed this guy while he was getting his washtub bath, and he decided to toss the water out on Jeff rather than onto the herb garden . The artwork looks like around the mid 50s, but I know people who lived on farms outside of our town who didn’t have electricity – and running water – until well into the 60s.
Birdman47 about 1 year ago
Wow. I grew up on a small farm in Bonnyrigg NSW Australia in the mid 50’s.We had electricity and running COLD water until my dad installed a simplex water heater and plumbed in a separate hot water line to the kitchen and laundry. The bath tub was still filled from a wood fired chip heater though. Reminds me of great old times.
Luke McGluke about 1 year ago
Took a few minutes to track it down, but this strip ran in the Boston Globe, October 31, 1969.
brklnbern about 1 year ago
Getting his just desserts.