Where did that ol' saying come from? The next time you are washing your hands and complaining because the water temperature isn't just the way you like it, think about how things used...

slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

The next time you are washing your hands and complaining because the water temperature isn't just the way 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 they still smelled pretty good in June. Thus, the trend of being a June bride. However, since they were starting to smell, 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, and 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 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 the 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: a 'threshold'.

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 whiskey. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road could 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 bonehouse, and reuse the grave. When re-opening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside. They realized 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. They would tie it to a bell. Then, 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'.

Puds Loc: So Centrl MN

Interesting, thank you.

LostAggie66 Loc: Corpus Christi, TX (Shire of Seawinds)

slatten49 wrote:

The next time you are washing your hands and complaining because the water temperature isn't just the way 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 they still smelled pretty good in June. Thus, the trend of being a June bride. However, since they were starting to smell, 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, and 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 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 the 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: a 'threshold'.

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 whiskey. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road could 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 bonehouse, and reuse the grave. When re-opening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside. They realized 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. They would tie it to a bell. Then, 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'.

The next time you are washing your hands and compl... (show quote)

Very interesting Thankyou for posting

son of witless

slatten49 wrote:

The next time you are washing your hands and complaining because the water temperature isn't just the way 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 they still smelled pretty good in June. Thus, the trend of being a June bride. However, since they were starting to smell, 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, and 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 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 the 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: a 'threshold'.

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 whiskey. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road could 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 bonehouse, and reuse the grave. When re-opening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside. They realized 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. They would tie it to a bell. Then, 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'.

The next time you are washing your hands and compl... (show quote)

Heating up a tub of water to bath was more expensive than average people could afford. Probably the gangs of young boys who regularly swam in the rivers were the best smelling.

Coos Bay Tom Loc: coos bay oregon

son of witless wrote:

Heating up a tub of water to bath was more expensive than average people could afford. Probably the gangs of young boys who regularly swam in the rivers were the best smelling.

As a kid I swam in crystal clear water that was around 45 degrees . That water would hurt your teeth when you drank it--It was that cold . Our tap water came up artesian - was ice cold and absolutely delicious .

Dan the man

slatten49 wrote:

The next time you are washing your hands and complaining because the water temperature isn't just the way 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 they still smelled pretty good in June. Thus, the trend of being a June bride. However, since they were starting to smell, 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, and 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 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 the 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: a 'threshold'.

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 whiskey. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road could 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 bonehouse, and reuse the grave. When re-opening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside. They realized 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. They would tie it to a bell. Then, 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'.

The next time you are washing your hands and compl... (show quote)

This was why people had such low life times. We have come
so far ahead people have forgotten. When folks say good old
times, they have lost sight of the true struggle .

F.D.R.

slatten49 wrote:

The next time you are washing your hands and complaining because the water temperature isn't just the way 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 they still smelled pretty good in June. Thus, the trend of being a June bride. However, since they were starting to smell, 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, and 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 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 the 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: a 'threshold'.

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 whiskey. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road could 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 bonehouse, and reuse the grave. When re-opening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside. They realized 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. They would tie it to a bell. Then, 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'.

The next time you are washing your hands and compl... (show quote)

Growing up in the forties in a cold water flat my sister and I got a tub bath on Saturday's. My sister always got the clean hot water which my mother heated in several pots on the kitchen stove then carried them into the bathroom and dumped them into the tub and then filled with cold water. I got into the tub after my sister and my mom would add more pots of hot water to reheat the bath. Ahh, the good ole days.

Coos Bay Tom Loc: coos bay oregon

F.D.R. wrote:

Growing up in the forties in a cold water flat my sister and I got a tub bath on Saturday's. My sister always got the clean hot water which my mother heated in several pots on the kitchen stove then carried them into the bathroom and dumped them into the tub and then filled with cold water. I got into the tub after my sister and my mom would add more pots of hot water to reheat the bath. Ahh, the good ole days.

Bet you had an ice box with an ice man making deliverys

LostAggie66 Loc: Corpus Christi, TX (Shire of Seawinds)

Coos Bay Tom wrote:

As a kid I swam in crystal clear water that was around 45 degrees . That water would hurt your teeth when you drank it--It was that cold . Our tap water came up artesian - was ice cold and absolutely delicious .

Most of my summers from age 5 to Highschool were spent in FLorida Panhandle (Crestview)where my Mom was from. Staying at Grandmas or any number of cousins in the town. There is a spring creek there known as Turkey Hen where the water is PDC(Pretty damn cold

). We would go there 2 or 3 times a week to swim. At least once that summer we would also go to the beach on Okaloosa Island. Believe me Turkey Hen was a lot colder than the gulf...

I don't know how cold that creek was but it made my teeth chatter.

Coos Bay Tom Loc: coos bay oregon

LostAggie66 wrote:

Most of my summers from age 5 to Highschool were s... (show quote)

Good memories . The waters I swam in were just south of Crater Lake--The deepest lake in America-They were also full of trout . I wish I had a nickel for every trout I caught back home In Fort Klamath.

LostAggie66 Loc: Corpus Christi, TX (Shire of Seawinds)

Coos Bay Tom wrote:

Good memories . The waters I swam in were just south of Crater Lake--The deepest lake in America-They were also full of trout . I wish I had a nickel for every trout I caught back home In Fort Klamath.

I have been to Crater Lake (when I was stationed at Fairchild AFB in Washington Spent a week on leave there). It was beautiful and breathtaking.

crazylibertarian Loc: Florida by way of New York & Rhode Island

People don't realize that indoor plumbing didn't really become so widespread until the twentieth century. They had outhouses for waste matter. Moats around fortresses and cities were for waste.

Even by the turn of the twentieth century, if you wanted to have five adult children, you'd need to have ten.