Julietta Posted July 2, 2003 Posted July 2, 2003 A bit geeky, but quite interesting... 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 dogs, 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 really 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 kept adding more thresh until when you opened the door it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway. Hence the saying a "thresh hold." 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 the 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 and 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 "upper crust." Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock them 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 realized they had been burying people alive. So they thought 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 that History was boring ! ! ! ! Let calm be widespread May the sea glisten like greenstone And the shimmer of summer Dance across your pathway "Communication is a two way thing"
Bubba136 Posted July 2, 2003 Posted July 2, 2003 S**t! No wonder life was so short back then with so many unhealthy practices, customs and situations. Gosh, some really grusome and painful death must have occurred. (and, all we've got to worry about is how we're viewed when out and about in high heels) Being mentally comfortable in your own mind is the key to wearing heels in public.
Laurieheels Posted July 3, 2003 Posted July 3, 2003 And it still makes me wonder why so many people have this romantic notion of the middle ages...
Julietta Posted July 6, 2003 Author Posted July 6, 2003 Absolutely Laurie couldn't agree with you more. Camping for me would be in a hotel with hot and cold running water and a nice comfy bed thanks. I'm all for progression if it means comfort Let calm be widespread May the sea glisten like greenstone And the shimmer of summer Dance across your pathway "Communication is a two way thing"
mk4625 Posted July 7, 2003 Posted July 7, 2003 And it still makes me wonder why so many people have this romantic notion of the middle ages... when instead of watching TV you did fun things like attending a drawing and quartering... Michael
Laurieheels Posted July 7, 2003 Posted July 7, 2003 Well Julie, I can't agree, although I do love hotels, especially with large tubs, maybe a whirlpool tub or something. And king size bed, and enough covers that when Chris turns over I don't lose mine, or that I don't do the same to him. But I am an all or nothing girl, in the sense that, when I go camping, I prefer it to be camping. That means a tent. Chris and I were watching the motor homes and trailers on the highway, and as we were discussing them, it started to sound like I meant "I am too prissy for a trailer" but the reality it, camping means a tent. You build a fire, you sleep on an air matress under something made of canvas. You bring a cooler packed with ice so your food doesn't spoil. You pack your cooler away at night so the animals don't try and get in. I think I could have done quite well in the Middle Ages, having studied enough about that era to understand the people, although not enough of the language to really get by until the late 1500s or so. Okay, I am rambling now. I think that the largest strike against the romantic image of the middle ages comes from the large number of filthy poor. They did not eat well, they died early, and any illness or injury could be fatal. As for knights and this idea of chivalry, well, I had a whole coure on that. It's been ten years, but it would make an exciting discussion, if anyone would care to post in such a threat. Chivalry was a myth in its own day, of course. I could talk history for days... Oh well. Off to decide what to save up for, a camping trip, or something with a fancy hotel room. No in betweens here. Maybe the best room on some cruise ship... ultra inclusive cruise ship...
Yamyam Posted July 7, 2003 Posted July 7, 2003 With me, it's 5* or nothing. I'm not paying a small fortune for a building and then sleeping under a handkerchief in a puddle! I might go to a fixed caravan or something, as long as it has all mod cons, but that's about as rough as I'm prepared to go! Obsessed is such a strong word. I prefer to think of myself as "differently enthusiastic"
Julietta Posted July 8, 2003 Author Posted July 8, 2003 I love nature and like to walk in it and admire it. I then like to go back somewhere warm and cosy with a comfy bed and hot and cold running water. I'm an all or nothing person too lol, if the options are hotel with all or dirt with nothing then I'm choosing the all . I'm a creature of comfort and am glad Yam is too phew!!! Let calm be widespread May the sea glisten like greenstone And the shimmer of summer Dance across your pathway "Communication is a two way thing"
Laurieheels Posted July 8, 2003 Posted July 8, 2003 Julie, I think it's obvious that you're a comfort creature, and that good. What it does make me wonder about are two things in general. One, how different women who wear heels can be, with other aspects of their lives. Two, how far we have come from the end of the Middle Ages when people were starting to be enlightened and striving for something better. I wondre if anyone else saw the Tv Program "Connections"...
Yamyam Posted July 8, 2003 Posted July 8, 2003 I love nature and like to walk in it and admire it. As do I. I'm not so keen on scraping it off the kids' shoes, however I then like to go back somewhere warm and cosy with a comfy bed and hot and cold running water. I'm an all or nothing person too lol, if the options are hotel with all or dirt with nothing then I'm choosing the all . I'm a creature of comfort and am glad Yam is too phew!!! Oh yes indeedy. So there's no danger of us on a camping holiday then Obsessed is such a strong word. I prefer to think of myself as "differently enthusiastic"
Julietta Posted July 9, 2003 Author Posted July 9, 2003 As do I. I'm not so keen on scraping it off the kids' shoes, however sorry about that one honey I did try to stop him but it was all too late Let calm be widespread May the sea glisten like greenstone And the shimmer of summer Dance across your pathway "Communication is a two way thing"
mk4625 Posted July 9, 2003 Posted July 9, 2003 sorry about that one honey I did try to stop him but it was all too late How are you addressed by each other's kids? Kathy has no children of her own but her nieces have started calling me "Uncle Mike". Probably in deference to my advanced age. Kathy said "You've just been promoted". Michael
Julietta Posted July 9, 2003 Author Posted July 9, 2003 That's a good question Mike. Weekend before last Holly and I went upto Yam's. On the Sunday we were going window shopping (well you know it's part of our life and I had to check out the shoe shops in that neck of the woods and that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it ). Anyway Yam's son suddenly asked me if I could be his mummy for the day and for Yam to be Holly's dad for the day so that we could all be the ******* family and I think Yam would confirm this, but I think his son called me mum again this weekend or was it Holly calling him dad. I don't mind I thought it was sweet and so long as they are happy as that is what is important. Julie xx Let calm be widespread May the sea glisten like greenstone And the shimmer of summer Dance across your pathway "Communication is a two way thing"
Laurieheels Posted July 10, 2003 Posted July 10, 2003 That's really sweet, you know. Nice how the families can come together, there's a desire for the children to feel they belong to something larger, something stable. I admire that, and maybe I'll even be a bit jealous.
Yamyam Posted July 10, 2003 Posted July 10, 2003 That's a good question Mike. Weekend before last Holly and I went upto Yam's. On the Sunday we were going window shopping (well you know it's part of our life and I had to check out the shoe shops in that neck of the woods and that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it ). Anyway Yam's son suddenly asked me if I could be his mummy for the day and for Yam to be Holly's dad for the day so that we could all be the ******* family and I think Yam would confirm this, but I think his son called me mum again this weekend or was it Holly calling him dad. I don't mind I thought it was sweet and so long as they are happy as that is what is important. Julie xx I can't remember what they called us... I just remember a wonderful time being had by all. When Holly wanted me she called me, and likewise when Max wanted Julietta he called her. It's lovely that we are all happy together, and that's all that's important. The one thing I remember most is that just before the window shopping experience, we had to stuff the children into their shoes and jackets, before flinging them into our car. Julietta and I realised about the same time that I'd been helping her daughter, while she'd been sorting out my son. The children didn't seem to notice at all! I just think it's wonderful for the children, they've come together, they're best of friends, and we all want a stable family unit, and that's what we have. Obsessed is such a strong word. I prefer to think of myself as "differently enthusiastic"
Dawn HH Posted February 3, 2004 Posted February 3, 2004 Julietta and Laurieheels:-) Right after we got married, my father bought a travel trailer, (Caravan for the UK). He asked us if we wanted to go camping, and as my new wife had never been camping, she assumed he was talking about ruffing it in a tent and sharing her food with the ants and bugs. She repied, "I won't go unless I can click it and flush it". So I took her out to Dad's place and showed her the camper and that she could be quite comfortable and warm and certainly could "click it and flush it". Needless to say she was quite happy in our little "house-on-wheels" and we all had a great time and went "Camping" many times with Dad after that over a great many miles. Dawn HH High Heeled Boots Forever!
PJ Posted February 3, 2004 Posted February 3, 2004 As far as I'm concerned, people have misused the word "camping". To me, camping is living in conditions away from the conveniances of life. This means things like: tents for protection from the elements; campfires for cooking and heat; holes in the ground for toilets; no battery powered devices except for flashlights; hand tools; plenty of bug spray; first aid kit; When I was in the Army, I learned to hate camping. I don't like sleeping on the forest floor, waking up soaked with dew, and having bugs and critters in my sleeping bag. In fact, that is the last time I ever went camping. RV = Recreational Vehicle such as trailers and motorhomes. Now RV'ing ...... that's more like it. RV'ing is not camping. It's RV'ing. You have most of the conveniances of home. You just make them portable so they travel with you. You are limited where you can go only by the roads. click .... click .... click .... The sensual sound of stiletto heels on a hard surface.
Dawn HH Posted February 3, 2004 Posted February 3, 2004 O.K., so it's an RV. We always called it a "trailer", because it "trailed" after the car. The last "trailer" that Dad owned before he past away was a 26' completely self-contained "camper" pulled with a full-sized Chevrolet Station Wagon with a high performance engine and heavy-duty "trailer" package. Many a time when we got out into the "Boonies" we were on a two track narrow road through the woods ducking low-flying tree branches and skirting rocks on the road. People would never believe where I towed that "trailer" and we spent many a night in the woods by ourselves under the stars. We carried our own power, water, sewage, gas for the kitchen range and heating, and spare tires and wheels. Inside we had a TV, radio, and a micro-wave oven and full refrigeration. LIke you, the army taught me how to survive with a jeep, quarter ton trailer, and a field radio and be on my own. I didn't like their brand of camping for the same reasons that you didn't like it and a few more. But the training of how to survive with your equipment and to maintain your vehicle came into great use in civilian life with my family and Dad's "trailer". Many a time when the so-called roads ran out, I made my own road through the trees. Dawn HH High Heeled Boots Forever!
Dr. Shoe Posted February 4, 2004 Posted February 4, 2004 LIke you, the army taught me how to survive with a jeep, quarter ton trailer, and a field radio and be on my own. I didn't like their brand of camping for the same reasons that you didn't like it and a few more. But the training of how to survive with your equipment and to maintain your vehicle came into great use in civilian life with my family and Dad's "trailer". Many a time when the so-called roads ran out, I made my own road through the trees. Dawn HH You had it good!!! When I was attached to the marines we had a cape and everything we had had to go into an 80 lb bergen, including enough food for three days. Mind you, it's amazing what kind of two man bivouac you can build by clipping 2 capes together using a short stick to prop it up! I've always enjoyed camping in tents ever since, I guess it was the comparative luxury! Graduate footwear designer able to advise and assist on modification and shoe making projects.
Dawn HH Posted February 4, 2004 Posted February 4, 2004 Dr. Shoe:-) I guess that I did have it made, so to speak, but it was not of my choice. They put me where they wanted me and gave me a job of their choice. I was assigned to a transportation unit---hence the wheeled equipment I described before. I also had a field office to maintain and my reports were to be into battalion daily and on time, whether I was in garrison or the field. We spent most of the time in the field. I didn't particularly like eating my food with rain water in it plus a lot of other dislikes. I'm sure you had your times and dislikes also. I didn't care for that style of life. I much better liked and enjoyed my civilian style of "camping", as I described in an earlier post. Cheers! Dawn HH P.S. No high heels allowed in the army. DARN! High Heeled Boots Forever!
mk4625 Posted February 5, 2004 Posted February 5, 2004 When I was younger I used to sleep overnight on the beach. I'd set out some fishing poles with bells on them and fall asleep on a blanket. Sometimes I'd wake up with little white crabs crawling all over me. When I was going with Jean, we used to take her VW bus (she's an old hippie) into the Santa Cruz mountains, Big Sur, or the coast near Santa Barbara and stay several days at a time. I recall going camping in a tent only once, at Keaiwa Heiau State Park in Aiea, Hawaii. Michael
Dr. Shoe Posted February 5, 2004 Posted February 5, 2004 Dr. Shoe:-) I guess that I did have it made, so to speak, but it was not of my choice. They put me where they wanted me and gave me a job of their choice. I was assigned to a transportation unit---hence the wheeled equipment I described before. I also had a field office to maintain and my reports were to be into battalion daily and on time, whether I was in garrison or the field. We spent most of the time in the field. I didn't particularly like eating my food with rain water in it plus a lot of other dislikes. I'm sure you had your times and dislikes also. I didn't care for that style of life. I much better liked and enjoyed my civilian style of "camping", as I described in an earlier post. Cheers! Dawn HH P.S. No high heels allowed in the army. DARN! Oh absolutely! I'm sure it wasn't your choice, I would rather have been in my barrack room with colour TV, hot and cold running water and have food cooked for me in the Airman's Mess. That isn't to say that I never enjoyed my stint with the IST, but I wouldn't have like to have lived like that for more than about a month! These days my idea of roughing it is staying in a hotel! Graduate footwear designer able to advise and assist on modification and shoe making projects.
Bubba136 Posted February 6, 2004 Posted February 6, 2004 Hardship. Thats what I sought to avoid as a USAF transport pilot. Little did I know. I've spent more than a few nights in my sleeping bag on the tail ramp of my C-130 at desert airfields that I'm still not sure where they were. Being mentally comfortable in your own mind is the key to wearing heels in public.
Dawn HH Posted February 6, 2004 Posted February 6, 2004 Dr. Shoe:-) I lived that way for two years. Uncle Sam figured that was an excellent way to really make the troops very tough for battle. I was a part of the Big Red One---the First Infantry Division, a very gung-ho outfit and you were expected to be FIRST in everything and they would except nothing less. I like your way much better---hotel---running water---color TV---and good food. Yeah! You mentioned the airman's mess. Did you have anything to do with airplanes and if so ---what type of plane? Battle toughened Dawn HH High Heeled Boots Forever!
Dawn HH Posted February 6, 2004 Posted February 6, 2004 Bubba 136:-) I had a very good friend in our local Corvette club who was a mechanic on C-130's and part of his job from time to time was to ride along on flights to check on the mechanical operations and he told many a story of ending up in some lonely out-of-the-way spots. Dawn HH High Heeled Boots Forever!
Dawn HH Posted February 6, 2004 Posted February 6, 2004 MK4625:-) I have read somewhere that they are going to or have already reproduced the old VW micro-bus to bring back a little nastalgia from years past. Maybe you and Jean could recall some good times in the mountains. (SMOOCH!!!). Dawn HH High Heeled Boots Forever!
Dr. Shoe Posted February 6, 2004 Posted February 6, 2004 Dr. Shoe:-) I lived that way for two years. Uncle Sam figured that was an excellent way to really make the troops very tough for battle. I was a part of the Big Red One---the First Infantry Division, a very gung-ho outfit and you were expected to be FIRST in everything and they would accept nothing less. I like your way much better---hotel---running water---color TV---and good food. Yeah! You mentioned the airman's mess. Did you have anything to do with airplanes and if so ---what type of plane? Battle toughened Dawn HH Yes, Lightning Interceptors, then Tornadoes and latterly C130H & J Including the RAF's special stretched version. Graduate footwear designer able to advise and assist on modification and shoe making projects.
Dawn HH Posted February 7, 2004 Posted February 7, 2004 Dr. Shoe:-) Thanks very much for the information on the planes that you have flown. It sounds like you have had a very interesting career. Through the years I have built kits of the P-38 Lighting in stick model, solid wood model, and plastic model. I have always had a soft spot in my heart for the World War 2 fighters and bombers and have built many of them over the period of time. Bubba 136 has worked on the C-130's also according to one of his posts. Dawn HH High Heeled Boots Forever!
JeffM Posted February 7, 2004 Posted February 7, 2004 Well just so you know I was in the Australian Airforce as an instrument fitter. I have worked on Meteors, Vampires, Dakotas, Canberras, Neptunes, C130A and E, Mirages and finally Machi. Didnt get to work on F111s. I have worked on all these doing every thing from preflights, A service through to D services on the Hercs and also in the aircroft depot where all the instrumention is overhauled. And I dont wear high heels I just admire them and those who do. Jeff
azraelle Posted February 7, 2004 Posted February 7, 2004 I was the Maintenance and Fuel Support Platoon Leader in a Smoke Generator Company in Louisiana frfom 1981-1984. The US Army had been forced by President Nixon's unilateral decree to disband the Chemical Corps (which was concerned primarily with defensive measures to keep soldiers alive during Nuclear, Biological, or Chemical Weapons attacks) because the US would no longer be developing Chemical or Biological Weapons (and expected everybody else to follow suit!). Anyway, about 10 years later, the US finally woke up to the fact that we would be severely screwed if we had to go to war with the Soviets because they had been actively training with Chemical Weapons (and Smoke, as well; US capability, being part of the Chemical Corps, was also disbanded) all along. So, in 1980, the Army recreated the Chemical Corps out of thin air, resurrecting the mothballed decontamination units and smoke gererators, and re-wrote their battlefield doctrine to include training of regular units with same. The upshot of all this was that we were in the field almost constantly--a month out, 6 weeks to refit, 2 months out for half the company, 1 month for the other half, etc. My first "in the field" experience was in December 1981. It snowed several times--the coldest winter on record for the area, Fort Polk officially closed down for a week, but our gung-ho general kept the troops out in the shit, and the muck that followed when the temperature rose in January, for 3-1/2 weeks. It is amazing how warm a candle can make the inside of a two man tent when it is ~0 (F) outside. Digging a "cathole" with the ground frozen ain't no picnic though. Most of our soldiers were so green that they had no idea how to go "number 2" without the convinience of a "Port-a-Potty" which OSHA and EPA had forced upon the Army several years before, but which the general had neglected to provide for anyone but the general staff for the first week. Had soldiers complaining of stomache aches (from not going for 5 days) the squad leaders had to give physical instructions as to how to dig a cathole, how to use it (including the "3-point shovel stance"), etc. Oh the joys of Army Life!! "All that you can decide, is what to do with the time that is given you."--Gandalf, "Life is not tried, it is merely survived -If you're standing outside the fire."--Garth Brooks
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