This Week In My Home: May I?

 

Because of an old home economics book I'd picked up at a thrift or antique shop in the past, I know that the 1920's ushered in a somewhat new trend in kitchens.   The reason why we see so much linoleum in kitchens in the 1940's is something that began to be a big push in the 1920's.  Home Economists were quickly becoming aware that Hygiene and cleanliness truly were key factors in good health and they realized that many of the kitchens in which people made their meals were unsanitary.  Wooden surfaces, floors and rough tables, walls, etc.  were breeding grounds.  Hence the push to make kitchens both functional and lovely with glazed tiles.  However, the cost of a full tiled kitchen was out of reach of most humble purses.  And that is where linoleum came into play.  

Nevertheless, there were many forward designs in kitchens in the 1920's and early 1930's and while the depression might have made the possibility of having a lovely and functional room dedicated to the preparation and preservation of food seem far distant, eventually kitchens were remodeled and made into better, more sanitary work spaces.  

Some of the pictures I'll be sharing over the next few weeks are black and white renderings but remember that color was very much at play.  I'll also share some lovely color images that will help you to see how bright and happy many of these kitchens were and not just clinically clean work spaces.  But we'll start with a black and white image today.

If you open the image in a new window you can see the various things I'm referencing far better.   This kitchen features tile.  There are tiles on the floor, the walls and quite possibly on the ceiling as well.  This would have insured that every surface could be most thoroughly cleaned.   The enamel sink too was obviously meant for the very purpose of allowing one to thoroughly clean it.  But let us look to the left of the sink for just a moment.

I may be overreaching here, but that looks very much like an old fashioned ice box that is built in with the front facing into the room and the back most likely on the service porch behind.  I'm wondering if that is so or if it's just a cupboard?  I suppose some models of refrigerators could have had back openings into which to put the ice block each week.

We have the sink with a drainboard on one side with a clock above and what might possibly be a telephone on the wall next to the door.  This kitchen was most certainly being innovative for the 1920's if it had a telephone in the kitchen.   There is a door to the right of the sink and then a china cupboard for the storage of dishes on the exterior wall of the house.   

There, under the trio of lovely windows, is a big table for prep work,  most likely with an enameled surface.  However, I can't quite figure out that thing underneath.  It almost looks like a drain pipe doesn't it?  I can't see taps there but I do wonder if this table had a hidden sink for washing vegetables perhaps?

Then we have the Hoosier cabinet or baking cabinet that no proper kitchen was without.  

And another doorway leading out of the room and there on the last wall is our huge old wood stove with warming ovens above and hot water tanks on the side.   

The kitchen is not cluttered in any manner, yet it has all the functionality one could want in a kitchen, plus the lovely advantage of being able to thoroughly wash down every surface.  Some effort was made as well to make the kitchen efficient so that few steps might be wasted between stations.  I'll lay odds that the dining room is there near that china cupboard so it's convenient for both table setting and putting away dishes after they are washed.    

There's also a central light in the room which would help make it bright and well lit for evening or early morning meal preparations.

One of you was kind enough to send me this video of a Step Saving Kitchen.

Chris also shared these two which were fun to watch as well.

Work:  

Zone 1: Kitchen, Back Entry and Laundry    I'll have to hustle and see if I have any paint on hand or postpone my project in the kitchen this week entirely if I can't get out to get some.  I really do want to paint those two shelves, most especially the one above the sink which is looking chipped and worn.

There are pictures that need to be straightened on the entryway wall and a plague I want to hang.   I'm going to get behind John and see if we can't figure out a better place to charge his endless batteries for yard tools, too.  Honestly I'm tired of looking at them on the bench or atop the dog treat bin!

I'm thinking I might take down the two Tole trays above the little cabinet we put in the kitchen two years ago...I could use the prints from the dining room there but then I'd have nothing on the dining room wall.   There's a bowl on top of that cabinet full of John's 'stuff'.  I asked him to go through it last month and this month I shall just set it down before him instead of asking him to do it.  He's usually good to get the hint when I do that, lol.

Kitchen puttering will most definitely occur this week as I work my way about the room refining areas and making them pretty.   This month, Zone work is mostly about pretty with a light emphasis on any cleaning that requires doing.

And two jobs I'd very much like to tackle in my kitchen are mopping of the floor and doing a proper fridge cleaning.  I usually try to wipe up any spills as I note them but it never hurts to just take everything out and give it a good wipe down.

Out in the yard, I'll continue to weed, putter about trying to make spots pretty, get seeds in the ground as well as move the pink tiered planter away from the carport and into a better location.  Perhaps I should just put it out by my shed in the little area I keep telling John would make a perfect garden for me to putter in?   Certainly would motivate me to get busy on that project instead of perpetually putting it off.

I may go see Mama this week and have lunch with her.  

And that's about as far  as I'm going to plan because honestly these days I've gotten very good at staying very busy!

Kitchen:  

I don't have a clue at the moment what meals I want in the week ahead.    Part of the trouble is that I'm full at the moment and the last thing I want to think of is more food.   I do find it rather helpful, too, to gather fragments and then plan so I'll likely make that a separate post again this week.

I know there are a few expired items...and would you believe it?  I found another can of darn peaches!  I'm telling you those cans of peaches have multiplied many times over.  I only had 7 that were expired and I'm pretty sure I keep finding just one more can every time I look in the cupboard.  I don't really dare go look in the pantry...So a Gathered Fragments post will come up on Sunday most likely.

I'm going to share something that I am trying to do at the moment on a daily basis: change out the dishtowel.   I don't use a dishtowel to dry dishes but I do keep one at the sink.  John is prone to use it when he comes in from outdoors after washing up.  I might wipe up wet spots on the counter with it.  I really want to get into the habit of replacing it every evening with a fresh towel.  It's a small thing, I agree but it's taken quite a lot of remembering on my part to be just partially consistent with this.  And it might not be a thing every one has trouble remembering, but I will confess I do and I'm willing to bet someone else has the same issue.  So join me in the challenge to remember to change out the dishtowels for fresh ones daily.

Personal:

I think a date day with John would be nice.  It's meant to rain this week nearly every day so he can't mow.   I likely won't suggest a picnic.  Did I share that we got rained on for our first picnic on the Florida trip?  Yes, we did.  We stopped to eat and had just finished the last bite when it began to rain!  John said it was typical of any of our picnics that we either freeze, roast or get rained upon, lol.

I very much want to get a haircut this week.  

I would love to do a spa morning here at home.  I haven't done one since before we left for Florida.  A pedicure is also on the books for this week.

I'm happily reading away, this time settling on The Heart of the Family by Elizabeth Goudge.  

I've been so tired evenings lately that I haven't even considered picking up the Genealogy research.  I'd like to work on my next blog post for the Roots and Rabbit Trails site and to continue working on putting notes onto family pages.  Such a lot of work this little hobby of mine!