Reminiscing XXX

This story is from James Greet, written in 1991 about his life as a cowboy in the 1940’s.

I could always tell what variety of wood was being burned by the odor of the smoke. In the towns, there was the odor of coal or coke being used. Coke was coal with the oil extracted from it. The oil was very similar to kerosene and was called coal-oil. The odor from coke burning was different, and a little unpleasant, but it was cheaper than coal. Coal-oil was a common term used when my folks referred to oil for their lamps. If there was a doubt whether a can contained coal-oil or gasoline, you could pour a little out in a saucer and light a match to it. If it lit at once, it was gasoline. If not, it was coal-oil or kerosene.

It was often my chore to fill all of the lamps. This was an outdoor job, in case I spilled some of the oil. One time, by mistake, I filled a lamp with gasoline. When mom lit the lamp, she noticed right away that it burned extra bright and smelled odd. She put it out quickly and checked the can that I had used and found it to be gasoline. That never happened again!

Speaking of odors, I noticed the alfalfa hay that we had at home and the timothy hay that Grandad raised on his dry farm on the mountain, each had its own distinctive aroma. Also, the horse stalls at each place had their own peculiar smell. The smell of various things will trigger all sorts of precious memories. I love the aroma of new leather. To me, a good leather item can be of great value. Leather has been very useful ever since God made clothes for Adam and Eve just before their exile from the Garden of Eden.

Mom and Dad were married in 1913. But it was 16 more years before Uncle Fred, dad’s twin brother, was married. Dad and Uncle Fred had been “batching” for seven years on the ranch when mom and dad were married.

Mom and Dad lived in the main house and Uncle Fred slept in the bunkhouse. Mom had an unusual load for a bride. Two men to cook for, and also the washing and ironing.

And this reminds me of the water situation. I remember my job of hauling water from the well when I was eleven or twelve. The well was quite a distance from the house. I had a little wagon, and I hauled three five gallon cream cans at a time. I would usually make two trips, but twice that on hot days. Of course, I had wood to get in too. With three stoves to supply, it took lots of wood in the winter. Most of these chores were done after school and hence after dark, because it was three miles home from school, and school wasn’t dismissed until 4 pm.

The “Good Old Days” on the ranch had plenty of work for everyone!

****

So ends the stories written by James Greet. I’m thrilled you’ve enjoyed them. Thanks for riding along.

Find me here!

• 
• 
• 
•