Keeping House in the 50s



In honor of Mother’s Day and my mother’s birthday which also fell in May, I bring you a look at how our mother’s kept house in the 50s when I was a teenager.

This is a picture of my mother, Evangeline in 1956. It’s a typical shot of women in that era. I think this picture was taken when my folks, and my sister-in-law’s folks, the Keizers, went to visit my brother Harlan and his wife, Kay, when they lived in Texas while Harlan was in the Air Force.

My mother kept a clean and orderly home and she was one terrific cook. As my father was mainly a meat and potato man, we ate hardy every day when he came home from the Cement Plant. Dinner, or Suppah, as we called it was served at the same time every night and we all sat down at the kitchen table to eat together or we didn’t eat. Once the dishes were washed and put away and the kitchen was again orderly, you were on your own if you came home late. And you’d better not mess up her now perfectly clean and orderly kitchen in the process of finding something to eat.

 

Remember this kitchen set? We ate at one that looked similar to it.

My mother could put together a holiday meal, such as a turkey dinner on Thanksgiving, and have everything ready, hot, and ready to eat at the same time without the convenience of a microwave. She did get upset though if everyone didn’t sit down when she called them. “Everyone, come and sit down before this food gets cold,” she would say.

When it came to housekeeping, she was like an efficient machine. No maid you could hire could have done a better job. Tasks were usually delegated a day during the week. The wash was done on Monday, the ironing on Tuesday. Most things were ironed, including my Dad’s undershorts and the bed sheets. There was no permapress.

We had a washing machine like this when I was real little. It took a long time to put everything through those wringers.

 

Cleaning aids consisted of a bottle of Chlorox, a spray bottle of Windex, SOS or Brillo pads, and maybe some Vinegar. Scrubbing powders in a can were used for the sink and bathtub.

I found this video of an enactment of an article found in Good Housekeeping for May 1956, called “Good Wife’s Guide.” I don’t know of any women who followed these suggestions in that era, but it did perpetuate the idea of “a woman’s place” at that time. Madison Avenue did a good job of keeping women where they belonged, “in the home,” and from advancing in our society as individuals who knew how to do more than clean house, cook, and raise children. The women’s magazines at that time like Good Housekeeping, Redbook, and others also set women up as failures in anything but working in the home.

 

The ads at that time, like this one, most always showed a woman wearing an apron and doing some chore in the home.

 

Who knew that our mother’s were coveting this amazing Hoover vacuum for Christmas?

 

My mother and our dear Aunt Virginia kept up a sisterly rivalry when it came to keeping a clean house. I remember one day when Aunt Virginia was visiting and she said to my mother, “Now, Evangeline, you’d better dust off the top of that refrigerator. I think I see some dirt up there.” Of course my mother grabbed the first rag she could find and proceeded to wipe it off. And you know that Aunt Virginia was only teasing her. They were like that with each other.

Keeping a clean and efficiently run household was important to women in those days, to be sure. A woman who didn’t do “her work” at home was often looked down upon by her housewife peers. My mother never failed in her “home work” and only later did we realize what a difference her “work” made in our lives. Keeping her house orderly, kept us in order too. We benefitted from her example of “work first and play later.”

I miss calling her up on the phone to ask her help in some chore or other or with a recipe I remember from years past.

To honor her memory I share with you and your mother one of my favorite recipes of hers:

EVE’S RAISIN CAKE

Put together:

1 pkg. seeded raisins

(if you can’t find them, unseeded will work just fine)

2 c. cold water

½ tsp. salt

2 c. sugar

½ c. shortening

Put on stove and boil 5 minutes. Cool thoroughly then add:

2 tsp. soda (I assume this is baking soda)

2 tsp. cloves

2 tsp. cinnamon

4 cups flour

Bake in 350 degree oven. Makes two loaves.

 

Enjoy. Thanks for listening.

George Rundlett, 1959 Classmate, Dies in New York

George, "Buzz" Rundlett, who attended public schools, including Rockland High School, with the class of 1959, has passed away in New York. We saw him last at the 50th class reunion. Farewell, our friend.

Wading River, N.Y. — George W. Rundlett, formerly of Rockland, passed away April 24, 2014, after complications from surgery and a long illness.

At the time of his death he was a resident of Wading River, N.Y. where he was employed as a nuclear safety instructor for Brookhaven National Laboratories. He was born in Portland Aug. 15, 1940, and attended public schools in Standish, Rockland, and Portland. While in Rockland in the early '50s he attended both Rockland middle school and high school. His grandmother on his maternal side, Emily Stevens, was employed by the Burpee Funeral Home. His other Rockland connection was the fact that his mother was at one time married to Stanley Boynton whose picture is on the wall of fame in Rockland City Hall, recognized for his cross-country flying records in the 1940s.

Following high school George Rundlett enlisted in the United States Army and was stationed in Germany as a medical technician before returning to the United States and settling in Orono, where he graduated from the University of Maine, receiving a degree in education. After graduation from college he served as a science teacher for the Bangor school system. During his teaching career in Maine he also went to officer's candidate school and achieved the rank of Captain, and was a commander at a National Guard engineering unit in Newport.

He also became a proficient helicopter pilot, earning his wings, and received commendation for many so called "missions of mercy" performing medical evacuations for injured people throughout Maine. He was an avid sports car enthusiast and won numerous awards driving in rally competitions throughout New England. in 1964 he was chairman of the Penobscot Citizens Safety Council and during that year took a team of drivers, including his brother Derry, to Montreal, Canada for an international sports car driving competition, which was recognized on local television and by then Gov. John Read.

Fondly known as "Buzz" to his friends, family, and fellow pilots and National Guardsmen he was known for both his musical and artistic talents. In Wading River, N.Y. he painted a mural for his local congregational church and served as a deacon, lay minister, and pianist for his church with his wife Linda. His hobbies were many, among them painting, music, travel, and maintaining family connections. He was an ambassador of his extended family and was responsible for connecting the many generations of his family heritage all over the United States. His wit and story telling abilities were recognized by all he encountered. He was an excellent public speaker and teacher.

He was predeceased by his father Ellsworth T.Rundlett II in 1958, his mother Esther Nickerson Stevens Rundlett in 1981, his sister Barbara Boynton Gerrish in 2010, and his twin brother Lawrence Stevens Rundlett in October 2013. He is survived by his beloved wife Linda Rundlett; his three children Elizabeth Elowitch of Portland and Boca Raton, Fla., Katherine Rundlett of Brewer, and Christine O'Rourke also of Brewer; two brothers Ellsworth T. Rundlett III of Cape Elizabeth and John Boynton of Houston, Texas; and seven grandchildren.

Services will be held at the Jones Rich funeral home of Woodsfords Street, Portland Saturday, May 3, at 1 p.m., which will be followed by interment at Evergreen Cemetery in Portland and a gathering of family and friends at the funeral home immediately thereafter.

 

 

 

This month, the third of May, is known as Constitution Day in Poland. Kendall has been studying Poland for 35 years and has also visited that country. Lt. Janina Lewandowska is believed to be the only woman killed by the Russians at the Katyn Forest Massacre. His poems this month are dedicated to Poland and to those lost in the Massacre. Also included are some of the letters he has received from people in Poland.

ANNA’S SONG

                                     

                                        For Anya

 

                             Have you ever made love

                             In the fields where the poppies grow

                             We do not have those flowers

                             Here on the coast

                             Once Woody asked me how I got my knees wet

                             On the fog-washed island

                             This was before he married

                             And I could not explain the tryst

                             With my beautiful wife

                             Other than to say

                             I fell

                             I fell through the earth

                             As some writer, Hemingway, I think

                             Has best put it

                             I am sure it has happened

                             Millions of times

                             In your lovely Poland

                             Before and after church

                             In sunlight and light rain

                             Afterward a ravenous appetite

                             Quenched by a good meal

                             Of some national dish

                             in a small restaurant

                             Or at grandmother’s house

                             Who would cook up a storm

                             You thought she had developed the recipe for you

                             Unable to imagine

                             That she had done it for your grandfather

                             To thank him for the lovemaking

                             That created you and your family

 

                             Kendall Merriam, Home, November 15, 2007  12:26  PM

                             Listening to the CD “The Best of Marvin Gaye”

 

BRILLIANT SKY, WATER

 

 

          For Olivia

 

The cat, Charles, is on his back

Purring loudly

Even over the traffic passing by

Sometimes I think

This is Paradise

The poems that

God puts in my fingers

Charm or chastise

So rarely does a muse

Respond at all

Particularly not with the sensitive beauty

That came through yesterday

I know we cannot

Love one another, that is forbidden

But we can be writing partners

Putting down words

That will help the seven billion

Recognize Janina

A worthy goal, a lifetime duty

My mind is slipping a little

I forget things

But the poetry seeps out

And the pastries I bake

Still taste good

But I am worried

That I won’t finish

My Polish work

Leaving the burden on your shoulders

When I die I will leave my soul to you

Hoping it will help you find Janina

 

Kendall Merriam, at my brother Gilleys  5/30/13 11:25 AM

Listening to Charles and the traffic on Rte 73

 

EDITOR IN CHIEF

 

                                      For Christine

 

                             It must be a difficult job

                             Finding the words

                             The pictures, the ads

                             Putting up with errant poets

                             Who question the church

                             Which so many

                             Of your readers cling to

                             Most of what I write

                             Is for children

                             Though I have none of my own

                             I carry on a campaign

                             Against the President, the generals

                             While you promote Polish life

                             Here and there

                             Do you get there some times

                             Or are you tied to your desk

                             Unable to hear the Heynal

                             Sip wine in Torun

                             Visit Janina’s grave in Lusowo

                             I want to do these things

                             Even though I have

                             No Polish blood

                             It must be hard to carry on

                             Without your father’s input

                             But you are facing a world

                             That is better for Poland

                             Than it was a mere

                             Thirty years past

                             You do it graciously, with honor

                             Thank you for letting me subscribe

                             So both of us can live for Poland

 

                             Kendall Merriam,  Home, 2/4/13  11:52  PM

                             Listening to Anna Maria Gopal

                            

HYMN TO LUSOWO

 

For the Founders and Staff

 

Such a lovely group

Of fine people

All dedicated to Poland

Through history and poetry

A combination

That brings the truth

The literature of war

Cannot be studied

By literature alone

The history of Janina

The history of building

The history of love

For a rebuilt nation

Not only souls

But hearts and minds

Here around the table

In Lusowo we hear

The voices of Katyn…..rest of line lost

 

                                      LANDING AFTER SIXTY-FIVE YEARS

                                     

                                      In Memory of JaninaLewandowska

 

                                      Did you realize how many years

                                      You would be airborne?

                                      Is there some way you could

                                      Have parachuted down?

                                      Were you with God?

                                      Or singing hymns to the world

                                      Only a few heard

                                      And did not understand

                                      Their origin?

                                      There is an American word

                                      Closure

                                      Which I do not like

                                      And think that now is only the beginning

                                      Of how young Poles

                                      Will emulate you

                                       Other thinking people

                                      Around the globe will pause

                                      When they hear the story of your flight

                                      And say a prayer of thanks

                                      That you existed

                                      That you were satisfied

                                      To fly so long, so high

                                      An example

                                      To the lovers of freedom

                                      To the pilots of souls

                                      Who never found a burial ground

                                      You were chosen

                                      To lead the squadron of the trustworthy

                                      Maybe your image

                                      Will finally parade through London

                                      Accepting Polish honors

                                      British leaders

                                      Did not give

                                      Still have not given

                                      And Russia

                                      What of Russia?

                                      What the assassins do not realize

                                      Is a bullet

                                      Does not kill the spirit

                                      Only mere material

                                      You and your compatriots

                                      Exist in the minds

                                      Of family, friends

                                      And the Gods of history

                                      So we your admirers

                                      Are finally overjoyed

                                      You dwell among us again

                                      We can make pilgrimages

                                      Carefully place flowers

                                      From across the world

                                      To honor you

                                      Aloft longer than any other flyer

                                      Is this your purpose?

                                      I would rather see you alive

                                      But now you are safe

                                      In your hometown, Lusowo

                                      A safe landing

 

Kendall Merriam, 28 December 2005, 3:58 PM

Listening to the CD “sand and water” by Beth Nielsen Chapman

 

LETTER FROM GISELA GAWRONSKI

 

Cape Elizabeth (Maine) 1/13/2006

 

Dear Mr. Merriam!

 

Thank you very much for sharing the news about the Burial Ceremony of the first Polish pilot JaninaLewandowska in Lusowo, Poland. It took 65 years and only after the communist’s system collapsed that the crimes of Katyn had a full chance to be properly evaluated. Thank’s to honest, devoted few—artifacts were saved and now we are lucky to witness that justice was done! We remember a long period after the II wor[l]d War in which Katyn was not free and easy to discuss, newspapers and many historians reporters were not interested to disturb the comfortable existing myth of USRR being a humane best system of governing. Only few very brave were crying for truth—many being threaten[ed]!

 

You have been the one who was not silent!—and at that time a young man of a small American Town in Maine of no Polish derivation asking me and others many questions on the subject of mass murder by bullet caliber 7.65. You were determined to search, investigate and deprive yourself a literary career by “wasting” countless hours and money on thankless project!All humane feelings gathered in your inexorable soul—made your poet’s will work! You created poems---and the final sad but dignified moments of burial ceremony of Janina L. you have enthroned with the last verses:

 

     Landing after Sixty-Five Years

 

Here you have given the final, golden honorary tribute! –and for that Poles are thankful to you!

 

In this moment I am thinking-my father survived concentration camp sufferings in Stutthof but was shortly after killed by Russians..

 

My Godfather a Polish policeman shot by Germans, my uncles vanished without trace.  Friends too! Evil is evil—no relativism  will work—truth has to be searched out!

 

I wish to thank your wonderful wife Phyllis for so many years—standing, helping!

 

Fondly  GizelaGawronski

 

LETTER FROM WARSAW

 

For Mrs. GizelaGawronski

 

Here I am breakfasting

On wonderful Polish ham and eggs

While Phyllis and Marta

Are still sleeping

Yesterday we met an 89 year old man

One of the last

Of the Rising still alive

He modestly says

He was not a soldier

Just a printer

Running a big press upstairs

For the Germans

Later in the cellar

Printing posters for the Poles

He is charmed by Phyllis

A mutual feeling

She wanted to kiss him

On the cheek

To touch the suffering history

Of Warsaw

A city which went from

1,300,000 souls

To 1,000 souls

From 1939 to 1945

The pain of the desecration

Of men, women and children

Cannot be fathomed

So we love those who survived

 

Kendall Merriam in the restaurant of the Ibis hotel, Warsaw 8:25 AM

Listening to dining sounds

 

Friday, February 22, 2008 12:14 PM

Subject: Katyn

After Kendall’s trip to Poland and his return home, he received this email from a Polish friend he made while he was there. Kendall says a friend who knows the English government said these records are under the control of the Ministry of Defense Archives/Whitehall/London/W1. He appeals to all of you to help open up these vital records. Remember while you are reading that this is a Polish person writing in English, a foreign language to him.

 

Dear Kenny, I just completed reading all your works and hurry to share with you my

Impressions.

Undoubtedly you deserve most sincere gratitude and acknowledgement for the interest and compassion you have for the victims of Katyn in particular for the only women-heroine, Janina. It is certainly uncommon to find a non-Pole being so deeply emotionally involved in matters so distant and foreign to him and to take upon himself an enormous task of finding the sources, contacts, overcome immense difficulties in language and many more. I salute and praise you. And I appreciate very much your kindness in sending me your works and the book on Katyn. Personally I have had no opportunity, or chance to learn more about Katyn, except the common facts and data’s.

My life was someway delimitated since year 1941, when I was arrested by the Gestapo for involvement in the underground activities and as a 15 year old boy incarcerated in Auschwitz. In 1943 I was transferred to another concentration camp in Neuengamme, which in April of 1945 was evacuated to Lubbock. There about 7 thousand of polish prisoners were put on two German ships Cap Arcona and Thielbeck and anchored 5 km of shore. On the 3rd of May British RAF planes attacked and sunk both ships which resulted in death of about 7 thousand of Poles.

This, the largest sea catastrophe in history is practically unknown to the world, mainly because of moratorium of first of 50, then of 100 years on all materials re. Cap Arcona and Thielbeck. All attempts to throw some light on this scandalous and compromising piece of history were left unanswered. So much for the history.

Frankly I have no desire to go back to these times and happenings, right now I am concentrated on my domestic situation, my wife being seriously ill and myself having severe health problems. At 82 my chief desire is to enjoy the remaining years(?) in peace, far from all horrifying and painful experiences, and drama of wars and human cruelty. I will retain the book on Katyn however with many thanks and words of friendship. I also submit a cheque for 60 can dollars, which hopefully will cover the expenses. So long, and good luck in your endeavours, and thanks again, Witold.  (In handwriting) P. S. Best regards to your kind wife and you. Feb. 22. 2008.Witold