I have been trying to do a little more writing lately and have even been taking a community writing class to keep me motivated. I thought it might be nice to share some stories with you as well as (hopefully) keep motivated for the long term. Here is my first installment:
The Sock Box
I grew up in a time when people fixed things: toasters,
TV’s, and socks. Behind the kitchen door in my childhood home was a handmade
wooden box affectionately known as The Sock Box. It had been around longer than
I had. Then, wearing a hole in one’s sock was not considered an automatic
throwaway. If my toe or heel was revealed peaking out of my sock my mom would
say, “Put it in the sock box”. Then periodically she would sit down with the
box and darn all the holes. The box contained needles, darning thread, iron-on
patches made specifically for socks, and a burned out light bulb. The light
bulb would be slid down into the sock to give form and stability behind the
hole so that it could be darned. The threads would be sewn back and forth,
spanning the hole in one direction then woven in and out of those threads going
the opposite direction. I can’t say that I enjoyed wearing darned socks. In
fact sometimes it could be downright uncomfortable! But there was something
about fixing things that appeals to me even today. I used to darn socks myself,
but no one would wear them so I gave it up.
Speaking of fixing things, another item to be found in
The Sock Box was a single wool sock with a safety pin attached to one end.
This, of course, was a part of the treatment for “fixing” a sore throat or
cough. Mother would apply “Menthalatum” ointment to the neck of whoever was
suffering. The neck would then be wrapped with the wool sock and secured with
the already attached safety pin. I think I disliked this more than wearing
darned socks. The wool made my neck itch and made me feel like I was wearing a
cervical collar. It took a lot for me to admit to a sore throat!
The Sock Box is now in my possession as a reminder to not
be so hasty to throw things away. Perhaps I can hang on to the virtue of fixing
things. Now, let me see, where did I put my tool box?
2 comments:
Oh Mom, this story comes when I was debating what to do with my ever growing single sock pile - throw away or keep - and they don't even have holes. The more I learn about you growing up, the more I look at you and say "oh that makes sense!". Now you just have to come here and show me what fun things to do with these useless socks!
This is great! Now you can write my memories for me.
You forgot one thing regarding the single-sock medical treatment--in between the Mentholatum rub on the neck and the wool sock is a wash cloth,soaked in ice cold water and then rung dry. This keeps the wool sock from irritating the skin. And I'll bear testimony that this treatment WORKS! You just have to catch the sore throat at it's earliest stage.
Request: Betty, can you post your writing about the old telephones? I've wanted a copy of your writing of this memory; you remembered more details than I did. Thanks.
Nancy
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