The Old Wood Stove

Hello Dear Reader,
When Grandpa (Wesley) Carter was a boy the winter nights could be very cold in the little house his family lived in. Homes were not insulated back then. A lot of warmth came from just being together. On many cold evenings the family sat around their old wood stove popping popcorn which, along with some Jonathan apples, they snacked on.

Several of the Carter s were musically talented. Beulah, the oldest child, played their old pump organ and Grandpa (Edward F.) Carter played the banjo, the violin, or the harmonica while the rest of the family sat huddled near the stove singing. That was what they did for entertainment. The children loved to hear their dad and mother sing a duet at the end of the evening and considered it the highlight of the day.

After popping corn, they heated rocks (or bricks) on the stove. When it was time to retire, they wrapped the heated rocks in towels and put them in each bed to warm their cold feet. When they arose on chilly mornings they huddled around the stove until they were warm enough to get dressed and start their day. That was what it was like “in the good old days.”
Love,
Aunt Genni