I remember when we went to our grandmother's home for Thanksgiving dinner. Those sweet angels had truly been slaving over a hot stove. Both of them had black cast iron ones heated with wood or coal. Now I understand why their pies, roasts and many things were a bit on the browned side (burned). They didn't have timers and perfect heating elements that made life easy, like it does today. Thanks to you both for your unselfish service all my life.
This milk separator was at my grand parents in a shed near the house. Each night after milking my brother, but before him my father and before him my grandfather, would carry the freshly obtained milk in pails to the "Milk House" to be separated. The sweet rich cream was the part we divided from the rest of the milk. With this cream we would churn butter, whip up whipped cream, make sweet treats and sell it. I never had pasteurized or homogenized milk until years after I married and moved away. Thank you Granddad, Dad and Jim, my brother, for providing this wonderful drink for our families. We were able to drink as much milk as we wanted. Now and since then, I have rationed it out knowing how costly it can be. When we were in Hawaii years ago it was $6 per gallon.
When or if I want to iron I just plug it in and turn it on, but my grandmother's had to heat their irons on the cook stove. when they were hot enough, they began the arduous task of ironing their wrinkled cotton clothes, bed sheets, pillowcases, and everything else. I hardly iron anything anymore. We are certainly spoiled.
