In order for you to have some insight on how really difficult it was to live in rural America in the '40's I am going to tell you about the daily life of a young family. When you needed water you either had a well (dug in the ground) or had to go to a spring to get the water. After you got your water, if you wanted it hot there was a teakettle on the wood stove and it took a while to heat it up. Of course, the wood in the stove has to be cut and brought into the house to use. A wooden match was used to start the kindling and get a good fire started, more wood was added all day and night to keep the fire going, for heat or cooking. Washing dishes was a big chore and we girls hated to wash dishes. In our house it was done in two big aluminum pans. Hot water and lye soap was used to wash the dishes and in the second pan they were rinsed and then dried with a towel while still hot. You had to keep adding hot water until you had completed your job. When a hole was discovered in the dishpan, until daddy could solder it, a small rag was pulled through the hole until the leak stopped. Nothing was ever just replaced until all possible use was gotten from it. If you had a well, a rope with a bucket pulled the water from the well and if you wanted to use your well to it's fullest your food that might spoil was hung in the well to keep it cold. If you did not have a well, an iceman brought ice to your house to put in an insulated box and keep your food cool and keep your milk from spoiling.
When darkness fell, lamps were lit and a radio with a large car battery was on for entertainment. The lamps provided light to read by and play dominos or checkers.
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