When your hot water heater goes kaput temporarily, and dishes are piling up, you move your hot water heater to the stove! And yes, it worked great. I had a sinkful of hot, soapy water, a big plastic bowl of hot rinse water, and then put the clean dishes in the drainer.
When I was really young, our kitchen at home had a different sink set-up than it did later on. At first, it was on one side of the kitchen, and was one big sink. Before the big south room was added on at one time, that would've been a south window in the kitchen wall. But after that, it was a wall with shelves, but the big sink was still there. We would fill one dishpan with hot sudsy water in one end of the sink, and another dishpan with hot rinse water in the other end of the sink. Then I think we laid things on a kitchen towel on the counter, ready to dry with a tea towel and put away. Then later at some point, the sink was moved to the north side of the kitchen, a nice double, stainless steel one. Still by an inside wall with no window, but right across the wall from the water heater, which was good!
This heating water on the stove and having to move it around made me really appreciate when I read about the Amish heating water in a cauldron for wash day purposes. Anyway, when push comes to shove, it can be done!
Our microwave died a couple of weeks ago without warning. Boy did I sure grumble about heating up leftovers on the stovetop!! The things we take for granted!! Pioneer stories sound so romantic--but I'm sure I would have died!! Hope it gets fixed soon.
ReplyDeleteYes, I went and got the needed part today, so we will hopefully be "good to go" before long! LOL about heating stuff without the microwave. I'll tell you what, we're ALWAYS warming something up with ours. I'm like you, I love reading about "pioneer" things, but can't imagine doing everything they did and coping with all they coped with! But .... I still like some of the old-fashioned things and old-fashioned ways. :)
ReplyDeleteyes, we homemakers do what we have to do.
ReplyDeletehope your hot water heater is working again soon!
Thanks Rhonda, hopefully tonight! :)
ReplyDeleteIt really makes you think about the things you take for granted. I tell my hubby once in a while that if we lived like the Amish we wouldn't have to worry about the power going out, the dryer not working or no lights ext.
ReplyDeleteI hear you, Lisa, about taking things for granted. We sure do depend so much on that electric grid. That's why I appreciate so much the old fashioned ways (such as how the Amish still do), and try to either do them, or at least be able to, so if the power does fail, we can still manage the basics. I have a washer, but not an electric dryer. I have the clothesline and a drying rack or two, and I'm happy with that. :)
ReplyDelete