Remembering Together

One of the great things about growing up and living in the same community most of your life is the opportunity to “Remember” with others who recall the same memories. I enjoy the opportunity to visit with readers, and have them share with me. Recently one of the Courier readers was commenting on warm footwear of the past, mentioning the sheep (fleece) lined boots and felt boots that were worn. Yes, I also remember seeing that footwear during the winter. Of course these were not the outerwear, but usually worn inside bulky rubber overshoes. Another trick for the cowboy, was to not only wrap his feet in newspaper, but to maybe soak them quickly in the water tank, quickly shaping them to fit a stirrup and letting the wrap freeze, therefore helping keep his feet warm while riding. On that same note, I had forgotten the stories about early residents of our area (really early residents with sod or simply frame work homes) throwing buckets of water on their living quarters to freeze, providing some protection from the wind and cold. I imagine that system served two purposes: It helped warm the inside living quarters while letting the individual pumping, packing, and throwing the water to warm up quite nicely. So once again, with this cold snap we have had, we are reminded to count our blessings.