grandmothers

Back to the Beginning (Revisiting Home Ec)

| Betsy

This year for the holidays I’m going down to my grandparents house, and it got me thinking about my grandmother’s college major, home economics. All I remember from my home economics class in 9th grade was that I learned how to make a pineapple upside-down cake. There was also some really weird lesson where we took tests to see what blood type we were, which still doesn’t make sense as to why it was in the curriculum. I’m not sure if they even have home economics classes now, but if they do, chances are high, they, too, have devolved from the time when my grandmother studied it.

So, I took a look online at the history of home economics, and came across several interesting databases and archives regarding women’s history. Some of them are databases of women’s history and others are based on purely home ec, but either way, they’re not only a great source of knowledge, but might also help stir up holiday conversation if you find yourself with your grandmother and unsure of a topic. Try asking her about what she studied at university, what she hoped to be at your age, or what her career aspirations were. You might not only be surprised, but you just might come away with more respect for home ec, and the lesson it’s passed on through the years.

Most of these are American, but that’s mainly because they were pretty easy to uncover. Have any from other countries? Let me know! Some of them you have to dig around for images, but they are all amazing resources!

*The Making of a Homemaker
*Home Economics to Human Ecology
*The Northern Great Plains: Women Pioneers
*American Women’s History: A Research Guide
*Sallie Bingham Center for Women’s History and Culture
*The Schlesinger History of Women in America Collection
*Quilts as Visual History in 19th and 20th Century America
*The History of Household Technology with Constance Carter
*From Domesticity to Modernity: What was Home Economics?

“The Big Knit” video. Grandmothers! Thrifting! Knitting! Hooray!

| Betsy

If I had to vote for my favorite video of this year, it would have to be the one below because it contains most of my favorite things in the world: grandmothers, thrifting, knitting, charity and awesomeness. There are also motorcycles, which I don’t like, but a lot of people do. They are also “cool.”





BUT WAIT! What are they knitting? Hats for penguins? Spoon covers? Nope. They’re knitting hats for bottles! The Big Knit, an Innocent Drinks project now in its 6th year, to raise money for the UK charities for the elderly, Age Concern and Help the Aged. The funds raised go to help older people during the winter months, supporting them to adopt healthier lifestyles and eating habits.

As if the video itself wasn’t amazing, The Big Knit has a Hatometer!






Wondering why the elderly might need a little extra help in the winter months, as your grandmothers are all nice and snuggly this winter? Well, not everyone’s grandmother. Given their age (and apparently lower body fat on average), the elderly are more prone to get illnesses like hypothermia and pneumonia there are a few links below to articles that show just exactly why they need a little assistance. Interestingly, there is a lot of information from the UK press about this, but not in the US press… although it happens both places.

*“67% increase in elderly deaths in Wales due to cold weather”
*“Elderly are at a high risk for hypothermia, frostbite, and influenza”
*“Extra 36,700 deaths in England and Wales from December 2008 to March 2009, compared with the average for non-winter periods”
*“This summer was deadly, but winter could be even worse.’


Apparently the women singing the song above first sang it in 1980 when they were kids. You can see the original video of their smashing Top of the Pops performance here. Sadly, there is no knitting or thrifting. There are, however, lots of adorable kids wearing adorable pink dresses that I want.

Additionally, there is also a really great Pulp song called Help the Aged.

roots.

| Betsy

Back from the beach, where I had the pleasure of watching dolphins swim in the quiet Southern Georgia ocean waters and the displeasure of talking really loud to my grandfather (who my grandmother states is “deaf as a post”). It was wonderful to spend time with them (I’m of the frame of mind that grandparents are magical) and just talk.

My grandfather delights in telling stories of growing up in rural Georgia, starting out as a young lawyer in a segregated South and later on becoming a judge. As a child, I was always amazed as we would drive around their town and everyone would stop and wave at him like he was royalty. Later on, I would go and watch him hold court, completely weirded out by the fact that my grandfather (the kindest sweetest man) held the power to put people in jail. He still works some of the time, and I’m amazed at his ability to make fair and just judgements regarding any possible situation.

My grandmother and I have graduated from just talking about school or how I had my hair cut. And it is secretly one of the best gifts I have ever received from knitting. Yesterday we drove around town, took a walk down the pier, cooed over the variety of yarns available in the local stitching shop. You see, I don’t knit because it’s trendy or even because I’m fascinated with historical methods of needlecraft. I knit because I can finally talk to my grandmother. After our afternoon out, she sat next to me on the couch and showed me how to deftly wield a crochet hook, and it was so simple and beautiful that it almost brought tears to my eyes.

In the stitching shop, I was fascinated at her fascination with the way that knitting has gained popularity over the past few years. She kept eyeing the yarns and books and pointing interesting things out to me. Although I was ogling all the beautiful craft supplies around me, I kept getting distracted thinking about how very glad I am that something as simple as knitting as increased my vocabulary with my grandmother tenfold.

Often people say something to me along the lines of “I don’t have the patience to knit/embroider/craft,” “It’s too hard,” “I could never do that.” To which I always reply, “Of course you can, it’s easy.” But what I keep forgetting is that sometimes there’s a reason why we learn to certain lessons when.

Every morning I read a passage from Everday Mind: 366 Reflections on the Buddhist Path. The one that keeps popping in my head is from February 8 by Pema Chodron,

We try so hard to hang on to the teachings and “get it,” but actually the truth sinks in like rain into very hard earth. The rain is very gentle, and we soften up slowly at our own speed. But when that happens, something has fundamentally changed in us. That hard earth has softened. It doesn’t seem to happen by trying to get it or capture it. It happens by letting go; it happens by relaxing your mind, and it happens by the aspiration and the longing to want to communicate with yourself and others. Each of us finds our own way.

On my drive down to Georgia after writing the previous post, I was reminded of this. And how sometimes it’s okay not to officially have a Plan B. As long as you remember to be aware of where you are, what you’re doing and what’s around you. Because sometimes the most amazing options uncover themselves. But only when you’re ready.