Laundressing at the Library

Awesome! My hometown library has invited me to participate in their Civil War events! I'd talked to someone there a while back when I was doing some research and I got a call back. I'm really excited. I posted my excitement on my facebook page and someone I know who works at another library asked if I was interested in doing the same thing at her library. I was just as happy to say yes to that one too! I've always wanted to do winter presentations in schools and stuff and because of the anniversary I'm able to do it!

Every inch of my van is filled with my gear during reenactment season. So now I have to figure out the best way to do a presentation in an incredibly small area.

Over the few years I've added more and more because people are into it. If there is a question that is always asked, I research and incorporate it into the presentation if I can. That's why its grown so much. (The picture at the top of the blog is my laundress domain) There always ends up being a crowd. Seriously, ask any laundress! Whats funny is that once a few people stop more and more are sure to follow. So when you finish the original presentation, the people who didn't hear the beginning hang around to hear it. Then of course more people come in at different points and if you don't take a break you'll end up talking nonstop!

Its nice though, you know, people appreciating what you do. They are very interested in it because its something they've never been introduced to. Most people don't know about the Company Laundress and they want to know more. They love the gear, especially the little kids. It's very hands on, very entertaining.

Paring it down will be hard because the spectators seem so interested in everything and I can't bring everything with me! I guess I'm going to have to start writing and practicing until I can pare it down but still be engaging. Ugh...I'm going to have to dye my dresses again. They're so darn sun faded its shameful.

Ohio's Civil War Battlefield

Yes! It's true! Ohio has a Civil War Battlefield. And I never knew about it until I started reenacting. Nobody talks about it. I don't think many people know about it. It always seems to me that the State of Ohio who doesn't really seem to value our history.(I promise not to get going on Zoar) I mean, our school systems never taught it! Can you imagine having a connection to the civil war like that and not having it taught in school? I mean, West Point teaches about it, but the Ohio Schools don't? Oops... Tangent!

Anyway, today I was surfing the web looking up future reenactment locations when I stumbled upon an OHS The Battle of Buffington Island (aka St. Georges Creek Skirmish) web page which shamed me to pieces! Buffington Island has had its own little monument for 20 years! Its a nice little decaying pillar, suffering from apathy and neglect even though the community tries to care for it. It has a nice little park around it also suffering from neglect. There is good news! Our little battlefield has a preservation action plan attached to it and everything! I hope this means the community will get the funds keep it going. I guess if its being taught at West Point, there is something more to it than a generic 3.5 hour battle, right? So here I'll quote from the web page "Buffington Island commemorates the only significant Civil War battle that took place on Ohio soil.

Here a Union army routed a column of Confederate cavalry commanded by General John Hunt Morgan in 1863. Major Daniel McCook, patriarch of the fighting McCook family, consisting of his eight sons and his brother John's five sons, was mortally wounded in the fight.

A monument made of broken Ohio glacial boulders is set in a four acre outdoor park where visitors can enjoy picnics and read the signs describing the history of the area. It is not on an island."

So now we have General Morgan slithering around Southern Ohio, sending fear into the tri-state area only to be hunted down like the dog he was. He was finally captured and after some song and dance about surrendering to one of his prisoners, who granted him a full pardon he ended up in one of Ohio's many prisons. Unlucky for him that he was pretty much surrounded by Union prisons in Ohio. We had, Johnson's Island, Camp Chase and the Ohio Penitentiary which was where he landed.

Research: Laundress Documentation

Okay, I was at a company meeting a few weeks ago and something came up that needed a vote. It would be a vote that only the military would be able to vote on. I raised my hand and said, me too right? Someone automatically responded, "no, you're a civilian." Well of course I argued going through my time worn "I'm the first woman with official status in the US Army" spiel "I get paid by the army. I've got documentation that I'm military." By now,everyone already has a natural reaction to ignore when I'm on a tangent, but one of my beloved company members piped up and said "Hey if you're paid by the Army, it's good enough for me!"

So, what documentation do I have that I'm in the military? Exhibit A is the House of Representatives 49th congress Report No. 204. If laundresses weren't in the military, then why did the house of representatives think they were and spent so much time talking about how they either loved or hated them and then have to vote to discontinue them?

Laundresses in the Army
Yes, its entitled Laundresses in the Army. They were not camp followers, no matter how lousy they they were treated in some cases.

Still not convinced?

Well take a look at this. It is a document containing information of the discharge of Benjamin F. and Catherine Oliphant. This is from the Library of Congress: Laundress discharged

Yes it said laundress/nurse, however, laundresses were called upon to do nursing duties, helping the cook and whatever else was needed at the time. A laundress would do nursing, if needed. Its sad that they ended up a jenny-of-all-trades and weren't given the admiration and respect they deserved. But,the fact is that she was hired in as a laundress and wouldn't get a pension. In most cases, laundresses were from the lower class. Nurses wouldn't call themselves laundresses. You have to remember social class was the know all end all in Victorian society. Notice she went for a pension. I've yet to see if she got it as laundresses with few exceptions didn't get pensions like nurses did. That was 100 shades of wrong. Those women worked their bustles off!

Okay, I'm no expert so if anyone has any corrections, opinions or new information. I'd sure love to see it.


Highest Regards,

Mrs. Peters

Sewing for Dummies

Dang this is cool! You put this thread through this needle thing and you can make really great things! Knock me over with a feather! I'm sewing! No really, I am! Before I said I wasn't going to put up pix of my sad little Sewing-for-Dummies projects but holy heck in a hand-basket! I'm proud of my middle-school level offerings!

I can make skirts! Oh glorious day! I can also make a shirt to wear with the skirt! What do you know about that! I can make it all by myself without calling Mom! Mom is probably elated! I bought a pattern, 2 years ago at a 'getting out of the hobby' sale at the Burton reenactment. It's called the 'Back Porch Dress' by Back Porch Press. I heartily recommend it to all the non-sewers out there. If I can produce a reasonable facsimile of a camp dress anyone can. Trust me, a trained chimpanzee can do it. I can't help being really pleased with myself.

I also got a pattern from 'Past Patterns.' Its a pattern for gentlemens drawers. I know I mentioned it before. Well, pattern in hand, I arrived at Mom's house, eager to learn to make my own laundry. Ends up I just kind of hung out with Mom all day as she studied and complained about the pattern, sending me home the next day pattern, and drawersless. However, the next time I visited there was an almost finished pair of drawers waiting for me. So, I'm like...um I was supposed to do that. The plan was that I was to finish up the drawers, hand sewing the waistband and the fly as well as putting on the ties, and hemming and after that, with that prototype, I was to go solo. So here I sit, on the computer, talking about making drawers instead of actually doing it.

To be fair, I actually started preparing the pattern. So right now my pattern is taped to the kitchen table and I have started to copy the pattern to parchment paper to create a pair of drawers in size 34. Instead of cutting the patterns I copy the pattern. You get the parchment paper on rolls from the grocery store. Its really easy to see through the paper to the pattern and trace it with a sharpie.
So, there it sits as I drink my coffee, play on the internet and sorta watch Supernatural on TV. I suppose I should go and do something productive.

Regards,

Mrs. Peters

Irons in the Fire and Burns on My Hands - My 1st Try at Ironing!

Wow! This ironing thing... all I can say is OUCH! My ironing day went quite well considering I thought it would be a nightmare. It really was not. Yes, I did burn myself quite a few times but that was something I expected. The actual ironing was what I thought would be trying. I expected scorching and burning, neither happened!
I toyed with the idea of a fireplace log but as silly as it sounds, I wanted to smell the wood burning and hear the fire popping. I guess I wanted an authentic experience as possible. I knew I'd enjoy it tremendously.

I started off gathering wood. For easy access, I piled it on the deck, right outside the family room slider facing the back yard. I have a flat skillet or griddle, as some may call it, that I use to set the irons on in the fire. Try as I might, I couldn't find it. Not a happy laundress... I ended up using a cast iron pot my brother Rick found in his chicken coop when he moved into a 100 year old farmhouse 30 years ago. I plan on using it under the fly on rainy days when my large outdoor fire isn't possible because of the weather. It worked for me so well today I may end up using it permanently. Also, think it really helped with keeping the ashes off the irons better. I have a big problem with that at events.

Remember in previous blogs how I mentioned that in growing my laundress gear for my impression, I've started collecting old and antique laundry equipment? Well, I dragged out this really nice wooden ironing board I recently bought and set it up to iron. I started ironing but then felt oh so guilty because I know ironing boards probably weren't used. Mass produced ironing boards were really just in their infancy about then. So, I put away the ironing board and set up the proper way, two wooden chairs.

I have a lot of stuff I haul to the events. I'm trying to downsize my gear but everything I have I pretty much use so I've recently vowed that if I add any new elements to my impression I can not add new items to haul with me unless I take away something else. Up to now I mentioned ironing and showed the spectators the irons in the fire but that was about it for ironing.

Luckily for me (and my solomn vow) my gear includes beaucoup wooden boards and wooden folding chairs, basically everything I needed to set up an ironing presentation. Yay me! and since a major part of my gear is laundry, I also have a lot of sheets, blankets and other things I can use for my ironing board pad and cover. Life is good! Okay with my newly correct ironing space complete, it was time to start ironing. Using a rag to protect my hands, I pulled the first, and heaviest iron from the fire and sat it down on a trivet.

It took about an hour for the irons to heat up completely. I was shocked at how easily the iron flowed across the fabric, how crisp the fabric looked. As I said before I expected to burn or scorch the fabric on my first few tries. It was almost as if I was using a regular iron. But soon, I did notice that in using the irons, as opposed to contemporary irons, that it mattered which way the iron moved. Being right handed I went from left to right, but if I then came back, left to right, my fabric would wrinkle or crease. Going up and down was fine but I just couldn't go backward. My iron was cooling down. It was still hot, as I learned when I flicked water on it and it sizzled, but I guess it wasn't hot enough!

I mentioned how irons cooling down fast in my presentations but I thought cool meant cool not less than blistering hot! And blistering hot it was as I can tell you by experience! I frequently grabbed the handle of the iron without the rag without thinking!

I guess its not really off the beaten path since I also have a habit of poking about the fire and for some reason thinking certain logs wouldn't be hot. Again........OUCH! Figures my daughter got the shot of me burning my hand on the handle!

The Library, Pickled Pigs Feet and the Scorching Heat of Hades, women in the civil war,

Today was library day. I spent 3 hours going through books to see if I could find any references to the Company Laundress. I didn't. Well, I suppose I did find the word, once. It was a reference to low class hospital workers. Other than that -nada!
I was just going to scan the pages, looking for a few keywords in hopes of finding some kind of information however small.

I can't say it was a waste of time as I found myself reading instead of scanning. I ended up checking out 4 of the 6 books I'd sat down with. There's one book I just couldn't part with, Sunday Mercury - Writing and Fighting the Civil War. Soldier Correspondence to the New York Sunday Mercury. What a good book! Although, so far, I haven't found laundress info, the book is interesting and a really great way to to get a glimpse of what was in the guys heads. I never knew they thought of the sutlers as blood sucking vampires and pretty passionately too! I couldn't put it down so I checked it out so I could go back and read the pages I'd merely scanned. The other 3 I haven't started reading yet. I found out the library is going to do a four month to-do on the Civil War starting in March. The kind lady that assisted me with my search took my name and number just in case there was something I could be involved with in the future. I hope there is.

In one of my recent antique shop treks I bought a "Mrs Potts" style sad iron. You know, the ones with the detachable wooden handle. Too bad I can't use them at reenactments. It wasn't patented until the 1870s. I wonder if they were available before the patent date. I'd love to use them. My old and antique laundry equipment collection grows! Tomorrow is D-Day. I'm going to get up-close and personal with my irons.

Also in an antique store I saw a tripod drying rack. Its not period correct as its from the 1920s but I really want it bad! I started reading up on drying methods and found that I have here at home, a few items that I can use. Hooray! I really need drying racks. This past year was so wet that having something to dry laundry in the tent would have been priceless!

I was getting all excited because I finally decided that I wanted to go to antietam 150th reenactment next year. But in classic Mrs. Peters fashion reality rained on my parade. Now, I could be reading this wrong but only A-Frame tents are allowed? I have a hospital tent.

(I think) Its roomy enough for me and my kids and it was the only tent I could afford. I'm thinking I can't use it. I'm going to have to get clarification on that. I'd really like to do one of the anniversary reenactments. I guess any large one would do, maybe Gettysburg if someone else in the unit was going. Let me rephrase that; I'd really like to do one of the anniversary reenactments. I guess any large one would do, any large one whose climate isn't that of the scorching heat of Hades and have large animals dying from said intolerable heat. Yes, I'm a wimp.

I'm also gathering recipes to make in camp next year. I want quick and easy, yet period correct. My mom is a wealth of information...and a wealth of weirdness. She likes pickled pigs feet. I love my mom so much. She's the greatest mom on the planet but for me that is so wrong on so many levels. Luckily she has never greeted me at the door with a big plate full. Geez, which would I choose..pickled pigs feet or the scorching heat of Hades? Anyone know how to make smores?

Motivated

I'm sitting here feeling all proud of myself. I went to bed last night, or should I say morning since it was 3am...and got up Tuesday morning at 7am. Lyle had not roused her lazy butt out of bed to go to school so I woke her up. She was pretty impressive, she got ready in like 10 minutes and was out the door! Anyway, I decided to stay up instead of go back to bed. (I get home from work about 1am) I got so much done!

Monday night I'd started to practice skirt making. I have a pretty blue-green, perhaps one might call it aqua-colored fabric and decided to make a pleated skirt. Now, mind you, I've never made a skirt in my life, let alone pleats but I thought now was as good a time as any to learn! And as surprising as it is, it doesn't seem to be turning out so badly! The only bad thing about it is that the body wearing it belongs to me! I'm not the thinnest or most fit person on the planet. Okay, brass tacks time here, I'm pretty much a blob.

A while back I bought a rebounder and started using it! Every day , mind you! But the strangest thing happened. Every time I exercised, I ended up having a hard time breathing and my chest hurt for a week afterward! I went to my doctor and what he told me really made me feel like I was poster child for the 'biggest-losers-on-the-planet!" I have.......get this and I'm not making it up....exercise induced asthma!!! I kid you not! It exists! I have an inhaler I don't use because I am so tired of 'disorder of the month club', little pissy ailments that I end up getting. If my lungs aren't popping or falling out of my body, no medicine. Forget it!

Omg..total tangent time (TTT) okay, so where was I?. My skirt. I'm shocked at how not so sucky it is for a first try! I was going to show a pic of my maiden voyage but just as quickly decided against it. Why look at my unworthy scraps when there are many women Civil War Reenactors blogging here that can show you incredible masterpieces! I was roaming the blogs and saw an incredible laundress blog called 'The Laundress is In' You want to see a talented person? Check it out. I'm not kidding!


Oh god TTT again... Anyway No, my attempt is not a work of art but neither is it something to be embarrassed about considering I'm winging it! No pattern! I guess its just dabbling. I am, however, serious about making men's drawers and shirts to hang or crumple around Suds Row. I'm going to my Mom's house over the weekend and she's going to show me how to do it. I'm also putting together pin cushions. Why? I have no idea why. I guess its just that they're just so darn pretty.

What I really like doing is making washboards! In fact, I think it was my first blog, I'd mentioned that the little kiddie-poohs liked washboards. So, I'm making washboards that will attach (probably) by rope to a large tub so the future company laundresses and laundrymen can scrub to their heart's content. I think I'm going to ask the parents if my personal photographer (my husband) can take pix to use on my blog. The kids are just so darn cute when they're obsessed for 10 minutes then go away.

Its kinda neat that winter is upon us. Last year I vowed I'd spend the time putting together my impression, experimenting in cooking, mastering the laundress profession and spending time at the library researching. I didn't do any of those things, but this year I'm so motivated for some reason.

Oh wow it's 2am. I'm going to motivate myself right into dreamland.

Goodnight!

Mrs. Peters

Reenactment: ZOAR, Ohio

It's funny, Zoar was kinda like Hale Farm except not sucky. We were all psyched up to go and expected a chorus of angels, to be pitching our tent on a cloud, all the gods and goddesses would be in uniform... It kinda didn't happen that way. Don't get me wrong it was great. We had a really good time, lol, too good on Saturday night I must admit with a shamed blush.

See, what it is , is that Zoar was the second reenactment we'd ever participated in. We were mustered in at Hale Farm ( We were spectators) in August of '09, did a small reenactment in Hartville, now its called 'Black Horse' in Ravenna, Ohio. So the second re-enactement we did was Zoar. Zoar is a big deal in Ohio, its the biggest event in the state. I took Friday off from work so so we could go in early. We ended up getting there around 7pm I believe, and no one was there to direct us to where we were supposed to set up, It wasn't too long before we were shown where though. I was set up near the water source but away from our unit. I don't like being away from my unit. I am a company laundress! I am in the military! I am the first woman recognized by the US Army, I am the first woman with official status in the camp! I am not a civilian! I am a rock! I am an island! And, I'd be lonely so far away! I like my unit! They are all a great group of people and I am probably the biggest whiner you'll ever meet, so they gave me a really great spot on the edge of camp. lol, honestly I think they all humor me so they'll not have to listen to me any more than they have to! So anyway, we ended up putting up the tent in the dark. Yes, they all made sure my tent was up and my stuff unloaded. IMHO, they treat me like gold and for that I am very grateful.

I cooked for Lyle and myself at Zoar. Ok, well I guess I must admit this up front. Lyle/Lily tends to sneak off to the Flying Turtle to indulge in a few bottles of rootbeer and other goodies while I'm not looking. So, I'm guessing they're feeding her/him more than I am...No worries, Lyle/Lily has a good appetite while reenacting. It was tough for her. In this event, there wasn't enough guns to go around. Lyle uses a loaner when she goes to battle. Because of this she was not included in a couple of cool military things that weekend and ended up with a bad case of hurt feelings. Being the trouper she is, she got over it fast. She's a great kid. Like I said in previous posts, I miss having her around Suds Row.

I thought I was going to be able to try out some of the things I've been neglecting this time, but as usual, I didn't. I have a laundry list of things I need to learn and practice like: starching, ironing, Oh, one thing I did finally get the hang of was tending the fire. As a matter of fact everyone said I was practically glued to the fire! Ha! At least it didn't go out! Lyle got into it too!

We borrowed Doreen's fire blowey thingie. Roy said he was going to make one for us as well. Roy is a camping guru I kid you not. He made my stakes for my tent, is going to make the fire thing. He also made a stove for Doreen to cook over! Pretty cool huh? One cool guy that Roy!

I got to use my yoke again! Boy did I haul water. I'm telling you, I felt like thats all I did the whole time! You'd think with all the non stop activity at a Civil War Reenactment, one might shed a few pounds, at least water-weight! But NOOO! As you can see in the picture, I've shed nothing but dignity.

You can't see him but my husband is the one taking the picture and the whole time he is reciting that Dane Cook thing about how the victorian people didn't smile on purpose. I'm trying not to smile and he's in front of me yelling, don't smile, look she smiled! She looks like she's happy to be alive! She ruined the picture!

See that brown and white apron? =======>>

That is made from one of those incredibly cheap (at a thrift store) button up, sleeveless 100% cotton summer dresses! All you have to do is cut off the buttons and then cut off the bodice leaving a bit of fabric for a waistband. Cut the skirt part to the fullness you desire. Then fashion the ties from the left over material and sew them into the waistband. Some dresses actually have ties on them so all the work is pretty much done! Lazy, cheap and easy! See? I actually took one of my irons out of the fire!

Okay, so Saturday night. I love the campfires. I love sitting around the campfires talking. I especially love it when someone has an instrument and plays and when sometimes there is singing! At Zoar there was good conversation, good Jagermeister and a few other yummy things. Life is good at reenactments, very good indeed.

Guns Aren't as Fun as Lye Soap, Bluing and Wringing Out Sheets!

I think I have abandonment issues. I miss my BBG! Darn that infantry! How can she feel that guns are more fun than lye soap, bluing and wringing out sheets? I mean, whats up with that? With my issues aside I must admit it's really fun seeing how excited she is. Instead of sitting around shaving soap (Lily's specialty) and whining (another of Lily's specialties) she's out there absorbing the military experience with gusto! Even Captain Jack and Roy, her ever supportive mentor, have complimented her on how fast she picks things up and demonstrate a decent performance. I'm proud, very proud.

I miss my son Wil. He started college this semester and is more interested in girls, studying, girls, classes, girls, computer programing and ...well...girls. It would be so nice if he and Lily could be in the infantry together but he is so selfish and self-absorbed he continues to desire to live his own life and ignore the nagging and whining of his over bearing mother who wants him to live exclusively for Civil war reenacting! Oh the insolence!

Oh, yeah I forgot, last weekend we were at Lawnfield, that's President Garfield's home, doing living history. And guess what?? IT RAINED!!! OMG we actually arrived on time this time but had to wait out the rain to put up the tent! I honestly thought we were going to have to go home but it stopped and the rest of the weekend was beautiful. I had a really exciting moment there. A member of the 8th Ohio compliment my presentation. It made me so happy! I'm a positive reinforcement addict!

Time for work, I bid you adieu!

Mrs. Peters

All about Zoar and Lyle Cleaning Her Gun!

I think Lyle was the belle of the ball! (not speaking literally of course) She is really picking up the Infantry stuff really fast! Everyone is impressed! Lily is even cleaning her own gun after use! Here are a few pictures of her first lesson. She was so eager to learn it all. She is so excited to go to events now. Our next event is in Zoar, Ohio. Its our biggest event.

I can't wait for Zoar. Zoar , if I remember correctly, was settled by German Separatists. They borrowed money from their church in Philly and headed out to the Western Reserve. I think the story is that no one told them it was cold in Ohio and also that the foot traffic was zero to none! So there the poor Germans dwelled, almost starving and freezing to death until by the grace of the gods the canal was scheduled to come through. By then the little town had become a communal society to survive. Everyone worked, everyone got the same food, cloth, fuel etc. Soon the young men and women started to marry and stop working in favor of raising their families. That caused a severe man/womanpower issue resulting in a ban on marriage. And also, of one had a child over 3 years old, the poor kid was forced away from Mom and Dad to live in a dormitory, one for boys and one for girls. Can you imagine? Talk about living in Suckville. Well the folk in town were paid to dig their part of the canal and they made enough cash to pay off their debt. However, being exposed to the the people who came down the canal enlightened the young men and women to the 'real world.' They wanted their freedom and later the communal community was disbanded. I'm sure there is more to it but that's my story and I'm sticking to it. The buildings and stuff have all been restored and its really a pretty cool place to visit.

Anyway, I guess I'm alone in Suds Row for the rest of the summer and fall. It's no big deal, the amount of people who stop by are really interested in hearing about the Company Laundress is unreal. Very few people walk away before I'm finished and there are always questions. I get kind of a high when a spectator stops by and knows nothing about the Company Laundress; The first woman with official status in the U.S. Army. Men and women alike, they want to know more!

Anyway, I still don't know why the gun thing is such a big deal. I mean...everyone had toy guns as a kid right? Everyone has played with a toy gun! Old news! How many people get to play with Lye soap? With wash tubs and with an honest to goodness yoke to haul water...huh? Huh? We laundresses have LOTS of fun! TONS of fun! I mean when you think of fun the first thing that pops into your mind is the washboard! Yup! Not only does it have a mundane job during the day, it's part of the music scene at night!

So Many Rusty Irons in the Fire!

Yes, yes, I've had many Irons in the fire over the past few days, both figuratively and literally. I have been promising myself to clean the irons for a few months now. I started having them on the fire for the spectators to see. Good God, I have no clue as to how our founding mothers kept the soot and ash off the freaking things. They got caked with dirt and soot and who knows what else. I tried to give them a quick cleaning in Chesterland but honestly there is no quick cleaning when it comes to cast iron. So, and I have no idea why, but for some majorly moronic reason, at Hale Farm, I left my cast iron metals outside in the rain. Talk about rust. It was nasty, so nasty that I was always 'going to clean them later.' I guess what motivated me was that my brother Rick found a cast iron pot in his chicken coop - I think that's what it was built for- and offered it to me. It was caked with rust. That thing had have been buried in that building for well over 30 years at the least! Its really a nice pot and I figured if it couldn't be saved, at least I could use it to put a fire inside for the rainy days when one can't keep a fire going.

So, yesterday I decided to tackle the rusty issues in my life. I did the first round of cleaning and I must say, I've completely impressed myself! Most of the rust is gone! I still need to do another round of cleaning though. I saw a few different methods on the internet I'd like to try one being a rotary Iron brush. But like I said before, they came out really good for the first try considering the heavy rust that originally covered them. Its really strange too; I guess it must be the lighting but I can't see the rust that still remains on them unless I take a picture of them and look at the photo! They look black to the naked eye, but rusty through a digital lens.


My one of my figurative irons in the fire is my washing dolly. As I described in an earlier blog, the stem broke the first time it was used in a tub of heavy laundry. I guess pine is a soft wood and not suitable for the workload of a washing dolly. So over the weekend I visited my Mom. Mom, my Sister-in-Law, Linda and I visited Home Depot and I got two oak dowels. The maiden voyage of the new and improved Oak Dolly will be this weekend.

The third iron in the fire, is that I finished one of my little washboards. It turned out great until I got the stupid idea of staining it and now it looks horrible. Oh well, I guess that's what sanders are for. Seems to me that I need to build a nice little altar to Hephaistos. I sure can use the help! I also I started a wooden sign for my presentation hours. Its one of those wooden calendars people used to love years ago. You know, the ones where you slide the little tiles in for the days of the week, the date, the month, etc... People soon learned it was a product unworthy of the time it takes to remove and reset the calendar. I found it one reasonably priced at a thrift store and am reworking it to suit my purpose. Its kinda neat! I really like it but I'm not sure if I love it yet.

OH! I forgot the most important of all my irons here! The fourth iron! Woohoo! I got my sewing machine fixed! Now, let me make one thing perfectly clear. I don't know how to sew. Recently I did take a learn-all-about-your-sewing machine class too and now I am rip roaring and ready to go! I'm working on an apron. One might say I'm cheating on that first project but what one calls cheating, another calls brilliance! Will talk more about that in a future blog


Sincerely,

Mrs. Peters

When All Good Little Civil War Reenactors Die, They Go to Broadview Heights!

I you are a good little Civil War Reenactor, when you die, you go to Broadview Heights, Ohio! Our last reenactment had to be the best one yet! It was a small event, yet a wonderful event. I'd planned to arrive the night before but ended up not feeling well at all. I have this pain-in-the-butt thing called fibromyalgia that (among other things) just annihilates me with any tiny-teeny weather change. What a waste of a day-off. Anyway we arrived that morning, late. John and Roy, two, wonderful, awesome , great guys of my unit put my tent up for Lily and me.

Oh wait a minute...Did I say Lily? You know, Lily, my adorable, wacky daughter and side-kick? Sorry, I mean to say "Lyle", my adorable and wacky teenage girl pretending to be a boy in the 7th Ohio Volunteer infantry. "Yes!" I emote, conflicted with her choice to abandon her mother in the laundry in favor of having great fun out in battle with the unit. Hmmm...Laundry, or fun...Laundry or fun...God that's a tough one! lol, oh well, I have to say, I do enjoy watching her be so enthusiastic now. Its obvious that she was enduring the laundress gig just for dear old mom! Love ya Lyle! Yes, she not only has a new persona, Lyle the transvestite soldier, she has a new enthusiasm. One can't help but chuckle!

So anyway, So I started to set up on Suds Row. It was slow going as bad as I was feeling. I didn't get my fire this time, which to me is a huge buzz-kill. My impression seems half-assed without it and feeling as cruddy as I did everything was an excuse to bum out. Gosh darn those Broadview Heights folks! Every time I was all revved up to shut down they came over like guardian angels! No lie! Get this! I'm putting up all my sstuff all...'Oh god I have to get water...I don't want to haul water...I'm going to die hauling water...I HATE water! I wish water didn't exist....blah blah blah blah...blah!" So suddenly, out of nowhere, this I don't know what it was...maybe a golf cart kind of thing? Two guys stop by and say..."Need anything?" I'm standing there with my wretched buckets in hand. "No, but thank you for asking", I say. "We can fill your buckets for you!" They say with a smile. I'm all "Huh? Really? OK!" and hand over the buckets. No lie! They came by to fill by buckets constantly though-out the event! Water is a good thing! Water is a good good wonderful thing! Oh, oh and it gets better!!!! On one of the Angelmobile visits that morning I ask, "Do you have ice?" Probably all events offer ice, straw too sometimes, for not what I would call a small charge. One of the Saints on the vehicle replies,

"Oh yeah! How many do you want?" "How much?" I ask.

"Nothing." The young man responds, It's free."

"Really? Can I have two bags?"

"Sure!" They motor way happily and return with 2 large bags of ice! I'm telling you people were rejoicing in the camp! Lyle was called away to guard the Mayor's tent. An ugly mood was rising. Talk of sucession was splitting this boarder town right down the middle! I heard that shots were fired! Duck Lyle!

It was Lyle's first battle! Lyle was shot and killed in the latter part of the battle. She shot the gun, which is hysterically, almost as big as she is! I loved every second of it. I wish my son Wil wasn't so busy with college stuff. It would be so cool to have both of them there. Here is a link to a few photos from a professional photographer's site. They took the pictures there.

So anyway, Dinner was like, half a roasted chicken, corn on the cob, omg..to die for little red potatoes drenched in butter , cake , watermellon, coffe, iced tea or lemonade...My God, I'm not worthy!

They did have a dance, and gave away kick-ass cookies there. Lyle and I got lost going to Giant Eagle to find provisions for the next day. she/he missed the first dance since she/he started reenacting. It was indoors! So we retired for the night, exhausted but incredibly happy. Next morning breakfast was provided. Pancakes, sausage, coffee and orange juice! Someone who was organizing the event must be a perfectionist, obsessive compulsive or something that motivates them to strive and achieve infinate perfection! The pancakes were served by flipping them into the air and the diner having to catch them on their plate! OMG it was soo entertaining!

For lunch we made sandwiches with the items we bought the night before, Lyle survived that battle that day and again was called to guard the mayor's tent. Someone told me they saw 'my boy' talking to the women of ill repute, Ha! Lies! The joke is on them! 'Lyle' likes the plumb cake Miss Lily, madame of the Chateau de reposte, serves. She is a very nice lady!

lol we packed up about 3pm. Thank you Broadview Heights! I look forward to next year!

Epic Fail at Hale!

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Hale Farm, Home Sweet Home

The kids and I signed up with the 7th OVI at Hale Farm, two years ago this weekend. I'm sitting here with butterflies in my tummy for some reason. Well, not just 'some reason' but because its our anniversary. Spousie and I have been taking the kids to Hale Farm's 'Drums of August' since Jesus was a baby. (Ok, since they were babies...same difference)It was the first reenactment I'd ever been to and I was so enamored, it became an annual family event. (similar to the former annnual Gettysburg pilgrimage - more on that later) So, actually participating in the event as Reenactors is just, to me anyway, like..The brass ring..like a dream come true ,like oh good Goddess it's just plain monumental! And although last year was our first full year reenacting, to my dismay, our unit didn't go Hale Farm! Talk about wailing and nashing of teeth! So anyway, the last year's loss makes it so much more exciting this year! Ok, I know what you're thinking. - Here's a quarter,there's a two for one sale at Lives-R-Us, go buy a couple!- and you're probably right to some extent. but as for me, I couldn't be happier!

Snatching Victory From the Jaws of Defeat

I bit the bullet. I decided to buy 2 canvas buckets to use on my shoulder yoke. Oh ok, yeah, the my kids will be using it. I've had canvas buckets before and loved them, but Spousie commandeered all my shelving units in our garage, tossing my stuff aside for his own and somehow lost the buckets.

Anyway I went to Amazon and found the buckets and bought 2. They came on the wings of Mercury; I was so impressed. But being impressed ended there. These wonderful Rothco buckets (yeah! Rothco! I can't even fathom any of their products sucking so bad!) leak like storm clouds. Talk about being ticked off. I filled them at my kitchen sink and took them out front to hang on the porch to see how well they faired. Omg. My kitchen and hallway were soaked.

Talk about heartbreaking, especially since I parted with $28 for sub-quality merchandise. Geez, I don't even know if sub-quality is the proper adjective to describe an item that can not be used for the purpose for which it was created. How about: sucky, worthless, crappy...

I'm not sure why but I'm one of those dumbarses that hate returning things. I'm not going to return them but I am going to warn all unsuspecting water-bearers to steer clear of Rothco canvas buckets. So, "Mrs. Peters, what of the buckets" you ask? Well, seeing as I own them, I in good conscience can't just discard them so I think I might make one into a camp shower. I'm serious. These leak so bad that they actually will be an easy way to clean up, hang them from a tree and wash your hair, right? Also I guess I can cut up the other one for patches to use to repair the holes in my tent and possibly replace the seats on my camp stools. Why not snatch victory from the jaws of defeat!

Fabulous Finds!

How often are one's frivolous desires fulfilled as if bequeathed by the gods?? Not often in my experience, but recently I've stumbled across a few hard to find finds. Kinda like a mini bequeath-a-thon. Get this! 'bout 2 weeks ago while making my weekly pilgrimage to my fav thrift stores, lo and behold look what was waiting for me!

Not only is this folding rocking chair beautiful, it was only $25! Beautiful doesn't cover it! How grand this will look in my humble, yet palatial tent sweet tent! Another item I literally tripped over is my yoke. Leisurely purusing the offerings at an antique mall type store, my foot hit the yoke which was dangerously, I guess is a good way of putting it, leaning against a door frame. It fell, I yelped with glee (No, not Finn, Rachel and Kurt) recognizing an item I thought all but eluded me. Online these things were $100+. Oh happy day! I guess the secret to finding these kinds of things is to go to your thrift and antique stores often, even though most of the time you'll be bored out of your gourd seeing the same stuff week after week.


I've tried so hard to scale down. I've actually taken inventory of the stuff I bring to events and cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye, there isn't anything I can leave out except a few decorative lanterns! I think my 2 major space hogs are my washtub table and the fly and its kazillion poles. The table is an old, wooden square thing that is incredibly heavy. I snatched it up from someone's tree-lawn on garbage night a year or so ago. I'm trying to find something that could match the ambience of the set up. Woe is me.

Beef Stew, Enamored Youngins and the Chamber Pot Comeback Tour

It was so nice at the living history event this past weekend. It was the maiden voyage of my new old tent and the first leg of the chamber pot comeback tour. I must say, I love the chamber pot. Woo-Hoo! I went potty at night...slithering out and into my bed, barely opening my eyes!

I spent all day, the day before fixing the darn thing. I'm no wood wizard so it really did literally take all day! However, it was well worth it indeed. The chamber pot, you say? Yes! and that does mean that my offspring didn't accompany me to this event. My daughter was feeling poorly and my son was taking a computer security class. I'm sure the reasons were sound, at least I think they were...hope they were...kinda

I cooked for myself this time! I made beef stew! Because of space issues I used a few short cuts like pre-cooked meat but omg it was so good! Besides the meat the only other foods I brought were fruits and veggies: potatoes, green beans, onions, apples, oranges, peaches, carrots etc. I wanted to make biscuits and breakfast foods but my daughter got sick while we were grocery shopping so we rushed home and I forgot my ice and other ingredients. Oh well, C' est la vie! There's always next time.

Boy was I exhausted! Hauling water all day in 90 degree weather isn't exactly a walk in the park. Check that bucket out! I got it at a Renaissance Faire. Its heavy when it's empty so imagine it full of water! Not only that, my legs are covered with bruises from where the bucket hit my legs while carrying it. Poor me...Poor, Poor me!

One of the more popular parts of the demonstration for the kids is the blue bag. Imagine my horror at experiencing a blue bag malfunction! I was robbed the oohs and ahhs of the usual excited bright-eyed children in awe of the magic I perform, turning clear water to blue. Seriously, the little ones love it. They also love washboards. I have small buckets for the tiny teenies, and my soaking tub for the bigger young ones who pose no risk falling into the soaking tub and getting hurt. They love taking garment to copper and scrubbing away. Its cute, very cute. However, what isn't cute are the magical mothers who disappear, leaving said enamored youngins in Suds Row, and for some reason expect the laundress to play governess! Yeah! Seriously! If you're a mom you understand that although the child has no business trailing you like a duckling, you can't just shush it away and tell it to go find mommy, good luck and have a good life! I never let my kids out of sight and seeing that so many do is frightening!

Chamber Pot Blues

Two weeks ago I bought a tent from this guy at a reenactment. Its a huge panther tent, 2 doors, ties on the inside and outside. He sold it to me for $250 because there are 2 small holes in the roof where a mouse feasted. I'm in seventh heaven; There's enough room to fit all of us comfortably!

I hate port-a-potties. I hate and despise port-a-potties and I do have a really kick-ass chamber pot that I never had room for in the tent we were borrowing. (Thank you Jack!) It looks like an end table but when you lift the hinged lid there's a wooden toilet seat also on hinges; lift the toilet seat and there's a bucket with a lid. Pretty awesome huh? I've had it for like 20 years, it was just another item in my unusual furniture collection, sitting next to my camel saddle "foot stool."

At our last event, my friends and I were discussing the merit of chamber pots and how to make one conducive to one's personal camp lifestyle, including using kitty litter to control the odor. After buying the tent, I gushed on to my children about how we now could have a chamber pot and not have to use the those stinky urine soaked large plastic medieval torture devices any more!

OMG! You would have thought I told them that we were going to use their cots instead! They totally freaked! I'm sitting here like, Hello? You'd rather park yourself where a billion other people have gone before? You want the hem of your skirt touch a floor more bacteria infected than a Victorian surgeon's knife? They can't fathom being in a room with something you poop in! Hello? We do have 3 toilets in our house! Who are you and what have you done with my children?? They're totally not backing down and neither am I!

Well, we are still battling over it and my final word is you can sleep in, or out of the tent. Its your choice. Mother has spoken!

Project #2 - The Washboard

So, I saw this washboard online and thought for some reason, I have no idea why, that I'd just die if I couldn't have one like it. Well, odds were pretty good that death loomed, so to cheat death, I decided to try and make one! Pretty ambitious for someone who hasn't yet got the hang of Play-dough. I'd never made anything so labor intensive before, but still I convinced myself that it didn't look like it would be too hard to copy...and surprisingly, I was right.

I use a lot of wooden boards in my impression so I grabbed a small one and took file to wood trying to re-create it!

I started off using the dremmel for both the handle and the grooves, but found out that doing the grooves with a metal file, by hand, produced a nicer finished product. There's still a bit of tweaking to do on it but I've used it in the past couple of events. I have to say, I'm pretty proud of it.

Project #1 The Washing Dolly

Ok...so its not a drill, its a dremmel but I bet I could find a drill in the garage if I looked!

I wanted a washing dolly and it didn't look so very difficult to make. So, I went to a craft store, bought a little milking stool and dowels. It really didn't take much to put it together and it worked great! Well, until I had a multitude of clothing in my boiling kettle and the dumb handle broke through the large dowel! Not a happy laundress. Anyway I was told to get harder wood, go out and get a broom handle and it should work. So that I'll do before our living history gig in July. Film at 11.

Set up on suds row

It will be 2 years in August that I set up on Suds Row.  I'd always wanted to reenact, and just as luck would have it, unbeknownst to me, friends of my husband  (Pam and Kevin) had been reenacting for 20 years and encouraged me and the kids to join the unit!   My son joined the infantry, and my daughter and I became laundresses. 

Mind you, I knew nothing about my new position, lucky for me I love research.  I dove right in. So here I sit, 2 years later. My husband complaining about having to dedicate 1/4 of the garage to my hobby, and my kids making fun of me. "Yes Mom, we know, we know...you found 3 pronged forks."
I love the time I spend with Lily, we two, side by side the whole weekend long! There she is in action! lol, to be fair, she was exhausted. The event was a mudbath and it rained like nobody's business. It's been 2 years and finally I feel comfortable. I have a decent impression. I got stuff. I'm not so bad at public speaking and gosh darn it.....I got my own fire this year! Woo hoo! And even greater than that is that Lily is growing in her presentation and public speaking skills.