It's that time of year again! You may have started your Record books and while it can seem tedious you may find use of it in the future, either during an interview, or just looking back on the past. My grandmother's record book is a bit of a historic document. She began 4-H in 1955, in one of the then numerous 4-H groups in Iowa and things sure were different! She was required to write down all of her purchases from ice cream to the movies in her record book. In an effort to teach kids to be leaders, each child got to take a turn in all the officer positions and the only role of adults was to teach the kids how to lead. Her club had about 12 girls in it. Yes, you read that correct! The girls were traditionally to join only the feminine projects, decorating, sewing, and cooking in 4-H. My grandmother, Gwen grew up on a large corn and cattle ranch. Since she was a girl, she was restricted to helping her mother in the house rather than raising animals for the fair or wrangling cattle on horseback like her big brother. Back then they plowed by walking behind the horses that were attached to the plow! By the time she had joined 4-h her father had bought their first tractor.
I'm not sure what you imagine when you think of a cooking project but back then it was quite an ordeal! Ovens were fueled by, you guessed it, wood! In her club they focused on a different project each year such as canning or pie baking. Imagine cooking before timers, that was a reality when she was in 4-H, one of her chores was to sit in front of the oven watching for when the food was done! The sewing project was also different. By the time she was five she was already sewing doll clothes and learning embroidery. When she joined 4-h in fourth grade, her mother had taught her to use the sewing machine. I'm not sure what you picture as a sewing machine but back then you powered it with your feet, and it was a menace, one fowl move and you lose your finger. Even so, Gwen was sewing all her clothes through 4-H by the time she entered high school. At the fair she would often put sewing projects on hangers to display them as well as different projects that she baked, much like the Placer County Fair. It's crazy how much you can learn about the past just by talking to your grandparents! Who knew that just two generations ago people used horse drawn carriages to get to church? So next time you hear the words, “Back in my day...” listen, you never know what you'll learn along the way!