Cold House

[cowboy43]

The ole house in which I was raised was built in 1880, it did not have studs in the walls , the 1x12 vertical lumber was the walls and supported the roof, the wind blew through the walls and windows, at nite it would get as cold inside as it was outside, the only heat was a fireplace, no electricity , running water or indoor plumbing, so all my married life I have provided a warm house for the wife and kids, the first years of our married life the wife was pregnant and barefooted but she was warm, it was different times back in the 50's and 60's., It was some poor Texans back then, but we asked for no hand outs. I credit my work ethics and success on the way I was raised.

 

[Ouachita]

Sounds alot like my raising, except sounds like I'm a generation younger. The house still stands, and except for the cobwebs, appears the same as the day they died. They had "insulated" the walls by decoratively papering the inside surface with news paper. Some of it is still there and ledgible. Headlines from Pearl Harbor through the Kennedy era. The gaps in the floor boards got covered with linoleum in the mid 70's, and I can remember my mom and granny smiling like 2 possums eating shyt. They cooked with wood inside the house, shyt outside the house, and carried water till the end

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

As a friend of mine once said, no need to go outside to tell which way the wind was a blowing, just watch the curtains.

 

[Ouachita]

I've woke up in a bedroom with frozen snot on my upper lip, with the main wood stove glowing red in the next room and granny cooking on the wood cook stove too. Insulation is right next to the wheel in my opinion, depending on the circumstances as to which one is preferred

 

[kenny thomas]

I think we always had electricity but a couple lights and a refrigerator was all we had. Carried water and sometimes set the water bucket in the frig to keep the water from freezing at night. Snow blew in around the windows at times. The good old days were not so good.

 

[presmudjo]

Our family house was put on the county books 1854. We had electric and the kitchen had water. I remember mom waking me one morning saying don't open the covers and slipped my snow pants under and said put them on. Dad was busy bringing in the old round wood stove to hook up again. My oldest brother had graduated and worked at a place that sold and installed furnaces. We had one installed. It was wonderful, until that morning it quit.

 

[branguscowgirl]

Well, my old house now is a bit like what you describe. It was built in 1910! It has lath and plaster walls. Last night I could feel the wind blow through cracks in the plaster! My only heat is a wood stove. And yes, you can tell which direction the wind is blowing by watching the curtains! Slowly but surely I am restoring it to it's original grandeur, but adding some modern amenities. She is a very beautiful old house with all the original woodwork, door knobs and heavy support beams. I am told by the locals that it was one of the most beautiful farm houses in the area back in the day! So though I have to live a little uncomfortable at times, it is all worth it to have this old house! If her walls could talk, I would love to hear the stories!

 

[Ryder]

To do a minor hijack-I told someone today that I was sure glad I didn't have to get up to milk this morning in a naturally "air conditioned" dairy barn.
Even more so glad I didn't have to clean up the lot. Those shovel handles can get very cold. :help: :frowns: :hide:

 

[Calman]

In the old farm house I was raised in the boys slept upstairs and it was not unusual to wake up in the morning with powdery snow on top of the quilts. But man it was warm buried beneath those quilts in a soft feather bed.

Cal

 

[greybeard]

In the old farm house I was raised in the boys slept upstairs and it was not unusual to wake up in the morning with powdery snow on top of the quilts. But man it was warm buried beneath those quilts in a soft feather bed.

Cal

Sure made it hard to get out of bed too--that floor is cold on bare feet. I didn't grow up in that kind of house, but used to visit my relatives out in Nolan County, Texas that did. Quilts on top of quilts on top of quilt. Outhouse wasn't nearly as bad in winter--I gues frozen truds don't smell as much.

 

[3waycross]

In the old farm house I was raised in the boys slept upstairs and it was not unusual to wake up in the morning with powdery snow on top of the quilts. But man it was warm buried beneath those quilts in a soft feather bed.

Cal

It helped if you were wearing a "union suit" too.

 

[Caustic Burno]

The ole house in which I was raised was built in 1880, it did not have studs in the walls , the 1x12 vertical lumber was the walls and supported the roof, the wind blew through the walls and windows, at nite it would get as cold inside as it was outside, the only heat was a fireplace, no electricity , running water or indoor plumbing, so all my married life I have provided a warm house for the wife and kids, the first years of our married life the wife was pregnant and barefooted but she was warm, it was different times back in the 50's and 60's., It was some poor Texans back then, but we asked for no hand outs. I credit my work ethics and success on the way I was raised.

My Grandmas house was the one she was raised in and she was born in 1880.
I used to lay in my grandmas house at night in bed with so many quilts on you couldn't move.
It always amazed me you could lay in bed and see the stars through the cedar shake roof and it never leaked.
Pray you didn't need to go to the outhouse.
That was absolutely the coldest house ever built in Texas

 

[Caustic Burno]

Flashback to my youth this morning.
Central heat went out while we were down at the kids this weekend.
Mrs. and I walked into a cold house last night, fired off the fire place and everything was just fine until.
This morning shivering until I could get that fire kicked off again brought back memories of how much I hate cold.
Going to the barn and breaking out the Dearborn this morning.

 

[1982vett]

I've woke up in a bedroom with frozen snot on my upper lip, with the main wood stove glowing red in the next room and granny cooking on the wood cook stove too. Insulation is right next to the wheel in my opinion, depending on the circumstances as to which one is preferred

Can't say I've ever woke up with frozen snot on me....but I do seem to recollect an incident about a frozen goldfish. I think my sister and I were worried about them being outside in the cow trough so he fished them out, put them in a gallon jar and brought them inside for us. :lol: Yeah, that old house could get cold.

 

[houstoncutter]

I wont own a house that doesn't have a woodburning stove..Very seldom do we ever fire off the gas furnance...Just fire up the ol wood burner and turn on the ac fan motor and it spreads heat throughout the whole house. I have to admit though that I am going to have to buy a log splitter.... just getting too worn out to split wood anymore.

 

[TexasBred]

In the old farm house I was raised in the boys slept upstairs and it was not unusual to wake up in the morning with powdery snow on top of the quilts. But man it was warm buried beneath those quilts in a soft feather bed.

Cal

Our old house was so cold you could fart and it was a solid. Put on the mantle over the fireplace and it would eventually thaw enough to explode and smell. Now that's cold. :lol2: :lol2: :bs: :bs: :bs:

 

[Calman]

Our old house was so cold you could fart and it was a solid. Put on the mantle over the fireplace and it would eventually thaw enough to explode and smell. Now that's cold. :lol2: :lol2: :bs: :bs: :bs:[/quote]

:clap: :lol: :lol:

Cal

 

[Caustic Burno]

Our old house was so cold you could fart and it was a solid. Put on the mantle over the fireplace and it would eventually thaw enough to explode and smell. Now that's cold. :lol2: :lol2: :bs: :bs: :bs:

:clap: :lol: :lol:

Cal[/quote]

That is colder than ours for sure.
Our rule was no throwing snot until it thawed.

 

[Angus Cowman]

I used to lay in my grandmas house at night in bed with so many quilts on you couldn't move.

There isn't anything better than them heavy old handmade quilts
I still have to have HEAVY quilts on the bed just doesn't feel right with one of them lightweight blankets

 

[john250]

My father rode a horse powered "school bus" to a one room school, about 1932. As he moved into the higher grades, he was the student in charge of fueling the coal stove in the middle of the room. I actually had the same teacher as dad when I was in 1st grade. He had the same "snow on the blankets" stories as many have related here. Plus, as I understand, he rose at 5 am to milk the family cow. I personally walked barefoot to school, in the snow, uphill both ways. Top that, daughter.