3 emergency tips

All:

I know that you are weather aware. Barbara Brown and I have been getting materials together (news releases, programs, tools) that you can use. I will be doing a program at OHCE this summer about building a kit on a budget. We wanted to have 250 homemade kits by the end of 2012. I have bumped the number up to 500. We can do this together!

If there is one message that you can get to your clients, consider these three emergency tips:

Identify a safe place

Wear sturdy, lace-up shoes

Have some bottled water ready

Be safe!

GP

Bright Ideas for Ladies

Dear educators,

You know that I really enjoy history. I was recently given a booklet titled:

Bright Ideas for Ladies

or

What to Teach Husbands About Electric Lighting

1960

Typically, I am good a putting text into a historical context. Times have changed and the language and sentiments towards gender role and norms have changed. The mores have shifted. However, this little booklet is utterly ridiculous as seen from today's lens.

It's the story of two women and their husbands [our narrator (no name provided) is married to Bill; Helen is married to Tod]. The narrator is visiting Helen and Tod at their suburban house that dates to the 1930s. Helen was going to turn a porch into a year-round room. Instead of extending the heating system (ductwork), Helen was going to use electric heaters to keep the space comfortable.

The story continues in a dramatic way, with Helen and our narrator worked on the issue, discussing the merits of planning ahead, calculating electrical needs, and safe wiring. This is indeed good information. However, the language was smug, condescending, and patronizing. It made me laugh out loud ... It was a good read :)

We'll talk about the dangers of old wiring in an upcoming post.

Thanks, all!

GP

Gentle Readers

Gentle readers,

I am borrowing a colleague's copy of the Emily Post "Etiquette" book, copyright 1937. The book is a delight to read. We know that etiquette has changed over the last 76 years. Interestingly, there are many entries devoted to the household and household decision-making behavior.

This one is of particular interest. From "The Well-Appointed House" (pg. 182)

"The personality of a house is indefinable,
but there never lived a lady of great cultivation and charm, whose home,
whether a palace, a farm cottage or a tiny apartment,
 did not reflect the charm of its owner."

Enjoy the photo of the "Every-Day Afternoon Tea Table" (pg. 224-225)