I remember my Grandma Werner's home in the late 1940s, and early 1950s. (I would visit with her and Grandpa during my summer vacations.) They were wonderful and uncomplicated people! Grandpa's beautiful cow, "Bessie", would wake me before daylight by moo-ing at my bedroom window so that I would open the gate for her and the others to go into the forest for grazing. By the time I walked to the 'out house', through the very large, gentle-sloping, hill of vegetable garden and out to the barn at the top of the hill, she would have organized all the other cows waiting for me at the gate. Then by the time that I walked back to the farm house, Grandma would be putting the morning biscuits into the wood stove/oven, and she would send me out to feed the chickens, and to bring back a bucket of water from the pump.Since a young girl of about 12 or 13 has to stop and smell the roses in the morning, or listen to the bob-whites cooing, it took longer than usual to get back to the house - and Grandma had her breakfast on the table waiting for us, with heavenly odors of fresh coffee, maple syrup, cooked bacon and sausage permeating through the top of the back dutch-door. (I never noticed a fly or a knat.) I remember the year Grandma had a new phone - shared as a party line, and on a first name basis with the operator (a neighbor who worked out of her home). I also remember the event of my grandparents finally getting electricity - and the new love Grandma had for the little radio. She would listen mostly to gospel music and loved the quartets singing barbershop style. Her other love was to get and receive mail. Many things were the events of her day - but, simple things. Nothing so complicated as listening to the soap operas (my mom liked the Romances of Helen Trent). I also fondly remember Grandma's player-piano, with the paper rolls that flapped at the end, if you didn't slow down on the foot pumping. The piano was in an old bedroom (with feather mattresses), right off the front porch - so that anyone could clearly hear the piano playing while sitting out there amongst her fabulous hydrangeas. Grandpa Werner was a livestock/produce farmer, and also a part time mail carrier. He had fashioned a wooden addition to his pick up truck, with benches for sitting, and always drove Grandma, me and the Werner cousins to church every Sunday. This was a prototype of the RVs of today. He had a fantastic smokehouse under the Work/Tool shop where he smoked and aged meats. Grandma had an adjoining room to the smoke house (underground) where she stored hundreds of jars of canned vegetables and fruits. (I'd say at least 300 jars.) I am wondering if anyone could suggest to me what the hit music of the 1920-1930s were in southern IL. What was popular, and who were the artists (singers), etc. thanks for sharing, carol -- -:¦:- What this country needs is more free speech worth listening to! - - Do Lipton employees take coffee breaks? _______________ VIRUS FREE WITH DAILY UPDATES FROM COMPUTER-ASSOCIATES' "EZVIRUS" PROTECTION -:¦:- *CAROL* -:¦:- blessed to be on the beautiful NW California-Pacific Coast _____________________________________________________________ -> * seeking families in GERMANY (Ostfriesland) and RUSSIA (and Prussia) * WALTER, SITZLER, CORELL, HUELSMEIER, RYDER, RAUCH, RODEWALD, BACH, SAUERESSIG, EISENHAUER. -> * also POPE COUNTY, IL ,TN, MO, USA* HOLLOWAY, HALL, MAXWELL, MITCHELL, DeHART, (Sistler) SITCHLER, PATE, DABNEY, MEADOR, BEEMER / BEAMER, RIDER / RYDER.