Grandma's House

Grandma’s House

I have many fond memories of going to Grandma Swanson’s house in Morse and have shared the floor plan as best as I can recall.  Grandma’s bedroom (or as she called it the front bedroom) was a good sized room with a large opening that had a curtain rather than a door. The closet also had a curtain covering so I really have no idea how large it was.  There may have been a nightstand next to the bed but I don’t recall. The dresser was a large dark mahogany colored piece with a large mirror and several drawers.  It matched the headboard and foot board of the bed. The cedar chest was lighter in color. Next to the cedar chest was this ornately carved wood box that was always a mystery.  The walls were covered with wallpaper though I don’t remember anything of the design.  Grandma’s house always smelled faintly of mothballs.

The front porch was fully screened in and stood in the shade of the 2 large pine trees so in the evening it was cool and breezy. Many hours were spent visiting with neighbors or playing cards while sitting on the porch. The cot was a nice place to take a mid afternoon nap.

The living room had a large overstuffed green striped rocker, a recliner, and a couch with the slanted arms that made it easy to use them for a pillow. In one corner of the room was the large black and white television encased in its wooden cabinet.  The room was also wallpapered. A large area rug covered the hardwood floor.

The dining room was a place of family gatherings. The dark finished table with its matching chairs and large buffet or credenza took up much of the room. Grandma did have a few small plants near the windows. In the far corner stood the large oil burning furnace which heated the house and in the winter would dry mittens and other wet clothing.  The daybed would open from a couch to provide additional sleeping space. This room was also wallpapered and the floor was hardwood.

The back bedroom was a comfortable room with a  tubular steel headboard and footboard on the double bed. Grandma’s treadle sewing machine stood against a wall waiting for her next project. She sewed many Barbie clothes with that machine for her grandchildren. The dresser and matching vanity stood against the wall. In addition, the closet held toys for us to play with while we were there. A clown doll, a sock monkey, both of which she made, a small red wagon, and a baby doll with a blanket. We knew to put them back when we were done playing. This room also had wallpaper and the closet had a curtain rather than a door. Worn linoleum covered the floor.

The most surprising thing in this room was the door in the floor which led to the cellar. We were not allowed in the cellar, but when Grandma would go down for a jar of canned goods, we could see that the primitive ladder led to basically a hole in the ground. There was a dirt floor, and I couldn’t be sure but the walls probably also were dirt. There was a bare light bulb providing adequate light and a few shelves for the home canned goods. The cellar was not very large.

The kitchen was not very large and the formica topped table and chairs just barely fit.  The white steel cabinets covered one wall. The double sink was placed in the middle and under the window so you could look out while doing the dishes.  Over to the right, Grandma kept her stainless steel canisters filled with the staples of every kitchen. Most important to us kids though was the cookie jar which always had cookies in it. A standalone metal cabinet provided additional storage as there were no upper cabinets. The refrigerator had a rounded top with a small freezer on top until in later years it was replaced.  The stove was a behemoth of a woodstove that Grandma would need to feed small pieces of wood in order to cook or bake. She was an expert at using it and all her meals and baked goods came out to perfection.  Next to the stove, there was a tall metal cabinet which she called her pantry that held her canned goods.

The bathroom was unusual in that it did not have a bathtub or shower. Grandma had a large square galvanized steel tub that she would bring in for baths. The water would need to be heated on the wood stove as the house did not have a hot water heater. An appropriate amount of cold water would be added so you didn’t burn yourself. The tub was small and difficult to fit in and wash yourself.  You would stand in the tub and pour warm water over you to rinse the soap off.  You washed your hair in the sink. The bathroom did have a toilet, and a bare sink which she had skirted with fabric to hide the plumbing. Her vanity table with a small mirror and her makeup also had a matching cloth skirt to hide the cleaning supplies.

The completely enclosed back porch was used primarily for storage but at least once a week, Grandma would roll her wringer washer from the wall to the center of the floor and door her laundry. After agitating the laundry in the tub, Grandma would then feed each piece through the wringer to get the excess water off before hanging the clothes outside to dry.  The back porch was the main entry for family to the house so shoes and coats were also left there.  On the wall hung a curious plastic molded picture of a deer driving a car with 2 hunters on the hood. Later I found out that my dad had purchased that as a gift for his father when he was a child.

The family had lived in that house for many years as my uncle Glen was born in that house in 1929. Dad mentioned that during recess he and his friends would walk home from school because they were sure that his mother would have some fresh cookies on the table for them. They were not disappointed. The furnishings I drew were as I remembered in the early 1960’s. I am sure the living room furnishings were also updated from the earlier years.   As I mentioned, the round top refrigerator was replaced, and in the later 1960’s the old wood stove gave way to a newer propane model which I am sure was an adjustment to Grandma’s baking.