Grandma's crosleys

[RoyDavid]

Gladys Bertram lives in the same house she moved into nearly 70 years ago after getting married in 1948. And she still has the same stove, refrigerator and hot water tank that were installed in the home when her husband built it.

"My husband, George, wanted things that would last so he decided on the Crosley brand, which was top quality," she says, noting that she and her husband raised cattle on their ranch in Colorado.

"We literally saved up penny by penny to buy those appliances. That stove was really heavy. We could barely get it into the kitchen."

The Crosley stove was fancier than anything else on the market at the time, including two ovens, a timer, and a boiler. Gladys, 94, worked at that stove for many years to feed her family and every hired hand who ever worked for them. The Crosley refrigerator, which was the first to patent shelves in the door, has likewise held up well. Amazingly, so has the water heater.

Nowadays, Gladys is more likely to use the microwave than the oven. She's not ready to shut down the appliances, though. "I'm saving them for my grandchildren," she says.




From FARM SHOW magazine; Vol 41, No 1, 2017; Written by Carolyn White


My how things have changed! Back in the 40's and 50's Gladys Bertram's way of thinking and doing things was considered normal, especially among rural folks. Even though this was the way people lived their lives, (believers and unbelievers), I doubt if they even gave much thought of how scripturally fundamental their lives were. Likewise today, people (believers and unbelievers) give little thought to how unscriptural we are living our lives. We simply gaily follow the pack and the undertow down the river..towards the rocks and the falls.
Grandma's example of just living her life gives us lessons that no sermon or sermon series, or even a lifetime of sermons can possibly teach us. She shows us that the Scriptures meet us where we are and the utter practicality in which they are filled. Teaching is best NOT done in the classroom or sanctuary. We are able to observe Grandma on daily basis to see her strive and overcome, while maintaining love for those around her. And then we see her at the end of her trail with a smile on her face and contentment in her heart..still giving love..It never ran out.
I am going to take the liberty of identifying a few of Grandma's Bible lessons that hopefully we will all consider. My list is not meant to be exhaustive, and encourage everyone to search and identify more.

1) Whatsoever you do, do as unto the Lord. Producing a quality product that lasts a long time is a moral issue and quite Godly. Planned obsolescence and exaggerated sales promotion is immoral. Where is Crosley today?
2) Husbands, care for your wives as Christ cares for His Church. Gladys' husband George, wanted the best for his family, and shouldered the responsibility to make it happen. Did not have hirelings build his family's house..He built it.
3) Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands.
A quiet and gentle spirit is precious to the Lord. Gladys, out of respect for her husband's obvious love for her, supported his decision to buy Crosley appliances, even though they would take much longer to acquire.
4) A borrower will become the slave to the lender.
Good things shall come to those who wait. George and Gladys did not think it strange to wait and do without, while saving for the purchase. It was much cheaper to simply avoid the interest charges of the banker. They identified their goal early, and then worked together to obtain it and further bound their hearts together as a result.
5) Let your conduct be without covetousness, and be content with such things as you have. For He, Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
Same stove, same refrigerator, same hot water tank, same house, same husband and same wife! Hallelujah, Praise you Lord Jesus!

[Lou Newton]

Gladys Bertram lives in the same house she moved into nearly 70 years ago after getting married in 1948. And she still has the same stove, refrigerator and hot water tank that were installed in the home when her husband built it.

"My husband, George, wanted things that would last so he decided on the Crosley brand, which was top quality," she says, noting that she and her husband raised cattle on their ranch in Colorado.

"We literally saved up penny by penny to buy those appliances. That stove was really heavy. We could barely get it into the kitchen."

The Crosley stove was fancier than anything else on the market at the time, including two ovens, a timer, and a boiler. Gladys, 94, worked at that stove for many years to feed her family and every hired hand who ever worked for them. The Crosley refrigerator, which was the first to patent shelves in the door, has likewise held up well. Amazingly, so has the water heater.

Nowadays, Gladys is more likely to use the microwave than the oven. She's not ready to shut down the appliances, though. "I'm saving them for my grandchildren," she says.




From FARM SHOW magazine; Vol 41, No 1, 2017; Written by Carolyn White


My how things have changed! Back in the 40's and 50's Gladys Bertram's way of thinking and doing things was considered normal, especially among rural folks. Even though this was the way people lived their lives, (believers and unbelievers), I doubt if they even gave much thought of how scripturally fundamental their lives were. Likewise today, people (believers and unbelievers) give little thought to how unscriptural we are living our lives. We simply gaily follow the pack and the undertow down the river..towards the rocks and the falls.
Grandma's example of just living her life gives us lessons that no sermon or sermon series, or even a lifetime of sermons can possibly teach us. She shows us that the Scriptures meet us where we are and the utter practicality in which they are filled. Teaching is best NOT done in the classroom or sanctuary. We are able to observe Grandma on daily basis to see her strive and overcome, while maintaining love for those around her. And then we see her at the end of her trail with a smile on her face and contentment in her heart..still giving love..It never ran out.
I am going to take the liberty of identifying a few of Grandma's Bible lessons that hopefully we will all consider. My list is not meant to be exhaustive, and encourage everyone to search and identify more.

1) Whatsoever you do, do as unto the Lord. Producing a quality product that lasts a long time is a moral issue and quite Godly. Planned obsolescence and exaggerated sales promotion is immoral. Where is Crosley today?
2) Husbands, care for your wives as Christ cares for His Church. Gladys' husband George, wanted the best for his family, and shouldered the responsibility to make it happen. Did not have hirelings build his family's house..He built it.
3) Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands.
A quiet and gentle spirit is precious to the Lord. Gladys, out of respect for her husband's obvious love for her, supported his decision to buy Crosley appliances, even though they would take much longer to acquire.
4) A borrower will become the slave to the lender.
Good things shall come to those who wait. George and Gladys did not think it strange to wait and do without, while saving for the purchase. It was much cheaper to simply avoid the interest charges of the banker. They identified their goal early, and then worked together to obtain it and further bound their hearts together as a result.
5) Let your conduct be without covetousness, and be content with such things as you have. For He, Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
Same stove, same refrigerator, same hot water tank, same house, same husband and same wife! Hallelujah, Praise you Lord Jesus!

Thanks Roy, very rare and comforting story.

I remember when I was a child in Leetonia Ohio there was no divorce, none. A couple got married for life.

I also remember the first divorce in town. I remember yet today the exact house where they lived ( it is now gone it burned to the ground ). It was a scandal all over town and everyone talked about how terrible a divorce was and that is was against the commands of God.

Here are some other things i remember about living in that town at that time:

1 - I walked downtown and back by myself when I was 5 years old with no thought of being harmed. There was no such thing as kidnapping or murder or assault. There was no crime in our town. The town had one policeman. Now that same town ( that is the same size) has a whole police department with many policemen.

2 - Everyone was a member of one of the churches in town. They might not attend often, but they joined a church. If my parents did not attend church for some time, the preacher would come to visit and inquire about us to make sure we were OK. I remember his name yet today even though we did not attend often.

These days it is much different. I remember being very lonely years ago after my wife had left me and she even tried to keep me from seeing my son. I was desperate and so visited a local church. While there, not one person even spoke to me, except the one assigned to speak to any stranger. It was very evident that he spoke to me out of duty and not any desire to get to know me.

I filled out a card that was in a holder on the back of the pew. I filled out my name and address and checked the box that I would like a visit. Their idea of a visit was to send me a letter offering a Bible correspondence course. I had 40 bibles in my house and had read them all, I did not need a correspondence course, but could have welcomed a human being to visit my house.

3 - In Leetonia when I was a child I knew the name of everyone that lived in every house on the block on both sides of the street. They all knew my name and where I lived. The neighbors would visit my parents often for one reason or another. Neighbor would lend to neighbor a tool or anything they needed. Today I do not know even one person that lives in even one building in any direction. I had made an effort to get to know some of the people in the next building. But then they made everyone move out and now I do not know even one person.

4 - We did not have a refrigerator, but we had an icebox. The iceman came around with his horse and wagon everyday delivering ice for the iceboxes. My Wiegart would chip off a little piece of ice for every child. I remember our first refrigerator. It was made by Servel and was gas powered, NOT electric. I remember being a very small child and getting on the floor to look at the gas flame and wondering how did a hot flame makes the inside cold. It was a mystery that I thought about a lot.

5 - Relatives came to visit often every year. They would stay for a week and then drive back home. We may get several families visit every year. I remember these visits with fondness. Some drove from several hours away and some drove several miles away ( they would only stay a few hours) But families visited their families often. I knew my aunts and uncles and cousins.

My childhood was not a pleasant one, but looking back I had much more human contact than today. If I did not know The Lord Jesus, I do not know how I would get through my life.

We have traded human relationships for smart phones, computers and TV's. Almost all of the humans that come to my house today are over one of these electronic devices, and most of them I have never seen face to face.

Most hang onto these devices like they were life itself. BUT sever a relationship with another human being without much regard for the value of that relationship.

These devices are not alive. They are made by man and NOT made by God.

Man was created by God and made in the image of God.

If we can not see the reason humans are much more valuable to have relationships with than devices we are a sorry lot indeed.

Mankind glorifies God. These devices glorify men.

The human race has become so lonely that they are addicted to TV, smart phones, computers, electronic games, cigarettes, alcohol, and many drugs both illegal and prescribed.

The more they seek these things the more lonely they become.

There is Only One who can fill our need for love and friendship. His Name is The Lord Jesus Christ.

He will never forsake you.

Edit: I should have said what I thought obvious, that these things that I remember back from my childhood were also true with Gladys and George Bertram. Roy's post reminded me of these things.

Lou Newton

[Lou Newton]

Linda replied on facebook:

This is so true of our upbringing. Nothing was disposable, especially not friends. a great study. IN this disposable generation, we do not work "as unto the Lord" but try to do as little as possible and still get by.

[Baruch]

I enjoyed reading these memories. It lifts my spirit hearing how once it was common value to provide high quality and abundance in craftsmanship and personal conduct with a focus on things we needed to live. It is a spirit of abundance, a shadow of God's great abundance. God gives and gives and gives.

Nowadays it is man's way to create scarcity, in order to create an artificial need, in order to provide low quality craftsmanship and personal conduct for products that we don't really need to live; and the same is true for things we need to live. This is Satan's game, who has nothing to give, who takes and takes and takes.

Satan can deplete our natural resources, but even Satan cannot deplete the eternal resources of God. The created being is not greater than the Creator, is not even close to being equal with the Creator.

Of course, the greatest gift God gave to us is His son, Jesus, who is the fount of every blessing: of whom, if we drink, we will never thirst: and if we eat, we will never hunger.