As this day began the weather reporter announced that there was a possibility of 103 degree weather today. It is already warm at 6 a.m. but not at the sweltering point. Such a warning makes Red Bluffians aware of the need to either be cooled by today's air conditioners or to relax in the shade of trees or the old time covered porch. When my parents and my brother and I arrived as children in Red Bluff, the stifling heat of Tehama County hit my mother like a huge stone. I believe she stated to my father, "Where in the world have you taken me and our children?" I believe she had further words she wanted to say in regard to the burning heat but she didn't want her children to hear such words.
In those days a whole lot of years had passed and there was nothing called "air conditioning" either for cars or homes. Most homes and public stores had fans that most likely only stirred more heat through the air. Our first home was located in a small cabin with a car port at the "Shady Rest Auto Court" located on the south side of Walnut Street; Brick yard creek ran down the side of it. Mother ordered our Father to get some ice from the Cone Ice Company which he did. Mother had a huge chunk of ice placed in a square wash tub she had put on the table. She found an old time electric fan, plugged it into the only noticeable electric outlet and set the fan behind the ice so that a cool breeze would reach anyone sitting in front of the ice.
My brother and I were prettyokay about running around outside but as the afternoon got hotter we took turns sitting in front of the ice. Our poor mother often gave up her turn in front of the ice to us as she was sure that one of us children would experience a heat stroke. We had moved here originally from Colorado and it was never that hot there in the mountains. Eventually we moved to the Veterans Housing Units at the north end of Lincoln Street where we had a small front covered porch and a few trees where many families sat in the evenings until some of the heat calmed down.
Mother made gallons of iced tea for us to drink and many evenings we went to the home of our Hacker grandparents in Antelope Valley where we sat outside eating strawberries from Grand Dad Hacker's garden, we sprayed our cousins with water from a hose and they sprayed us back. Our evenings of visiting were way into the cool of darkness before we left to go back home. One of the most looked for cool evening activities for us kids was to go visit the Cheatham's home next door to our Grand Parents house. The Cheatham's had a long front porch which hosted several rocking chairs for the elders to sit in. No porch lights were on as I suspect they produced more heat than comfort. As we children raced up to see if the Cheatham children could play games we could not see who was on the porch only hear the movement of the rocking chairs.
Hot or not kids in Tehama County were known to play many evening games such as, "Kick The Can," King of the Mountain," Ally, Ally, Oxen Free," and plain old "Hide and Seek." Some children were allowed to sit on the porch swings on the porches in Red Bluff and enjoy the cooler air. Lights out, swing squeaking and children giggling was the evening entertainment.
Yes, this is all nostalgic but can be just as helpful today as in the past. Today we have a front porch with a rocking chair, small table and two matching chairs, we have folding chairs and I wish we had a swing, however there doesn't seem to be enough room. People can sit in the dark and talk of days gone by or days to come. The kids could still run around and play "Kick the Can," or simply sit and laugh at the talk of their Elders. All such behavior can help in not thinking of the 103 degree weather. Sipping cool drinks and telling delightful stories of bygone days can be almost as refreshing as past times when there were only simple ways to get cool. Hmm, I think I will make room for a swing on the porch.
How do you like to go up in a swing, Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing, Ever a child can do!
Carolyn Barber has been writing her column in the Red Bluff Daily News since 1992. It appears on Saturdays. She can be contacted by e-mail: hurcar@yahoo.com
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