My step-grandfather lived north of Bangor, Maine on a hard-scrapple farm. When I moved to Maine in 1971, I was shocked at how primitively he lived, especially in the winter. His pipes froze every winter and water could only be obtained from a hand-pump in the kitchen sink. He had electricity but no central heat, just coal stoves in the living room and kitchen. His bedroom had no heat at all. The bathroom froze up, too, so all winter he used what was essentially an indoor outhouse (a hole into the ground) which he cleaned with chemicals. The stench of bodily waste and the chemicals was overwhelming! The only way he could bathe was to pump water into big pots, heat them on the coal stove, and pour them into a free-standing tub. In the winter, it was too much trouble, so he didn't bathe until spring.

When I grew up in Virginia, there were still a few homes without running water or indoor bathrooms and many with wood stoves. Our home, though it would have been considered middle-class elsewhere, was a wonderland to most of my friends. We had the best appliances, electric heat with a thermostat and temperature controls in every room, a 5-foot long, wall-mounted stereo, and a color TV.

By the way, I've been to St. Ignatius Church. Thanks for the walk down memory lane, Louise!