Passage of time reflects improvements in quality of life

Now, I've seen a lot of changes in the world in the past 80 years. It almost is a ho-hum event when something of great importance occurs. I wouldn't say we have become jaded, but if it quacks like a duck. Some of the important things that I remember at a young age were things like movies in Technicolor. There were more important events, but I remember what affected my life. One of the best was a heater in the car and later when they put a radio in the auto. We used outhouses in most of the places we lived, so to have indoor plumbing was really "up-town" to a kid.

We were always aware of polio that seemed to run rampant in the summer time. Then a fellow named Salk came up with an inoculation that put that to rest. When I became aware of more grown-up things, flights around the world became interesting. The thought of visiting other countries intrigued me. It wasn't too long before men were circling the earth in a capsule. I thought that was a great idea. Still think if NASA asked me, I'd do it. Just think what a rush that would be to look out the window at earth there in space.

Television has been a wonderful invention to me. Thoroughly entertains me and I'm not a snob who only watches the educational stations. I watch it all and am entertained. There's lots more, but the reason I mention it was because Fanny Hazlett wrote about changes in her 84 years.

Some of the things she mentioned were forerunners of inventions today. Some of these wonderful inventions were the telegraph, telephone, sewing machines, photographs, fruit canning, farm machines and washing machines just to name a few. Cook stoves made a great change during her lifetime. You don't even think about the silverware changing. She mentioned the advent of four-tine forks. Up to that time forks were two-tine and most people found it proper to eat with the knife.

Clothing patterns were invented in the late 1800's and Butterick was one of the first. She said, "All electric inventions are within the memory of this generation and since radio, one wonders Ð what next?"

The Dayton Museum is located on Shady Lane and Logan in Old Town Dayton. Hours: Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. & Sunday 1-4 p.m. The Web site is daytonnvhistory.org. Group tours are available. Call 246-5543, 246-8382 or 246-0441. The Historical Society of Dayton Valley meets every third Wednesday at noon. Please call for location. Visitors are welcome.

• Ruby McFarland has lived in Dayton since October 1987, she serves as a board member of the Dayton historical society and a docent at the museum.