Truth is stranger than You would Guess - Part 1

The next time you are washing your hands and complain
because the water temperature isn't just how you like it,
think about how things used to be.
Here are some facts about the 1500s:

Most people got married in June because they took their
yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June.
However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a
bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom
today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water.
The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water,
then all the other sons and men, then the women
and finally the children. Last of all the babies.
By then the water was so dirty you could actually
lose someone in it. Hence the saying, Don't throw the
baby out with the bath water.

Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath.
It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all
the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof.
When it rained it became slippery and sometimes
the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying .
It's raining cats and dogs.

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house.
This posed a real problem in the bedroom
where bugs and other droppings could mess up
your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a
sheet hung over the top afforded some protection.
That's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt.
Hence the saying, Dirt poor. The wealthy had slate floors that
would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw)
on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on,
they added more thresh until, when you opened the door,
it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway.
Hence the saying a thresh hold.

Quote for the Day :

"Experience is a hard teacher. She gives the test first, the lessons afterward."