Van Buren Press Argus-Courier: Do You Remember

If you remember the number 10 wash tub, you are in the same generation as me. Slathering yourself with lye soap while sitting in a tub of water, you came out squeaky clean. However, do you know where this type of bathing came into play? The other day my daughter e-mailed me a tidbit and I would like to expand on the informed history lesson I would just as soon forget. Thank goodness we live in the twenty-first century and not in the 1500s. It's not a pretty picture, but some classic lines sprang forth from the living conditions. Is it fact or fiction?

Have you ever noticed the timing of blooming roses? Generally, they begin their first bud in April and continue blossoming until the last rose of summer fades into the sunset. Grandma Brannam had the most exquisite white climber and right before Mother's Day, it sprang forth with generous, tight up-right buds. Its sweet aroma cascaded downward from the trellis but we weren't allowed to pick any of the beauty springing forth. There was a reason but as a child I couldn't fathom the caution. My eager hands wanted to pluck the delicate beauties to smother my body with their perfume. It didn't happen as those first roses were set aside to commemorate deceased mothers. The word deceased was not in my vocabulary but it soon became my introduction to Mother's Day, a fine lesson never to be forgotten.

How many times did you travel down a two-lane road or dirt road and read one line quips on small billboards? Do you remember small placards nailed to fence posts? The signs were about two hundred feet apart and if you missed the second or consecutive sign you backed up to read it. Dinah doesn't - Treat him - Right - But he'd - Shaved - Dynamite - Burma Shave. How about these spread apart signs? The monkey took - One look at Jim - And threw the peanuts - Back at him - He needed - Burma Shave. If daisies - Are your - Favorite flower - Keep pushin' -up those - Miles per hour - Burma Shave. From the year 1928 these slogans were a part of the American travel vocabulary. Hundreds of signs were erected to amuse the public and they were, in a way, entertainment. You didn't hear are we there, yet? The year, 1963, saw the last of the signs and many of them were repeats from previous years. The last slogan ... Our fortune - Is your - Shaven face - It's our best - Advertising space - Burma Shave. It was a repeat from 1953. A number of movies such as Stand by Me, The World's Fastest Indian, and Bonnie and Clyde included Burma Shave signs in scenery to depict the era of the time.