It must take skill to wear bib overalls

[stuckmotor]

If I recall correctly, in the late 40's and early 50's a pair of overalls (ovah-halls) cost about $1.25 and a pair of blue jeans was about $2.00. Not only that, but if you have several boys in the family, you buy them a bit large, and you kinda grow into them...like the brogans that were about 2 sizes too big...and pass them down to little brother if there was anything left of them. I remember one kid in my grade school (rural SW Missouri) that...weather permitting...came to school wearing NOTHING but overalls...no shoes, no shirt...and I assume no underwear. Now that kid was poor...and his hands and elbows were "rusty" as Mom called it, from not bathing for weeks at a time.

The boys that lived in town were "rich". They wore blue jeans and Captain Marvel T shirts (they had their own little rich-boys club). I know one of them was the son of the local Pharmacist.

You've reminded me of one of my elementary school classmates who's shirt got more and more dirty every day. One day, from a distance, it looked clean. When we got closer, I discovered he had it on wrong side out.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I wish I had the stuff to eat (and enjoy) a groundhog! It's hard if not impossible to reverse your belief systems.

 

[groundcover]

Could be worse. Old fellow was pounding a well in the dead of winter, nature called and the hood of his insulated overalls caught his morning offering! Has made me very cautious ever since!

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Could be worse. Old fellow was pounding a well in the dead of winter, nature called and the hood of his insulated overalls caught his morning offering! Has made me very cautious ever since!

"pounding a well"? Is that to get it to flow?

 

[Oldpath05]

("It must take skill to wear bib overalls")<<<<<No it takes more skill to buy the right size of insulated Carhart bibs online, my pant size waist is 34 so I buy 36, but on Carharts I had to get 42 waist, one of those things that needs to be tried on first, but regular shirts, pants or boots I have no problem with the size issue.

I like bibs for warmth and pants protection, full coveralls are to warm and confining, the top chest pockets are for pencils not jackknifes and if you have a hard time with the straps staying up you might need a manzere....................

 

[2LaneCruzer]

yep, it was that way around here too. I grew up near Aurora and Verona Missouri not far from 2Lane. My dad wore bib overalls every day of his life, and a lot of older guys did. I pitched a fit to wear jeans when I got a little older and went to school. I didn't want to be thought of as a poor hick. I was still a poor hick you understand, but I wanted to look a little better. I haven't worn a pair of bibs in about 60 years now. I vowed to never wear any ever again in my life. I never picked cotton either. I have eaten plenty of squirrels, rabbits and a groundhog. We drew the line at possums. Yes, I have eaten grits, turnip greens and that sort of fare. It isn't all that bad actually. As for the zippered front pocket, Dad kept either a .25 auto or later his .22 high standard derringer in there. Back in the day when carrying anything was illegal here in Missouri.

You're right! I lived in Pierce City, and my Dad ran an agricultural lime plant in Monett. I went to school in Pierce City, and later at a country one room school house called "Chapman School". It has been moved to the Jolly Mill and is being preserved as a historical building there. There is even a website; I'll see if I can find it and post it.

Here we go! Dad used to take us trout fishing at the old Jolly Mill, and we actually caught some! Rainbow...and good eating, too!

Jolly Mill - Joplin MO Life

 

[k0ua]

You're right! I lived in Pierce City, and my Dad ran an agricultural lime plant in Monett. I went to school in Pierce City, and later at a country one room school house called "Chapman School". It has been moved to the Jolly Mill and is being preserved as a historical building there. There is even a website; I'll see if I can find it and post it.

Here we go! Dad used to take us trout fishing at the old Jolly Mill, and we actually caught some! Rainbow...and good eating, too!

Jolly Mill - Joplin MO Life

First grade school was a two room schoolhouse called Eureka that was about 3 or 4 miles south of Aurora on 39 highway. I believe it is gone now. I finished 6th grade there and it was closed out and consolidated with the Aurora school system. I went to 7th grade in Aurora and then we moved across the line and I finished up 8th thru Senior at Verona. My dad and siblings had went to Eureka school, but by the time I get there in 1961 we had running water.. But didn't get flush toilets until a couple of years later. We also had propane heat too as the old coal fired furnace had been replaced when they did the running water upgrade. When my brother and sister had went there, they had an old jack pump out in the yard and the coal furnace. Of course there was a two holer on the south end of the property for the males and a two holer on the north end for the females. There was 39 highway out front of the property, and there was no speed limit in Missouri until 1957. The speed limit on the highway was 70, but when I started many still drove down it at near 100. You learned early on to never go out on that highway. There was no fence.

We were all cautioned by our parents and our teachers. For some reason I guess children were just smarter back in the old days. When an adult told you to not go out into the highway, you didn't go. If a ball went over into the road you got the teacher to retrieve it. When your dad told you not to play with the firearms while he was gone to work, you didn't play with them. You knew there would be serious consequences if you did. You also know when you were old enough you would be allowed to use them. You also got taken out at about age 4 and shown the destructive effects of even a .22 rifle. I have never forgotten those lessons. It made a big impression on a small child.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Doesn't sound like there were many "time outs".

 

[k0ua]

Doesn't sound like there were many "time outs".

Uh, NO. Unless you want to count time out to go out in the hall and get your rear end busted.

Oh, and Dad said if I got a whipping at school I would get another one when I got home. I never got a whipping at school. I saw a lot of other kids that did though. I wasn't concerned so much about the school whippings, but I sure was about that home version.

 

[Sono]

I am a carpenter / painter by trade and wore the bib coveralls for work (whites) and never had an issue. I kept my cell phone in the chest pocket with the clip on or on the strap at my shoulder. Id lose tons of pencils but never anything with weight. They were nice to wear but if you had the squirts, you were better off wearing pants...lol