Right now, in New York where I live, it is 27 degrees. Last night it dropped to 7 and earlier this week it was 3.

The pipes in the house didn’t freeze but the outflow from the sink did. When I filled it with hot water in preparation for washing my good knives and some of the other things that cannot go into the dishwasher, I realized that the water was not draining. At all. So now, all the dishes in the dishwasher and that were waiting for washing must be washed in the bathroom sink. What fun!

That prompted me to think of the past. No dishwashers. In fact, no electricity at all. I might have to step outside into the freezing cold to use the outhouse or to pump water. No hot showers. The house might be heated by a fireplace. How cold would that be when the temperatures are at 7?

How much water would I need to pump, and then heat, to do laundry? And where would I put it to dry, in a basically unheated house?

We got about 8 inches of snow a few days ago. By 11 a.m. the next day, the plows had cleared the roads. My husband went out with a snow blower to clear the driveway and the walk. What would 8 inches of snow have done to travel plans in the past? In the 1700s and 1800s, horses and/or sleighs would have been the option.

This doesn’t even touch on the rapid communication we enjoy. If I want my husband to pick up something from the store, all I have to do is text him. Yes, we really have many amenities now. I am glad I don’t live in early America, the time of Will Rees.