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Justi
This is absolutely fabulous! I love it! I only glimpsed farm live occasionally, on school holidays. Of course, as a boy I didn't work with the women and have no idea what they did with their washing, but I did get to work with the horses, and even got to drive a tractor when I was a bit older...
posted by
Nautikos
on January 26, 2012 at 8:06 AM
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Wow! My Mom told me stories about her life washing clothes like that. Their day was Wednesday, yet the routine was the same. My Mom tried unsuccessfully to put me on a routine and pattern as hers. To this day, she continues her effort. For some reason, she cannot give it up, though she must! Great reading.
posted by
Dr_JPT
on January 26, 2012 at 7:06 AM
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Justi
A wonderful story and well written. We didn't live on a farm but we lived on Anticosti Island and mother did lots of those same things and dealt with frozen laundry too, that she stood up on the kitchen table and made us all laugh. I do remember my older siblings tell me how she heated the iron on the jacket heater. Great story luv.
posted by
WileyJohn
on January 25, 2012 at 4:39 PM
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Just beautiful
I felt like I was way back in time reading your quaint little story and you told it with such preceision, leaving no detail out in the cold.
posted by
Amanda6
on January 25, 2012 at 3:16 PM
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Wow, Justi - that was like reading a page from my own childhood. My grandmother did the same, and the well was there too. Only thing - we didn't have electricity, so the irons were heated on the stove...the same irons that would be wrapped in paper and towels and put against our feet if we were lying in bed, suffering with a cold. I would help her make the lye soap too...and she loved to read, so I even had the same kind of access to books which made the drying time go by way too quickly!! It was wonderful to remember all this from reading your post!!
posted by
adnohr
on January 25, 2012 at 2:01 PM
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I know my mom kept herself to a schedule, not me
posted by
Lanetay
on January 25, 2012 at 10:58 AM
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It's amazing to read just how much doing laundry has changed. I wonder if the process will evolve more during my lifetime.
posted by
FormerStudentIntern
on January 25, 2012 at 10:01 AM
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I remember the coke bottle that my mother used as well! I had forgotten about it until I read this post! sam
posted by
sam444
on January 25, 2012 at 7:32 AM
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I too spent summer days on the ranch, of course we had washing machines in those days, dexter double tups, you remember, but I spent my days on the tracktor, in the hay, or in the branding line, like you said, I wouldn't trade for anything...Great post of days when womans work helped build a nation.
posted by
UtahJay
on January 25, 2012 at 12:01 AM
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Goodness Justi your MA, was a perfectionist . Poor dear would have been frustrated here I imagine you had many Mondays with blue skies. Monday was a traditional washing day here before women went to work, I remember selling Robin starch. If it was not a drying Monday clothes were left outside until they dried unless in frustration they were draped before the fire after being wrung through again.
posted by
C_C_T
on January 24, 2012 at 11:04 PM
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Most of you are too young to believe this sort of life ever happened. It did.
posted by
Justi
on January 24, 2012 at 9:28 PM
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