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Today as the summer winds presented themselves as
more than a gentle breeze I allowed the wafts to blow me back to an
earlier time.
Recently I had cause to visit a local store and
noticed automatic washers and dryers that looked like something from
outer space. I thought; my word how things have changed.
The hot gust of winds today where perfect for line
drying clothes as my memories collected themselves. I could almost
visualize the white billowy sheets flapping on the line tugging at the
pole used to prevent them from touching the ground.
Used to a back yard without a clothes line pole was
near impossible to find.
Monday's found the females of the family stripping
beds collecting the family's dirty clothes and praying for a sunny day.
A windy day was a plus; it brought a shorter day as
the clothes dried quicker and could be taken down, folded retaining a
bouquet of freshness long after the sun and the wind had finished their
wash day duties.
If personal lingerie was stretched a bit or over
sized; if dad's underwear had seen better days they were discreetly
pinned on an inside line where neighbors passing by were spared our
admission of spending money where it showed.
I recall those pant stretchers we women put
precisely in the legs of men's pant legs. What responsibility we women
had on Monday’s to see to it our families had clean clothes the other
six days of the week.
When I saw that giant red automatic washer and
dryer in the store the other day, I couldn't help but remember the old
Maytag washer I slaved over as a young girl. That was back before
clothes dryers were even thought about.
Yes, we depended on Mother Nature to dry our
clothes. First I had to see to it the clothesline was clean by using a
clean wet cloth to run over the metal or plastic line.
Next the clothespin bag filled with wooden pins was
hung over the line so it would be convenient to grab one as I pushed it
along.
First the white clothes were washed and hung.
According to the amount of light clothing and the amount of clothes line
and the temperature of the day a Monday could be grueling or a pleasant
event.
One thing for sure that night when you crawled
between the clean sheets and breathed in the odor of all outdoors, sleep
came easy.
If the weather was like today and the wind chased
the dampness away almost before the clothes were hung, the week was off
to a good start.
I can also remember winter days when clothes froze
as they were being hung. Levi jeans could stand alone after being taken
down from the clothes line. Those were not pleasant days to do weekly
washing.
I remember also hanging a line in the house or
basement as the outside temperatures plummeted. Hanging items over a
floor furnace or around a heater was also an option.
Several years ago when we added on to our house our
clothes line was removed from our back yard. It had become another
difficult thing for me to accomplish to hang more than a couple of
items. Still there are moments like today when the wind blows; I
remember how things used to be on wash day before automatic dryers.
Perhaps another day my memory will allow me to
remember those Maytag moments!
Betty King © baking2 @ charter.net
www.bettyking.net
Betty King is a Life Style and Devotional newspaper
columnist. She has lived with MS for over forty years; she is an author
of: It Takes Two Mountains to Make a Valley, But-It Was in the Valleys I
Grew, The Fragrance of Life, and Safe and Secure in the Palm of His
Hand; they can be ordered from your local book stores, on line or from
her website www.bettyking.net or contact Betty. She also has stories in
eleven of the Chicken Soup book series.
Chicken Soup: Betty has stories in the following
Chicken Soup books: Mother and Daughter Soul, Recovering Soul,
Grandma's Soul, Recovering Soul Inspirations, Mother and Son's Soul,
Women Golfer's Soul, Chicken Soup: Love Stories (to be released in
Feb.), Beach Lover's Soul, Chicken Soup for the Soul Christmas,
Working Mom's Soul, Coffee Lover's Soul.
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