You have to be a certain age to appreciate this. I can hear my
mother now ...
THE BASIC RULES FOR CLOTHESLINES: (if you don't
know what clotheslines are, better skip this)
1. You had to clean the clothes line before hanging
any clothes - walk the entire lengths of each line with a damp
cloth around the lines.
2. You had to hang the clothes in a certain order,
and always hang "whites" with "whites," and hang them first.
3. You never hung a shirt by the shoulders -
always by the tail!. What would the neighbors think?
4.. Wash day on a Monday! . .. . Never hang clothes on
the weekend, or Sunday, for Heaven's sake!
5. Hang the sheets and towels on the outside lines so
you could hide your "unmentionables" in the middle (perverts &
busybodies, y'know!)
6. It didn't matter if it was sub zero weather
... clothes would "freeze-dry."
7. Always gather the clothes pins when taking down
dry clothes! Pins left on the lines were "tacky!"
8. If you were efficient, you would line the clothes
up so that each item did not need two clothes pins, but shared one
of the clothes pins with the next washed item.
9. Clothes off of the line before dinner time,
neatly folded in the clothes basket, and ready to be ironed.
10. IRONED?! Well, that's a whole other subject!
A POEM
A clothesline was a news forecast
To neighbors passing by,
There were no secrets you could keep
When clothes were hung to dry.
It also was a friendly link
For neighbors always knew
If company had stopped on by
To spend a night or two.
For then you'd see the "fancy sheets"
And towels upon the line;
You'd see the "company table cloths"
With intricate designs.
The line announced a baby's birth
From folks who lived inside -
As brand new infant clothes were hung,
So carefully with pride!
The ages of the children could
So readily be known
By watching how the sizes changed,
You'd know how much they'd grown!
It also told when illness struck,
As extra sheets were hung;
Then nightclothes, and a bathrobe, too,
Haphazardly were strung.
It also said, "Gone on vacation now"
When lines hung limp and bare.
It told, "We're back!" when full lines sagged
With not an inch to spare!
New folks in town were scorned upon
If wash was dingy and gray,
As neighbors carefully raised their brows,
And looked the other way ....
But clotheslines now are of the past,
For dryers make work much less.
Now what goes on inside a home
Is anybody's guess!
I really miss that way of life.
It was a friendly sign
When neighbors knew each other best
By what hung on the line
(Shirlene)
My mother was a fanatic with her wash! She had the best looking laundry in the world. She had her old wringerwasher and tubs. Everything had an order to be washed and hung up. Her lines were made of wire.
When I was a kid we woud be playing hide and seek and FORGET the lines were there and HIT them so hard we thought our neck was broken and GASPED for air!
She was always after dad to tighten them UP. And God forbid ANY bird
crapped on her laundry! |  |
(JoAnn)
 | I CAN REMEMBER BEFORE MAMA GOT A WASHER,SHE USED OUR LANDLORD'S BIG BLACK
WASH POT. I REMEMBER SEEING HER BUILD A FIRE UNDER IT AND CARRY BUCKETS
OF WATER TO FILL IT WITH AND THEN STANDING THERE OVER IT STIRRING THE
CLOTHES IN THAT BOILING WATER WITH A BIG STICK. THEN TAKING THEM OUT WITH
THE STICK AND PUTTING THEM IN TUBS TO RINSE THEM.THE OLD MAN WE RENTED
FROM HAD A COLORED LADY DO HIS WASHING FOR HIM, HE WASN'T MARRIED AT THE
TIME AND HE WOULD ALWAYS TELL MAMA TO MAKE SURE SHE CLEANED THE POT OUT
REAL GOOD AND TURN IT UPSIDE DOWN BEFORE THE LADY CAME TO DO HIS
WASH. WAS THOSE THE GOOD OLD DAYS? LOL. THEN I REMEMBER SHE FINALLY GOT A
WRINGER WASHER HAD IT IN THE BACK YARD. AND THE CLOTHES LINES WOULD BE
PROPPED WAY UP HIGH ON FORKED STICKS. THEN THE CLOTHES WOULD ALL BE
STARCHED AND DAMPENED AND ROLLED UP TO BE IRONED. GOOD OLD DAYS? LOL
I ALSO REMEMBER ME HANGING MY BABIES DIAPERS ON THE LINE IN WINTER AND
BEFORE I COULD GET THE SECOND PEN ON THEM,THEY WOULD BE FROZEN
STIFF. YEP, FREEZE DRIED. |
LOL GOOD OLD DAYS??? HA
Hilda
WELL, WE LIVED ON A FARM AND THE NEIGHBORS COULDN'T SEE THE WASH ON THE
LINE, BUT, I REMEMBER WIPING THE CLOTHES LINE BEFORE HANGING THE WASH
AND PINNING ONE PIECE OF WASH TO ANOTHER PIECE TO SAVE SPACE AND PINS.
ANYONE WHO WANTS TO GO BACK TO THE GOOD OLE DAY, YOU JUST GO AHEAD; I'LL
STAY IN THE 21ST CENTURY. THANK YOU.
Sarah
I DO REMEMBER WIPING DOWN THE CLOTHES LINE BEFORE HANGING UP THE CLOTHES. I STILL HAVE ONE THAT I USE NOW AND THEN FOR CERTAIN THINGS.
YES TIMES WERE HARD. BUT PEOPLE WERE DIFFERENT. MODERN TECHNOLOGY HAS MADE PEOPLE LAZY AND DISHONEST. CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF WE PULLED THINGS LIKE GO ON TODAY. I KNOW WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO ME!
Darlene
ME TOO, ALWAYS HAD A CLOTHES LINE TO HANG THEM OUTSIDE. WHEN MY SON WAS
BORN MY IN LAWS GOT ME ONE OF THOSE FOLDING WOODEN RACKS TO USE . I HAD
TO WASH DIAPERS BY HAND.
Sammy
I WILL STAY IN THE 21ST CENTURY ALSO..THROW THEM IN THE WASHER AND THEN THE DRYER...NOW IF SOMEONE WOULD INVENT A FOLDER WE WOULD HAVE IT MADE!!
Dorie
|
