Thursday, January 11, 2007
A FUNNY THING HAPPENED......
I have written about this incident some time back when I included it in the story of my life…..but it comes to mind again so I’ll tell it once more in detail. We were back from our 3-day wedding trip to Little Rock and I was all excited about opening our wedding gifts. I don’t know how wedding showers go now but back in 1950 we received very practical and needed items to run a household. Money was tight in small towns so gifts were mostly sheets, towels, a table cloth or two (for the metal kitchen set) and lots of Pyrex sets.
As it went, there were lots of linens and I wanted to wash them before putting them in the closet for use. How many of you remember the 50’s when Laundromats were the big business of the times? Not many of us had washers and those who did didn’t own dryers for the most part. The Laundromat was the village meeting place for housewives.
I arrived with laundry, soap and high hopes. Even the Laundromat didn’t have dryers then so it was home to hang my things on the line. It was one of the first things I’d asked for when we moved into our new little FHA financed home. My husband and his dad had put lines up for me and I was happily hanging my clothes for all to see. Beautiful white linens in three rows across our back yard.
I had to hurry to work. I had alternating hours……one week from 8:00 to 6:00 and the next would be 12:00 to 9:00. This was my 12:00 to 9:00 week so I hurried to wash and hang the things before leaving for work. I planned to get them in the next day since it would be dark when I got home.
As I turned in the driveway that night, the car lights illuminated the laundry on the line and we all know what I should have done…….left the lights on and gathered in the clothes……but foolhardy, I didn’t. That night we had a real toad strangler rain that blew and pounded against the house. Not a care in the world, I slept on until morning.
When I woke and went about the morning routine I happened to look out the window and I couldn’t believe my eyes. My beautiful laundry was on the ground as were the posts and lines……the sheets and towels had been pounded into the red clay dirt and were the same color. In a panic I ran to the area and began picking up the mud soaked things in a basket to take back to the Laundromat.
My husband was in shock as well……he saw his bride throw a real screaming tantrum who demanded to know why this happened. I was young. I blamed him. When we went out to look further, he said, “Well, I guess we should have set the posts in concrete.” HELLO!! I thought he and his dad should have known better than to sink wooded 4 X 4’s into dirt and expect them to hold lines of wet laundry. Now I blamed him AND his dad.
After he left for work, I made the trip back to the Laundromat and told the owner my sad story. She was horrified when she saw the mess and I could tell she had grave doubts about them ever coming clean. However, she did her best. First we ran them through three big wash tubs of clean water to get as much soil out as we could……then the hottest water she had in the Maytag wringer washer and the three big wash tubs for rinse water.
That day I was introduced to “Bluing.” Remember that, ladies? I haven’t seen Bluing for years……anyway, with a lot of Clorox in the washer and bluing in the rinse water they came out fairly decent and I was told with each washing they would improve each time, she thought. It took a LOT of time.
The posts were set in concrete by the next laundry day and I never left clothes on the line again. No matter what. Strange things happen when you sleep and it’s best to bring your things inside once they are dry. I didn’t have my own washer and dryer until the late 60’s and I can tell you……to this day, I appreciate being able to do my own laundry at home.
OK….this is the last “laundry” story. I got lost in thought and looking back it’s more funny than tragic……new brides have so much to learn and right at the top they find out why mother’s cry when their daughter’s march down the isle. They know that pitfalls are sure to come and wedded bliss sometimes gets stuck in the mud…………
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
As it went, there were lots of linens and I wanted to wash them before putting them in the closet for use. How many of you remember the 50’s when Laundromats were the big business of the times? Not many of us had washers and those who did didn’t own dryers for the most part. The Laundromat was the village meeting place for housewives.
I arrived with laundry, soap and high hopes. Even the Laundromat didn’t have dryers then so it was home to hang my things on the line. It was one of the first things I’d asked for when we moved into our new little FHA financed home. My husband and his dad had put lines up for me and I was happily hanging my clothes for all to see. Beautiful white linens in three rows across our back yard.
I had to hurry to work. I had alternating hours……one week from 8:00 to 6:00 and the next would be 12:00 to 9:00. This was my 12:00 to 9:00 week so I hurried to wash and hang the things before leaving for work. I planned to get them in the next day since it would be dark when I got home.
As I turned in the driveway that night, the car lights illuminated the laundry on the line and we all know what I should have done…….left the lights on and gathered in the clothes……but foolhardy, I didn’t. That night we had a real toad strangler rain that blew and pounded against the house. Not a care in the world, I slept on until morning.
When I woke and went about the morning routine I happened to look out the window and I couldn’t believe my eyes. My beautiful laundry was on the ground as were the posts and lines……the sheets and towels had been pounded into the red clay dirt and were the same color. In a panic I ran to the area and began picking up the mud soaked things in a basket to take back to the Laundromat.
My husband was in shock as well……he saw his bride throw a real screaming tantrum who demanded to know why this happened. I was young. I blamed him. When we went out to look further, he said, “Well, I guess we should have set the posts in concrete.” HELLO!! I thought he and his dad should have known better than to sink wooded 4 X 4’s into dirt and expect them to hold lines of wet laundry. Now I blamed him AND his dad.
After he left for work, I made the trip back to the Laundromat and told the owner my sad story. She was horrified when she saw the mess and I could tell she had grave doubts about them ever coming clean. However, she did her best. First we ran them through three big wash tubs of clean water to get as much soil out as we could……then the hottest water she had in the Maytag wringer washer and the three big wash tubs for rinse water.
That day I was introduced to “Bluing.” Remember that, ladies? I haven’t seen Bluing for years……anyway, with a lot of Clorox in the washer and bluing in the rinse water they came out fairly decent and I was told with each washing they would improve each time, she thought. It took a LOT of time.
The posts were set in concrete by the next laundry day and I never left clothes on the line again. No matter what. Strange things happen when you sleep and it’s best to bring your things inside once they are dry. I didn’t have my own washer and dryer until the late 60’s and I can tell you……to this day, I appreciate being able to do my own laundry at home.
OK….this is the last “laundry” story. I got lost in thought and looking back it’s more funny than tragic……new brides have so much to learn and right at the top they find out why mother’s cry when their daughter’s march down the isle. They know that pitfalls are sure to come and wedded bliss sometimes gets stuck in the mud…………
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
