Monday, March 20, 2006


MONDAY MEMORIES................

I remember being a very little girl and watching my mother iron. I thought that it looked like such a "fun" thing to be doing (I have learned since then the opposite)!!!
Mother had this little iron. (I should ask her where she got it.) It is made of cast iron. The bottom comes out and you heat it on the stove then you attach it back into the handle and iron away.
She got it out for me and bought me a little ironing board. On Tuesdays when she would iron then I got to iron right along with her. I only got to do Dad's hankies. If you remember we did not have boxes of kleenexs or puffs back in the good ole' 40's and 50's but just plain white, blue or red hankerchiefs.
I thought I was really big stuff being able to iron just like mother was ironing. We would sprinkle them with water from a bottle that had a top on it that had holes in it. Mother would sprinkle our clothes the day before and roll them all and put them tightly into a basket. Then she would cover them up with a big towel. She would always wash on Mondays and iron on Tuesdays. That was just her every week routine. Funny how things have changed with technology and with so many, many other things that have came into our lives!!
I also remember that of course not having electric washers or dryers she would have to hang out clothes in all kinds of weather. Her hands would be beet red and get all cracked and hurt so bad in the winter time in Illinois. Most of the time we would have lines all over our little tiny houses that we lived in.
Washing on the other hand sometimes was fun!! We had wringer washers. You get to put them into the washer and let them go round and round. Then run them through the wringer...carefully and not get your hand caught. (One time when I was young and newly married, I got my hand caught! There was a red release bar on the top that you hit. I remember hitting it hard but I still cried and ran to my neighbor's house thinking I was dying!! (oh to be that young again!!).
Then after you run it through the wringer you get to run it into cold water and then into another tub of cold water until you have the clothes all rinsed out as best as you could. Next it was time to hang them up!! Anyone getting tired yet just reading this!! WHEW!! I AM!!!
Women worked hard then...VERY HARD!! Thank goodness to the one that invented the automatic washer and dryer...My hat is off to you!! Thanks a lot!!

4 comments:

Ladybug Crossing said...

Thank God for technology!!! I love my washer, dryer, vacuum, dishwasher, stove, etc! I appreciate all of them. I don't have a line to hang my clothes out, but maybe when construction is finished... It is way too dusty and dirty out there now! There is nothing better than line dried sheets... ahhh
LadyBug

Lazy Daisy said...

Wow, I remember ironing my dad's hankies too. Charlie bought a Haitian iron. It is really heavy as you put heated coals in to to iron. Great Post Sandy!

Unknown said...

Good Morning Sandy! My mom wouldn't let me iron although I always wanted to. Now, if I can get past getting out and set up, I don't mind it too much. Great post.

Maggie Ann said...

We had a wringer washer as newly weds. The salesman demonstrated it at the store by running a board through it...we fell for that demo and bought it. Well, I hated using it from the very first. My hubby would often do the laundry. We lived in a basement apt. and shared the cellar part with other tenants. I was very shy and dreaded going out there. I remember one picture we took of him doing the wash. He had gotten too much detergent in it and the suds billowed high in the air. I can't remember any kind of iron but electric that Grandma used. You must have some wonderful memories. I like it where you said you felt like 'big stuff' ironing your Daddy's hankerchiefs. How sweet...wish all work could make us feel like big stuff and oh so satisfied today...huh!