On this special weekend where families still come together,
and share precious memories of loved ones, I decided to
take a break from Sales & Marketing tips and share some
thoughts of days long gone, when days were much different
for me than they are today . . . .
(You have to be a certain age to really appreciate this)
THE BASIC RULES FOR CLOTHESLINES:
(If you don’t know what clotheslines are, better skip this.)
- You had to wash the clothes line before hanging any
clothes–walk the entire lengths of each line with a damp
cloth around the lines, or take it down in a big ball to be
rehung next week!
- You had to hang the clothes in a certain order, and always
hang “whites” with “whites,” and hang them first.
- You never hung a shirt by the shoulders, always by the
tail! What would the neighbors think?
- Wash day on a Monday! . .. . Never hang clothes on the
Weekend, or Sunday, for Heaven’s sake!
- Hang the sheets and towels on the outside lines so you
could hide your “unmentionables” in the middle
(perverts & busybodies, y’know!).
- It didn’t matter if it was sub zero weather….
clothes would “freeze-dry.”
- Always gather the clothes pins when taking down dry
clothes! Pins left on the lines were “tacky!”
- 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.
- Clothes off of the line before dinner time, neatly folded
in the clothes basket, and ready to be ironed.
- IRONED? Well, that’s a whole other subject!
A CLOTHESLINE 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!
And 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 time.
When neighbors knew each other best by what hung on the line.
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