LAUNDRY MEMORIES in Postcards 4
- Sept. 13, 2018, 10:22 a.m.
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- Public
1966: The flower child. Photo: Charlie Davis.
I’m so glad you all are enjoying my old photographs. Some are crooked, some are blurred, and others are so far away in memory they don’t exist any longer. I’m enjoying them too.
It’s a rather exciting day today….I’m doing laundry. Now don’t laugh. I’m taking Bob Woodward’s, and other’s memories, and sitting outside the garage in the shade. A week’s worth of dirty clothing, towels, and sheets, are going around and around in machines. Machines that require no participation.
My mother’s wash, and Peg Clark’s across the street, went into a wringer washer. Peg also put her son’s grey, uniform pants in wire hanger things that hung out in the sun to dry. The hangers stretched the pants into shape and gave them a crease too. No ironing. Mother saved her soul by having first Dolly then Kathy to do the wash…and ironing. I just run things in the dryer with a dryer sheet and hang them up as they come out of the dryers.
What do you do with your laundry? Or do you have a laundry memory or two?
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- Himself: Had the decorative jewelry appraised: Turkish, silver, garnet red stones and no diamonds. Ate dinner wandering through the Wednesday OB Farmer’s Market.
- Myself: Got all the official paperwork returned to where it came. Had fun rolling through the street market.
- Reading: FEAR…fascinating stuff.
- Gratitude’s: As always G, and especially my friend DeAnna….for the birthday card.
GypsyWynd ⋅ September 13, 2018
I remember my mom ironing. She'd set the ironing board up in her bedroom, turn on her soap operas, and iron away. I remember the smell of the steam iron.
MageB GypsyWynd ⋅ September 13, 2018
Yes. And I remember how wonderful things smelled hanging outside in the sun.
MageB GypsyWynd ⋅ September 13, 2018
Yes. And I remember how wonderful things smelled hanging outside in the sun.
GypsyWynd MageB ⋅ September 13, 2018
Especially the sheets! The towels always came out a bit "crispy" when dried in the sun.
Amelie's Twin ⋅ September 13, 2018
I do own an iron and an ironing board, but I haven't used them in years. Like you, I throw everything in the dryer with a dryer sheet and hang it immediately when it comes out. My mom used to hang out the clothes in nice weather. I remember HATING having to wipe off after a shower with a towel that was as rough as sandpaper, but it sure was absorbent. I don't use dryer sheets when drying my towels now, though, as I've discovered they hinder water absorption.
Deleted user ⋅ September 13, 2018
I still remember my Grandmother using a wringer washer on a porch of their house . Vaguely . :-)
I do laundry every day here . We are towel OCD :-) I aim for getting things right out of the dryer when done but often forget . If it’s my shirts that got forgotten I will spin them again in the dryer with a damp towel . When I am going out I will iron my clothes. Frank irons his every day . I will not wear anything wrinkled and he won’t either .
Deleted user ⋅ September 13, 2018
Love the picture!
gattaca ⋅ September 13, 2018
The only laundry memory I have is of the dryer motor shorting out and sparking when I was a kid, freaking my mother out. This apparently appealed to the future engineer in me.
Marg ⋅ September 13, 2018
I remember my auntie using a wringer or mangle in her house and I remember mum slaving over a twin tub every Monday then doing a big pile of ironing once the washing was dry while watching the telly! She would tell me tales of doing the washing when younger in the wash house (a sort of brick outhouse at the back of your house or flat which you took it in turns to use if you shared it with neighbours). You had to get up dead early in the morning to heat up the boiler for the hot water - alternatively there were public washhouses called 'steamies' - very popular as they were often the only chance women could get together socially. Washing would be taken down to the steamie in the pram and women would catch up with each other's news over scrubbing the clothes. It was also lovely and warm there so a nice change from damp, freezing flats!
I had a twin tub too for a few years before we bought our first automatic - I wouldn't leave the house while it was on because I didn't trust it!! It was a combined washer/dryer but I never used the dryer - just hung out the washing on good days and used a clothes horse when it was wet - now I just use that same clothes horse to dry my stuff - I still iron all the bed linen and any clothes which crease.
Hillbilly Princess ⋅ September 13, 2018
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NorthernSeeker ⋅ September 15, 2018
The photo is so pretty and natural. I can imagine you would have a flare for drama...the real kind, on stage and all that. Did you ever participate in plays? Painting props?