Not a joke so putting this here, some of us still do things this way, I know I do;
THE BASIC RULES FOR CLOTHESLINES
1. You had to hang the socks by the toes... NOT the top. 2. You hung pants by the BOTTOM EDGE/cuffs... NOT the waistbands. 3. You had to WASH the clothesline before hanging anything - walk the entire length of each line with a damp cloth around the lines. 4. You had to hang the clothes in a certain order and always hang "whites" with "whites," FIRST. 5. You NEVER hung a shirt by the shoulders - always by the tail! What would the neighbours think? 6. Wash day was Monday! NEVER hang clothes on the weekend, especially Sunday, for Heaven's sake!
7. Hang the sheets and towels on the OUTSIDE lines so you could hide your "unmentionables" in the middle (perverts & busybodies, y'know!)
8. It was used in all weathers, even if it was sub-zero ... clothes would just "freeze-dry."
9. ALWAYS gather the clothes pegs when taking down dry clothes! Pegs left on the lines were "tacky"!
10. If you were efficient, you would hang clothes so that each item did not need two clothes pins, but shared one of the clothes pins with the next washed item.
11. Clothes should be off of the line before dinner time, neatly folded in the basket, ready to be ironed.
12. IRONED??!! Well, that's a whole OTHER subject! and now a poem on the subject.....
A clothesline was a news forecast to neighbours passing by, There were no secrets you could keep when clothes were hung to dry. It also was a friendly link for neighbours always knew If company had just stopped 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 for 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 for extra sheets were hung; Then nightclothes and a bathrobe too haphazardly were strung.
It also said, "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 frowned upon If wash was dingy grey, And neighbours 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 neighbours knew each other best by what hung on the line.
12. IRONED??!! Well, that's a whole OTHER subject!
In Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) all clothes must be ironed to make sure you kill the Maggot Fly eggs, else you end up getting big maggots eating their way out of you.
PS:-Edited for a typo.
-- Edited by JRH on Sunday 19th of January 2014 05:40:59 PM
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If I don't get there today, I'll get there tomorrow or the day after.
John & Irona..........Rockingham Western Australia
Yes Judy, did have one of those John, you forgot to colour co-ordinate the pegs. My kids always laughed at my matching the pegs.
Strewth I used to colour code also until a few years ago I bought several bags of PINK ones for the Breast cancer fund......so now no drama. But my 6yr GD is fascinated by pegs, a couple of years ago she never even knew what they were.
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Judy
"There is no moment of delight in any journey like the beginning of it"
Us too........some enterprising young blokes would go bush and cut down branches with forks in them, skin the pole and sell them to the households for the props, the forked poles worked a treat and didn't slip off....
Others would cut a "V" in a length of narrow timber to do the same job...
In the 1800 most kids that were raised in the bush were tethered to the clothesline or something. Without fencing and with snakes it was too dangerous to let little kids wander. Mother couldn't spend every minute watching them she had to work very hard without electric washing machines, cooking stoves, fridges, vacuum cleaners or irons or even a fan on a hot day!.
Yes, I'm afraid I did. Some things have definitely changed for the better. And if I'd ever considered living in South Africa (which I haven't) the idea of ironing would certainly stop me!
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Cheers, Marianna.
The more I learn about people, the more I like my dogs (Mark Twain)
