2. You had to hang the clothes in a certain order,
and always hang "whites" with "whites," and hang them first.
3. You never hung a shirt by the shoulders - always by the tail!
4. Wash day was on Monday! Never hang clothes on the weekend,
or Sunday, for Heaven's sake!
5. Hang the sheets and towels on the outside lines so you could
hide your "unmentionables" in the middle!!
6. It didn't matter if it was sub zero weather . . .
Clothes would "freeze-dry."
7. Always gather the clothes pins when taking down dry clothes!
Pins left on the lines were "tacky!"
8. 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.
9. Clothes off of the line before dinner time,
neatly folded in the clothes basket, and ready to be ironed.
10. IRONED?! Well, that's a whole other subject!
(one thing not mentioned....was the clothespin holder....with a metal handle at the top that was curved to go over the clothesline. My Mom still has hers and I hope to "inherit" it someday to hang in my kitchen....just as a reminder...:)
The Clothesline 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!
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 sign
When neighbors knew each other best
By what hung on the line!
Blessings,
