It's That Time - To The Clothesline!

When I was a little girl and in the care of my grandmother, I spent my days observing her do the daily chores in a house in Pennsylvania and then later in Maryland. I remember some of the cooking, mainly the baking when she would let me pay with the bits of dough or even better scraps of pie crust. I could sprinkle sugar on those scraps and have my own little baked goods as a snack.

But surprisingly what I remember enjoying the most was the laundry. In the earliest years, I know she had a wringer washing machine that I was seriously warned against. Arms could be lost if they went through that wringer. Of course it was a fascinating thing to see the sopping wet cloths be fed through those cylinders. But the warnings were strong enough that I don't recall every getting too near the machine much less 'testing' it with my fingers.

But in later years, we had a regular washer but maybe not a dryer. I know we had one by the time I was in high school but it's the grade school years I remember. Nana would carry the laundry basket, already pre sorted, out to the back yard. I would often sit on the grass under the clothes line and hand her the clothes pins. The sheets would be shaken hard and make a snapping noise. I don't think the sheets were ever ironed because they came off that line smooth from a good snap and the wind that blew through them.  Like went with like. Sheets were hung with sheets, towels with towels, underpants with underpants etc. Just like with cooking, a little prep at the beginning made the rest of the process smooth and the later putting away was almost easy with that initial sorting.

Toda was the first day I hung towels and other whites out on the line. Towels and other heavies usually get 10 minutes in the dryer first to fluff them a bit before they go outside. I often think of my Nana when I do this although I have been less than a proper housewife because I  have not only left my clothespins on the line but have even left clothes out overnight. I often wonder if that overnight business became a taboo because of homes heated with coal and the resultant ash falling on those newly clean clothes. In any case, if the sun doesn't dry everything today, I can always pop them into the dryer for 10 minutes and still have the scent of line hung clothes all dried in a day. Old memories and modern solutions.

Five on Friday: November 7, 2014

So much of my life recently has been concerned with the upcoming surgery. It's amazing what a time suck that has been but I do go to be tired and sleep well. Good thing since the hospital is no place for sleeping!

1. 30 Days of Grateful - I'm doing this project and enjoying it a lot. Here's yesterday's page.

2. They said at the hospital, when dh (my coach for the 3 days in hospital) had a "Joint Camp "Class, that people often don't feel like eating much the days after surgery. Apparently one woman lost 30 lb! I suspect that included the total of 8 weeks recovery time, but in any case I'd love for that to happen!

3. Yesterday, we had a day of rain, sunny, fog roll in, and a good rain storm. I was continuously adjusting my layers of clothing. But that's what layers are for, I guess. Not just fashion. This was just before the rain storm.

4. This weekend will be packing time for me. One batch for the hospital stay which won't include much more than the basics, and then a suitcase for rehab. Rehab is the time that I  have hopes of using the laptop. Hospital time? more likely free time will be nap time, in'shallah.

5. DH has been given Laundry 101 lessons. He's going to be ok with the washer and dryer, though one time he was about to start the load without adding detergent. Actually, I think with most of our stuff, just the water would do but.... What is going to be difficult for him is putting my clothes away. He said I have so many rules! I think it's that women have more categories of clothing. 

That's all for now folks! Most likely I will be off doing medical things for the next two weeks. We'll see! But in any case, I hope you will have a marvelous weekend and time to be grateful for the many wonderful good things in your life. Try a gratitude list! It really works.

AAM Monday: I'll Take That As a Theme Song!

Once in a while, I'll see a scrapbook challenge that appeals to me and then I promptly forget about it.  You know how it is, it's not something you plan to do immediately especially if it interrupts things like eating breakfast or doing laundry or seeing the doctor.  Actually, I can do laundry while doing most any thing as the machines are just outside my studio and I can plunk the clothes in and get on with my life.  If you have a chance to have your laundry area near your main daily workspace, go for it. But I have digressed.

When I initially saw that challenge, I knew the song would be one of the Talking Heads best but one that I always have to check on the name. Water flowing underground is what always comes back to me but it's really "Once in a Lifetime". There was something about this song that always touched me deeply and made me very conscious of the endless flowing of life beneath the surface of what we see as our lives. It usually brought me to tears. It was just one of those songs. David Byrne was like nothing I had ever experienced especially after spending the prior twenty years outside the US.

Remember kids, this was the 80s.




And the days go by...same as it ever was.

If you want to see the original video, Bryne at his most eclectic best,  here it is on YouTube.

 Once in a Lifetime

AAM Monday - Project Life Marches On

When doing these layouts, I couldn't remember which week I was up to. Fortunately, my images are up at my Designer Digitals gallery and I often go back there to refer to something I used or a date. I also have made myself a list of Week # - dates. My weeks are always a Sunday-Saturday and I have a small calendar on my desk, but that little calendar is pretty (I made it!) and I don't like to write on it. I think when I do the next two months, I actually put the week # in the digital layout. I suspect I will still wonder at times....now what week am I up to?

Right here, right now, I know the next two Project Life pages I'll be doing will be for Week 15. What do you want to bet I still may forget?

A peach of a day

Summer at its best.

Home again, home again

Home means

1. My own bed
2. A real cup of tea in one of my favorite mugs
3. Sebastian both greeting me and ignoring me
4. My MAC with its great great big screen
   
5. A whole house to wander in, sit in, be alone in
   
6. More than 4 outfits to wear
7. Laundry
8. Meals to plan and cook
9. A litterbox to clean
10. But really little to complain about