Washing Our Clothes

I remember an action song that as a child we would sing, now I don't remember if we did it at school or at home or even where I learned it, but I do remember doing it with my children. 

It goes like this:

This is the way we wash our clothes, 

wash our clothes, wash our clothes

This is the way we wash our clothes.

So early in the morning..

Each time we would sing and action we would pretend we were doing that chore, each verse would be a different chore as: ironing our clothes, brushing our teeth, making our bed, going to sleep etc. and I'm sure many others will remember this action song and maybe have some sweet memories too.

I also remember my Mother having dish towels with the days of the week embroidered on them, along with a design and name of a chore, as: Monday was Wash, Tuesday was Iron, Wednesday was Sew, Thursday was Market, Friday was Clean, Saturday was Bake and Sunday was Rest.

As I was thinking about these childhood memories, again it took me back to my Mother and her wash days.

I grew up in a nice home in southern California, we moved into this home when I was around 5 years old, it was in a new neighborhood and it was one of the first homes on that street.  It had a small room off  the kitchen which my mother would call the Service Porch.  There was a wash tub in the corner of the room, it had an ironing broad that was built into the wall which you would pull down when you wanted to iron and she had a Wringer Washing Machine next to the wash tub.

Now I remember when Mother would do the laundry, she would be in the Service Porch most of the day. when one load was finished washing she would then drain the tub rinse the clothes and run them through the wringer.   After this was done, she would put the clothes in her wicker clothes basket and take it outside to where we had our clothesline, there she would shake each item before hanging them on the line with clothespins to dry.

Later in the day she would go back outside and take down the dried clothes from the line, put them in the basket and bring them into the house, some of the clothes could be folded, but most of the clothes had to be ironed and so she would take those clothes and sprinkle a little water on them, roll them uptight and put them back into the basket covering them with a cloth to be ready for, tomorrow would be the ironing day.

When I was a little older and at home, Mother would have me take the clothes outside and hang them on the clothes line and I remember taking the clothes off the line many time and bring them into the house to fold or prepare for ironing.

I don't remember when Mama finally stopped doing the washing in that old Wringer Washing Machine or when Daddy bought her the new Washing Machine, that all she had to do was put the clothes and the soap in the machine and hit the start button and the machine did all the work, but I  remember, she still had to take the clothes outside to dry on the old clothes line and we still had to go outside to take those dry clothes down and bring them back inside the house to be folded and ironed.

Yes, as a child I remember singing, 

This is the way we wash our clothes, 

wash our clothes, wash our clothes,

This is the way we wash our clothes.

So early in the morning....

Oh, how fast time goes by and daily chores change like, Washing your clothes.