Monday Morning

Monday morning is so full of possibilities. Personally, Monday for me is a freedom day, not as so many portray it as a 'back to work' day. Monday is like a blank white sheet of paper. As a writer a blank piece of paper has so much potential. Or, it could be more like a white canvas waiting for the picture to be filled in.

In the days before time—as a young married couple—each day had its chore. Monday was 'wash' day. The laundry day. And an all day occupation it was. My first washing machine was a wringer washer. Now for ya'll younger gals that was a round motorized tub washer with an attached wringer. I would fill it with hot water, add the soap, and then the white clothes. Usually white shirts were washed first. There were two rinse tubs that stood beside the washer, and my first load I would set the timer for them to wash so many minutes. When that timer went off (those first years my washer was down in the cemented basement) I went down stairs, turned the washer off and ran the clothes through the wringer and into the first rinse tub filled with warm water. I would swish that around, working the garment up and down to rinse the soap out. Next I would flip the knob on the wringer to turn it enough and wring the garments into a second rinse tub, where I would repeat the rinse, and at last wring the clothes into the laundry basket. Before I carried the clothes basket out to be hung on the clothes line I would put the next load of clothes in the washer and turn the agitator back on. I always began with the white, then light clothes, proceeding to the darker colors and the work clothes. 

Since it was the days before time, we also used cloth diapers. That meant diaper pails. Each time baby's diaper was changed it went into a large what we called a diaper pail. It was just a round plastic container about two and a half foot tall with a plastic lid, and no handle per se. Most often there was either a small amount of laundry soap or borax or both in hot water in the pail. As the pail filled with diapers more hot water was added. At certain times, at least once a day, the old water would be drained out and fresh hot water/soap/borax would be added. I didn't wash diapers but once a week. (Remember I had to fill the wringer washer with hot water, and etc. and only did laundry once a week.) So it had to be a large pail, and we had a large amount of diapers. The diaper pail sat in the bathroom close to the stool. Pooey diapers would be emptied/rinsed into the stool then wrung out and tossed into the pail. Potty diapers just went into the pail. When it was time to carry the diapers down to wash I would wring each one out, empty the pail, and carry them down to the washer. They would be washed after the delicate and whites, but before the work clothes. 

As I said, with the first load I set a timer, but after that I just carried out a load, came back ran the next load through the wringer, put another load in, carried out, and the cycle went on into the afternoon. I had a big double line that ran east and west, and turned and ran north and south. I couldn't hang everything out all at once, but once it was full I could start bringing in the first hung out stuff. That added to the mix. Diapers dried rather quickly, and everything smelled so fresh and clean when brought in. 

Birds do seem to have a sense of humor, not that I care for their humor, but mulberry trees grow well out here in the country. Birds eat mulberries, then seem to take delight in trying to hit anything white hanging on clothes lines with bird pooh. I have had that happen more than I care to remember. 

Laundry day was an all day task. When finished hanging the clothes out on the line, there was the task of bringing them in. Late in the day I had clothes to fold and put away. 

"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, whither thou goest." (Ecclesiastes 9:10 ASV)

"The appetite of the laboring man laboreth for him; For his mouth urgeth him thereto." 
(Proverbs 16:26 ASV)

"The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much; but the fulness of the rich will not suffer him to sleep." (Ecclesiastes 5:12)

"Behold, that which I have seen to be good and to be comely is for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy good in all his labor, wherein he laboreth under the sun, all the days of his life which God hath given him: for this is his portion."(Ecclesiastes 5:18 ASV)