St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1958-04-18
THIS N THAT
by hazel
underwood

You Are IiredY
During a conversation the othel
day several women were sayinl
how tired they were because the
were just starting their sprinl
housecleaning
Mary I viii call her, was say
ing, Il am simply worn out! two
weeks ago I called the rug laundry
and sent my inch from the wal
carpeting 10 be cleaned. Then
had 10 take the draperies and the
curtains down and call the dry
cleaners and Oh, 1t was such bother
trying to get in touch with the
shop which is dry cleaning my liv.
ing room suite.
THE walls and ceilings are 20.
ing to be done over as soon as
the men can get here. III be a
nervous wreck by the time I get
thru
The other ladies talked in about
the same manner. Looking at them
and listening TO them fussing and
Tuning at the time it takes TO
run down stairs, put the clothes
in the automatic, then in the dryer
and running them through the
mangle made me remember what
It really is 10 be tired.
Remember years ago when your
mother or grandmother, as the
case may be cleaned house? First
she climbed and pulled around on
chairs getting the lace curtains
down. Then she washed them in a
tub, rubbing them clean with her
hands on a wash board, after she
had carried the water, built hot
coal fire and had the water hot,
When she had washed as clean
as snow, she pricked her fingers
until they were hurting pinning
the curtains on the curtain STREET
cheers. How proud she was when
she could fold them, and put them
in a long box until she had fin
ished cleaning the house.
Next she would take broom,
and sweep and sweep until she
couldn't get a speck Of dust out
Of them. Then she would get a
tack and get down on her knees
and take every tack out of that
carpet and with the help Of a
small son or daughter, they man.
aged TO fold or roll the carpet out
in the yard and up on the line.
My, the fun the youngsters had
pretending the carpet was a tent.
They played for a time then their
mother gave the oldest ones carpet
beaters and told them to beat"
the carpet until she told them It
was clean. Ever so often the chill
dren would say, Ma, is it clean
now" She would feel sorry for
them but IL she took the beaten
and quite a bit of dust came out,
she would get you cold drink
and say beat it just a little bit
longer. Then she would have a
little surprise for you. 1t would
probably be a home made cookie
and glass Of milk, but you
thought 1t was wonderful
Uf you are wondering why her
husband didn't help, he worked
seven days a week, about - or
IL hours. One day he shaved his
mustache off and his children
wouldn't go to him, they didn't
know him, They were in bed in
the morning when he left and
when he came home. They did
not see him too oftenD
To get back 10 her house clean
ing. next she put cloth on a
broom and stretched up to clean
the ceilings and walls as best she
could, aren't you tired just read
ing how hard your mother worked
when SHE cleaned houseH)
Next she had to really scrub
the woodwork and wash the win
dows. take the chinks out OF the
doors and windows. you don't
know what is meant by chinks?l
II there was q crack anywhere
in the doors or windows that air
might come in, she took cloth
and a knife and pressed that in
the space until she could not feel
any air secping in,
That was to help keep the house
warm during the winter. At her
spring house cleaning those chinks
had to be taken out.