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Across the Fence:  Washeteria Memories  |
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magnoliakathy
True Blue Farmgirl
453 Posts
Kathryn
Magnolia
Texas
USA
453 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 12 2013 : 05:58:07 AM
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1970's - I lived at Ft.Hood, Tx back when you only got paid once a month, so the washeterias were very busy the first week of every month. All of us did our laundry, visited, and watched our kids, it was a social event.
1990's - Home washer has parts on order, 2 grandkids (4 yrs & 5yrs) visiting, load up the truck, kids, dirty clothes, washing supplies. On the way the 4yr says "MeeMaw are you poor?" Michael had never been to a washeteria and thought only poor people went there.
2013 - My annual trip to wash the big stuff, quilts, comforters, blankets. I am alone, doing a word search and remembering. Michael lives in Washington D.C. now has a great job and is happy. So am I with my memories.
When you free your mind your heart can fly. Farmgirl # 714, |
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ceejay48
Farmgirl Legend/Schoolmarm/Sharpshooter
13620 Posts
CeeJay (CJ)
Dolores
Colorado
USA
13620 Posts |
Posted - Jul 12 2013 : 07:31:40 AM
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In the 50s, growing up on a farm with a cistern. My dad had to haul water so mom hauled A LOT of dirty clothes to town to do the laundry in old-fashioned wringer washers! She ran them through the "extractor" to whirl out excess water but dragged them all home so my sister and I could hang then on the line . . . no matter what the weather was. In the winter they'd freeze before they dried and we'd have to bring them in and hang in the house to dry . . . hmmmmmm?!
In the early 70s living in a house in the desert outside of Phoenix with two babies, again we had to haul water so we were off to the laundromat down the hill. I used the dryer there because we didn't have a line. One day I found a $10 bill on top of the dryer . . . lucky day for me!!!
Back in Colorado, built our house in the late 70s and installed washer and dryer. I swore I'd never hang clothes out again because of the experiences on the farm. However, I have gone back to hanging my clothes out! Just wanted to save on the electric bill and I LOVE the smell of laundry that has hung out in our fresh, Colorado air with blue skies overhead!
In between all of those changes and coming back to Colorado and building our own house we lived in a variety of rentals. Some had laundry facilities, some didn't. At one duplex rental we rented a washer and hung the clothes on the fence around the back yard.
I have a book titled "The Clothesline" and I love reading all the stories and enjoying old photos, etc. Yes, lots of memories!
CJ
..from the barefoot farmgirl in SW Colorado...sister chick #665.
2010 Farmgirl Sister of the Year
Mother Hen: FARMGIRLS SOUTHWEST HENHOUSE
my aprons - http://www.facebook.com/FarmFreshAprons
living life - www.snippetscja.blogspot.com
from my hands - www.cjscreations-ceejay.blogspot.com
from my heart - www.fromacelticheart.blogspot.com
from my hubby - www.aspenforge.blogspot.com |
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Penny Wise
True Blue Farmgirl
1903 Posts
Margo
Elyria
OH
USA
1903 Posts |
Posted - Jul 12 2013 : 1:37:38 PM
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i get some chuckles when i think of "washeterias" or laundramats -won't get as detailed as CeeJay ...some memories are fond some are... well..i mentioned the other day taking my daughter as an almost newborn to one down the road from work and the gal( a co worker who knows my daughter!) just gasped to think i had done that!!!!!!
when i lived on my mother's property and first joined MJF i had the most wonderful clothesline- my brother built it with 4 wonderful long lines- now i am relegated to the dryer or the foldup dryers that i have on the back porch or in a bedroom!- i do have a smaller washer so i will have to be taking quilts etc soon!
Farmgirl # 2139
proud member of the Farmgirls of the Southwest Henhouse
~*~ counting my pennies; my dreams are adding up!~*~ |
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Marybeth
True Blue Farmgirl
6418 Posts
Mary Beth
Stanwood
Wa 98292
USA
6418 Posts |
Posted - Jul 12 2013 : 2:31:54 PM
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I remember the days of going to the Laundromat. We went on Wednesday--that's when hubby got paid. 4 kids an old truck and 8 or 10 loads of laundry. We brought the wet clothes etc home to line dry. The only good thing I can think about at the laundromat is you could wash all the clothes at once and then get back home. We did that for years and years---we had a shallow well. Once when i was in the car I was at a stop light and got rear ended and out spilled some of the laundry. Right in the road. I thought it was hilarious---at least it wasn't the underwear. I don't want to do it again. MB
http://www.smallcityscenes.blogspot.com
www.day4plus.blogspot.com
"Life may not be the party we hoped for...but while we are here we might as well dance!" |
Edited by - Marybeth on Jul 12 2013 2:34:22 PM |
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rough start farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
3331 Posts
marianne
The Beautiful Pacific NW
Washington State
USA
3331 Posts |
Posted - Jul 13 2013 : 10:06:13 AM
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There is something handy about getting it all done at once though, don't ya think? Not as handy as not having to leave the house ...
Marianne |
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oldbittyhen
True Blue Farmgirl
1511 Posts
tina
quartz hill
ca
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - Jul 13 2013 : 11:36:44 AM
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The one and only time I ever used a laundromat, was when my washer took a permanent vacation...went washed all the clothes, and was gonna bring them home to dry, but deceided to treat myself to a dryer (I only have ever had was a clothes line), and as I and several other ladies were pulling our clothes out of the dryer, I think we all screamed at once, cause all of our clothes were covered in crayon that had melted in the dryers...it turned out some kids had put , on purpose, crayons in all of the dryers as a joke, well guess what, it does not come out, and all of the dryers were ruined also...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
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westfork woman
True Blue Farmgirl
554 Posts
Kennie Lyn
Emmett
Idaho
USA
554 Posts |
Posted - Jul 17 2013 : 2:15:20 PM
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We didn't have a washer at home when I was growing up. Sometimes we would go to my grandmothers to wash. When I was about 10 or 11, there were a lot of us living at the house, a baby we raised, several cousins in need of a roof, and elderly uncle in a wheel chair, besides the 4 in our immediate family. That many people make a lot of dirty laundry, including all those cloth diapers. So we drove the 15 miles to the laundry mat on Saturdays. We would get the clothes in the machines, Mom would take the baby and the other little kids grocery shopping, and I would mind the machines. I read lots of books, visited with old people, looked out the window, and browsed thru the furniture store next door. After about 2 years of this, the owner of the laundry mat, who also owned the furniture store, made my Mom an offer. He told her he would sell her a machine for what she spent every week in running the laundry mat machines. What a deal! That little front loader machine in the corner of our tacked-on-the-back-of-the-house bathroom was a Godsend. It took a couple of years to pay off at about $10 a month. I will never the forget the kindness of that man to our family.
Greetings from the morning side of the hill. |
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queenmushroom
True Blue Farmgirl
985 Posts
Lorena
Centerville
Me
USA
985 Posts |
Posted - Jul 20 2013 : 2:01:21 PM
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I absolutely HATE sacking laundry. Did it on weekends when home from college. Did it when I moved into my first and second apartments. First one either to the laundrymat. Second one when I couldn't afford the pay washer /dryer I'd take it to moms. Once in a while I have to sack it to my mils if one machine or the other is down and the weather not condusive. For line drying. Mom sacked laundry in the. 70's. Got a stinger in the later 79' s and her first modern set in the
Patience is worth a bushel of brains...from a chinese fortune cookie |
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queenmushroom
True Blue Farmgirl
985 Posts
Lorena
Centerville
Me
USA
985 Posts |
Posted - Jul 20 2013 : 2:03:31 PM
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Mom got her wringer in the late 70's. Drained it out the back door. Got her first modern set in the 80's.
Patience is worth a bushel of brains...from a chinese fortune cookie |
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marlee
True Blue Farmgirl
1650 Posts
Marlene
DeRidder
Louisiana
1650 Posts |
Posted - Jul 21 2013 : 4:26:40 PM
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When I was growing we had a small building about 50 feet out the back door. We called it the washhouse. Momma had a chest freezer, a gas stove and a wringer washer with two rinse tubs. We had a cistern next to it. So that is where we helped momma wash clothes and hung them on the line outside. We did not have running water. When we were
younger the washer and tubs in the kitchen . But it was so crowded . Daddy and all of us cleaned out the wash house and thus beginning to wash the clothes out there. When we were older teens and such. Got a dryer. We thought we moved up in the world. Not that we used it all the time. Summer the clothes went on the clothesline. The smell of fresh hung laundry brings back a lot of memories.
Hugs Marlee
God is the painter, he paints the picture. And his son builds it, for he is the Master Carpenter!
Silly Boys Trucks Are For Girls |
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sjmjgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
566 Posts
Stephanie
Mt. Vernon
Iowa
USA
566 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2013 : 4:29:51 PM
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I still remember my great grandma using a wringer washer just outside her kitchen door to do her laundry and Im in my 30s!
Farmgirl Sister # 3810
Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
- Dalai Lama
April is Autism Awareness month. Autism affects 1 in 88 children (1 in 54 boys, including my son). Go to http://www.autismspeaks.org/ to learn more and help Light It Up Blue on April 2nd!
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Nana Shirl
True Blue Farmgirl
352 Posts
Shirley
Kit Carson
Colorado
USA
352 Posts |
Posted - Jul 23 2013 : 8:59:23 PM
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After we were first married and had our daughter, we had to go to laundry mat too.., my hubby..looking about 14(lol) would tote ALL the lil cloth diapers by himself to the laundry mat to do our wash...long story short..all the lil ladies thought it was so cute ..him foldin diapers n such..they all helped!! He has always been so very respectful to ladies...he made lots of lil ole lady friends...Bless his heart..and theirs ..for lending him a hand... then we rented an apartment that had a wringer washer..my baby girl had the whitest diapers!! Oh ya memories..
You can't get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me. ~C.S. Lewis |
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Across the Fence: Washeteria Memories |
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Washeteria Memories
