We've had a dishwasher for ages, yet I never use it. Last time I used the dishwasher was at Christmas time last year, otherwise I love washing and drying dishes by-hand. Tea towel drapped over my shoulder, house quiet, and just little old me in the kitchen washing and drying.
I find it incredibly relaxing, soothing, almost meditative washing and drying dishes by-hand. I always think of it as my time to reflect on the day. Been washing and drying dishes by-hand forever and a day.
Next on the list, washing floors by-hand. Sure, if I had arthritic knees, a bum back, or just couldn't see my way clear to get down on all fours and up again, hello Swiffer or floor mop, but filling a bucket of water with cleaner and grabbing a cloth and going to town on the floors, nothing beats the cleanliness. I can tackle both floors and baseboards at the same time and everything feels and smells so fresh and clean when I'm done.
Moving on to back in the day when I had babies in the home, I could have opted to use Pampers, but instead chose to diaper the old-fashioned way like my own mom did. I was a fulltime stay-at-home mom, and so for me nothing seemed more befitting than diapering the true honest-to-goodness old-fashioned way. Cloth diapers, diaper pins, rubber pants, and plastic diaper pail.
Nothing used to give me more of a sense of self-satisfaction than when I'd sit and fold a stack of diapers at the end of the day, or folding a diaper from scratch, then bringing the back corners of the diaper over the front and fastening each side with a safety pin! A throwback to my old babysitting days when cloth diapers were the norm.
Diaper folding happened often late into the evening when everyone was in bed and the house quiet. I'd dump the basket of diapers out on the living room floor, and with cigarette off to the side in the ashtray, I'd sit crossed-legged on the floor and fold diapers while watching television,
Having all those diapers at my disposal was such a blessing, for when change-time would arise, I'd pluck a freshly folded diaper from the stack, a pair of rubber pants from the dresser drawer, drop the railing on the crib, and change my kids bottoms. On laundry day nothing beat pinning up all those diapers and rubber pants on the clothesline and sending them out to dry naturally. Such a traditional, classic, and warm homey sight.
Ironing. Yes, I still revel in seeing my husband in fresh neatly pressed sports shirts from spring until early fall. Something about the crispness and smartness of such, such a pulled-together look, and yes, I iron things I own, too. Love breaking out the iron on a quiet morning or afternoon, window opened with a light breeze casting it's coolness through the window screen, ironing board set up, iron hot and ready, and when all is said and done, freshly pressed things to wear, all neatly hung and ready.
- What about you, what's your story related to?
- Do you have the same old-fashioned bug that I do?