Ah Clotheslines from the past...

DOES THIS BRING BACK THE MEMORIES OR WHAT!  LOVE IT

 

 

THIS IS FUN TO READ AND QUITE TRUE....WE  ARE PROBABLY THE LAST GENERATION THAT  WILL REMEMBER WHAT A CLOTHESLINE WAS. Remembering Mom's Clothesline There is one thing that's left out.  We had a long wooden pole (clothes pole) that  was used to push the clotheslines up so that  longer items (sheets/pants/etc.) didn't brush  the ground and get dirty. I can hear my mother now... THE BASIC RULES FOR CLOTHESLINES: (If you don't  even know what clotheslines are, better skip this.) 1. You had to hang the socks by the toes... NOT the top. 2. You hung pants by the BOTTOM/cuffs... NOT the waistbands. 3. You had to WASH the clothesline(s) before hanging any clothes -  walk the entire length of each line with a damp cloth around the lines. 4. You had to hang the clothes in a certain order, and always  hang "whites" with "whites," and hang them first. 5. You NEVER hung a shirt by the shoulders - always by the tail!  What would the neighbors think? 6. Wash day on a Monday! NEVER hang clothes on the weekend,  or on Sunday, for Heaven's sake! 7. Hang the sheets and towels on the OUTSIDE lines so you  could hide your "unmentionables" in the middle (perverts &  busybodies, y'know!) 8. It didn't matter if it was sub-zero weather... clothes would "freeze-dry." 9. ALWAYS gather the clothes pins when taking down dry clothes!  Pins left on the lines were "tacky"! 10. If you were efficient, you would line the clothes up so  that each item did not need two clothes pins, but shared  one of the clothes pins with the next washed item. 11. Clothes off of the line before dinner time, neatly folded  in the clothes basket, and ready to be ironed. IRONED??!!  Well, that's a whole OTHER subject!   And now a POEM... A clothesline was a news forecast, To neighbors  passing by, There were no secrets you could keep, When clothes were hung to dry. It also was a  friendly link, For neighbors always knew if  company had stopped on by, To spend a night or two. For then you'd see the "fancy sheets", And towels  upon the line; You'd see the "company table cloths", With intricate designs. The line announced a  baby's birth, From folks who lived inside, As brand new infant clothes were hung, So carefully with pride! The ages of the children could, So readily be known By watching how the sizes changed, You'd know  how much they'd grown!  It also told when illness  struck, As extra sheets were hung; Then  nightclothes, and a bathrobe too, Haphazardly were strung. It also said, "On vacation now", When lines hung limp and bare. It told, "We're back!" when full lines sagged, With not an inch to spare!  New folks in town were  scorned upon, If wash was dingy and gray, As neighbors  carefully raised their brows, And looked the other way. But clotheslines now are of the past, For dryers  make work much less. Now what goes on inside  a home, Is anybody's guess! I really miss that way of life, It was a friendly sign When neighbors knew  each other best... By what hung on the line. --