COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL • OCTOBER 24, 2018 •
3A
Betty Kaiser’s Chatter Box: Life and Laundry Before Computers
Betty Kaiser
Today’s column subject
was triggered by a cartoon
in the Register Guard news-
paper. “Another View” shows
a man reading a newspaper
headline that says, “Sears
fi les for bankruptcy.”
Sitting on the fl oor are
two little kids. Th e boy says
to his playmate, “My dad
says that when he was a kid,
they had to drive to a store to
buy stuff .” Th e girl, looking
at Amazon on her computer
screen replies, “People had it
so rough in the olden days.”
At fi rst I laughed and then
I said to myself, life without
computers was not rough.
Computers make some
things easy but they don’t
solve all problems. Shop-
ping wasn’t really a prob-
lem because we had peo-
ple. Store clerks were your
friends. Th ey asked you how
they could help, knew your
dress size, advised you when
something was going on sale
and asked about your family.
As I recall, we lived sim-
ple, uncomplicated, orga-
nized lives using common
sense.
Electronic devices didn’t
tell us what to do or how to
do it. Our households some-
what followed these simple
rules:
Wash on Monday,
Iron on Tuesday,
Mend on Wednesday,
Churn on Th ursday,
Clean on Friday,
Bake on Saturday,
Rest on Sunday
Th ose rules are embroi-
dered on a set of tea towels
(aka dish towels) that I re-
ceived as a bridal shower gift
in 1958. In that era of home-
making, we took daily chores
very seriously. I still loosely
plan my week around the
above suggestions. Especially
the washing, ironing, clean-
ing, baking and resting part.
I was never very keen on
mending or churning.
Again, life was not always
easy but it wasn’t for lack of
a computer. Doing the laun-
dry? Now that was rough. In
fact, it was a homemaker’s
full-time, never ending job.
Come along with me as I
reminisce about laundry day
before running water or elec-
tricity.
For generations, wash-
ing clothes in a river was the
normal way to get clothes
clean — even when the river
was frozen. Stains were treat-
ed at home by soaking in a
lye solution, a washing bat
or board was used to scrub
them.
Soap was used sparingly
and could be made at home
by those who had ashes
and fat mixed with salt. Th e
clothes were rinsed in the
river and spread on bushes
to dry.
Women oft en didn’t have
time to wash clothes weekly.
It was hard, time-consuming
work. You can imagine that
clothes were practically fi lthy
before being washed. Oft en,
groups would get together
and help each other at a big
laundry session every few
weeks or months.
Lee Maxwell is 87-years-
old and vividly remembers
when his family did the laun-
dry. He says, “I remember
my grandfather wearing his
overalls until they literally
stood up. Washing was wash-
ing.
Today, we don’t really
‘wash.’ We kind of refresh.
Your shirts don’t get that
dirty.”
Lee has a Washing Ma-
chine Museum in Eaton, CO.
Some areas of the world
still wash their clothes in riv-
ers but most of civilization
has progressed. Wooden tubs
and factory-made metal tubs
made the chore easier. Tongs
replaced sticks for lift ing the
washed items.
Boxed soaps and starches
were introduced in the 1800s.
Clotheslines, pegs and pins
made drying easier. Women
found employment as wash-
ers and had a box mangle to
do ironing.
By the time I came along,
my mother and grandmother
were still in the wringer
washer era. I remember be-
ing scared to death to go out
to the wash house where the
machine was located. It was
dark and damp and creepy
out there. Th e machine was
plugged in and hooked up to
the hot and cold water of a
deep sink.
I think it took two peo-
ple to do a load of laundry.
Someone had to feed the
clothes through the wring-
er to another person who
caught them on the other
side.
Th en they had to be hung
out to dry.
I’m told that early on (be-
fore my time), mother’s long
hair got caught in a wringer!
Fortunately, grandmother
was there to quickly unplug
the machine before she was
scalped! By the 1950s, wash-
ing machines were greatly
improved.
A Speed Queen pamphlet
touted that a 7-load washing
could be done in one hour
with one tubful of water! To
my mind that’s question-
able but all women had to
be thrilled and I’m sure my
mother was over the moon.
A fi nal word on shopping
and the cartoon.
Chuck’s dad worked for
Sears and his mother intro-
duced me to Sears catalog
shopping. Over the years, we
bought a lot of things that
way — curtains, sheets, tools
and washing machines. But
our kid’s crib and changing
table came from Sears brick
and mortar stores as did their
clothing.
Shopping?
Catalogs and neighbor-
hood shops were our com-
puters.
No problem.
Contact Betty Kaiser’s
Chatterbox at 942-1317 or
email bchatty@bettykaiser.
com
Voice of Democracy ‘Patriot’s Pen’ contest now taking submissions
Since 1947, the Voice of
Democracy has been the
Veteran’s of Foreign Wars
(VFW) scholarship program.
Th is program provides
high school students, from
9th grade to 12th grade, the
opportunity to write and re-
cord a broadcast script on a
patriotic theme selected by
the VFW each year.
Competition begins at the
local post level.
A winner goes to the dis-
trict level to compete with
students selected by other
posts. Th ose winners ad-
vance to the state level and
on to the national level.
State winners receive
an all-expense-paid trip to
Washington, D.C., and the
top national scholarship
prize is $30,000.
Th e 2018-19 theme is
“Why My Vote Matters.”
Patriot’s Pen is open to
6th, 7th and 8th grade stu-
dents. Th is VFW sponsored
youth essay competition
gives students an opportuni-
ty to write essays expressing
their views on democracy.
'All entries are at post lev-
el with students advancing
through regional, then state
levels to national level.
First place award at na-
tional level is currently
$5,000, plus an all-expense
paid trip to Washington
D.C., for the winner and a
parent or guardian.
Th e 2018-19 theme is
“Why I Honor the American
Flag.”
Deadline for entries is
Oct. 31, at the VFW Post,
3160 Hillside Dr.
Foir more information,
call 541-942-7099.
Trick or Treat
In Historic Downtown
Cottage Grove
Wednesday, October 31st
3pm -5pm
Proud to be part of the
Cottage Grove
Community.
Locally Owned and
Operated
Join us for
CARNIVAL GAMES
Sponsored by Cottage Grove Faith Center
WITCHES DANCE 3:30 & 4:30 PM
SPIN THE WHEEL
Sponsored by Grocery Outlet
SELFIE STATIONS
Another dental visit?
Turns out, you have better things to do with
your time.
WINDOW DECORATING CONTEST
sponsored by EBID and the Main Street Program
CITY HALL JACK-O-LANTERN DISPLAY WITH
GAMES & CANDY
COOKIES AND CIDER AT
ALL AMERICA SQUARE
Sponsored by the
Cottage Grove Lions Club, Bohemia Sunrisers Kiwanis Club
and Cottage Grove Rotary Club
INFLATABLE BOUNCH HOUSE & INFLATABLE SLIDE
Sponsored by Birch Avenue Dental & Cascade Home Center
Be sure to check out the…….
Emergency Vehicles and Heavy Equipment on Display courtesy of South Lane
Fire & Rescue, CGPolice, City of Cottage Grove, and Pacifi c Power.
Roads will close at 1pm
and reopen by 6pm.
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Dr. Brent Bitner, DDS
www.facebook.com/cottagegrovechamber
or contact the Cottage Grove Chamber of Commerece
350 Washington, Cottage Grove
(behind Better Bodies)
942-7934
CEREC® is a registered trademark of Sirona Dental Systems.