posted 03-23-2002 07:22 PM            

Years ago a Kentucky grandmother gave a bride the following
recipe for washing clothes:

1 ) Build fire in backyard to heat kettle of rainwater.
2 ) Set tubs so smoke won't blow in eyes if wind is pert.
3 ) Shave one whole cake of lye soap in boiling water.
4 ) Sort things, make 3 piles. 1 pile white, 1 pile colored,
. . .1 pile work britches and rags.
5 ) To make starch, stir flour in cool water to smooth,
. . .then thin down with boiling water.
6 ) Take white things, rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard, and
. . .then boil. Rub colored, don't boil, just rinse and starch.
7 ) Take things out of kettle with broomstick handle, then
. . .rinse, and starch.
8 ) Hang old rags on fence.
9 ) Spread tea towels on grass.
10) Pour rinse water in flowerbed.
11) Scrub porch with hot soapy water.
12) Turn tubs upside down.
13) Go put on clean dress, smooth hair with hair combs.
. . .Brew cup of tea, sit and rock a spell and count your blessings.

Hang this above your automatic washer (if you have one), and when
things look bleak, read it again, and count your blessings!