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| Picture prompt via Magpietales |
If nothing else, the scene takes me back to my teens, when such a spectacle used to be very common in our backyard. In fact, not only in our backyard but also in all of our neighborhood as well. The sight was a part of everyday life, which was alive and kicking. The assorted wet clothes, dripping water and lightly swinging in the wind was always the reassuring sight of healthy living.
There was no trace of washing machines then and mom used to do laundry, every other day. With three school going children and daily dress change, there was no way to avoid this drudgery. Of course she had developed a method to perform this chore more efficiently than most. After finishing her day's duties she'd heat water in a large brass wok and dividing the hot water into two iron pails, used to soak white and colored clothes separately in them. And the next day, the first thing she'd do after sending us to school was washing and spreading them on the long clothes line in the backyard for drying. She would remove them in the evening, fresh and warm, exuding a special aroma.
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Another short narrative based on sheer assumptions, is keen to be articulated. Why not give it a free hand. Accordingly, this appears to be the backyard of a mechanic of some sort. The type of clothes and all blues indicate the working dress of a handyman, may be a plumber, carpenter or a germicide sprayer on the lawns etc. Clothes stained with oils or extra dirty ought not to be washed in the washer, his wife warned. Probably, this was a long established practice in that household
Too busy in earning his livelihood, he had no time to lend his wife a hand in looking after the growing brood of unruly kids. So he uncomplainingly accepted the job of doing his own washing. Obviously the fellow has no time to mow or trim the grass which is unevenly coming up. There must be more pressings tasks, taking up his attention at the moment. Let's hope that one day, during a weekend, he 'd haul his kids along to spruce up this place as well.
Friends, after experiencing life in all its spectacular and grey hues, now I just want to soak in its pure, simple and uncomplicated ambiance, while engaging in my creative pursuits which provide me a sense of fulfillment. Above lines are part of that stance!
Friends welcome here! linked to Magpietale-9 TWO SHOES TUESDAY
Good old days. I love the fragrance of hand washed clothes.
ReplyDeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteLovely reminiscences - real and imagined! YAM xx
Sun dried clothes are wonderful! Nice memories.....cheers!
ReplyDeleteThe comforting aroma of sun dried sheets on a bed.
ReplyDeleteI can smell them now! Beautiful indeed!
ReplyDeleteYour story reminds me of one of my aunts who used to wash all the clothes by hand. She was really hard-working.
ReplyDeleteA life that had its own beauty.... Well narrated!
ReplyDeleteLovely take on the prompt!!
ReplyDeleteEven though cloths are washed well, the sun dried make quite clean. Nice sharing from two different perspectives i.e. the real and imaged.
ReplyDeleteAs wonderful as it is to smell and feel sun dried laundry I am not giving up my washer and dryer.
ReplyDeleteA lovely post ,both parts of it, Uppal. My mother had an old fashioned big washing machine when I was growing up, but the wet laundry was indeed hung on the line to dry, and even after she got her electric dryer, she loved to hang the bedsheets outside because they smelled so wonderfully fresh when taken in. You bought back sweet memories, and a reminder of how hard our mothers labored to take care of their families!
ReplyDeleteI loved the second part of your post too, because I think it's fun to closely examine a photo of piece of artwork and use your creative mind to determine what it's all about. You have a keen eye for details I might have missed! Thank you for sharing with us at Two Shoes Tuesday, Uppal!
Very much enjoyed...
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