I am not one for change, not often anyway, but I have had a need here lately to do some redecorating in our country home.
The first thing I should tell you is that I only have 2,000 square feet to work with, all the walls are huge logs that are caulked heavily, which means they are not smooth, and being the accumulator and collector that I am, every space is filled with some of my country antiques. Therefore, I cannot wallpaper, although upstairs every wall that is Sheetrocked is already plastered with beautiful wallpaper. I love wallpaper and I stick it to every surface that’s possible. I also love to paint, so I’ve been forbidden to bring paint brushes into the house.
I change the cushions in my rooms often, and the pictures and trappings on the walls, my mantel décor, and even move around the furniture. All this is to the concern of my husband as he is of the temperament, “If it ain’t broke, leave it!”
As I have some limitations and parameters as to just what I can change inside, the outside and my big back porch are my playground. So, after seeing something on the internet — thank you, Pinterest — I have decided to find an old wringer-type washing machine and plant some fall flowers inside the big tub. This idea, when pitched to the muscle in my family, was met with consternation.
As I was pondering this project, I was reminded of helping my grandmother wash in her wringer-type washer on Mondays, her wash day, back when I was younger. She was so excited about her used Maytag washer and was eager to show me how it worked.
As I remember now, it was a big chore to use this confounded machine. She had placed it on her little screened-in back porch, so it was there during the heat waves and the cold spells alike. First, you had to fill the big tub with water. She filled hers with buckets of hot water, added the detergent and then plugged it in and let it agitate for a few minutes to mix the soap with the water. Then we added the load of dirty clothes and let them whisk and stir and shake for several minutes. Then the hose from the big tub was laid on her steps just outside the back door and we let the dirty water run out. Then the whole process was repeated as the clothes were rinsed.
Oh yes, the one other important thing was the wringer, the two bars that squeezed the water from the clothes before we were finished to hang them on the line dryer. I’ve always had long hair, and this one day it was loose and falling around my shoulders and just as I was pushing a pair of my grandaddy’s blue denim overalls through the wringer, my hair also got pushed through. I remember hollering and screaming, as I thought I would end up bald. My grandmother just unplugged the contraption and helped me free my mane and I don’t think I ever helped her again.
I really like my automatic washing machine. Just put dirty clothes in and take them out and voila! But I really love my memories of that old wringer-type washer and the recollections of all the fun we had.
Jell-O CAKE
1 package white cake mix
2/3 cup of water
2/3 cup of oil
1 package of any flavor Jell-O
4 eggs
Mix the cake mix and the Jell-O, add the remaining ingredients and pour into a Bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. I pour a thin vanilla icing over mine when cool, but you can serve with or without icing.
