Though, to argue briefly on the side of laundering, I have had the occasion, over time, of observing some university work-study students folding towels, for hours at a stretch, and, repetitive as the labour obviously is/was,they actually seemed, in the course of performing it (with musical backdrop), I might almost go out on a limb and say, happy as clams.
After all, they will one day go on to perform jobs which are just as repetitive, much better paid, but a lot greater strain on the conscience.
"Dainty laces and delicate embroideries"... "Never go out to do work; always have it sent to you." This stuff reminds me, for some reason, of some of Marianne Moore's poems. (I, too, dislike it.)
During the Depression of the 1930's, my grandma (my mom's mom) took in laundry to help make ends meet.
They had a coal-burning furnace in the basement of their house. My mom's two older brothers (they would have been teenagers then) would go down by the railroad tracks that ran through the town, and gather stray pieces of coal that had fallen off the trains passing through -- this to help (however slightly) cut down on the cost of coal for heating the house.
Odd image, Tom. I do enjoy folding towels. If only it were just towels. Funny image. An odd world full of dainties--I, too, dislike it and marvel at it. Lyle, it sounds like you have a memoir to write . . . Fascinating.
During the Depression of Now, at our house we don't have heating or the washer/dryer apparatus. So those Other Centuries are always with us. One does accustom oneself, as in making do.
Really no task should be considered too menial or low if it is being performed, whether by girls or by boys or by women or by men, for a good purpose; not forgetting, as we were taught, that cleanliness is next to Godliness (yet at the same time not quite remembering what Godliness is... ?).
May I join the towel folding brigade? I enjoy sweater folding also. Anything, especially things like this, is worth doing well, which is more complicated than most people know.
Actually, during the years I was in high school, I was usually the one who did the laundry. Usually on Sunday. During the fall when I was watching Vikings football games on T.V., I would zip downstairs during timeouts and halftime to change loads.
I never learned any "official" ways to fold clothes or towels, etc., though I did learn to rolls socks.
The Manner of Playing
-
… the game itself doesn’t change. This is from The Well-Played Game: A
Player’s Philosophy by Bernard De Koven (2013): … We could be playing for
educationa...
-
It's still pouring rain out there, and I'll be rushing out the door into
the morning . . . first to haul the trash to the curb, then to drive across
tow...
An Ecology of Intimacies
-
At its best, an intimate relationship is a symbiote of mutual nourishment —
a portable ecosystem of interdependent growth, undergirded by a mycelial
web of...
It Could be All in a Name
-
What in the Hell are you talking about? I am an American, so I have no
clue, what you mean when you tell me how many kilometers you get per liter.
Our coun...
Human Rights Day Today
-
The Nobel Peace Prize this year went to Narges Mohammadi, 51, of Iran. She
was arrested 13 times, convicted for five and sentenced to a total of 31
years ...
Stay away from the pool
-
My mother & I were visiting a friend of hers who was living in an apartment
complex that I regarded at the time as positively palatial, what for the
commun...
In Memory of Ed Ochester, Poet & Editor, RIP
-
We have asked Ed Ochester (above) to edit our Sunday poetry pages for the
next few months. Here is one of Ed's poems: March of the Penguins The
editor of N...
“In spite of all the learned have said ...”
-
Philip Freneau
Philip Freneau (1752-1852) was a journalist and poet in the early years our
country was forming. And, oh, by the way, I once wrote an under...
Jason Tandon
-
Born in Hartford, CT in 1975, Jason Tandon is the author of four books of
poetry, including *The Actual World*, *Quality of Life*, and *Give Over the
Hec...
Balance is important in design
-
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo
ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis Theme natoque penatibus et
magnis dis ...
Feeding therapy FINALLY!!
-
There is so much to catch up on and yet so little. I have noticed that the
last year has felt like an inward journey and so telling a story hasn’t
fe...
One year gone ...
-
*Meeting Mark Mothersbaugh*
Today marks one year as editor of *Fresh Water *for me. Man-o-man, what a
ride it has been. Despite the intensity of the job, o...
I'm still here
-
Just posting here to let anyone know (whoever is still dropping by from
time to time) that I still haven't disappeared, I've just been spending
time away f...
2015 Mini Gift Guide
-
A mini last-minute gift guide...it's been quite some time since I've
posted. But I love the holidays so much and sharing gifts that I think
would be great ...
In a Landscape - The Playlist
-
John Cage, “In a Landscape”
Bob Dylan, “My Back Pages”
Neil Young, “Ambulance Blues”
The Twilight Zone Theme
Babylon 5 Theme
Simon & Garfunkel, “Richard Co...
6 comments:
The having it sent to you part is good.
The assistance of a boy, even better.
Still... the laundry.
Though, to argue briefly on the side of laundering, I have had the occasion, over time, of observing some university work-study students folding towels, for hours at a stretch, and, repetitive as the labour obviously is/was,they actually seemed, in the course of performing it (with musical backdrop), I might almost go out on a limb and say, happy as clams.
After all, they will one day go on to perform jobs which are just as repetitive, much better paid, but a lot greater strain on the conscience.
(Conscience -- do they still have that??)
"Dainty laces and delicate embroideries"... "Never go out to do work; always have it sent to you." This stuff reminds me, for some reason, of some of Marianne Moore's poems. (I, too, dislike it.)
During the Depression of the 1930's, my grandma (my mom's mom) took in laundry to help make ends meet.
They had a coal-burning furnace in the basement of their house. My mom's two older brothers (they would have been teenagers then) would go down by the railroad tracks that ran through the town, and gather stray pieces of coal that had fallen off the trains passing through -- this to help (however slightly) cut down on the cost of coal for heating the house.
Odd image, Tom. I do enjoy folding towels. If only it were just towels. Funny image.
An odd world full of dainties--I, too, dislike it and marvel at it.
Lyle, it sounds like you have a memoir to write . . .
Fascinating.
During the Depression of Now, at our house we don't have heating or the washer/dryer apparatus. So those Other Centuries are always with us. One does accustom oneself, as in making do.
Really no task should be considered too menial or low if it is being performed, whether by girls or by boys or by women or by men, for a good purpose; not forgetting, as we were taught, that cleanliness is next to Godliness (yet at the same time not quite remembering what Godliness is... ?).
May I join the towel folding brigade? I enjoy sweater folding also. Anything, especially things like this, is worth doing well, which is more complicated than most people know.
Actually, during the years I was in high school, I was usually the one who did the laundry. Usually on Sunday. During the fall when I was watching Vikings football games on T.V., I would zip downstairs during timeouts and halftime to change loads.
I never learned any "official" ways to fold clothes or towels, etc., though I did learn to rolls socks.
Post a Comment