My grandparents were eventually able to afford a washing machine in the mid to late 1960s. While this eased their lives in the sense that they no longer had to drag everything and everyone to the laundromat, it also introduced a new set of challenges: washday had to be timed around the weather.
They couldn’t afford a dryer to go with the washer, so the clothing had to be dried in the sun.
We were up bright and early on this particular day to start the wash and hang it out since “it looks like we might have a cloud comin’ up.” The first load of laundry was thrown into a large green plastic clothes basket.
Granny took her apron, which carried her hoard of wooden clothes pins, tied it around her waist, and we jointly hauled the basket of clothing to the backyard clothes line. As she sorted through the basket of clothing to give me the “easy” ones to hang out, she instructed me to reach into the apron, grab a bunch of the wooden clothes, and pin them to my clothes to make them easier to access.
My damp clothing to hang included handkerchiefs, undershirts, and socks. As I battled to keep the wet clothing off the ground and on the clothesline, I saw she moved neatly and quickly, not missing a beat.
Her clothes were well arranged, with comparable styles sorted and hung together. Meanwhile, I gather three handkerchiefs and two pairs of socks.
I’m not sure what it is about watching garments flying in the wind hanging on a clothesline that appeals to me, but it does. Most neighborhoods forbid the use of a clothesline. Some people think a clothesline is tacky.
It’s not so much the clothesline as it is the clothing swaying back and forth in the breeze that I enjoy seeing. Particularly white clothing. They almost gleam in the sunlight.
Nothing smells better to me than freshly laundered bed linens. Snuggle up in bed, take a deep breath of that clean, fresh aroma, and your mind will be clear and ready for sleep. It’s similar to a magical potion.
This pie is so simple to make that it won the American Pie Council’s Pie Championship in the Custard Pie Category in 1999.
INGREDIENTS
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell, deep dish 3 beaten eggs
34 cup granulated sugar
1 egg white 14 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 12 cup boiled whole milk
14 teaspoon nutmeg, ground
3 drops (optional) yellow food coloring
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Combine the eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Stir thoroughly. Incorporate the scalded milk. Add a few drops of yellow food coloring for extra yellow hue.
To avoid a soggy crust, brush the inside bottom and sides of the pie dough with egg white. Fill piecrust with custard mixture. Season with nutmeg.
40–50 minutes, or until a knife stabbed near the center comes out clean. (Please adjust to your oven’s specifications.) Allow to cool on a rack.
thanks to www.food.com
