Do you have any fond memories of the "Clothsline"?
BRINGS BACK MEMORIES!
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The clothesline….a dead give away.
Do the kids today even know what a clothesline is? For all of us that
are older, this will really bring back the memories.
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THE BASIC RULES
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1. You had to wash the clothes line before hanging any clothes.
Walk the length of each line with a damp cloth around the line.
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2. You had to hang the clothes in a certain order and always hang whites
with whites and hang them first.
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3. You never hung a shirt by the shoulders, always by the tail. What
would the neighbors think?
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A clothesline was a news forecast
To neighbors passing by.
There were no secrets you could keep
When clothes were hung to dry.
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It also was a friendly link
For neighbors always knew
If company had stopped on by
To spend a night or two.
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For then you’d see the fancy sheets
And towels upon the line;
You’d see the company table cloths
With intricate design.
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The line announced a baby’s birth
To folks who lived inside
As brand new infant clothes were hung
So carefully with pride.
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The ages of the children could
So readily be known
By watching how the sizes changed
You’d know how much they’d grown.
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It also told when illness struck,
As extra sheets were hung;
Then nightclothes, and a bathrobe, too,
Haphazardly were strung.
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It said, "Gone on vacation now"
When lines hung limp and bare.
It told, "We’re back!" when full lines sagged
With not an inch to spare.
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New folks in town were scorned upon
If wash was dingy gray,
As neighbors raised their brows,
And looked the other way..
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But clotheslines now are of the past
For dryers make work less.
Now what goes on inside a home
Is anybody’s guess.
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I really miss that way of life.
It was a friendly sign
When neighbors knew each other best
By what hung out on the line!