Washing the Dishes

{From the Archives of Connie's Letters,  May 2013}


Good Morning Homemakers, I like to do the dishes..do you? My Mother used to say she wud never have a dishwasher in her house..But then Dad remodeled her whole kitchen and talked her into a dish washer ..Mom was happy with it...but she thot it was kinda silly ..i dont have a dishwasher and dont
have the room for one in my kitchen anyway..My friend MaryL had a bit of arthritis in her hands..She said she loved to get her hands into warm sudsy dish water especially in the winter..as it was so comforting.. As a teenager i wud pretend to be asleep when it was time to do the dishes at my
house..My Aunt Eileen in the old days always ran out to the out house when it was time to do the dishes..And she stayed out there until all the work was done..

The old-time housewives had a big enamel red and white pan that they used in the sink to wash the dishes with..They wud go outside and pump the cold water into their pan.Then they wud bring the pan in the house and heat the pan of water on the stove...When it was hot they washed the
dishes..Then they wud rinse the dishes with hot water poured over the washed dishes...The first things they washed was all the drinking glasses .. Then the cups and the plates ..and serving dishes..They had to be very careful in the old days as the dishes werent plastic..So after they
were washed ..they were dried with a dish towel and put in the cupboard..The dishtowels were only for the dishes..not to wash up with...We children growing up wud try to use moms dishtowels for everything..i can still hear Mom calling to us kids "Dont you dare use my dishtowel for
that". That...meaning about anything...So anyway after the dishes were washed then the silverware was washed..And the last thing to be washed was the cooking pans..

My mother was very orderly about her homemaking ..i cud never figure out how to use Moms new dishwasher..My sister in law wud laugh at me when we all came to Dad and Moms for a holiday dinner.."Connie why are you washing the dishes in the sink with a dishwasher right beside you"? Well i think i just missed the ritual of the women in the kitchen laughing and telling stories and washing the dishes and drying them with a white cotton dishtowel,,,Mom and Dad are both in Heaven now..i sure miss them ,,Happy Mothers Day Mom..love connie