I am also very familiar with the mangle and ironing as I helped my mother with many things in the house. I had 4 brothers and my grandfather lived with us. I wrung out clothes and run them through the rinse water and the white clothes through the blueing water. I also wiped down the long clothes wire and sometimes hung them out to dry with the clothes pins. Often I brought them in from the line when they were dry. Wash clothes were hung out to freeze dry in the winter and during the cold months I would often gather them in the basket and bring them into the house. Often there would be from 6 to 10 white long-sleeved shirts to be ironed. These were done every week to be ready for church and Sunday school the next week .There were no clothes dryers. Clothes that had dried were sprinkled with water, rolled up and placed in the basket to let the water lightly dampen the clothes. They then would be ironed before they mildewed. If there wasn't time to iron right away the clothes would not be sprinkled until ready to iron. Sprinkling was done with a pop bottle or similar type of bottle with a miniature type shower head fitted with a cork. Now back to the ironing. I would iron the small items at first using the ironing board. I can remember using flat irons that were heated on the stove as we did not get rural electricity until about 1943 when we finally got an electric iron. Items I ironed when I started included smaller ones such as handkerchiefs, pillow cases, undershirts, socks, etc.. Later after my mother bought the mangle I ironed large and small items for her, such as sheets, while she took care of the shirts, pants etc. Other areas I helped with in the house included beating rugs outside, some of the cooking such as stirring the gravy, turning bacon, making toast in the wood cook stove oven, getting cobs and wood for the stove and more.. I often churned the butter. Since we had milk cows we had all the cream we needed for cooking. We had two churns, a small one that could be churned in a short time and a large churned that took some muscle and required a much longer period of time to make the butter. The large churn was around 3 to 3.5 feet high and I sat on a chair to turn the handle. I also gathered the eggs and got them ready to take to town to the buyer for sale. We bought our groceries we couldn't grow with the egg and cream money. Often we would have between 30 and 45 dozen eggs to sell. I don't remember how much cream we sold. Bob Ferguson Researching: Ferguson-Moore-Grice- Gates-Wenell-Benna-Johnson . **************A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps! (http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1219671244x1201345076/aol?redir=http:%2F%2Fwww.freecreditreport.com%2Fpm%2Fdefault.aspx%3Fsc%3D668072%26hmpgID %3D62%26bcd%3DfebemailfooterNO62)

I never lived in Iowa but I did many of the same chores Bob describes and remember them well. The "good ole days", insofar as I'm concerned, are gone for good! I didn't think they were fun then and I sure wouldn't today. My friends were in the same boat so perhaps we had no alternative. We're spoiled with all the conveniences we have today but I'm thankful for ea. one and wish my parents were here to enjoy them with me. juanita > I am also very familiar with the mangle and ironing as I helped my > mother with many things in the house. I had 4 brothers and my > grandfather lived with us. I wrung out clothes and run them through > the rinse water and the white clothes through the blueing water. I > also wiped down the long clothes wire and sometimes hung them out to > dry with the clothes pins. Often I brought them in from the line when > they were dry. Wash clothes were hung out to freeze dry in the winter > and during the cold months I would often gather them in the basket > and bring them into the house. Often there would be from 6 to 10 > white long-sleeved shirts to be ironed. These were done every week to > be ready for church and Sunday school the next week .There were no > clothes dryers. Clothes that had dried were sprinkled with water, > rolled up and placed in the basket to let the water lightly dampen > the clothes. They then would be ironed before they mildewed. If there > wasn't time to iron right away the clothes would not be sprinkled > until ready to iron. Sprinkling was done with a pop bottle or similar > type of bottle with a miniature type shower head fitted with a cork. > > Now back to the ironing. I would iron the small items at first using > the ironing board. I can remember using flat irons that were heated > on the stove as we did not get rural electricity until about 1943 > when we finally got an electric iron. Items I ironed when I started > included smaller ones such as handkerchiefs, pillow cases, > undershirts, socks, etc.. Later after my mother bought the mangle I > ironed large and small items for her, such as sheets, while she took > care of the shirts, pants etc. > > Other areas I helped with in the house included beating rugs outside, > some of the cooking such as stirring the gravy, turning bacon, making > toast in the wood cook stove oven, getting cobs and wood for the > stove and more.. I often churned the butter. Since we had milk cows > we had all the cream we needed for cooking. We had two churns, a > small one that could be churned in a short time > and a large churned that took some muscle and required a much longer > period > of time to make the butter. The large churn was around 3 to 3.5 feet > high and I sat on a chair to turn the handle. I also gathered the > eggs and got them ready to take to town to the buyer for sale. We > bought our groceries we couldn't grow with the egg and cream money. > Often we would have between 30 and 45 dozen eggs to sell. I don't > remember how much cream we sold. > > Bob Ferguson