Growing up in Ephrata and living in a multi-generation home I have distinct memories of "wash day". I don't recall anyone in my family saying wash with the "r". Also saturday was grandma's wash day because she worked at a shoe factory in Lititz and grandpa worked at New Holland machine factory as he called it(now Sperry) in New Holland. Also in the home was my grandma's maiden sister (grandma #2) who worked at Cinderella Frocks in Ephrata. Since all worked, saturday was the day that at 5 am the sheets were ripped out from under you and you were banished to a sofa, or hey, just get up, the day is moving on. After all the laundry was gathered in front of the ringer Maytag in the basement began the long process of shaving bars of ivory soap and other alchemy for the task at hand. best part was watching things being fed into the ringer. rod