If you have ever worked around a threshing machine or in a hay mow, you'd understand why GGrandpa said it "sure felt good!" When I was a youngster Sat was also the bath day at our house. The same galvanized wash tubs used on Mon for washing clothes was used on Sat for bathes. I also remember carrying water to be heated on the kerosene stove on Monday morning and the used wringer washing machine Dad bought for Mom. I also remember the vulgar expression used to describe people that got themselves in real trouble...they were said to have "their t__ in the wringer." I guess we were more prosperous. We had 3 sets of school clothes for the week. 2 for this week and one to put on Mon morn while the other 2 were being washed, but only one set of Sun clothes. Never had a new suit of Sun clothes till HS graduation and never had a new sport coat till after I was married. Always 2nd hand when the neighbor kids outgrew theirs. There were a lot of good things to remember about those days. Cheers, > ---------- > From: John and Barbara Ekiss[SMTP:jbekiss@worldnet.att.net] > Reply To: jbekiss@worldnet.att.net > Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 1997 9:33 AM > To: PENNA-DUTCH-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Weekly bath > > Weekly bath day was Sat. in our family, had to be clean to go to > church. My family had only one set of work clothes for each week and > one set of going to church clothes. Mon > morning the clothes washed the previous Monday were put on and worn > until after the bath. > > Just realized how really dirty they must have > been! Now this in NY state in the 1870's (from GGrandpa's diaries) > but > I'm sure families were the same in PA. There is one story in the diary > about after threshing they went to the lake for a bath "Sure felt > good". > These stories have taken me back, we lived for 10 years near > Kulpsville > in Montgomery Co where we had many Mennonite neighbors. We had one > neighbor who EVERY morning hung all the bed linens from the 2nd story > window to air until after lunch. Barb >