DAYS AND CHORES OF THE WEEK

I started today with the chore of baking sugar cookies, and my mind began to remember how the different days of the week used to mean the special task that was to be done that day.  You know, Mondays were washdays, Tuesdays you ironed, on Wednesday you did a mid-week straightening of the house or the mending that couldn’t be done Tuesday evening while the whole family was listening to the radio.  (No, we didn’t have television, cell phones, or computer games back then).  Sometimes Wednesday was baking day and Thursday was shopping because Friday the house was made spic and span for the weekend.  And Sunday was church day.

Of course, sometimes that schedule got changed and Saturday morning, when the kids were all home, the house was cleaned.  Each of us would clean our own bedrooms, including changing the bed linen and often washing the windows.  If we shared a room, we took turns; one cleaned the bedroom and the other cleaned the bathroom.

When we got to the downstairs, we would split up wisk-brooming the furniture, dusting, shaking all the throw rugs and vacuuming the carpet.  While we were busy we would listen to the radio.

Let’s Pretend was my favorite program, which featured Fairy Tales.  This is where I first heard the story of Beauty and the Beast, and it has remained my favorite to this day.  My older sisters enjoyed a program called, if I remember correctly, A Girl Named Smith (or was it Two Girls Named Smith?).

That did not mean Mother wasn’t doing anything.  She was always in the background cleaning out closets, or drawers, mopping something or other, or shining the mirrors.  Sometimes she would be doing special baking or cooking for the weekend.  And Father, if he wasn’t working at his job, he was mowing the lawn, weeding the garden, or working on or washing the car.

When the work was done, we were paid our allowance, and usually given permission to walk the mile to town.  We had four five-and-dimes, and not a penny was spent until they were all checked out and we found which items we wanted to buy and which of the stores had them at the lowest cost.  We often spent most of the afternoon spending our allowances—a quarter went a long way in those days.  Once in a while we went to a movie, which cost six cents if you were under twelve, and thirteen cents if you were twelve or older.  A box of popcorn cost ten cents and a candy bar cost a nickel.

We might not have had all the “modern conveniences” that are available today, but we had the luxury of time and ease.

Today our week goes something like:  Mondays we do the laundry, clean the house, and bake cookies for one of the children’s sports events.  Tuesday we have to take the household pet to the vet, stop at the store to get something for super, rush off to an afternoon church meeting, rush home to get supper, and then attend one of the children’s sports in the evening.  Wednesday we have to straighten up the house, go to town for something one of the family just has to have before tomorrow, and be back in time to carpool the neighborhood kids to their next activity.  

Thursday is our day at the civic center and Friday we clean house—again.  Of course we do get a break because that is the night we get to order in pizza, or some other ethnic food.  All the while we are constantly in touch 24/7with our BFF—the cell phone.

Yes, times have changed.  In some ways for the better, in other ways--  Well, let’s just say sometimes I miss the ways of our Yesterdays.

How about you?