Childhood Chores

Today the sun beams on fresh leaves while dandelions beautify my lawn. Perhaps Spring has finally come. Because of our cold weather this past month, I’d assumed we’d go from Winter to Summer almost overnight. I’m glad to be proven wrong.

I can’t remember the first time I heard Mom use the term Spring cleaning. It was what we did every year on a given Saturday: put away winter clothes; clothespin the spring/summer clothes on the clothes’ line to air them out; wash the curtains; and while they dried, wash the windows. Within the day, our home felt airy again and smelled sweet.

Thinking of spring cleaning made me think also of the chores Mom used to give my brother and me. Mom explained that we were a family, each of us with a job to do. When we were little, she suited the chores to our strength and understanding. As time passed, she added new chores.

Dad’s job was to work at a construction site each weekday and bring home a paycheck. He kept the car in running order by doing tune-ups and keeping the tires inflated. He mowed the lawn until my brother was old enough to do so.

Mom cooked the meals, milked the cow, cleaned the house, did the washing in a machine with a wringer, and hung it out to dry. She tended a large vegetable garden, weeded it, and canned the produce—all that and more!

Morning and night, my brother fed two horses, the milking cow, the chickens, and the sow. He also mowed the large front lawn between the cherry/pear orchard on one side and the apple orchard on the other. From our well, he pumped water for the livestock and also for our home use as we had no city water. Every Saturday evening, he filled our metal tub with water he’d heated for our once-a-week bath. Each of us in turn went to the kitchen, got into the tub, and washed. When all four of us were clean, my brother emptied the water outside beyond the back stoop.

Most importantly, he trapped rabbits during the winter months when my dad had no work and money was scarce. Mom used those rabbits to make stew with dumplings. A chore he and I shared each autumn was picking apples, cherries, and pears and selling them from our fruit stand that fronted the busy road that passed our home.

My other chores were all done in the house: I sat the table for supper and washed the supper dishes. That involved my brother pumping water that I then put in a big pan on the stove to heat. Once it was boiling, I poured it into a washing pan and did the dishes while more water heated for the rinse. After rinsing and drying the dishes, silverware, and pots, I put them away and then emptied the rinse water outside.

I also washed the milk/cream separator each day. The machine consisted of many small parts that had to be washed and rinsed with boiling water after each use. In addition, I did all the ironing of the laundry after Mom taught me the art of ironing sleeves and shoulders without wrinkling them. Finally, I made my bed and kept my room tidy. All clothes off the floor, dirty ones in the hamper; clean ones on hangers.

Mom taught my brother and me that we all had a role in the family dynamic. Doing our chores helped make life easier for everyone in our family.

How about you? What chores did you grow up doing?

Peace.