As sisters, Lynda and I were sent out to help bring the freshly dried laundry in from the clothes lines. It was a good day for Mother if we were paying attention and didn’t drop things on the grass. I can only imagine her peering through a window watching our every move. After dinner were the dishes. We had to switch the washing and drying so we couldn’t complain that one of us did more than the other. I’m pretty sure we counted every chore to make sure it was even-steven.
One of our funnier escapades was waxing the kitchen floor. Our mother did housekeeping/cleaning for other people. So we’d be assigned small tasks that she didn’t get done in our own home. Being the best daughters in the world, after vacuuming and dusting one day, we decided to surprise our mother by waxing the kitchen’s linoleum floor. We hunted under every possible cabinet trying to find the wax. Eureka! I finally located the tin that said paste wax. We enthusiastically started the ‘job’ and soon found it didn’t sound like nearly as good of a surprise as we’d earlier thought. But we’d been taught “if you start something, you have to finish” so finish we did. Lynda and I then started watching the clock and waiting for our mother to get home so we could proclaim we were the BEST daughters in the world. She had barely made it through the door and we were on her like fat, happy ticks on a dog. We beamed like the sunshine in our proudest moment of declaring what a miracle we had performed…just for her. She looked at the linoleum and patiently inquired about where we found the ‘floor wax’. I told her about the tin I’d found and she asked me to get it for her. Our mother held the can in her hand and asked if either of us had read the label. We both said “no”. Then she told us we’d used CAR WAX!!!!Looking back on it now, that is the funniest moment I can recall. We did good and were shot down…….but she was still the BEST Mother ever!
Lynda & Darla ~ look at these faces! Maybe they did it on purpose?! 😉
Our sister story today was submitted by my friend, Darla Aytes, from Newcastle, Oklahoma for her sister, Lynda. I read this and thought of Lucy and Ethel! I could picture them clearly in my mind. Thanks for sharing this with us, Darla, and for the great laugh. Now I want to know how on earth you ever got the car wax off of the floor?!
stuff i tell my sister 
Like you I could see them on hands and knees polishing the floor. Forgot all about the clothes line, we had to do that after school also.
There were so many things we did to help our moms that kids today have never heard of. Sprinkle to clothes and roll them to be ironed. I can also remember standing on a stool to turn the wringer for the washing machine.
I received my gift from the drawing and thank you so much. It was fun to open and the gifts were perfect.
I always hated doing the clothes line. Now I’d like to have one and there’s an ordinance against it in our addition!
So glad your care package arrived, Ms. Linda. Hope it brightened your day~
Loved this story. Made me remember how many times my mother would have to run an errand after starting a pot of beans, leaving me with the simple task of “add more water when they need it and PLEASE don’t let them cook down to the point of burning”. I can handle that – or so I thought – until the thing that jogged my memory about my one simple task was the smell of burning beans! It’s a smell you don’t soon forget.
Christi…burning beans made me laugh…I STILL do that! It’s our dinner call! lol!
Love the story Darla! Such sweet faces, that are up to something 🙂
The good ole days….if we only had known that then and I’m pretty sure our Mother reminded us we’d feel that way one day. Paula, it was a rent house. I’m fairly certain the flooring didn’t need waxing for a LONG time. The biggest problem in the 50’s was having only ONE bathroom. The family or guests had to track through the bedroom Lynda and I shared to get to it. But you could take a bath in the old clawfoot tub and then jump right into clean clothes since the washer/dryer were in the bathroom! We walked to the store, church and schools (no buses except for the country kids). AND I had to drag Lynda with me everywhere I went. She had a cute little blonde ponytail and never seemed to get the sunburns I did. I was reserved, she was opposite (she never shut up and drove me up a wall singing every song on the radio). To this day, that hasn’t changed. “Windy” was her nickname…………and she hasn’t outgrown it yet! As corny as it sounds, we shared a bed. Sure was nice on cold nights. My wish is for all sisters to lay aside differences and learn there is power in sharing as sisters. Who else knows those memories you’ve had together – the sad, the bad, the funny, the good…how about focusing on the good? Keep an open heart and share, we don’t know our expiration dates. Okie dokie, time for me to get off the soap box. But thanks for letting me others share special memories. Wishing you smiles ❤
Oh, Darla….well said….every word!
Well, you certainly made my day…I love you sister dear and thanks for taking the time to take me and your followers back to a time when things were so simple and wonderful! We could walk to school without fear of ANYone bothering us. The only thing we may have feared was the barking dog in the next block on our way to Parkside Elementary. Yes, I still have that gift of gab, but I just can’t help it! I also hated tagging along as much as you had to take me. It was rougher being the youngest than you think! I never had anyone to “pass it on” to like you did.
God Bless you sister…Lynda
Lynda ~ I feel like I know you now! ( And I STILL sing every song on the radio AND often break into song for no reason other than it’s in my head.) Your sis is a dear….Happy Valentine’s Day ♥