I walked into my kitchen this morning to start my coffee like I do every morning. Dust is everywhere, which happens during a remodel. My mind drifted back in time to what it must have been like for women hundreds of years ago. What modern women do in a few hours must have taken all day for them.
Imagine if you will making breakfast. First you’d need to make a fire in the wood stove which is harder than you might think. I had my mother in laws beautiful cook stove for a few years while I lived in Idaho. I loved cooking on it, but it was difficult to adjust the heat so I didn’t burn the food. Then she would draw water from the well or from the river to heat for Coffee or tea, washing up, and doing the dishes. Afterwards she’d go to the barn milk the cow and gather eggs from the chicken coop. In the summer and early Fall she’d gather vegetables and fruit from her garden. Make fresh bread or biscuits from scratch for the day or perhaps make enough for a few days.
When breakfast was eaten and the dishes were washed by hand she would start her other daily chores. The floors would be either dirt or wood in the majority of the homes which made it hard to keep the floors clean. The soot from the wood or coal stove was always a challenge. Not to mention the kerosene lamps.
Then there’s the laundry, most women did that on Sunday. They would have to bring gallons of water in for that. They would soak the clothes over night. The next morning they would get up and scrub them on a wash board with lye soap. Then they would have to take the gallons of dirty water outside and dump it before carrying fresh water for the rinsing of the clothes back inside. After washing and rinsing the clothes they would wring them out and then hang them on the clothes line outside. I remember watching my Grandma Martha Cheney do her laundry this way. She didn’t have indoor plumbing for years. We had to use the outhouse outback of her house when we came to visit and let me tell you during the cold snowy winter nights that wasn’t fun. It was even kind of scary.
When it was time to bathe they brought the washtub into the kitchen along with more gallons of water to heat for the bath. Can you imagine how many times a day they went to the well or river for water. I’m thinking like 15 to 20 times. They weren’t sissy’s, they were strong women to survive their hard life.
Next she would prepare lunch. Then in the afternoon if the laundry was dry she would bring it into the house where she would use a hot iron and starch on them before putting them away. I personally love to hang my bedding and towels out to dry. They seem to smell fresher.
21st century women are spoiled compared to nineteenth century women. We wake up go into the kitchen and start our coffee maker. While it gets ready we go into the bathroom and take a shower and make ourselves ready for the day. We grab a load of laundry carry it to the laundry room put the laundry in the washing machine with some detergent close the lid and hit start. Then it’s time to relax and drink that cup of coffee while making a grocery list for Fred Meyers, or any other stores she likes to shop at. She would pick it up after work on her way home. Then she fills her crock pot with the ingredients for dinner. Next she would take a last look in the mirror puts her purse over her shoulder and stop at the laundry room moving the clothes from the washer to the dryer. She returns about nine to ten hours later after work and stopping by Fred Meyers for her grocery pick-up.
Many women stop by the gym after work. Or go for a run or a hike. Some work on their projects or hobbies. I write while the house is quiet. Then it’s dinner time which is already done in the slow cooker. After dinner me and what I consider my cowboy watch a movie or read a book before bedtime.
Nice blog, Ruthie! Every time I get tired or bored doing chores, I always think my heroines had it a lot harder. Hugs!
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