BRINGS BACK MEMORIES!

~ The clothesline....a dead give away. Do the kids today even know what a clothesline is? For all of us that are older, this will really bring back the memories. ~ THE BASIC RULES ..

1. You had to wash the clothes line before hanging any clothes. Walk the length of each line with a damp cloth around the line. ..

2. You had to hang the clothes in a certain order and always hang whites with whites and hang them first. ..

3. You never hung a shirt by the shoulders, always by the tail. What would the neighbors think? ~ A clothesline was a news forecast To neighbors passing by. There were no secrets you could keep When clothes were hung to dry. ~ It also was a friendly link For neighbors always knew If company had stopped on by To spend a night or two. ~ For then you'd see the fancy sheets And towels upon the line; You'd see the company table cloths With intricate design. ~ The line announced a baby's birth To folks who lived inside As brand new infant clothes were hung So carefully with pride. ~ The ages of the children could So readily be known By watching how the sizes changed You'd know how much they'd grown. ~ It also told when illness struck, As extra sheets were hung; Then nightclothes, and a bathrobe, too, Haphazardly were strung. ~ It said, "Gone on vacation now" When lines hung limp and bare. It told, "We're back!" when full lines sagged With not an inch to spare. ~ New folks in town were scorned upon If wash was dingy gray, As neighbors raised their brows, And looked the other way.. ~ But clotheslines now are of the past For dryers make work less. Now what goes on inside a home Is anybody's guess. ~ I really miss that way of life. It was a friendly sign When neighbors knew each other best By what hung out on the line!