I really am not sure just why this topic came into mind other than, I walked through the kitchen and noticed that the dirty dishes were in the sink and I then remembered that it was my turn to wash them. For my entire life no matter where I have lived the sinks in the kitchen were two basins. From my earliest thought about this area of the kitchen the dirty dishes went in the left side and then washed, they were then placed into the basin on the right side. There the dishes were to be rinsed off and then the item that had been washed and rinsed was dried with a dishtowel and set over on the table to be ready to be put away.
Now all of that sounds simple enough now doesn’t it? The thing about washing the dishes is almost nobody really wants to do them. I don’t care how you slice it doing the dishes is just plain no fun. As best as I can recall doing the dishes might have been the most fun that they ever were when my sister Peg and brother Ben got the duty of cleaning them after every evening meal. I assume that part of why it looked like fun to me was my siblings were at the sink together and wherever they were so then was I. Being young at that time I am sure that since they were doing them it must have been fun or they wouldn’t have. (I had overlooked the part where my mom had assigned this chore to them.)
As I got older, I learned the difference between wanting to do something and something being assigned. My mom was a very busy housewife as most are and she had two good children that could be of help to her and therefore they were assigned this duty and it was so done swiftly and to the point where it was well understood by both of them. Now my siblings were creative in how they handled chores of this nature. This was back in the ‘50s and in those days and until I think recently the music industry had a top twenty list of the hottest songs that would be played to the listeners. Popularity I think was from the amount of sales a record was doing. So at that time if Elvis had a song out on the charts the odds were pretty good that song would be near or at the top of popularity.
Our evening meals were at five o’clock regularly and by the time the meal was over and the dishes begun we were getting into about 5:30. So as the water was being drawn up in the sink one of them would turn on the radio to WSAI and loud enough so they could hear the top ten on the chart that was presented every night. I know as the sink was filling and the air was filling with music Peg and Ben would look to each other and one would say you wash and I’ll dry or vice versa. Once this was decided the time was sped up as they would debate with each other as to just which song was going to move up or down the chart that night and which was going to be the number one hit. Even though my parents really didn’t care for the new rock and roll music they said nothing as the music helped them get the job done it was a small price to pay. (Happy kids happy helpers)
I really enjoyed this as I was in a room with Peg and Ben and we all seemed to be getting along and handling the chore as smoothly as it could be handled. Of course they grew up and moved away and I guess they just did their own dishes then. I then got drafted by mom and of course since I was the youngest mom took a softer approach with me I think as If I had a good excuse I could escape drying dishes. Later on in my life my cousin Walt and I batched and for five years, we had to do our own dishes and decide who would wash and who would dry. The thing with us was I guess since we were a pair of boys and neither one of us really liked doing dishes so when we did the dishes wasn’t very often.
Sometimes the sinks would overflow with dishes silverware and glasses. I know that one time we waited until we had to wash 78 water glasses. In addition, that didn’t count plates and such.
When I got married, my wife and I would wash the dishes and I must admit I wasn’t too much good help either. Fortunately, we had a daughter and as soon as she could, I let her take my spot with the reason that it was good for a daughter to be near her mother when doing chores. I doubt very much she bought that but I would find something to work on after supper.
As all three of us, kids moved out into the big ole world to clean our own dishes my parents had moved over to the edge of Bethel and even though mom had a dishwasher she still placed the dishes on the left side and rinsed them on the right. After meals with just the two of them mom washed and dad dried and placed the dishes away. However on a Sunday or a holiday or big event where Peg, Ben and myself would be there mom would somehow move us into the kitchen and ask the question. Who wants to dry the dishes and put them away? She asks this question as she was handing each of us a dishtowel. It was premeditated! As daughter in laws arrived in the family, they got the pleasure to dry dishes also. During all of this, my dad would set in his recliner and if we looked at him, he would point blank say I did my dishes all week. And then smile largely.
Our children have all grown and now have their own dishes, this leaves my wife and I to wash ours.
We have arrived at the way is to take turns as she does them one day and then me. In addition, since there is just the two of us there are much less dishes to be concerned about and we have solved an answer to the age old question of who will wash and who will dry. When it becomes our turn the duties are ours alone and gone is the argument. We are good at making these big decisions .
Rick Houser grew up on a farm near Moscow in Clermont County and loves to share stories about his youth and other topics. If you are interested in reading more of his stories they can be found in his books ‘There are Places to Remember” and’ Memories ARE from the Heart.” He may be reached at houser734@yahoo.com or mail to P.O. Box 213 Bethel, Ohio 45106.
The Link LonkDecember 30, 2020 at 01:08AM
https://www.clermontsun.com/2020/12/29/rick-houser-i-will-wash-and-you-dry
Rick Houser: I will wash and you dry - The Clermont Sun
https://news.google.com/search?q=dry&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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