Sunday, February 04, 2007

Drying Dishes



Do you remember those days 'before dishwashers'? Maybe you choose not to have a dishwasher and wipe dishes by hand even yet. My husband's parents always used their dishwasher for storing cookbooks. For them, there nightly ritual of washing and drying dishes together created a time for conversation and togetherness. I remember hand-drying dishes with my sister as a child. The task was made lighter and more interesting by the games we played while we dried. One of our favorites was 'thinking land'. One of us would start a story, the other would continue it, and we would trade back and forth in creating stories about pioneers traveling west in covered wagons, or about the girl with hair a mile long. Sometimes our stories would continue for days, all whilst drying dishes! These days I'm thankful for a dishwasher. It seems there are always some that won't fit in, so the pleasures of the drying ritual are not lost on me, as kettles, china, and crystal are hand-done and so the tea towel is a useful tool in our home. Just walking down memory lane today, thinking of days gone by.

*Tea towels stitched by mom.

6 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:18 PM

    Just walking down memory lane today, thinking of days gone by.

    Thank you for that trip down memory lane, LaDonna.

    I, too, choose to dry some dishes by hand. The towels that I use from my grandmother and from our towel exchange group provide many smiles and memories while doing that task. Thank you for your efforts in making that happen.
    Martha

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous4:28 AM

    Such pretty dishtowels, and a wonderful story that you shared about you and your sister ~ brought back memories of the times that my sister and I, too, were assigned the "task" of drying the dishes. We would usually act "silly" to pass the time with singing or irking of our mom ~ thank you for reminding me of those sweet times. Lovely post.
    xo,
    Kim

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous5:26 AM

    My grandparents sang opera while drying dishes, and of course they didn't have a dishwasher as it was 1928-31. I actually prefer washing dishes by hand and we (dh & dd) usually tag-team it. A couple years ago I received a set of lovely hand stitched sack towels ~ it makes the process that much more enjoyable. :o)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I reaslly really loce your old dishtowels. We don't have a dishwasher. So we had to do it by hand evry evening .. the dishes from 6 persons. I don't have to tell you that we have the best conversations whyle washing... It is a moment that two people from my family are together if they want or not. and it is good as it is !!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I just love your dishtowels...they are so pretty!

    ReplyDelete
  6. We are one of those strange families that won't buy a dishwasher. I like doing dishes, gives me time to think and dream.
    The girls had such fun doing dishes after each meal when they were growing up. There was so much laughter coming from the kitchen most nights, we could hardly imagine they were doing a chore. When Melissa went off to college, then Melanie washed and Steven dried and it was still a time of lots of laughter.
    I must admitt, that often now I let the dishes dry in the drainer. No drying with a tea towel.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for commenting on my blog post. I am always happy to hear from blog readers. Your words encourage and inspire me. I am glad you stopped by to share conversation, recipes, ideas, and thoughts on creating a welcoming home.