Monday Wash Day...

Oh Wait... it's not Monday... oh well.

The cool breeze blows in the front door as my mother steps outside. It was beautiful today. A far cry from the humid 46 degrees Celsius we experienced in India. I was hanging out the laundry earlier and contrasting the experience. I did some of the laundry for our team while in India. Washed it by hand in the kitchen sink and hung it over the balcony rail. By the time I got everything washed and hung out, I would feel like I had already done a day's work and needed a shower.
It was interesting to watch the ladies there do laundry. The would take an article of clothing, already wet, and spread it out on a large, flat stone. Then they would rub it with some type of soap. After it was soaped, they would gather it up, fold it in half with a couple of twists in the fabric, then slam it against the stone. Again and again they would hit the stone, occasionally adding water. After they felt it was sufficiently "slammed", they would put it in a seperate pile and go on to the next article of clothing. I didn't see the rest of the process, but I would guess that they would later go back and rinse all the clothing, then hang it to dry. Some of the Sari fabric would be draped over the edge of the roof. Other clothing may be hung on clotheslines on the roof.
Here, I have it easy... I turn on the water to whatever temperature I want it... I don't have to heat the water myself if I want it hot. I add detergent and clothing and this new-fangled machine does the rest. The last part is similar... I take the clothes outside to hang on a line in our front yard. The strong Kansas wind makes the drying time quick. I didn't sweat a single drop today as I did laundry.
-Susan