Granny’s Recipe for the Wash

(in its original spelling)

1. Bild a fire in back yard to heet kettle of rain water

2. Set tubs so smoke won’t blow in eyes if wind is pert

3. Shave 1 hole cake soap in bilin water

4. Sort things – make 2 piles, 1 pile white, 1 pile cullord

5. Stur flour in cold water, to smooth, then thin down with bilin water

6. Rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard, then bile, rub cullord but don’t bile

7. Take white things out of kettle with broom stick handle, then rench, blew and starch

8. Spred tee towels on grass

9. Hang rags on fence

10. Pore rench water in flower bed

11. Scrub porch with hot soapy water

12. Turn tubs upside down

13. Go put on cleen dress – smooth hair with side combs – brew cup of tee – set and rocka spell and count your blessings

(From “Bumfuzzled” by R. Lewis Bowman)