Household Chores

An extract from the book Amol in Rassein (Once Upon a Time in Rassein)

(C) 1976 - George M. D. Wolfe. Reproduced here with permission 

"For several years during my boyhood we had kept a cow in a shed adjoining our house. The red and white cow supplied us with most of our milk needs. I remember someone in the family saying that our doctor prescribed "warm milk from the cow" for my mother and she did drink milk as soon as it was brought in by our gentile helper. I assumed a good deal of responsibility for the cow, probably without being asked to do so. I was simply sorry for the way the cow was kept cooped up in the shed, which was seldom cleaned. I took it upon myself to clean the shed, provide fresh hay for the cow to lie on, scraped the dung off the cow, and occasionally accompanied her to pasture.

The street we lived on, called Cattle Street, led to the town pasture and whenever I could I saw to it that our cow left the shed on time to join the herd on the way to pasture. During the summer I would sometimes start out to the pasture, perhaps a mile from town, late in the afternoon to see our cow safely home. The shed also accommodated a number of chickens which we kept and their care became my responsibility too, to some extent, especially when they wandered off and had to be sought for and brought back. I carne to know the personalities of the chickens and was squeamish about seeing them killed and dressed for table. To overcome this feeling, I would pay special attention to the chicks and watch them grow.

There were a number of household activities of which I had little knowledge, primarily because they were carried out during the day when I was at school. However, when I was ill and stayed home I could observe some of these operations. Water was delivered to us by a woman carrying two wooden pails attached to a pole across her shoulders. Butter, milk and other dairy products were stored in a kind of cellar or dugout outside the kitchen in the vestibule which ran the length of the house. There was much baking of cakes, cookies and chaleh before the Sabbath and more especially before holidays.

Small batches of laundry were washed periodically, but the bulk of our laundry was taken twice a year, in the spring and fall, by several laundresses accompanied by our maid to a stream on the outskirts of town where it was washed, dried and folded. I was either asked to help in this major operation, or volunteered my services.

Other families did their washing the same day at the same time, and my friends and I made a picnic out of the event. The small procession would leave our home early in the morning on a clear, sunny day and proceed on foot to the stream. There the laundry was washed, then pounded on flat stones, turned to rinse and finally set out to dry on makeshift dryers or on the grass. There was a basket of food for all and plenty of time for me to explore the area. At the end of the day the clean, fresh laundry was brought home and stored in cabinets and straw bins. I had a special interest in clean laundry, since I was very sensitive to dirt, strong odors and the pervasive smell of urine outdoors.

When I was home during the day I became aware of the beggars who came to our house for a handout and occasionally were given a meal. They were served on dishes retained for their use only, and I took careful note of that and made sure that the dishes were not used for my meals by mistake, since I noticed that some of the mendicants were obviously ill. My mother was very solicitous about the welfare of the very poor and neglected and did what she could to feed them, even though she had very little time even for the children."

Navigation between the chapters:-  Use the side bar, or the links below

Cover     :     Early Memories of Rassein     :     Jewish Rassein      

Schooling    :    Making Matzoh    :   Whats in a name        

Household Chores    :    The Sabbath, Holidays and Holy Days  

Amusemenyt and Diversions   :   Trade and Commerce   :     Clothing