Monday, October 17, 2011

Rethinking my Refrigerator Posts

So, I have had a poem posted on my refrigerator for 5 years or so now. I have always loved it, as it seemed to give me a renewed sense of purpose and appreciation I suppose. Here is the poem:

Great, great grandmother,on a winter's day, milked the cows and fed them hay,
slopped the hogs, saddled the mule,
then got the children off to school,
did a washing, mopped the floors,
washed the windows, and did some chores;
cooked a dish of home-dried fruit,
pressed her husband's Sunday suit.
Swept the parlor, made the bed,
baked a dozen loaves of bread,
split some firewood, and then lugged in
enough to fill the kitchen bin;
cleaned the lamps and put in oil,
stewed some apples she thought would spoil;
churned the butter,baked a cake,
then exclaimed, "For heaven's sake,
the calves have got out of the pen"
went out and chased them in again.

Gathered the eggs and locked the stable,
back to the house and set the table,
cooked a supper that was delicious,
and afterward washed up all the dishes,
fed the cat and sprinkled the clothes,
mended a basketful of hose;
then opened the organ and began to play,
"When You Come to the End of a Perfect Day."

~ Author Unknown

Ok, I'm sure most of you can see my dilemma if you know me at all.
1. No cows to milk (or hogs or mules)
2. Mopping floors and window washing are NOT a daily occurence, unless you count spot cleaning
3. Home-dried fruit?????
4. My husband's Sunday suit?! Is it Christmas, Easter, or Mother's Day?
5. Yea for number 5! I actually do sweep the "parlor" and make the bed on a daily basis. Whoo Hoo!
6. Bake 12 loaves of bread!!!
7. No firewood splitting here. Our neighbor (and the gas station) sells if for $4 a bundle.
8. Oil lamps - don't have any, but have always wanted some.
9. My spoiled fruit goes in the trash. :(
10. Yea for number 10! I can bake a cake!
11. I can cook a supper, but there is usually some debate as to whether it is delicious.
12. No cat, or hens to gather eggs from.
13. Don't think I own a pair of hose to mend.
14. No organ.

So, you can see the frustration of this particular refrigerator post. I find myself trying to live up to this crazy idea. I don't even remember where I got the poem from! I think I will officially take it down and put it away for now. I don't need to walk by my fridge everyday and be reminded of everything I am not doing! :)

Here is another one of my posts that I think I will keep up:

"We should all do what, in the long run, gives us joy, even if it is only picking grapes or sorting the laundry."

~E.B. White

1 comment:

Cindy said...

A great post, my daughter!