Corn Rows and Laundry on the Line

i spent the day riding in the combine with Gary.  Conversation is kept to a minimum because he has his mind on watching the rows as he is picking corn, it is noisy in the cab, and there aren't a lot of topics to discuss since we are together so often now.

Old saying cane up recently.

Years ago when we were first married, Gary's dad told me that Gary planted the straightest rows in the county.  I have no idea if that were true or not, but I believed him.

 Was there a contest?

 Did someone go around and check out random corn rows and declare the champion?

Were people saying, "Oh, that Beth Henderson....she is so lucky.  Her fiancé plants the straightest rows of corn in any field in Pulaski County!"

I do know that as I was driving round I did check out the rows of various cornfields, trying to determine the straightness.

Over the years I realized that it was just a dad, full of pride for his son.  Today when I told Gary, he said he had never heard that before, but he added that his dad often remarked that "Crooked rows yield more corn" but they didn't try to test that one!

I remember Grandma always telling me that it was important to organize the clothes that were hanging on the clothesline to dry. All of the towels should be together, then the hand towels,  then the washcloths.  Next all of the similar underwear...the men's then the boys', then the women's, and the girls'. Socks should be matched and each of the pair next to each other.  Shirts are hung by the hems, pants by the waistbands. There was a process, an organizational plan, to hanging the family laundry on the line.  After all, "A woman is judged by the laundry she puts on the clothesline."  Cleanliness. (Whites should be crisply white and colors vibrant). No holes or tears or rips or worn spots (except for work clothes). All items should be neatly organized.  Laundry day was one day a week, or maybe two if one day was the "sheets day."

I remember driving to town for groceries or to the Post Office and Grandma commenting on the clothes on various clothes lines we passed. When we were first married and up until the time I stopped hanging laundry outside to dry, I still thought about Grandma's instructions and her views on judging women by their laundry.

Fortunately my clotheslines were in the back yard.  I am even more thankful that those clothes lines have disappeared and my dryer works well!