Cultivate beauty and wisdom in and around you

The subject for today's blog is Clothes pins. If you happen to have a clothesline, you must have pins to peg out the wash. Monday seems to be the day of choice for doing wash. If you have the clothesline and the pins...one needs a vessel for the pins. Books with household hints from the 1900's usually included directions on making clothespin bags. Simple Not so simple Here is a tip from Audel's Household Helps, Hints and Receipts, 1913. In cold weather if towels are rinsed in salt water after being washed, they will not freeze on the line. Bring them in and, without ironing, fold and put away. Salt is particularly good for bath towels, as the salt left in the towel is exhilarating for the skin when used after a bath. ****************************** How clothespins started The first American clothespin patent was issued in 1832 and was quickly followed by many adaptations for its simple but effective design. Wooden clothespins are

Remember these?? I had a clothesline for a while in the 70's. I liked hanging things out to dry and liked the smell, but sometimes the sheets were a little stiff. From Wikipedia A  clothes line  or  washing line  is any type of  rope , cord, or  twine  that has been stretched between two points (e.g. two sticks), outside or indoors, above the level of the ground.  Clothing  that has recently been washed is hung along the line to dry, using clothes pegs or  clothespins . Washing lines are attached either from a post or a wall, and are frequently located in  back gardens , or on  balconies . Longer washing lines often have props holding up sections in the middle due to the weight of the usually wet clothing. ***************** I have a book called  the clothesline It has a history of clotheslines and lots of pictures. It has a simple soap recipe dating from the 1940's. This is for making  lemon verbena and lavender soap.  12 oz. of un

I was watching  http://www.pbs.org/food/features/great-british-baking-show-season-2-episodes/ on PBS Sunday night. In the second show  the bakers made English muffins and at the end of the show they talked about the Muffin Man and sang the song. I thought it was very interesting. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Do [or "Oh, do"] you know the muffin man, The muffin man, the muffin man, Do you know the muffin man, Who lives in Drury Lane? Yes [or "Oh, yes"], I know the muffin man, The muffin man, the muffin man, Yes, I know the muffin man, Who lives in Drury Lane. [1]        from Wikipedia The rhyme is first recorded in a British manuscript of around 1820 preserved in the  Bodleian Library  with lyrics very similar to those used today: Do you know the muffin man? The muffin man, the muffin man. Do you know the muffin man Who lives in Drury Lane? [1] Victorian  households had many of their fresh foods delivered; muffins would be delivered