My name is Eleanor Parker and I take in laundry for a living. Since I was a little girl, cleaning clothes just came natural. I remember my mother setting me on the bed to fold the sheets and towels. She would pull out the wash bucket and wash board and wash clothes until evening. At first I didn’t understand where all the laundry came from. She would always say that dirty laundry would not clean it’s self. My first memory with cleaning came at the knee of my grandmother while she made lye soap. Taking the white ashes out of the fire place and adding in lye and fat to make a large pan of soap. Her hands were always red and rough but that was "par for the course", she would always say. later on I remember four clothes lines in the back yard full of clothes waving in the wind. Once in awhile, I had to chase down a pair of long johns that came loose from a line. As I grew up, I helped mother do laundry for Judge Smith and his family. The laundry just kept coming since they had 7 children. It never seemed to end but with the money my mother made, food was always on the table. Once my mother found it hard to keep up with the laundry, I took over. Now I am taking in laundry for four families. Winter was tough because I had to heat the water outside but my family needs the money so I will make do. Just the other day a new families just moved in from virginia and never had anyone help with the laundry. once they saw how good I did with cleaning, they would not have it any other way. I guess you could say that washing clothes is in my blood. I figure it this way, clothes have to be washed so it might as well be me doing it the right way.
