Thursday, August 13, 1925
Warm
Had a good sized day of it ironing and was so tired when I got done. I oughtn’t to do it I’m afraid but it is either iron or eat or don’t iron and don’t eat. I see no way out, no help in sight and so many things needed before the big event. I am badly discouraged. The boys scraped the kitchen and such a mess!! Gilbert painted the ceiling with sizing.
(I mentioned yesterday about the lead paint, and now the boys are scraping it off the walls. When you watch on TV today how they put on all kinds of protective clothing and masks whenever they remove lead paint, and contrast that with what the did in the 1920's, it is quite a difference.
I'm curious what the sizing was that Gilbert put on the ceiling. I am only familiar with sizing used to prep walls for wallpapering. Surely they didn't paper the ceiling? Perhaps "sizing" just referred to a type of paint primer?
Grandma's own words speak for themselves regarding how she felt. Of course, the big event is the birth of the next child, the fifth, which is 6 or 7 weeks away. I'm sure Grandma did have quite a bit to do to prepare. Many have already commented how hard she worked to keep everyone clothed and fed. As Mom said, they ironed everything they wore, plus sheets and towels, everything. And, if Grandma wasn't washing clothes or ironing them, she was making them or mending them.)
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Carol,
ReplyDeleteDid Grandma take in other people's ironing to help buy the groceries? It almost sounds that way in this entry.
No, according to Mom, she didn't take in ironing for others, or she wasn't aware of it, if she did.
ReplyDeleteSizing is used in ironing. We would also call it starch. Back then, starch was liquid that was sort of painted onto clothing before it was ironed. My mother used a large enamel pan to mix up her sizing.
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