Laundry Woes

I had a large family, six kids, and often got behind in the laundry. The washing and drying I could handle just fine. It was the endless folding and getting it to their rooms that was the problem.

In Kansas, we lived in a big house with the laundry in the basement. The laundry room was about 12' x 14' with hanging racks and a banquet table for folding. Great set up, but impossible to manage. Each morning I would collect the laundry from the third and second floor and carry it to the basement. Every other day, I would sort and wash. Folding took hours so often the clothes would end up on the table in various piles. Notice -  the house is tilting toward the laundry room!!

The older boys, whose rooms were on the third floor, would often get dressed in the basement. (It was their job to carry up their own laundry) I had to make curtains for the windows as the laundry room opened into the alley. Later I attempted to have them do their own laundry and then the clothes never got folded. Anyway back to dressing in the basement... I really thought those days were over.

Now there are only three of us in this house. The laundry room is on the main floor and is about 8' x 6'. There is one hanging rod and only enough room to open the door. The blessing is that I am never behind on laundry and folding, or so I thought.

This morning I was downstairs cooking breakfast for Andy before I took him to work. I heard him muttering as he came down the stairs. He was dressed in his socks and BVDs. He went straight to the dryer to find a pair of pants and his favorite shirt! 

I guess, even though it has been eighteen years since we lived in Kansas, he still remembered where to find the clothes he wanted.  So much for having the laundry dilemma solved!

Just a Bike Ride

Yesterday our son Zac took a "grueling" 100+ mile bike ride through the Uintah mountains. It started in Park City , wound through Rhodes Valley and the mountains above Kamas, Utah. To him, it was an training race for Lotoja (riding from Logan to Jackson Hole in one day).Zac will tackle this 250 mile trip for the second time this fall. 

For me, this ride in the mountains had far greater 

significance. My mother's family all came from Rhodes Valley so I know the stories of their struggles and joy there. I couldn't help but wonder if I had imprinted on my children the wonder of their heritage. 

I know the time is not right for them to have the interest I do. They have young families and are surviving day to day to raise and provide for my grandchildren. I couldn't help but wonder, as I was waiting for Zac to ride by, if he thought of  those who had gone before and their sacrifices.

As he passed the cemetery where his great-great-great grandfather lay, did Zac know John Lambert was the first settler in Rhodes Valley. Did he know Morgan Lewis fought in the Indian wars to secure the Valley? In his mind, did he

see the three small graves for greatgrandma Mary's first three children? She went on to have nine others of which grandma Weez is #5. 

On the road from Kamas to Francis and Woodland, did he know Daniel Bowen Lewis delivered the mail for his life's work,using a horse and sleigh in the winter. Did he know Adelia Lambert had given birth to a still born daughter in the fields on foothill road. Did he imagine her crying silently to herself, wrapping the babe in an apron, and walking home to start dinner for her family.

As he rode up the canyon, did he know his ancestors had a sawmill that provided for the building of the town? Did he know the days his grandmother (my Mom) spent in the mountains with her family while her Dad cut trees and tended sheep to provide for his family? 

I know Zac remembered his great uncle Dan (the toe popper) and his great uncle Dick who owned Dick's Drive In as he passed by. He surely remembered all the free milkshakes and great food there. He probably remembered fishing with John and four wheeling. Thad would remember fishing  in Kamas and learning that the fish he caught would die. I don't think Thad ever fished after that. Jake would go fishing, but only as a catch/release kind of guy. My question remained if my boys knew what a remarkable fisherman my Uncle Leo was. Did they

know Leo caught fish to trade for candy for his eight siblings?

Did my children comprehend what is was like for Grandma Weez to be raised in a three bedroom house with ten other people. This was also the house where she was born except it only had two rooms then and an outdoor john!! As Zac turned the corner toward Marion, did he know I started first grade in Kamas and used to get apples at the service station on that corner from my great Uncle John?

The stories could go on and on. But have I, as a mother, imparted the significance of their heritage to my children? Do they, now that they have children, understand how much they were loved before they were born? I hope they cherish their little ones as well as appreciate the sacrifices of those who have gone before.  I hope they know life is never just a bike ride.......