The year was 1944 in my old hometown
of Clovis. Dad was running the Magic
Steam Laundry and with the BIG ONE
(WWII) on, and the Clovis Army Air Base
five miles west of town, we had all the
week's laundry we could do, by noon on
Mondays.
Note the use of the word "we." I worked
there. Hard. I was age ten, in the fifth
grade, bright--a good speller and with
good penmanship--at beloved La Casita
School.
Every afternoon after school, about 3:40
p.m. I rode my used $25.00 bicycle down
nine blocks to the old white-stucco laundry
at 417 West Grand, where the women
and Dad were very busy finishing up the
"days run," ironing, pressing, folding, and
wrapping up bundles in brown paper,
all ready to be picked up by the customer.
(I've already written a number of times
about the glorious smells of ironed
clean clothes in a big steam laundry.
There is almost nothing like it!)
To understand my quaint tale of old
times, the reader needs to know that
once a day's laundry run was finished,
tomorrow's "run" had to be readied
for an early washing the next morning.
(6:30 a.m.)
This process is known in the. trade as
"checking in." Each bundle (oft big
dirty ones) of laundry over in a giant
pile of dirty bundles had to be opened
at a waist-high work-station and
sorted according to fabrics, colors,
types (i.e. shirts, socks, towels, wash
rags, pants, shirts, undies, sheets and
pillow cases). This could take two or
three hours...late every afternoon.
Yes, these clothes (in all manner and
sizes of clothing types and bundles)
had to be separated as noted and
properly marked to be identified later.
For everyone's dirty clothes were
thrown together and washed in
giant-drum machines. Not to worry,
in those times, scalding-hot steam
water and sometimes bleach was
used.
In the early years when I was eight
or nine, my job was to use BIG net
sacks to fill with sheets and pillow
cases and other white stuff...and
use big laundry-safety-like pins
to close the sacks, gathered at the
tops.The pins were numbered to
later identify to whom this laundry
belonged . At this time, I helped
Dad, as he tossed the white stuff to
the floor to be netted and pinned.
So when I reached age ten, I knew
enough to do the whole "check-in"
thing by myself, and how much my
work after school helped Dad! I did
have to consult him from time to
time: "Dad, will this fade?" or "What
is a counterpane here on our ticket?"
The occasional sight here or there
over the years of a giant "laundry
pin" brings happy memories of a
long ago time, when the whole world
was young and times were simpler.
Along with the "check-in" time came
at 4 p.m. on KICA, an hour of great
fifteen minute radio programs--
Superman, The Shadow, Tom Mix,
and The House of Mystery. Good
listening there, as I worked at the
back of the old laundry.
Dad always came back about five
o'clock and helped me. Then over
KICA came the news by Fulton
Lewis, Jr. (and did they ever
finish that "highway in Nicaragua?")
and just as we closed up and
headed home for supper, Gabriel
Heatter came on the radio.
This morning at coffee B.E. and I
we're talking about the big laundry
pins and she said: "Interesting--
you ought to write about that."
This old evil world has gone around
the sun many times since those
long ago days in Clovis, 1944.
Young kids have got old. There
has been much dirty laundry since
that time...but now people have
their own "Maytags" and dryers.
But is mankind and the world...
any better off?
--------
Epilogue: Mil, age ten, joined the
Young TOM MIX Cowboy Gang,
on KICA, and got his Secret Signal
Whistle Ring for twenty-five cents
and a Ralston box top! He still has it.
--------
MIL
9 AUGUST 2019
