(Snowflake hexagon block available for free here)
Vintage Jenta and another frequent commenter, Haley Suzanne, have continued the discussion about nostalgia and life in the past in yesterday’s comments. I encourage you to read and share your own thoughts about it.
This morning Amelia is at daycare (wearing a brand new tutu-with-leggings-attached, and dancing in circles) and I am home, mulling over the conversation as I crochet one or two snowflake hexagons in between chores.
While I wouldn’t want to be a pioneer or a farm wife in the past, I think we’ve all dreamt about being rich in the past. A titled lady with a large household to command? A country gentlewoman with five daughters and a lot of social pull in the village? That sure could be fun, for a while. I’m fascinated with the mostly-lost world of Service that kept it all running. Remains of the Day, Gosford Park, Upstairs Downstairs, Downton Abbey, it appears I’m not the only one. As I do my chores this morning, I’m having fun counting my own servants. I have a lot of them.
Housekeeper: my laptop computer
Butler: my husband’s laptop computer
House maids: the vacuum cleaner and furnace
Laundry maids: the washer and dryer
Cook: the stove
Kitchen maids: the microwave, blender, and food processor
Scullery maid: the dishwasher
Driver and grooms: our cars
Footmen: our cell phones (okay, that one’s weak)
Gardeners: the lawnmower, weed wacker, and rototiller
Nurse: the television (snort)
Who have I forgotten? I don’t think we have a still room maid.
I remember when we were still living in our apartment and we didn’t have a dryer. After we washed the bedlinen we had to dry it in the living room, because it was the only place large enough to dry it in. I don’t miss the dampness and the cramped space that caused.