Tuesday, July 01, 2008

"She Did Her Housework Early"

"It was hot and she did her housework early, then closed the windows and drew the shades as she had seen her mother do. When Joe came in from work, he remarked with satisfaction that their apartment was the coolest spot in town."

--Maud Hart Lovelace, Betsy's Wedding

17 comments:

Mrs. Laura Lane said...

I didn't realize that would help keep things cool. Thanks for the tip within a quote. I've got a couple of Grace Livingston Hill books. I've got to get them out and look for the gems in them.

Laura

Mrs. Laura Lane said...

Oh, I just noticed that quote was Lovelace. Ah well, they're both great.

~smile~
Laura

Anonymous said...

Yes, that definitely helps - I think I first read the idea in a book by M.M. Kaye, one of her epic Indian novels. Keep the shades down, and as soon as the air gets hot, close the windows and keep the fans going. Have lots of iced tea, sherbet and/or lemonade nearby!

Anonymous said...

I was reading that very book this morning! My 12 year old daughter and I are re-reading all the Betsy/Tacy books this summer. So much fun.

DealFinder said...

Aah! My all-time favorite series! What a delight to come across this quotation. Betsy struggling with meat pie . . . burning holes in her husband's shirts . . . yet she still kept doing what she could to be a proper wife and homemaker.

Gillian said...

I've been re-reading the Betsy books this summer... I love them every time! My mother does that with the windows, too - it's surprising how much of a difference it makes.

Sonja said...

Our previous home forced this lesson upon us as it heated up like a sauna. This little trick has been "tricky" for me in recent days since our new windows have yet to tell me what they want to wear. So as punishment in their delay, they've had to bear dark throw blankets hung with binder clips and clothespins! Tacky, but true. As a result, the neighbors now know my hubby's fave football team!

Marlaine said...

After acquiring and re-reading one of my favorite childhood books, "Emily of Deep Valley" by Maud Hart Lovelace, I decided to try to complete the Deep Valley set via eBay and Amazon, reading "Betsy's Wedding" for the first time in March. What a charming book! I kept reading passages of it out loud to my husband because I had to share the good parts! :-) And, that method of trying to beat that heat is tried and true--I learned it from my mother.

Alice said...

Oh, the Betsy-Tacy books! My absolute favorite--beating even Anne and the Little House books. It's so much fun to see my girls starting to enjoy them too. My oldest (5) has been giving the books as birthday gifts to her friends, and it's (sadly) surprising how many have never heard of them...but then the mothers come back and tell me how much they're enjoying them!

Mack said...

I love all the Betsy-Tacy books! Just reading that on your blog reminds me of the summers I spent reading them again and again - or trying to find them in the right order! Thanks for the time travel.

Sarah said...

What a wonderful quote. My husband often tells me to draw the blinds and shut the windows on hot days and at first I thought he was crazy - but it really does make a difference!

Joy said...

I keep thinking somebody ought to collect all these gems into a sort of 'Housekeeping' the GLH way. Neat and Dainty comes close...I love clicking over there to see what new ones you have turned up!

I love how they gently encourage us to keep trying at being a good homemaker...

secondofwett said...

That sure brought memories flooding back to me from my childhood(now I'm dating myself!)....not only did we do that but I remember sitting in school, with the windows closed while the janitor stood outside and sprayed water on our windows with a hose...it really worked ...it cooled the classroom down!

secondofwett said...

That sure brought memories flooding back to me from my childhood(now I'm dating myself!)....not only did we do that but I remember sitting in school, with the windows closed while the janitor stood outside and sprayed water on our windows with a hose...it really worked ...it cooled the classroom down!

good_to_be_home said...

What a great quote! I do the same thing with my windows, if I htink of it in time!

Martha A. said...

I love all the old fashioned homemaking advice in so many of those books then....GLH is one for making you know if you decorate the table well the food will be good even if it is simple,

Angela Fehr said...

You spoiler! I never got my hands on anything past Betsy the Freshman - and now I know who she married. Loved those books - still watching for them for my girls.

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