This post is shared at “Tell
Me a True Story.”
My continued story will resume soon
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| Lye Soap |
Isn't it wonderful how the
passing of time makes nostalgic moments out of usual experiences? Something
that was usual way back when - - was the making and using of home made lye
soap.
I liked the description by
the soap shed; “This homemade lye soap is
an Appalachian tradition, with its historical use including the elimination of
head and body lice, bed bugs, mites, as well as general household and floor
cleaning. There was a time when a Lye Soap recipe provided the only source of
basic hygiene available. Lye soap was generally made once a year, coinciding
with Autumn Harvest and the killing of hogs
in preparation for winter.”
As time passed soap was
improved upon and became available in many forms such as bars, granules and
liquids with or without perfume and lye soap lost its appeal.
Most married men have
experienced times when wives get bored and look for some kind of relief. At
that time husbands know that they are going to encounter something they are not
looking forward to.
One of the main fears is that
some old flame might show up, and might not be fat and bald but still look
good, and would ask the magic question “Are you happy?”
What husbands hope for is
that the wife will instead choose some almost harmless endeavor that isn't too
expensive.
One such period of time that
I lived through was when my wife had a great inspiration which was to make some
lye soap. I knew this was going to
affect me in a negative way.
In the weeks that followed my
entire existence was bordering on misery. She was gathering lard from every
source imaginable. She tried to recruit all her friends to get involved it this
project. Our entire home became a soap factory and grease was everywhere. That
disgusting muck was placed in my soap dish for me to use. It left a greasy spot
everywhere it was laid.
I’m happy to say that after a
few weeks of this experiment, lye soap making lost its appeal, and life
returned to what was our norm.
Then I prepared for the next
time when boredom returned, and new inspirations would open up untouched
horizons.
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