9
Bernice had kidney problems. The doctor told
Mother to buy a sandbox, fill it with sand and put it in
the sun. Playing in the warm sand would help her
kidney heal. Bernice did get better.
Elizabeth Gartner Bayers was a housekeeper par
excellence. The nearby neighbors, disparagingly called the
Scrubby Dutch, appeared slovenly next to the antiseptically
clean Bayers’ house. At the end of each week, Elizabeth
waged her own version of germ warfare. Armed with soap,
water and ammonia, the accumulated dust and grime stood
no chance of surviving the organized onslaught of Elizabeth.
Every Friday all the furniture was moved and the
floors mopped. Off to school early, we returned to a
changed home. The furniture was rearranged. The
drapes were a different color—Mom made her own
drapes. The rugs were newly scattered. I never sat in
the same chair in the same place two Fridays in a
row. Once I had my own house I had one rule:
furniture stayed where it was put!
Offsetting the memory of the weekly house scour is
the memory of coming home from school to the aroma of
fresh baked goods every day.