Washinsheen
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2005
- Messages
- 182
Hello, everyone!
I've visited this site numerous times, but just now decided to register. Good to know that there are others out there with similar interests!
My family (parents, sister, grandparents, aunts, etc.) have always been bewildered by my fascination with washing machines. It seems that it's been the case since before I could walk....I'm told that they would sit me on top of Grandma's washer and hold me there, watching my eyes light up and a big smile appear on my face. When I learned to talk, I often referred to the "washinsheen," thus my screen name (ha!) Sometimes they'd pull up a kitchen chair to the washer so I could stand on it and look into the open lid as the washer went through its cycles.
As a young child prior to starting school, I would hang around my mom on Mondays for regular wash and Thursdays for regular wash plus sheets. Mom had a 1958 white Frigidaire, which I was fascinated by. An aunt had the same model, but in a pastel yellow, and Grandma had a mid 1960's Frigidaire in white on the farm. Visiting her was a particular treat, as she did wash daily, due to PaPa going through so many clothes in the cotton field near Muleshoe, TX!
As an adolescent, I was always peaking around in order to find out what kind of washing machine friends and family members had at their house. My parents would explain it away by saying, "Oh, he's crazy about washing machines. We don't know why." Of course, this always humiliated me (ha!) A present day friend says he had the same experience due to his fascination with vacuum cleaners! Often, the people they were visiting would get out their vacuum cleaner for him to play with.
We got our 1958 Frigidaire from Daddy's boss in 1964. We kept it until 1973 when it konked out (wish I had it, today!) and we replaced it with a new harvest gold Frigidaire. That one lasted us until 1981, when we replaced it with another havest gold Frigidaire, which unfortunately didn't have the up-and-down agitator....BORING! (By the way, can anyone explain why Frigidaire quit making that type of agitator??)
Our 1957 house in Odessa, TX was a small starter home with the washer located in the kitchen. No clothes dryers in that neighborhood! Mom & Dad still live in that 900 square foot house, and to this day my mom hangs the clothes out on the clothes line in the backyard, and she'd have it no other way.
I pretend to my family that the washing machine fetish was some long forgotten childhood quirk, and we laugh about it from time to time......Little do they know!!!
I love anything to do with the past, and I admire those of you with restoration talents. Even though I'm a retired mechanic's son, I learned nothing from him. (Go figure.) I've been with my life partner for 15 years, and he doesn't share my love for things of old, as they remind him of an unpleasant childhood. Therefore, it is doubtful that I'll be able to be the proud owner of any of the kinds of treasures I see pictured on this sight. But, never fear, for I will certainly keep my eyes open for all of you, in case I run into anything that needs a good home. Incidnetally, Robert, aka unimatic1140, I am totally envious of your gorgeous 1958 turquoise Frigidaire pair!! Reminds me soooo much of the washer we had when I was small. The video clips brought back tons of memories, too!
My best to all of you!
David
I've visited this site numerous times, but just now decided to register. Good to know that there are others out there with similar interests!
My family (parents, sister, grandparents, aunts, etc.) have always been bewildered by my fascination with washing machines. It seems that it's been the case since before I could walk....I'm told that they would sit me on top of Grandma's washer and hold me there, watching my eyes light up and a big smile appear on my face. When I learned to talk, I often referred to the "washinsheen," thus my screen name (ha!) Sometimes they'd pull up a kitchen chair to the washer so I could stand on it and look into the open lid as the washer went through its cycles.
As a young child prior to starting school, I would hang around my mom on Mondays for regular wash and Thursdays for regular wash plus sheets. Mom had a 1958 white Frigidaire, which I was fascinated by. An aunt had the same model, but in a pastel yellow, and Grandma had a mid 1960's Frigidaire in white on the farm. Visiting her was a particular treat, as she did wash daily, due to PaPa going through so many clothes in the cotton field near Muleshoe, TX!
As an adolescent, I was always peaking around in order to find out what kind of washing machine friends and family members had at their house. My parents would explain it away by saying, "Oh, he's crazy about washing machines. We don't know why." Of course, this always humiliated me (ha!) A present day friend says he had the same experience due to his fascination with vacuum cleaners! Often, the people they were visiting would get out their vacuum cleaner for him to play with.
We got our 1958 Frigidaire from Daddy's boss in 1964. We kept it until 1973 when it konked out (wish I had it, today!) and we replaced it with a new harvest gold Frigidaire. That one lasted us until 1981, when we replaced it with another havest gold Frigidaire, which unfortunately didn't have the up-and-down agitator....BORING! (By the way, can anyone explain why Frigidaire quit making that type of agitator??)
Our 1957 house in Odessa, TX was a small starter home with the washer located in the kitchen. No clothes dryers in that neighborhood! Mom & Dad still live in that 900 square foot house, and to this day my mom hangs the clothes out on the clothes line in the backyard, and she'd have it no other way.
I pretend to my family that the washing machine fetish was some long forgotten childhood quirk, and we laugh about it from time to time......Little do they know!!!
I love anything to do with the past, and I admire those of you with restoration talents. Even though I'm a retired mechanic's son, I learned nothing from him. (Go figure.) I've been with my life partner for 15 years, and he doesn't share my love for things of old, as they remind him of an unpleasant childhood. Therefore, it is doubtful that I'll be able to be the proud owner of any of the kinds of treasures I see pictured on this sight. But, never fear, for I will certainly keep my eyes open for all of you, in case I run into anything that needs a good home. Incidnetally, Robert, aka unimatic1140, I am totally envious of your gorgeous 1958 turquoise Frigidaire pair!! Reminds me soooo much of the washer we had when I was small. The video clips brought back tons of memories, too!
My best to all of you!
David
