Grandma loved to clean

Grandma loved to help in any way she could but the way she found most of the time was cleaning. From straightening the room to shaking the rug she always did her best to keep the world a cleaner place. The following are stories of the triumphs and tragedies of her quest for cleanliness.

I remember staying at Mom’s house; we would always go there when we were on vacation and you know you’re always going someplace visiting people. So we’d quick change our clothes and leave them on the bed and run off to visit someone else. When we’d come back Mom would have them hung on hangers and the clothes we’d taken off would be folded up. So the next day I threw them in the suitcase and closed the top. I came home and they were all folded up inside the suitcase.

Dianna Babcock Wadsworth (third child of Nellie and Cecil Wadsworth)

When she’d come over to watch the kids she’d do the laundry and she’d mix things up. So I got to the point that when I knew she was coming over to watch the kids I’d do the laundry, because I wanted her to watch the kids and not do the laundry. When I would do the laundry then she would clean the house while she was there. So it got to the point that I would do the laundry and clean the house before she’d come over to watch the kids. And she would always find something like cleaning the windows so then I would clean the windows before she’d come over. All I wanted her to do was watch the kids.

Kim Biel Wadsworth ( Wife of Gordon Richard Wadsworth sixth and last child of Nellie and Cecil Wadsworth)

It was the first year that we were married and we were in this one bedroom apartment over on Mayfield. And it seemed like every time she came over if there was a closet that was cluttered or a bed unmade or a drawer that was messy somehow she found it when she was over. It wasn’t like she was snooping. It just seemed like invariably she would come across it when she was there. One day she called at around 9 o’clock in the morning on a Saturday and said that she was going to stop by at noon to pick something up. I said to Dave “Ok. I’m going to have once in my life where everything is going to be perfect, all the silverware is going to be pointed the same direction…everything is going to be perfect.” And we worked for three hours, just the two of us but we worked for three whole hours to have it perfect. She knocked on the door and I said “This is my moment, it may be the only one but this is my moment” I walked to the door and I turned around to take one more look. Everything was perfectly in place. I opened the door and she was shaking the welcome mat. I said “What are you doing?!” and she said “Oh well I was just waiting here and I thought this could use a shake.”

Pamela Streeter Wadsworth (wife of David Wadsworth first child of Nellie and Cecil Wadsworth)*

*This story was published in the Readers Digest by Pauline Streeter (Pam’s mother) in August of 1985. Published as follows:

YOU CAN'T WIN!
Our daughter's mother-in-law rarely sits down for more than a few minutes at a time. During any visit she dusts furniture, straightens pictures or finds dishes to wash. My daughter took all of this as criticism of her housekeeping.

One day the mother-in-law called to see if it would be all right to drop by. Our daughter informed her husband that this time his mother was not going to find anything that needed doing, but she wanted his help. They cleaned furiously. When the doorbell sounded, she paused for one more look to reassure herself that everything was in perfect order. Then she opened the door-to find the super-energized mother-in-law busily shaking the doormat.

When Suzie was a teenager she never put anything away. Mom came to visit and stayed at our house. Suzie’s room was a mess her floor was just covered and the closet had nothing hanging in it. Mom couldn’t stand that of course so she came in and cleaned it all up and put things away. Suzie came to me and said ”I don’t like it when Grandma does that, I can’t find anything” I said “Ok, well just tell her” So she told her and the next day Mom folded up all the stuff and left them in little piles all over the floor. Where ever it was she folded it and left it there.

Dianna Wadsworth Babcock (third child of Nellie and Cecil Wadsworth. Sue Babcock Biegel is Dianna’s second child)

I remember going to grandma’s house to play. She told me one time that she liked to watch “I Love Lucy” while she cleaned because it made the time go by faster.

Holly Wadsworth Avery(second child of David Wadsworth, first child of Nellie and Cecil Wadsworth)