I received this Valentine’s Day card in the mail from my sister the other day. She thinks she is so funny.
Oh she thinks she is soooooo funny. You see when we were growing up we all had chores to do. Even though I was the youngest of four kids I was not exempt from the jobs and had to do my share of them. One was to clean the bathroom sink. I can’t imagine that the bathroom sink was ever all that dirty but it had to pass inspection by Mother Superior AKA our mother. Just like the dishes that I washed that got put back into the dishwashing pile it seems the sink was often not clean enough. My mother had high standards of cleanliness or at least I thought so.
One day when I did not pass the inspection (probably rightfully so) I whined that I just couldn’t do it. I was told to use “elbow grease”. I had no idea what that meant and asked what that was. My wonderful loving siblings presented me with a jar of the now famous “elbow grease”. What was in it was a horrid concoction of ingredients that I still have no idea of their origin. Possibly some dishwashing soap, some water, some rocks and pebbles, some toilet water—-I have no idea but whatever was in it was nasty. They all laughed at me —can you imagine??? Poor little innocent me. And the laughter continues some 45 years later………poor me.
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Sorry, this made me giggle.
Glad I made you giggle.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
I did most of the cleaning in our house, which may explain why I hate to clean now. Trust me, the flat shows it. I like to say, “I live here.”
There is nothing wrong with that. Nothing at all. Revel in it!
I am laughing hysterically. Sorry, but it’s STILL funny even 50+ years later. You actually BELIEVED, at least for an instant, that what we gave you was elbow grease, and it would help you get things cleaner!!! hahahhahhahaha
sorry. I know you were scarred for life…
I was just a scarred little girl who believed and trusted her siblings to the point that I would have probably followed you off a cliff. I looked up to you guys and what did I get in return??? A jar of gross and disgusting fluid that I still don’t have an analysis of. The problem is I am still pretty gullible years later……some things never change.
Glad I started your morning off with a laugh—let’s see if anyone else weighs in on this!
Hope you clean up on Valentines Day. Being an only had its advantages.
Hardy har har!!!! You are just too witty for me this morning!!! As you can tell I am still bearing the scars of this incident!
Ha ha! I heard that elbow grease thing more than a few times from my Mom. She wouldn’t be too happy with my house cleaning abilities now..
There are more fun things to do then clean! So nice you have a sister to laugh and share with! Happy Valentine’s Day! So happy Patti led me to you.. 
Where would we be without our family to make us laugh? So glad that you share my love of elbow grease.
I am so happy to have found you, too!!! You have a great blog!!!
Oh, I just love insider family stories like these. So special and great that you can laugh at this all these decades later. Happy Valentine’s Day, Beth Ann!
Indeed!!!
ROFL. this is just too funny. it’s definitely something I could see my mom and her 5 sisters doing to each other. Except they had to clean a barn.
A barn would take whole body grease–not just elbow grease!
Isn’t it wonderful to know we’re so loved! Happy Valentine’s Day~
Jeannie
Jeannie—Yes, it is!!! Happy Valentine’s Day to you!!
Ha, in the Navy the “boots” used to get sent for a bucket of steam, or an aluminum magnet, and even a left-handed monkey wrench.. There was also… you guessed it “elbow grease” So you see it is a time-honored tradition to mess with the innocent..
I guess so. Doesn’t make me feel any better, though. Poor me.
Alas, oh woe is you.. lol
Oh my, poor you is right. Sounds like our mom’s could start a club!!! I hated it when I didn’t pass inspection…
I thought it was only me!!! Glad to know I have company!!!
There is something good about old age. You do not remember all the things that happened. I do not remember the trick the kids played on you, at least not this one. I know you have been so mistreated in the past. You are making up for it now. I LOVE Paula’s card and it made me have some laughs also.
I wondered where to find it when I was told to use it, too. They always pick on the youngest!
Family loves you enough to continue to laugh at you many years later! You are so lucky!
This made me laugh so hard this morning. Sisters are super awesome. . .nobody can make me laugh or cry as hard as my sister can.
Love it! There is nothing like sisters, Beth Ann!