Soap in my life.

When I was a small boy on the farm, my mother made our soap. I have no idea how she did it or what was in it. She poured her mixture into a pan, like a cookie sheet, about 3/4 of an inch deep. When it solidified, she cut it into bars. I have heard jokes about "grandma's lye soap", and maybe she put lye in it. I never knew. I do not remember what it was like using her soap, either, because I hated soap in all its forms.

Mostly I hated the rule that, after running around the farm barefoot all day, I could not go to bed until I washed my feet. We had no inside plumbing, so washing my feet meant going to the well, pumping a pan of that ice cold water, sitting on the edge of the well and washing my feet in that pan.

I remember mornings when I was ready to head out the door for school, mother would grab me by the ear, turn my shirt collar inside, and wash my neck and ears. Sometimes I went on to school with my collar still turned inside. In fact I remember Annie Turpin, my teacher for the first four grades of school, pulling me aside and turning my collar out. One time she said, "At least I know your neck and ears are clean."

Anyway, mother's homemade soap served all purposes. How I long for that simple way of life!

Today, I step into the shower, and, starting at the top, there is hair soap... called shampoo. I use it on my hair and my beard. Then there is face soap. Good for ears, nose, neck etc., although I am not sure exactly where your neck ceases to be part of your face and becomes part of your body!

On a few occasions on the farm, I was caught swearing and got my mouth washed out with mother's soap. Today there is a special soap for that - called toothpaste.

With a clean head, I now reach for the body wash. This liquid goes on a wash cloth for arms, legs, pits, etc. And don't forget the hand soap! It is anti-bacterial! Wow!

There is no foot soap... guess I don't have to worry about bacteria on my feet! After all, I no longer run around barefoot all day - haven't been on a farm in decades.

I wonder what would happen if you accidentally got the hand soap on your hair? Or the shampoo on your feet?

Sometimes I think that sitting on the edge of the well washing my feet with cold water and homemade soap, wasn't as bad as I remembered!