Activity

The whirring of the wheel could be heard throughout the quiet room, occasionally punctuated the creak of the foot pedal as the spinner kept time to the tune in her head. Normally the ticking of the mantle clock would rule the silence but, Thursdays were spinning and washing days and the wheel’s hum was all she heard. The woman much preferred spinning yarn from wool than doing the family wash and was glad that, being the the mother, she could delegate the washing to her two daughters. She knew that her girls were becoming old enough to leave their drop spindles and move to the more efficient wheel. Perhaps next year, she would let them slowly take her place.

She could feel the smooth lanolin from the wool as it passed through her fingers. The lanolin would would help turn the rain, perfect for the new coat they would be making Papa from the yarn she was spinning. He would be thankful for the dry warmth come winter. There would be plenty of yarn left over and perhaps they could knit new scarves and mittens for the girls as well.

As the wheel spun on, she began to hum a favorite reel and a smile escaped her lips. She remembered the last time she had danced with her husband last fall. He was a stiff and clumsy dancer, much to the amusement of everyone. Made all the funnier because he loved to dance and thought he was good at it. Clumsy or not, it was nice that he liked to dance with her, she knew of many husbands that would not.

Her smile broadened into a warm grin as the wheel spun around and around throughout the afternoon. Their’s was a happy home filled with the small things that made life good in spite of the hardships they sometimes faced. The laughter, the songs, and the games her girls played warmed her heart in the chill of mid Spring. Laughing and humming, she made the wheel spin on.