Hints from Eloise's first cousin, Peg Bracken

I just read a great piece by the painter and memoirist Beth Castiglione that speaks openly of her starch fetish:

http://www.interrobangzine.com/essays/performance-piece-housewife/

which led me to think about the ways in which we work to save future generations from certain things -- i.e. starching and ironing handkerchiefs -- which may in and of themselves be what actually saves them;  my own intimacies with the iron these days have been along the lines of rediscovering the joys of iron-on appliques -- something about the transformative properties of heat....and of rhinestone-studded skulls and crossbones have been bringing me a lot of pleasure, which makes me feel that I can now out myself for being completely in a Peg Bracken groove right now.

Much has been made of the recent publication of the 50th anniversary edition of her I Hate to Cook Cookbook, but my own personal favorite title from her oeuvre is The I Hate to Housekeep Book, subtitled "When and how to keep house without losing your mind."  The edition I have is from 1962 and has the most fabulous Hilary Knight illustrations;  every now and then, you see an image of a figure who could be Eloise's first cousin, or even perhaps her long-absent mother.

The book is chock-full of straightforward bits of housekeeping advice:  did you know that toothpaste could be used to shine silver?  That one way to hammer in a nail without banging your thumb is to position it between the teeth of a comb? That you can cut up old rubber gloves when you're in need of rubber bands?   But she also speaks directly to issues that anticipate The Feminine Mystique, which Betty Friedan published the year after some crafty housewife first picked up my copy of Bracken's survival guide;  as Bracken notes in a chapter entitled "How to be Happy When You're Miserable":

"...sometimes you stumble over a day of doing nothing -- or a series of them -- which you can ill afford.  For if you continue to stand immobile among deeds undone and resoutions vain, you'll find that you can't even do the things you want to do, and presently you may lose your mind.  Every girl owes it to herself to hang onto her mind as long as she can.

The reason for these occasional periods of standing and staring while the work piles up is usually malaise of the spirit.  It can stem from any one of three or four thousand deep-seated causes which there isn't room to tackle here, much as I'd like to have a try.

Still, we might consider some random antidotes which random housewives have found helpful..."

 Of Bracken's helpful hints, my favorite is the following:

How to Comfort Yourself When You Have Acted like a Jackass
Everyone does this occasionally, and you shouldn't feel too upset about it unless it happens quite often, such as three times a day, in which case you must simply get used to it. Remember, other people like you as well or better for it, because it makes them feel superior;  so you've at least spread a little sunshine.  And at the very least, you've served as a bad example.