Saturday's Work

January 23, 1937  13° cold [3° F.] with south wind.  Mama and Mary did Saturday’s work.  In the afternoon Mama and I went to Meade.

The Siemens lived by a weekly routine.  Sunday they went to worship service, visited, and rested.  Monday was laundry day.  Tuesday they ironed and put the wash away.  And Saturday was the preparation day for Sunday.  In his diary Cornelius frequently notes that the women “did Saturday’s work.” 

What was Saturday’s work?  First, the house was cleaned so that it would be ready for Sunday and for another week.  Everything had to be dusted, the floors were mopped or washed, and the bed linens changed.  Then there was baking and cooking that had to be done.  His wife Margaret and their daughter Mary always baked tweeback on Saturday, enough to last the whole week, and loaves of white and rye bread.  And often they would bake cake and cookies.  Tweeback (the Low German word) or zwieback (the High German word) are a traditional Low German Mennonite yeast roll consisting of a larger bottom and a smaller top and rich in lard or butter.  And they get food ready for Sunday dinner because they always expected company.  They would cook a huge pot of potatoes with peeling - for Saturday supper they would eat them with gravy and then on Sunday for dinner they would shred them and fry them.  Also they would soak beans and cook a big pot of pluma or rosina moos.  (Moos is a cold Mennonite fruit soup made made with plums, raisins, cherries, other fruit, and even sorrel.)  As the family finished its week of work and gathered for Saturday supper, everything would be sparkling clean, and the smell of fresh baking would fill the house.  And the Siemens family was ready for a Sunday of worship, fellowship, and rest.