My Grandma Fitzpatrick, and my Mom Harriet, both would sing and whistle a lot as they performed their work during the day. It was a way to make the work less a drudgery, and help pass the time in a more pleasant way. A long tradition in many cultures, my Mom and Grandma would sometimes do it in a very specific manner known to many of Irish heritage; they were a kind of Irish 'mouth music', with much 'diddly dee'-ing and other sorts of amusing sounds. I always loved to listen to them and have attempted to recreate them, but I think I am a poor reflection of how they did it...