Laundry

Last weekend was really warm. I miss my laundry days at the River House. 

When I first moved here, I thought I'd keep doing the hanging-laundry-on-the-line thing. But life was a bit faster here. Plus, my laundry isn't safe on the line when it's sharing the same back yard with a beagle. So I took the lines down. 

I kept this one up, tho:

Altho, apparently NOT safe from Tabby Bobcat:

Out of the way until he leaves.

Those two sweaters are both silk-and-something. And worse, Dry Clean Only. And since I was 

I decided to illustrate how I feel about said dry cleaning thru Sherlock. Spoiler alert to Mum--and you prolly won't remember this, and it doesn't give anything away. You just won't get the reference. I'll remind you when we watch this particular episode together. So here we go:

What Season Are You In?

Today is so frosty & c-o-l-d. COLD. I have to venture out into the world today. Have to? I get to. Summer seems so far away, but memories of it keep me warm. As does my toasty wood stove. So much of what we experience in this world is in our own world in our head. It goes through our filters and we decide how to interpret it.

Victor Frankl, was a Holocaust survivor and a psychiatrist. In his book, Man's Search for Meaning, he describes a day of digging in the frozen ground with the rest of the prisoners. It was backbreaking work under inhumane conditions. But in his mind he was with his wife feeling absolute LOVE. And warmth. He never saw her again, and he wouldn't know for years that she had already been exterminated, but for that moment, she was there with him. What he says in his book is that when all else is taken away from us: creature comforts, materials things, our family, and our freedom we still have the ability to choose your attitude and what you focus on.

The other thing is this: strip everything away and there is still love. You have the ability to feel it now at anytime. It is who we are at our core, it is what we are made up of. No matter what the circumstances, no matter what season you're in or how far away it seems, there is always LOVE. All it takes is the sincere prayer to open your heart to it and invite it in. As Rumi says,

LOVE is the religion in me.

Sssssssnapshotsssssssss

Yesterday was laundry day. I take my clothes down to the river and pound them on the rocks. Kidding. But I do base laundry day on the weather; sunny & breezy are the best when you hang your laundry out on a clothes line. The BEST, Jerry! I do have the modern appliances, but there's nothing like fresh sheets & stiff, scratchy towels right off the line. *sigh* I don't have too many more days before it gets too cold & I have to use my dryer again. Back to yesterday~ I looked over and saw this:


I ran in to the house to get my camera, and she waited for me. She's about 5 feet-ish & judging by the lumpiness in the middle, it looks like she'd just had lunch. I'm glad to know that I have black snakes around because they keep away the copperheads & rattle snakes. Then as I was walking back to the house with laundry basket in tow, I saw this:

You may be asking yourself, "Self, what am I looking at?" [Or if you're a Grammarian, "Forsooth, at what am I looking?"] A 4-leaf clover, see? So. Yay, me. I'm not picking them anymore, just taking their pictures.

In GRATITUDE: I have the BEST Karma Ever!

Have you ever evaluated the weather according to laundry? I know Nat will know what I’m talking about…we are a rare breed of people who hang out laundry on the line. I love the fresh sheets and the scratchy towels. I enjoy the whole process. It’s v. ZEN. However, I also enjoy gathering an armful of warm towels out of the dryer on a grey winter’s day. *sigh* It’s like a hug-from-the-dryer. And I appreciate the convenience of being able to do laundry whenever I want instead of waiting for Nature to comply. What’s this?! RAIN? But I’m out of jeans!

I called Mum yesterday to see what she was doing. I had made a huge pot of vegetable soup and banana bread. Our friends John & Melody were there for a visit. Well, Mel was. John-of-All-Trades was there to fix the dryer. I said, “Oh, when he’s finished, can he come fix mine?” (Insert promise of soup & banana bread). And the next thing you know, they all driiiiiiiiive the 50 minutes over to my house!

It soon became apparent that what was a minor inconvenience, was actually a house-fire-waiting-to-happen. I had started to use it when I first moved here and the dryer had gotten really hot (too hot to touch) and I smelled burning. It was suggested that the line was clogged going out of the house. Since it was summer, I just used the line and put the dryer on my To Do List. It was NOT the outside line but the way it had been connected in the first place:

John explained to me that there are 2 options to vent: either on the side of the dryer or in the back. This is how NOT to do it: the vent is not connected to anything. That hose in the back is connecting to 2 outside holes together & the vent is just blowing inside the whole dryer unit. The heating element was covered with dryer lint that was burnt.

And above is the proper connection: white plastic thingie connected to vent outside.

I am SO GLAD John went to Mum’s to fix her dryer.

In the meantime, we 3 gals had a lovely meal of soup and banana bread & I mentioned that my dear friend Robbie had given me her sewing machine when she moved to Florida. I’d not used it because it was dropping mysterious little green pieces from somewhere & I thought it must be the belt. Mel said, “Get John to look at it.” He had already saved me from burning the house down, it’s not like I had any sewing emergencies going on.

Ta Da! John was finished with the dryer & now I can do laundry whenever I please. Oh, I feel so fancy…and Mel said, “Did you ask about the sewing machine?” No, really, John has done enough! But John investigates. And now I have a working sewing machine—stay tuned for new curtains made with the AWESOME vintage fabric I got at the flea market!

I am SO GLAD John went to Mum’s to fix her dryer.

In the meantime, Mum noticed a vine that had taken over part of the porch. I thought it looked nice, but apparently it’s v. destructive. I told Mum I’d wait til the first frost, it would be easier to prune. No really, it’s on The LIST. So of course, while I was giving a percussor session for Mel, Mum hacked away the vine! All done.

I am SO GLAD John went to Mum’s to fix her dryer.

And I don’t know what magic they performed, but the ironing board cover that I had sitting by the kitchen door to return because it didn’t fit…well, they put it on, defying the laws of physics! All done.

I am SO GLAD John went to Mum’s to fix her dryer.

As I was walking everyone out, John noticed my air purifier. He said they had a bunch of them at work. I told him it wasn’t working because it needed a fuse. He said, “I’ll get you one.” Mum just gave me that I can't believe this LOOK. You know the one.

I am SO GLAD John went to Mum’s to fix her dryer.

All those little things on my To Do List have been done. The only thing left is to get the chimney swept for the woodstove; which is a job for the volunteer fire department. For a donation, they come to your house. Even in the wilderness.

And now, here's the kicker: John couldn't fix Mum's dryer yesterday because it's an electric issue, not a dryer issue. Apparently he's crawling under her house today to fix it. A BIG *THANK YOU* to John (& Mel for volunteering him) ;-) and to Mum.

P.S. Open invitation to John & Mel to come fishing. John was wearing a shirt that said "Work is for people who don't fish." PLUS FREE PERCUSSOR sessions!!!