Laundry and Electric Communication

 We left the hotel just after 4:00 a.m. on Saturday.  Jaime likes getting breakfast at Denny's and so we went there for food.  Richard and I don't care for Denny's and were each disappointed with our meal - though we had not expected much to begin with. I would rather have McDonald's than Denny's. Jaime said it could be our last time for going to Denny's.  

We drove by way of Boise.  Though we hit almost every rest stop between Salt Lake and Myrtle Creek we seemed to make good timing.  I think it was after 5:00 when we drove passed the sign that indicated we were in Douglas County, but then it took another two hours before we arrived in Roseburg. (I have mentioned how incredibly large our county is) We could see the smoke before we arrived in Glide.

For the most part I don’t check my facebook or email while on vacation.  I’m on vacation.  This is how things looked when I returned

 

Before our backroom was built Richard had hung two clothes lines that came down in 2019 and were never replaced.  I could use the lines 2-4 months of the year.  I could hang about three loads.  Richard has since replaced one line but it is much shorter and holds only one load at best. 

I was able to take in a few more classes of the water fitness before the pool closed for the season.  The last day was August 25th although we had scheduled a pool party for the 26th.  Open swim and party were both cancelled due to the poor air quality.  We had worse in 2017.

When I returned home I had used the dryer as the skies were filled with smoke.  The rain has since chased the smoke away.  It seems pointless to hang the laundry with a chance of rain. 

Disneyland Hotel

At the time we checked in the staff had asked if it was a special occasion.  We told about late grad/college hoorah and they asked Jaime if she would like a pin.  She had declined but as she thought about it wished to change her answer.  But later when another staff member asked, I said that Richard and I had an anniversary coming up and they gave us anniversary pins which we had given to Jaime and Sam.

I had always wanted to do an anniversary in Disneyland – perhaps with my sister and her husband as they were married in September also. I had planned on buying the white Minnie Mouse band with ears and a veil.  But omigosh – it was weigh too hot for me to want a veil weighing at the back on my neck.

We really did pack enough clothes to change each day – not two or three times a day.  But our clothes were so drenched with perspiration that they had to be washed.  Shortly after we checked in Jai and I went in search for the laundry room which was in another building. We took some pictures on the way.  The plaza offered the only non-crowded feel.

While our laundry was washing, Jai and I played some card games.  It was fun just to relax. 

Here are some shots we took of the hotel:

Tony’s Family Vacation part 2

               Wednesday was a more relaxing day as the only driving was on the part of Tony who had loaded up the car and came on down to spend with us.  I had washed three loads of clothes before they got here and I think they ended up doing four.

          We played or started many games.  I think there were more games we hadn’t finished then there were those we finished.  Richard made fish for our lunch and decorated cupcakes with the kids.  I think Tony and family left shortly after 7:00 and decided to head toward Medford in order to see the temple.  They said they returned to Roseburg after 11:00.

Yesterday required more driving as we went to the Wildlife Safari. It seems each time I have gone to the park there seems to be less number of animals than the last time I was there.  We did see a group of staff members watching a cheetah in the parking lot.  That was cool.  Also was quite entertained at watching two emus in a heated chase.  Tony said that if he lived here he would be going to the Safari at least once a week.

The three year old drifted off as we were driving away and was sound asleep when we stopped our cars to feed the animals – mostly the deer and rheas.  Tony felt bad that Oliver was missing out on the feeding, but we did take the gang to Stewart Park afterward to feed the ducks and geese and Oliver was awake for that.

Once again, Rochelle and I felt warn out by the end of the day and rested on the couch while the kids watched Toy Story Three.   We played more games and ate Hawaiian Haystacks.  Between eight and nine we said our good-byes.  They are going home a different route than their coming.

The Machine Does All the Work

 

        I don’t mind doing laundry as a whole. 

Sorting is no big deal.  Adjusting the knobs

and dials on the machine is also no big deal. 

Even the folding part I can tolerate. 

Returning the clean laundry to its rightful

place is the most unpleasant part of the

whole ordeal.  Still, I prefer it to

putting dishes away. 

Backtracking to Earth Day

This post really has nothing to do with Earth Day . . . it just happened to take place last week: Thursday April 22nd.

 

            I woke up early and thought I would surprise Roland by lowering my bed and snuggle with him.  However when I started scooting toward him, his side of the bed began to rise and then he told me he thought I was doing it.  I didn’t have his remote!  But neither did he.  We searched for it on top of the bed, removed the covers one at a time and looked beneath the bed.  I lowered my side and climbed on the bed to see if the remote had fallen between the crack that separates our mattresses. It had.  Only it hadn’t fallen as far as the floor but had somehow nestled itself under my mattress.  I had to use a long object in order to push it out.

            I took Jenna to seminary so that Roland could go back to bed if he wanted.  I just stayed in the parking lot and read on my kindle.  When I leave the parking lot I most always turn right unless I have to go to Dollar General or I know the middle school is letting out.  However when we left the parking lot last Thursday I turned toward Dollar General as I figured the road was better shaded than the one that takes me downtown (and I have to look toward the sun to see if any cars are coming)

            Roland chose to work on some Mothers’ Day cards and asked for an extended list.  We ended up with over 80 names.  He made another trip to Roseburg to get the cards printed while I stayed at home to work on the list.  I also decided to make the beds as I had washed the sheets before he left (taking Jenna with him).  I had raised each side of the bed in order to get the sheets on, but when I went to lower his side it wouldn’t budge.  Are you freaking kidding me?!?!? 

            I put fresh batteries in the remote and it still was not working.  It was in a position I knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep in and so I decided I would trade him sides.  It wasn’t bad for napping, but it hurt my back to sleep that way all night long and ended up on the couch.  But not before planting peppers and onions and setting up the second chicken coop fence – which thus far has worked.  I had collapsed from exhaustion.  I heard Richard’s phone go off and the caller asked for me but I was just so tired – for three days!  I have had a few moments of alertness, but the tiredness has not gone away. 

Building Empires with Dishes and Other Chores

           My mom loved to iron when she was a girl.  She grew up in a day before permanent press and I was still in school when the iron didn’t seem so important as during the years prior.  

I don’t know why my mom loved ironing – although it had gone from “love” to “I don’t mind” over the years.  I loathe ironing.  Really HATE it in fact.  I always end up burning myself.  Whatever I’m ironing ends up with at least two creases where they needn’t be.  Other than the ironing part, I don’t mind laundry – sorting, washing, drying and folding. I don’t especially enjoy putting clothes away. 

            When I was younger my mom taught Patrick and I how to do the “dishing” chore.  We first learned to dry and then put away and then she taught us how to wash by hand and finally unloading and loading the dishwasher.  I seemed to make dishes a bigger chore for my mom before I learned the “put away” step.  Instead of grouping dishes together I would create elaborate displays – often running out of table room before my masterpiece had finished.  NOBODY liked putting dishes away after I had dried them. 

certainly not the greatest picture but to provide a visual 
-though not as elaborate as my from childhood

            My least favorite chore is vacuuming or sweeping the floor.  They don’t call it “chore” for nothing.  Vacuum refuses to suck or gets clogged up.  There is always a wrestling match involved.  The vacuum frustrates me.  It seems the heavier they are the better they are at doing their job.  And that wears me out.

Sweeping into the dustpan – forget it.  There is always a trail.  ALWAYS.  And after I mop I have loosened up even more stuff to sweep.  At least mops, brooms and vacuum cleaners have evolved over the years.  

Even irons.  Oh, what a joy it must have been to be a pioneer!

I Like My Clothes Baked, Not Tossed or Smoked

                When we first moved to our house in Tri City, Roland set up a clothesline between two trees.  Initially, he tried the pulley thing so that I could hang the clothes from one position.  It didn't work to our expectations and I spent that first summer walking up and down the line hanging and removing laundry.

          I like having the sun dry the clothes and I especially like how it can brighten the whites.  A light breeze will make it dry faster, but a strong wind will make the fabric stiff.  The towels feel like sandpaper either way, so generally, I just toss those in the dryer and add will add clothes that have been on the line but don't seem wearable.  Also, I don't enjoy ironing and would rather have the dryer remove the wrinkles for me.

          Roland did put in a new line so I don't even have to leave the porch.  Might appear tacky, but it really is nice to hang clothes that way.  And the lines are quite long and I have not filled them both.  That's quite wonderful also.

          I believed the temperature was starting to cool off as we were told high today would be 78 and low at 54.  But then it started going over 80 again, almost 90.  What???  Don't like that.  Especially when it appears to be overcast and doesn't rain at all.  Yesterday I realized that it wasn't even clouds that gave the gray appearance to the sky, but rather smoke from surrounding fires - though not as bad as California - or the fires that existed last year.  Not powerful enough to my nose that I can smell it. Still - enough smoke to give me a headache. 

          I don't guess I'll be hanging my clothes up for a while.  I mean, what's the point of washing them if I'm just going to dry them in the smoky air.  Gosh, darn fires.  I'm so grateful to all the firefighters.  May God bless and protect each one of them and their families.

Making Progress

             The service team came on Wednesday and remained for a good part of the day.  They came on Thursday but did not stay as long.  An electrician came on Friday and added electric tape to chewed area - Roland could have done that - and there wouldn't be a bill . . .

            Jenna and I went to the laundry mat yesterday.   I knew I'd need to do laundry before Wednesday but have a commitment to the library on Monday and as Tuesday is a holiday and the laundry mat may be closed, I decided it needed to be done yesterday.

          Roland stayed to water plants and other gardening.  We gave Jenna a choice and she went to do laundry with me.  I'm happy that she made that choice as I had forgotten the detergent, and later realized I did not have enough change in quarters and so went across the street and wrote a check for twenty dollars over my canned good purchase (I had felt obligated to purchase something.

           Jenna is a great folder.  She really was a tremendous help.  After we returned home, she to Roseburg with Roland.  I put clothes away and made our bed without the extra blanket.  Neither Roland nor I have slept well because it's been hotter in the house than it has been outside - even he has had the covers off from time to time.    

           Roland had opened the front door and had the fan going into the house and another sending cool air into the hall - which was fine for about an hour after we returned.  At 5:00, it started to get to warm.  Roland had already blocked the back room - if you would call it that.  I don't think it's large enough to define as a room.  More like entry-way space really.

            We decided to try the air conditioner.  Two seconds after I shut the front door (literally) there came a knock.  How could anyone possibly be that close to the door and I had not seen him?  He had come to take another reading.  He said the area had dried in the back and removed the fans and other device that been hooked up for the last four days.  He'll be back tonight to recheck Jenna's room and hopefully will be able to take away as well.

            She still won't be able to move in right away.  I don't think she realizes that drying out the moisture is only one step in the process.  She's expecting that they'll have her boxes (boxed up room) returned the minute the fans are pulled out from her room.  They won't be.  The hole in the wall still needs to be repaired.

           I'd love it if Jenna would be responsible enough to go through each box item by item and discard what she doesn't need.  I could do homework while she is going through boxes.  Realistically I will have to go through them with her - reminding her the less items she keeps, the easier it will be to maintain her room.

            After two nights of sweating and not sleeping, I slept with the air conditioner on last night and the switch hadn't tripped!  I had forgotten I had moved the extra blanket.  Roland said that he had been cold last night.  He probably didn't sleep as well as I.

            I have to prepare a lesson to teach the CTRs.  I was teach teaming with Valiants, but the CTR teacher is out of town currently - and so are half the primary children.  I've started many a post of my position in primary but have not completed - there are actually many thoughts in the works that never get posted.  Somehow they no longer seem important enough to post.

             

The Elements Seem to be Teasing Us Still

This post was created two summers ago.  I don't know what button I hit that made the post change to Feb 2015. Today the winds blew strong - but it was warm outside.  Go figure.  We did use the air conditioning in the car (never have I done that in February) and although it has been warm today, it hasn't been SUMMER warm.

I wrote a few verses about how I am personally handling this heat (not well) and emailed them to a friend who made it into a song.  He’d sent me the chords and the fingering.  But seeing it on paper really doesn’t mean that much to me.  I think it was sweet of him to send it to me.

I've had two showers today but my body doesn't know it

I've planted flowers and beets but my garden doesnt' show it

I wash more clothes in summer than any other season

I'm so tired all of the time and summer is the reason

Why can't heat just stay away from me

Allow my body to breathe free

Allow my mind to think clearly

Please just let me be

cool again

I'm standing in a rather large pool of sweat

I can't believe I haven't melted away yet

And in addition the sun has fried my brain

Before this summer's over I will have gone insane

I want to be inside with the A/C blasting on

I'm looking forward to when the summer's gone

Why can't heat just stay away from me

Allow my body to breathe free

Allow my mind to think clearly

Please just let me be

alert again


My clothes are on the line and would enjoy little breeze

 
My allergies are so severe that all I do is sneeze

 
I'm washing sweat drenched clothes every other day

 
I can't believe that I have not melted away.

Why can't heat just stay away from me

Allow my body to breathe free

Allow my mind to think clearly

Please just let me be

clean again

And now my groceries are spoiling in the car

They weren't there long Nor did I drive too far

I spent more time just waiting in the line

But now I'm home and my groceries are not fine

                                                                krfalc

He didn’t include the last verse.  But I didn’t think of it until after I had sent the first three.

I actually hung the wash up and the wind started blowing fiercely.  It actually seemed to make the hotness more bearable – except it was almost too windy.  Jenna and I had gone to the park to eat lunch.  Everything kept blowing off the blanket.  After about three or four times of retrieveing items, we finally called it quits.  It appeared overcast later on in the day – teasing us with a chance of rain.  Rain made by perspiration.

Roland came home with some treats for family home evening.  They were pretty much melted by the time he got home – less than 2 blocks away.  In summer time there is no point in purchasing items such as candy bars or ice creams unless you carry a cooler in the car or if your intention was to turn those items into liquid anyway.

1st verse

  Am                                                                 G

I've had two showers today but my body doesn't know it

            Am                                                          G

Planted flowers and greens but the garden doesnt' show it

  F                                                                 G

Wash more clothes in summer than any other season

                                                                    Am

So tired all of the time and summer is the reason

2nd Verse

Am                                                  G

I'm standing in a rather large pool of sweat

  Am                                              G

Can't believe I haven't melted away yet

 F                                               G

In addition the sun has fried my brain

                                                                Am

Before this summer's over I will have gone insane

Chorus

Am                                    F

Why can't heat just stay away 

                                       Am

Allow my body to breathe free

                                     F    

Allow my mind to think clearly

                 G

Please just let me be

          Am

cool again

3rd Verse

 Am                                                             G

My clothes are on the line and would enjoy a breeze

 Am                                                   G

Allergies are so severe all I can do is sneeze

                                                           F

Soaking the fever rainment every other day

                       G 

Can't believe I haven’t melted away.

Repeat Chorus

Bridge

I want to be inside with the A/C blasting on

I'm looking forward to when the summer's dead & gone

Repeat Chorus

too short of a break

I was planning on hanging laundry today – two loads at least.  I looked outside to discover I have only two lines – and certainly more than two lines worth of clothes. 

If it was mid –summer, two lines might be enough.  As I have mentioned in at least one other post, by the time I finish hanging the laundry in the blazing heat, they are ready to take back down.

But today there is a cool breeze which is nice against the blazing heat.  Blazing?  Summer hasn’t officially started.  Do I dare say the sun is blazing when I know the heat from the sun right now is nothing compared to what it will become.

Our washing machine needs to be cleaned.  I can smell it.  If I can smell it, it must be pretty bad.  I couldn’t smell the dog when everybody else was commenting on his stink.  I didn’t know. 

I took him into the front yard and hosed him down and used a dog shampoo.  I remember when I could smell, there was   one product that I didn’t care for.  I honestly thought it smelled worse than the dog stink.  But right now I can’t smell either way.  I’ve been told that the dog does smell better.  I just have to take everyone’s word for it.

Busy Day ahead of me.  Guess this break is over.  Woe is me.

Another Day in the Life . . .

I can hear Trume’s grandpa

He is raising his voice

As he often does when Trume

Is getting on his nerves

“Who’s he yelling at?”

I wonder – for it is a school day

Trume is in the first grade.

I hear a light knock at

My door – followed by the doorbell

(as I was too slow getting there – even

In my cracker box house)

Ordinarily I would guess Trume

Except for he should be at school.

He’s in the same district as Jenna

She’s at school.

I check the peep hole

Don’t see anyone.  Trume –

Really?  He’s not the brightest

Although his grandma claims otherwise

“Jenna is in school, “ I say. 

“How come your not?”

Evidently grandpa didn’t feel like taking him

Or maybe he forgot.

How could he not remember?

Grandma took Trume’s little sister

To daycare.  Wouldn’t it make sence that

If she was gone that Trume should be also?

I’m doing laundry

I use the washing machine more in the summer

Than any other season

I don’t always have to use the dryer though

I don’t particulary enjoy being outdoors

When it is so hot

But it is more economical to hang

Clothes on the line.

They dry faster.

Usually by the time I get from

One end of the clothes line to the other

The clothes that I hung up first

Are ready to come down

More wrinkly and stiff than from the dryer

But whites are whiter and our gas bill

Is not as high as if I dried everything I wash.

It’s quiet outside.

I haven’t heard grandpa’s voice

Since Trume came by.

I wonder if he was taken to school.

I’ll probably find out later today –

Like the second I pull in the driveway

Unless I take Jenna to the park.

Maybe I’ll do that.

Mismatched Socks

          I can remember when my mom gave each of us a bunch of safety pins for us to use on our socks in order to keep them together when going through the wash.  I can’t even imagine what would happen if I asked Jenna to pin her socks together.  She can barely get them off her feet.  Sometimes they make it to the hamper.  More often they don’t.

          Sometimes she will put on socks that DON’T match.  A blue sock with a red sock, a dress sock with a causual sock.  A long sock with a short sock.  She doesn’t care.  Whatever’s convenient.

          The other day she left the house with an orange sock and a white sock – but they both had owls on them.  (I think she might be starting a trend, actually) and I spent the day searching for mates.  What a chore.

          Later on Roland and I chatted on facebook:

Me:    got your message. I was in the other room sorting socks. My phone was not in my pocket as I had predicted. It was on the bed.

R:       miss you

M:      sorting socks is BORING

R:       What happened to "whistle while you work?"  Or Mary Poppins's make a game of it?

M:      the wind knocked it out of me. Mary Poppins is welcome to sort my socks. I'd like to nap

R:       We just never see Mary Poppins or Snow White sort socks.

M:      my profile picture makes me look more alert than I actually am; I don't think the dwarves wore socks

R:       you look beautiful

M:      thank you. I love you. You look very handsome yourself

R:       that’s because I am wearing MATCHING sox.