Of Wringers and Cell Phones

Generally I like to take advantage of my modern automatic washing machine which deftly turns our dirty clothes into clean by the turn of a few knobs. It's rather mindless, filling the machine and walking away. Feeding the washer then dryer, washer then dryer. I hardly think of it, actually, unless I forget to feed them and someone of my family complains that they have nothing to wear.

Tonight---partly because I had forgotten to keep my automatic washing machine and dryer fed----I pulled out the old hose and plugged in Gramma's old fashioned wringer washer to catch up on a few loads to hang up in the basement. I stood watching that tub fill up with water from the hose with water the temperature of my own choosing. Then I watched the dirty clothes swish back and forth rhythmically for the amount of time I decided they should be swishing. I then personally fed them through the wringer into the rinse water at intervals and in arrangements I specifically thought best for each article. It's almost an art, the custom washing of clothes. Something that I never get to do when I throw them in my automatic washer and turn the knobs.

I had already been thinking about these things when Garth walked into the basement. I believe wringer washers are boy kind of washers. There are things to see and feel and do with wringer washing machines. Without much of a word about it, he took over the job of running the things through the wringer and filling the tubs and emptying them. We talked while we worked, not about anything earth shattering or particular, but just talked and enjoyed our time doing the laundry together.

Would I like to always do my laundry with a wringer washer? I used to do it that way all the time. I well remember from way back when what it is to pop holes in rubber pants as I accidentally sent them through the wringer with a diaper. I know the benefit of both ways of laundering. Tonight it just struck me how much I miss sometimes by doing it "the easy way".

There is a simple irony to this little reflection, however. As I was between loads, I was continuing my text "conversation" with my mother who was twenty miles away at her home, she on her Droid and me on my cell phone. I'm glad I can just hit a few keys and tell my mom whatever I want to whenever I want to and she does the same.

In so many ways I have the best of both worlds and I can decide when to use either.
~Colleen

Windows!

The phone rang this morning at 6AM. Like any comfortably warm person too lazy to get up herself, I woke Paul up to go answer it.

He comes back to our room asking me to guess who called. I couldn't guess.

It was the window shop wondering if they could come and install our new windows since it was snowing and they didn't want to drive far. (We live less than 3 miles from the window shop). I wasn't expecting them until January 11th. They said they'd be at the house around 7:30AM.

We discovered our family can spring into action pretty fast if necessary. I had children dispatched to clean up most of the embarrassing corners of our house by the time they got here.

Our house now sports 22 new windows! (We had a few replaced in other years as it became urgently necessary.) What a blessing to have these new windows! I don't know if I can conscientiously complain about washing windows ever again!!!

~Colleen

I think the next generation of diesel mechanics is at the starting gate!

I was at the store the other day where I saw a tractor/truck coloring book I thought Miles (4) and Clark (3) would like so I bought it for a $1. Miles loves to color, but Clark got to it first. Clark sat happily for a loooooong time with the book and crayons. He'd smile sweetly every time our eyes would meet. I was relieved he was sitting still and not on the roam for more trouble to get into.

A while later Miles was crying that Clark ruined the coloring book. I discovered what Clark had been doing all that long while. He had a black crayon and had drawn plumes of black smoke out of every single exhaust pipe in the entire book. He did not bother to color the pictures. I told Blake that all his doings with diesel truck exhaust stacks was being a bad influence on Clark!

I told Miles I'd buy him another coloring book soon.

~Colleen