2 People Doing Laundry

It used to be 5 people doing laundry.

At 10 years old we started B. begin doing her own laundry.

The 7 year old joined in.

I'd see little legs sticking up out of the washer while she grabbed wet clothes at the bottom.

The youngest began around 9 years old.

Unlike the girls,

he didn't understand the Shout Theory.

Shout it out!

No...stains and wrinkles were his MO.

I did T's and me's and sheets laundry and dog beds, etc.

T. did greasy work clothes and rags.

He now remembers to wash the washer after greasy washing.

Any wonder our washer is leaking?

We replaced it with a MAYTAG 12 years ago.

T fixed it several times...you know, rings, seals, bearings?

Something like that.

Should we spend big money on a SUPER Efficient Washer with Optimum savings on water and electricity?

Or, get a cheap one and hope for a few good years?

Don't know...we'll see.

What I do know is that laundry is the bane of my life, that and making the bed clean. Worse things? Vacuuming and Cleaning fish tanks. Washing out the kitchen garbage can.

My laundry modus operendi is baskets.

The laundry is clean...I can handle tossing it in the washer with some laundry soap, then throwing all the wet stuff into the drier.

Sometimes in summer I'm really happy hanging it on the line for sun cleaning. I always say, "In the summer things will be different, I'll be organized."

Denial.

It's all in baskets...it's all clean...who will fold, who will put it away?

Lately I've improved on my laundry duties.

I'm folding...on the kitchen table.

Then I move the clean folded stuff off the table onto the chair.

Then move that to the basket, move the basket onto the floor and finally move the baskets into the bedroom.

Now, the hope is, Put It Away!

Denial.

Now we rifle through baskets to find the mornings' outfit.

Not a good system, I know, but it semi-works.

I always think, "This week I'm going to have every bit of clean laundry folded and put away neatly and hung up on hangers and out of sight! This is the week! I can do it! I can really do this!"

Denial.

50 years into my life it's time to face it:

I'm messy.

T says my essence is messy.

I see childhood: looks messy.

Teenager? messy.

On my own? messy.

Married? messy.

Parenting? messy

Middle aged? messy.

But, I know that in my 60's I'll have laundry out of sight.

Denial.

One load every other day, folded right out of the driers and immediately put away.

Immediately.

Messy no longer.

Really, I will.

Denial.