to infinity and beyond...

One family of four dressed for an average day:

4 pairs of underwear,
4 pairs of socks,
3 t-shirts and one bra,
4 shirts,
4 pairs of pants,
2-4 polar fleece overshirts

= 26 pieces of laundry

x 7 days in a week = 182 items of laundry in clothing alone
then add in

4 bath towels, various hand towels and washclothes,
3 sets of bedding,
and assorted kitchen towels, and cleaning rags
= a neverending process
which starts with a rousing chorus of
"Bring your laundry to the washroom or you can do it yourself."
Come on, moms, you probably know this one, sing it with me.

"Bring your laundry to the washroom or you'll wash it yourself,
Get it out here now, don't bother waiting for the laundry elf.
I load the washer and dryer, and I fold it all by hand,
For you to bring it out here is all that I demand.
Bring your laundry to the washroom it's part of the routine,
Bring your laundry to the washroom so I can get it clean."

I know ergonomics goes into planning a great many things but the washer and dryer industry clearly has paid that little fad no mind at all.
No worries, herniated discs injured while trying to manage a controlled fall into a washer retrieving that last sock from the bottom of the washer tub are totally covered by your domestic laborer policy.

And can we talk about unbalanced loads for a moment?
Why, why for the love of all that is holy can the dang thing not just shut itself off till I can get in there to fix it? Why does it have to try and walk all over the laundry room like a possessed appliance from a B movie?

Anyway, so once one manages to get the laundry out of the dark recesses of the smelly caves of one's trogdolytes. Thrown it all into the heaving, spewing beast known as a wash, then retrieved it from its gaping maw to transfer it to a dryer or, if you love standing with your arms over your head for extended periods of time, a clothesline, you can then start the truly rewarding task of folding laundry.
Golly, is there a greater privilege known to humanity?

This is so much fun, let's get back to the math;

Approx. 200 items of laundry a week (conservatively) =
10,400 a year
(my kids are 13 and 10, that means this continues at roughly the same rate for a minimum 5 years)
so 10,400 x 5 =

52,000

Oy vey

The strawberries are delicious this year, and it seems like they are earlier than usual.
So juicy and sweet-tart with the perfect firmness, almost a mini-crunch, mmmmm
soooooooo gooooooood

It is light around here well after nine PM so it is increasingly difficult to convince the Things it really is bedtime. They would rather be out doing this.

Who can blame them?

The weather's been so gorgeous I don't want to come in either!

Oh, I am playing softball this year with Mr. Logo. We shall see how well the knees handle that. We had our first practice and I was not impressed with my performance. It's been a long time though, I hope it comes back to me. It is like riding a bike, isn't it?

Memorial Day

Do you all about Memorial Day? Mental Floss does

Hope it's a good one!

Fraggledy frip, frack, frick

I got to get up at 5:30 this AM to clean up water.
About 30x20 square feet of flooring.
We have heaters, dehumidifiers, and fans working now.
You know those people who are just sure there is a hidden blessing in everything?
Don't you just want to knee cap them sometimes?

Whaaaaaa??

So...
I love the fact that I can take the laptop into the bathroom and watch a movie.
I also love bringing the laptop over to the desktop computer table so I can watch a movie on one, or surf, or chat, and do something else on the other.
Mr. Logo appears to believe this is a sign of some sort of tendency toward excess.

I picked a bad day to stop sniffing glue!

Sooooooo,
my few dear bloggy pals,
it's so nice to see you!
It's very calm and quiet around here these days, hm?

Life went into roller coaster mode when my mom's breast cancer reoccurred a couple years ago and then went into a tailspin when we were told it had spread to her brain about a year and a half ago. Since then she has had several radiation treatments and has really done amazingly well, all things considered.

A couple weeks ago, because the swelling in her brain complicated some other medication issues she got a ride in an ambulance and we got to have a slumber party in hospital. It was just about as much fun as it sounds.

Last week she completed the last radiation option available to her and this week she started hospice.

The Things and I have been spending a couple days a week over at the Aged P's.

It is wonderful, and a gift to have ample time and warning, and it is good and a mercy.
It is also horrible, and gruesome, and heart-wrenching, and debilitating.

I returned home today exhausted mentally, physically, emotionally, but grateful for
moments to cuddle with my honey,
grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup,
spring,
the end of the tulip festival (grrrr, flower gawkers),
and the joy a bag of Goldfish crackers and watching a late night TV show together can bring to a mom and her Things.

Whew, now I just need to remember to keep taking deep breaths and tell myself,
"I am at home in the me, I am rooted in the me that is on this adventure."