Writing in the Laundromat

Today was laundry day, so a pushed the cart full of dirty clothes to the car which was parked in the alley. I then unloading the clothes into the backseat of the car. Next I put the cart in the trunk and I drove to the laundromat where I loaded the clothes back into the roll cart. I know there must be an easier way, but I have not found it.

I go to a completely automated laundromat. It uses specially created debit cards to run the machines. I have my own laundry card so whenever I go all I have to do is check the card to see how much I have on it and then I load whatever amount of cash onto the card. It is so much easier then having to lug rolls of quarters around.

I loaded the clothes into the washer. I put the laundry soap in and then I stuck the card into the slot and it deducted the amount for the wash. After the clothes were washed I put them in the dryer and then slid my card into the slot. It deducted the amount I and I then pushed start.

I like going to this laundromat because it has free wi-fy. Today I wrote in my pen and paper journal while waiting for the my clothes to finish washing and drying. Sometimes I read or take to some of the customers, but today was Tuesday so there the laundromat was almost empty. It is nice to sit in an air conditioned building waiting for my clothes to wash instead of having to walk back and forth across the street every thirty or so minutes to see if my clothes are ready.

Thursday Thoughts: Too Many Clothes or Not Enough Hangers

Closet is half full
I still have space for my clothes,
but I have no more hangers.

I gave away a box of clothes yesterday and I started a new box to give away the next time Big Brothers and Big Sisters call for a donation. I hung clothes in the closet, but I ran out of hangers before I finished hanging up the clothes. I put clean clothes in a round clothes basket because I could not hang them up. I still have a suitcase in the closet to go through, but I cannot do that until I get more clothes hangers. This close to the end of the month purchasing clothes hangers is out of the question. This close to the end of the month purchasing anything is out of the question.

I need more money
I have enough food to last
the rest of the month.

There are a couple of more items I need more then clothes hangers, so the clothes will remain in the clothes basket. On the bright side, I can remove clothes from the basket to wear instead of taking them off the hangers. That does not help because I still have to go to the laundromat and that is a bit of a problems as well. I have enough laundry detergent, but I need money for the washing machines. I miss having a washing machine in the house. This apartment is too small for a washing machine or a dryer so I have to go to the laundromat. However, I cannot go to the laundromat because I do not have the money. I may end up unpacking the clothes in the suitcase before I get the money to go to the laundromat.

Thankful Thursday in Las Vegas

I am thankful that the weather has been nice in Las Vegas. It is cool enough to have the cold air off and cool enough to for the heat to remain off. The technician came last week and checked the heat to make sure it worked. I turned the heat on one day because Mom got cold. The heat is still on, but I have the thermostat set at about 73 or 74 degrees during the day and 69 degrees at night. The heat has not come on, which is good because it will make the power bill lower this month.

I still have to wash the winter blankets and I may do that next week. I think I will take the blankets to the laundromat on either Wednesday or Friday. I have decided that the best way for me to do laundry is set aside three days a week to go to the laundromat. It takes about two or three hours to wash and dry three baskets of cloths. Since I cannot physically handle more then three baskets at once, that is all I do.

While I would be much more thankful if I could do laundry at home, I am thankful that I can go to the laundromat. There are a couple of reasons for enjoying time at the laundromat. I can watch the other people and I get ideas for poems while I am waiting for my cloths to wash or dry. I am thankful for the poems that have resulted from spending time at the laundromat.

Tuesday is Laundry Day

I think we should declare the second Tuesday in every month a holiday called Laundry Day. To celebrate this day, everyone who does laundry at least once a month should be exempt from doing laundry that day. In addition, people who do not do any laundry at all should have to do their own laundry and the laundry of everyone in the household who is exempt from doing laundry that day.

Now, you may ask, where did I get this idea? I did three baskets of laundry today and I still have four baskets to wash. Why did I wash only three baskets when I have seven baskets full of dirty cloths? Because three baskets of laundry in one day is my physical limit, at least it was until today. Going to the laundromat wore me out and did not have the energy to fold the sheets. I have three baskets of clean cloths waiting in the car for me to lug them into the house.

From now on, my limit is two baskets of laundry; especially when one of those baskets is sheets and I have to stop at a store either before or after I go to the laundromat. Perhaps tomorrow, instead of doing laundry and going to the grocery store I will just got to the store. I will have to see how I feel after I bring the laundry in and fold the sheets.

Laundromat Poem

They wait
mouths slightly agape
for our dirty laundry.

They consume
grain by grain
the soil of our mundane
existence.

Never expecting
thanks.