Done at the Laundromat

The kids and I are back from the laundromat. It took me three quarters at about 10 minutes per quarter to get my stuff dry. Even though it was two loads of wash, it fit into one dryer easily. I also had to spend $0.75 on both N and J, buying them a can of pop at the vending machine. N dropped his on the floor so I made him wait until we were outdoors before he could open it. It sprayed everywhere, including his face. It was a good thing I had baby wipes in the diaper bag in my trunk.

There was a thin, obviously pregnant woman at the laundromat. I asked her when she was due. I'm not sure what her answer was, but it wasn't an answer to my question. I asked again in Spanish and found out she was due in March, it was her first baby, and that it was a boy. She asked if I was hispanic, I guess because I was speaking Spanish (although very poorly). It certainly wasn't because I look hispanic. I'd say I pretty much look like what I am for the most part--about of half British ancestry and half German ancestry. My coloring is much more Honey Wheeler going gray than anything else.

Anyway, I told her (of course all in Spanish) that I had studied Spanish in high school twenty years ago. She asked the name of my baby and told me Kate was beautiful. She introduced me to her sister who was doing laundry with her.

It was certainly interesting. Although I speak Spanish very poorly, I am so glad I can still speak it at all. Generally I only speak Spanish when I conclude someone's English is worse than my Spanish, which seldom happens. Otherwise communication in English is a much faster way to get things done for me.

I've got all my laundry put away now. Hopefully I can get a dryer in here before I need to do laundry again. Generally I do laundry ever day except Sunday, which is Mr. K's laundry day. Mr. K is talking of running clothes line in are basement to hang his stuff. Our basement has a very low ceiling. In places even I (5'6") hit my head on the beams. It's not in the least bit finished off. It has spiders, crickets, and occasionally frogs, snakes, and mice. Mr. K seems very opposed to going to the laundromat. Well, he'll probably find that a) his clothes aren't dry by morning if he tries to dry them down there, and b) everything needs ironing when it finally is dry. I'm hoping he'll either come up with a way to fix our own dryer or just run to the laundromat with his stuff if he decides to wash his loads. He may have enough clean clothing to hold out for an extra day or two, long enough to get a new dryer here. We'll see.