Off Course

Did you ever have a day when nothing went right? Everything takes a left turn? Well, yesterday was THE day for me. Nothing terrible, thank goodness, just time consuming and nerve trying.

As most of you know we don't have a washer or a drier here and there is absolutely no room for either. It's really OK because there is a laundromat right at the edge of town, about 4 miles away. I go there when the old wicker hamper is full. At this time of year it is not as often as the occurrence of  trips in the summer. As a "frequent flier" I know this place very well for over 20 years and have my favorite washers and driers. Usually I like the 'big boys' but the amount of laundry this time didn't warrant their use or cost. Silly me, but that's how I am.

There were two new washers installed recently and they were the agitating type. I, personally believe that these clean clothes much better than the front door washers. Besides, I can fill one, add my bleach to the water, agitate it a little and then put my whites in. You cannot do that with a front loading machine.

I proceeded to do just that as there was one of the new ones free and then I put the dark things in a front-loader right next to the new agitating washer.

Time went by. The white laundry was in the drier and the darks were spinning. I noticed the spin was slow and water was seeping out under the door! No one else was in there, so I just waited for the machine to stop.

When it did, I could see through the window that water was still flowing into the washer and seeping out the bottom. The door would not open! My clothes were trapped and in a washer that was at the end of the cycle and the water was beginning to flood the place! The second time I tried to open it, it did - and water gushed out all over my feet and legs and was still coming in from the top.

For a long time, I have been carrying the business card of the owner, who also has an office above the laundromat in the upper level of the building which is accessible from the street front. He sometimes is there. I activitated my cell phone and.....TA DA! The battery was dead!

(I very rarely use it and never even thought to check if it was charged.) So I put on my coat and trudged up the parking lot, around to the top and knocked on the office door. WOW was I out of breath! The ground was snow and ice covered and the distance seemed to be a mile. He answered, and we went back down and around to the laundromat entrance, he holding on to my arm and moving slowly.

I sat exhausted, and watched him climb up on top of the line of washers, (which are along a wall)  remove a long panel and scoot along on his belly to find a shut off valve for that particular machine. Apparently the input water valve stuck to only that machine. He then climbed down, took my laundry out and transferred it to a big boy and ran it through the entire 40 minute cycle. While I folded my white laundry, he mopped and cleaned up the floor. The Mister came to pick me up after the usual length of time and I was nowhere near being ready to leave. He is my taxi and basket carrier in the winter months for the laundry duty.

My feet were cold! and wet! and I was very glad to get out of there.

AND.....When putting the linens away, I discovered THERE IS A MOUSE IN MY HOUSE! (I know, because he left a calling card in my linen closet.)