Alive & Knitting

Last week, there was a bad storm here, as in so many other places. Our variant was an ice storm, combined high winds. Trees and tree branches came down and took power lines down with them. We were without power for just over 24 hours, which made me both realize and appreciate a few things.

The hydro guys and electricians were working really hard (around the clock) to get everyone’s juice back, and I appreciate their efforts. They were on top of things.

It’s a very good thing to have a gas fireplace that doesn’t have an electrical ignition. Ours was just wonderful and kept one corner of the house cozy. Because we live in an old house, there are several fireplaces that were built for burning coal. They’re too shallow for wood fires and sit unused, but (as usual after a power failure) I’m wondering if another one should have a gas insert put into it so we can have another source of heat when the juice is out. Hmm. I also thought about what it would have been like to live in our house when it was new. (Here’s a hint – much more chilly!)

It’s amazing how quiet the house is when there isn’t any power. There are so many little motors and pumps running at any given time. I don’t notice the sound of them, until they’re silent. My friend actually said she knew the power was out in the middle of the night because the silence of her house woke her up!

I’m getting really good at freezer triage. I made a list of what I knew was in the small freezer, and put it in order-of-eating. We ate well that day, thanks to the barbeque, and our wastage was minimal overall. The larger freezer in the basement stayed shut and remained cold, so everything is fine there. Plus we learned that frozen spring rolls can be successfully barbequed. Live and learn!

I discovered that the new cell phone (which isn’t that new) doesn’t know everything it needs to know. I’ll have to teach it more email addresses.

Of course, we got nothing done that day other than talking to electricians and moving tree chunks to the boulevard for the city to pick up, so it’s great to have everything more or less back to normal. There’s no better way to start the day than with a hot cup of coffee and a hot shower!

But you know, I’ve never written a scene in a book with a power failure. Hmm…

Yesterday, I made what I hope will be my last trip to the coin-op laundromat. It’s been a while since I’ve used a laundromat, but in this recent spate of renovation, my surly old washer and dryer were the first to go. I don’t miss either of them per se – no matter what settings I used on either, the washer worked in its heavy-duty mode and the dryer was as hot as Hades. This was great for my felting projects, but pretty tough on clothes. (Mr. Math is now in the habit of buying T-shirts and undies two sizes too big.) The washer had also lost its fabric softener dispenser somewhere along the way, and I’m not good at remembering when to go and pour it in. We often have had crunchy towels. So, it’s no surprise that the previous owner left these two ferocious beasts behind. I did mourn the beautiful pair we sold to the people who bought our old house, but since the reno of this room was in the planning, it made sense to wait – crunchy towels and all.

Later this week, the new washer and dryer are scheduled for delivery. I will undoubtedly be the most excited person choosing fabric softener in the grocery store this week. And I’ll spend the weekend gleefully washing, folding and patting my new toys. Life is full of simple joys, isn’t it?

But for the past few weeks, I’ve been going to the laundromat. There are good things about the laundromat – in fact, the only thing I really dislike is schlepping everything in and out, trying to hold the door. The weather’s been nasty the past few weeks, just to add to the challenge. (Why don’t laundromats have automatic doors, like hotels?) It also is impressive how many quarters the exercise can require. You have to think that it would be cost-effective for a lot of people to buy machines at that rate. One thing I do like is being able to use multiple machines and get everything done in just over an hour.

And I do like watching the people there. The first week I went, there was an older man who looked quite grumpy (maybe because he got stuck going to the laundromat). To my surprise, the load in the dryer of mixed shades of pink was his. He carefully paired and folded many, many pretty socks, sized for at least two little girls, then undies and frilly shirts and leggings. He was so fastidious that you could see how he adored those little ones.

Each week, there’s been at least one scruffy-looking guy come in (probably because he’s wearing his last clean clothes) with his laundry in a garbage bag. These guys invariably use the top-loaders and start the cycle first to dissolve the detergent before they put in their clothes. Sometimes they arrive in pairs and one lectures the other on laundry procedure. They’re very careful with the fabric softener and dryer sheets, measuring and counting. They usually go to get something to eat – there’s a Seven-Eleven or similar just a block away – and return on the dot of the cycle’s completion. They have a system. When the clothes are dry, they fold with military precision, stacking and organizing. I love watching these guys, although I need to do it surreptitiously.

Do you go to the laundromat? What do you like or dislike about it? How’s the people-watching at your local coin-op?