Monday, May 4, 2009

This is what happens around here when we have too many cloudy/rainy days. Laundry backs up and you have a full line and still a pile in the basement. I try to do a load of laundry a day. We may be only 3 people, but farmers and 3 year old's seems to generate lots, it will get worse now that summer's nearly here. Colin goes through 2 sets of barn clothes a day on the really humid days -it's that or wring out the clothes and put them back on damp -yuck!

The only drawback to line drying (besides surprise showers) is that you are limited in how much laundry you can wash in a day. I can only fill one line and must judge how much time it will take to dry. Luckily we often have a breeze in the mornings.

I have a question. There is a newish family just down the highway. Colin has met the husband and likes him. They home school and have a bunch of kids, the youngest a little older than Ella. I really need some friends up here, and they seem to be just the kind of people I need to be around, i.e., not have to censor comments on schooling, etc. My question is this: would it seem really odd if I send an invitation instead of calling? I'm so shy, painfully shy and I just can't seem to make myself pick up the phone. I'm serious, let me know what you think.

PS -if you find any pictures that are missing now, let me know. I lost some pictures in the computer transfer.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm right there with you. I can be very outspoken with an opinion; when it comes to things such as meeting people I'm a turtle! And it doesn't help much that I married another turtle, who's even worse at speaking/meeting new people! We even had a mutual friend set up our first date, that's how bad we are!
My first job was answering telephone calls at the lumber yard my Dad managed, it was the most excrutiatingly painful job I ever had! Have met them? I think that an invitation is a great way to get started, most likely the Mrs. is shy (guiet) also, that's a pretty common thread amongst homeschool Mommas.

Anonymous said...

Do you presoak the barn clothes, before they go into the washer? Particularly if the clothes have alot of dirt? It just seems that you would end up going through alot of wash machines. And my "sits behind a desk job" Hubby also used two sets of clothes a day also, as he changes from the work clothes each evening.

Paula said...

My first real job was receptionist at the stock brokers. That I can do, it's phoning someone that I don't know that's the problem :)

I don't presoak the barn clothes. Most of the "dirt" is water soluble. I've yet to kill a machine (knock on wood), we got a new one last year but that was because Colin's was apartment size! I had to do two loads for every normal size load I had. The wash cycle took over an hour! I now have the biggest one I could find (in a reasonable price range) and it's great.

If we're counting non work clothes, then Colin goes through 3 sets of clothes a day, though he will often wear his house jeans a couple days.

Meeting your husband through a mutual friend is not bad. I met Colin online :)

Paula said...
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Paula said...
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Anonymous said...

One of our friends found his dear wife (and now one of my best friends) via a newspaper ad!!!! I think you are braver than you might think you are! Oh, of course Colin would change again, I didn't even put 2 and 2 together, I must've had a blank moment!!

Paula said...

Colin's sister met her husband in the newspaper. Meeting Colin online wasn't that brave. We emailed for a couple days before he phoned the house. So it wasn't like talking to someone I didn't know. Besides, I can email new people, it's talking in person that's the problem :)

I think, after I get through this weekend I'll drop Stacy an invitation up for "coffee".

Mary Q Contrarie said...

I live in town but also homeschool and seem to march to the beat of a different drummer. I have found that a couple clothes drying racks that I can simply keep in the closet for those days that I have to play laundry catch up are awesome. It also allows me to do some laundry on rainy and freezing days as well since I can dry inside.

I would definantly send an invitation. Something a little fun and whimsical like welcome to the neighborhood, come over for some homemade cookies and milk. Would be an awesome start to a friendship.

Paula said...

Hi Mary Q -welcome. I have 2 clothes lines in the basement that I use in the winter when the corn stove is on. I'd love to have drying racks for the damp summer days but have no room in the house. We have a "compact" Victorian :) I try to keep up on laundry so we have clothes enough to wait out the rain. We have to be desperate for me to use the dryer. I can probably count the times a year I use it.

I checked out your blog. I'm glad to see you call yourself a "realistic environmentalist". That's a big problem I have with people up here. They are very much "idealistic environmentalists" which make it very hard for those of us who live in the REAL world but are trying to make a change.