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Laundry Day

Cheryl — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:01:25 +0000

I know this is nutty, but I love doing laundry. Up until the time I was 11 years old, we lived in a house in Southern California that had this long, smooth cement walk that led from our back door all the way to the far end of the yard, where the clothesline was located. It was perfect for roller-skating. The sheets, towels and clothing fluttered all around me when I skated in between them. I’m not exactly sure of how skating between the towels got translated to enjoying the wash. But I do know that I’ve been excited about spring coming to the Northeast, where I now live, partly because it means that the laundry can dry outside. As soon as the temperature hit 51 degrees Fahrenheit the other day, I was out hanging up two loads. With the sun and the breeze, it all dried within a few hours. While it was hanging up, I kept stopping to watch it flap in the breeze. Ah, all that pleasure, in addition to conserving electricity and saving money on my energy bill!

More on Shrinkage of the New

Cheryl — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:54:05 +0000

Well, the verdict is in regarding my daughter’s 100% cotton, brand-new tee. On March 31st I wrote about how she bought it from her student bookstore as a fundraiser. Since she bought it new, I was waiting to see if it would still fit after washing. It does, so I’m happy. Sometimes new clothing comes out of the wash still fitting, sometimes it’s too small, and sometimes it fits until you eat an olive. Just one of many reasons why so much almost-new stuff winds up at the thrifts.

Shrinkage of the New

Cheryl — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:44:26 +0000

My daughter bought a new t-shirt from her high school bookstore–it was a fundraiser for a club that she belongs to. We were talking about what size would fit her, which wound up being a pretty complicated discussion. Since she’s used to getting her clothing from thrift stores, almost all of what she buys has already been washed and dried by the previous owners. But her brand new t-shirt is 100% cotton and although it fits her this minute, it’s impossible to know how much shrinkage there will be once it’s been washed. I prefer my tried and true (and previously washed and dried) bargains any day!