In the time scheme of things, this should have been posted the next day. But as the title indicates, I did have a complete meltdown.
In fact, if you see the laundry fairy, she should be walking around with both arms in slings, having broken them patting herself on the back. They do say pride goeth before a fall!
Here I was, doing all my daughter's laundry from the last month of college. She was leaving for Europe and the day she returns I need to drive her to her summer camp job. I was being a good and kind mama. I was feeling virtuous. Someone should have stopped me!
She emailed me her concerns about some stains and I thought, I will use bleach. I have had success with bleach. Unfortunately not this time. I was careless, I splashed bleach into a laundry basket of wet clothes just taken out of the washer and well, you get the picture.
Crying, knashing of teeth, recriminations. Who knew laundry could make a mother want to drive off the nearest bridge.
The bleach removed color off the worst possible item of clothing. A sweatshirt she has had since she was 10. It's from her summer camp. The one she still goes to (she's now Waterfront Director). It was huge then, it fits now. She's the only one with this particular design cuz she has taken such good care of her clothing. She's really proud of having this sweatshirt and she loves it.
She has enormous faith in me. It's really scary. She really believes that I am going to be able to fix this. I love that she has this faith. It means we might just escape having the relationship I have with my mom. But what a responsibility.
It has been more than a week since the incident. She has gone off on her mini-abroad to the Czech Republic and Poland. She's due back mid-June. I know I have to fix this by the time she returns. I even think I might have found the proper tools to do so. But I keep procrastinating. I don't want to fail. And I want her to be happy!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
The Laundry Fairy
I think the whole concept behind the laundry fairy got established one Thanksgiving when I was a teenager. For some unknown, and absolutely wonderful reason, our family was spending Thanksgiving Day just the five of us. No grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces or nephews. Just us!
My extended family was chaotic. My grandmothers were in serious competition with each other, my uncle was quietly rude, ignoring most, the noise level was always intense. Someone was always sick at the holidays.
This particular Thanksgiving we each picked a name out of the hat and were told to do nice things for that person secretly. I loved it. I ended up doing secret stuff for everyone. Something about doing nice things in secret just seriously appealed to me. It still does, actually.
Flash forward a couple years to college dorm life. Laundry room. Someone else's dry clothes in the dryer and my clean, wet clothes ready to go in. I took her things out and put mine in. It seemed so rude just to leave them in a pile to get all wrinkled -- voila -- The Laundry Fairy! I folded up her things and left them there. I was actually a bit furtive. Didn't want to get caught. I wasn't sure how weird it would seem to someone I didn't know. All through college I would do this whenever clothes were left in the dryer and I wanted to use it.
It would be a great story if this had become some sort of big deal, who is that masked woman thing. But it didn't.
This morning I went out to do my daughter's laundry. I was s'posed to pick her and her stuff up yesterday from college. Instead I picked her stuff up and volunteered to do her laundry. The dryer was full of our tenant's laundry, so I pulled it out, stuffed YRR's wet clothes in the dryer and folded his stuff up. It will be no secret it's me. Still it was fun to do something nice for someone is a kind of secret way.
They would probably throw me out if I wandered into a local laundromat and started folding clothes. Actually, I would throw myself out. . .that would be just too creeepy! Still it was fun to be reminded of nice stories from the past!
My extended family was chaotic. My grandmothers were in serious competition with each other, my uncle was quietly rude, ignoring most, the noise level was always intense. Someone was always sick at the holidays.
This particular Thanksgiving we each picked a name out of the hat and were told to do nice things for that person secretly. I loved it. I ended up doing secret stuff for everyone. Something about doing nice things in secret just seriously appealed to me. It still does, actually.
Flash forward a couple years to college dorm life. Laundry room. Someone else's dry clothes in the dryer and my clean, wet clothes ready to go in. I took her things out and put mine in. It seemed so rude just to leave them in a pile to get all wrinkled -- voila -- The Laundry Fairy! I folded up her things and left them there. I was actually a bit furtive. Didn't want to get caught. I wasn't sure how weird it would seem to someone I didn't know. All through college I would do this whenever clothes were left in the dryer and I wanted to use it.
It would be a great story if this had become some sort of big deal, who is that masked woman thing. But it didn't.
This morning I went out to do my daughter's laundry. I was s'posed to pick her and her stuff up yesterday from college. Instead I picked her stuff up and volunteered to do her laundry. The dryer was full of our tenant's laundry, so I pulled it out, stuffed YRR's wet clothes in the dryer and folded his stuff up. It will be no secret it's me. Still it was fun to do something nice for someone is a kind of secret way.
They would probably throw me out if I wandered into a local laundromat and started folding clothes. Actually, I would throw myself out. . .that would be just too creeepy! Still it was fun to be reminded of nice stories from the past!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
No Harm, No Foul!
Did you hear the one about the crazy (lady) driver who backed over a boulder and dragged it 20 feet across the credit union's parking lot?
No? Well, if you lived here I bet you would have by now!
When the AAA driver arrived he looked at what I had done and said, "Don't tell me your name. I want to be able to tell this story and not embarrass you."
Most of the time people completely ignore me in this bastion of New England reticence. I try to talk to them in public places, they look at me as tho something is seriously wrong with me. So when something happens and I don't want to talk with anyone, they all come out of the woodwork. Those coming into the credit union stopped and looked. I think some people actually came into the parking lot just to find out what happened!
Apparently these boulders are hit and nicked all the time. I was told many times of how drivers had hit the rock trying to get around this miserable parking lot. (I thought it was miserable before this). I think maybe I did a public service. The boulders have now been removed from that corner!
The AAA guy had to jack up my van. Then he had to figure a way to get the boulder out from under the car. This piece of rock was 3 feet wide, tall enough to get completely wedged under my van and easily 100 lbs, maybe more! It had rained earlier and the pavement was wet.
We had help (not that the AAA guy let me do anything) from a burly guy named Joe, wearing a Harley jacket, a long chain holding his keys. He was pretty happy to help. The AAA guy not so much. By the time they had gotten this boulder out from under my car, I don't think the AAA guy cared a whit about embarrassing me. He was just glad to get out of there! I'm gonna send thank you cards. The credit union will give it to Joe and I know where the AAA garage is located. I'm just not gonna sign my name.
in case you wanted to know how the car fared -- I drove immediately to the Toyota dealership, less than a mile away. They got the car up on the lift and well, lets just say I live a charmed life! The gas tank was unharmed. The rear axle was unharmed. My rear brakes were shot, but the boulder wasn't responsible. They had time to fix the brakes and do a much-needed service. Maybe I'll add that happy news in my thank you notes!
No? Well, if you lived here I bet you would have by now!
When the AAA driver arrived he looked at what I had done and said, "Don't tell me your name. I want to be able to tell this story and not embarrass you."
Most of the time people completely ignore me in this bastion of New England reticence. I try to talk to them in public places, they look at me as tho something is seriously wrong with me. So when something happens and I don't want to talk with anyone, they all come out of the woodwork. Those coming into the credit union stopped and looked. I think some people actually came into the parking lot just to find out what happened!
Apparently these boulders are hit and nicked all the time. I was told many times of how drivers had hit the rock trying to get around this miserable parking lot. (I thought it was miserable before this). I think maybe I did a public service. The boulders have now been removed from that corner!
The AAA guy had to jack up my van. Then he had to figure a way to get the boulder out from under the car. This piece of rock was 3 feet wide, tall enough to get completely wedged under my van and easily 100 lbs, maybe more! It had rained earlier and the pavement was wet.
We had help (not that the AAA guy let me do anything) from a burly guy named Joe, wearing a Harley jacket, a long chain holding his keys. He was pretty happy to help. The AAA guy not so much. By the time they had gotten this boulder out from under my car, I don't think the AAA guy cared a whit about embarrassing me. He was just glad to get out of there! I'm gonna send thank you cards. The credit union will give it to Joe and I know where the AAA garage is located. I'm just not gonna sign my name.
in case you wanted to know how the car fared -- I drove immediately to the Toyota dealership, less than a mile away. They got the car up on the lift and well, lets just say I live a charmed life! The gas tank was unharmed. The rear axle was unharmed. My rear brakes were shot, but the boulder wasn't responsible. They had time to fix the brakes and do a much-needed service. Maybe I'll add that happy news in my thank you notes!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Transitions
I have not spent all this time watching teen TV series on DVD's, in case you wondered.
I've been reading college English papers. In the last 2 weeks I have read 5+ papers, at least 3 revisions each. College papers always have deadlines. I hate deadlines.
My daughter ignored the fact that she is a writing, literature, publishing major until it was too late to change. She was enjoying taking sociology, women's studies and gender studies courses. To graduate on time, she had to take 4 English courses this semester!
Reading the papers is easy. I always learn something -- Aeschylus, Dante's Inferno, Maggie A Girl of the Streets, Billy Collins. The tough part is being reassuring one more time. She writes beautifully. And if the first draft isn't great, it gets there. But I am not a very reasuring person. I never have been. Ask my mother.
I'm glad the semester is over. And not cuz I don't love the connection with my girl. But cuz it's time to do some things for me. Get a business re-started. Make pretty things. Sell those pretty things. Put myself first. Or, if as a mom that's too tough, at least equal with first!
I've been reading college English papers. In the last 2 weeks I have read 5+ papers, at least 3 revisions each. College papers always have deadlines. I hate deadlines.
My daughter ignored the fact that she is a writing, literature, publishing major until it was too late to change. She was enjoying taking sociology, women's studies and gender studies courses. To graduate on time, she had to take 4 English courses this semester!
Reading the papers is easy. I always learn something -- Aeschylus, Dante's Inferno, Maggie A Girl of the Streets, Billy Collins. The tough part is being reassuring one more time. She writes beautifully. And if the first draft isn't great, it gets there. But I am not a very reasuring person. I never have been. Ask my mother.
I'm glad the semester is over. And not cuz I don't love the connection with my girl. But cuz it's time to do some things for me. Get a business re-started. Make pretty things. Sell those pretty things. Put myself first. Or, if as a mom that's too tough, at least equal with first!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Guilty Pleasures
My local Borders bookstore was having a blow-out on CD's and DVD's. Seems they can't really compete with the likes of discount stores. Their decision was my gain, sort of.
I have always liked teen-age TV shows. I watched Dark Shadows and Mod Squad as a teen-ager.
My daughter & I watched Gilmore Girls together. I think she was 13 when the show started. I'm not sure she was always talking to me. I don't remember us liking each other too much then. But, we both liked Rory and Lorelei and somehow it bonded us. We could discuss that mother-daughter team and I don't know what it was, but things were never as bad after that.
So, when boxed sets of a fav of mine went on sale for 50% off, I bought the remaining seasons I didn't have. I have been watching it in the afternoons this week when I should be working on a business I am putting together.
Despite being quite past the teen years, I really remember what it felt like. So the shows that deal with teen angst, unrequited love, outsiders, pretty girls that no one pays attention to. . . they still kind of resonate. My daughter is away at college, so I watch these shows by myself and don't let on how much I like them!
I have always liked teen-age TV shows. I watched Dark Shadows and Mod Squad as a teen-ager.
My daughter & I watched Gilmore Girls together. I think she was 13 when the show started. I'm not sure she was always talking to me. I don't remember us liking each other too much then. But, we both liked Rory and Lorelei and somehow it bonded us. We could discuss that mother-daughter team and I don't know what it was, but things were never as bad after that.
So, when boxed sets of a fav of mine went on sale for 50% off, I bought the remaining seasons I didn't have. I have been watching it in the afternoons this week when I should be working on a business I am putting together.
Despite being quite past the teen years, I really remember what it felt like. So the shows that deal with teen angst, unrequited love, outsiders, pretty girls that no one pays attention to. . . they still kind of resonate. My daughter is away at college, so I watch these shows by myself and don't let on how much I like them!
Friday, May 1, 2009
Stand By Me
For an uplifting musical experience, click here.
I love the words, the music and these incredible, unexpected musicians!
I hope this makes you smile and feel like the world is a pretty wonderful and connected place!
I love the words, the music and these incredible, unexpected musicians!
I hope this makes you smile and feel like the world is a pretty wonderful and connected place!
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