LAUNDROMATTERS AND OTHER BUBBLES

When Lady Love and I were in Michigan we couldn't wash our clothes at home because the
the well water would turn everything orange! So I seemed to find myself sometime during the week sitting in the Laundromat waiting for clothes to either wash or dry. Now for the average person this waste of time---for me it is another essay in the making.

You can always tell us novice Laundromat folks. We never have the right change. (I nearly always have quarters when the machines take dimes and vice versa.) The true "Laundromatter" has bags of dimes and quarters and never has to run to the changer. Maybe this will come with experience--but I doubt it. I wonder if I get a kind of Las Vegas thrill out of those changers. I do lead kind of a sheltered life!!

Then there's my soap---- or rather where's my soap, my stain remover, and my softener? Oh well, just this once I'll buy it here. I discovered that a couple of this and that is something just short of the national debt. I have to leave that stuff in my car!

Then I always forget my clothes hangers and regular "laundromatters” look at me with pity as I try carefully to fold a shirt that would have really gone well on a hanger. Maybe I should leave extra hangers in my car, too.

Then intimidating "Laundromat" signs: DO NOT DYE IN THESE MACHINES!!!! Or DO NOT OVERLOAD!!! There are never enough chairs in these places and there are always big signs that say, DO NOT SIT ON FOLDING TABLES. Those signs are harder to read 'cause there is always someone sitting on them. Another sign says, "This dryer holds three washer loads of wash!" I never have but two, do you suppose there are laundry police that check on these things?

As I pondered these and other questions, I watched a very large man stuff a quantity of dirty coveralls in a machine. If he had thrown his leg over the side and tamped them in I wouldn't have been surprised. Even the laundry police wouldn't have argued with him!!!

Then a woman with enough clothes to fill a thrift shop came in. She made six trips in with her big loads. She stuffed 10 washers (there is no load limit sign and she seemed to feel comfortable that she was not breaking a laundry law.)

The "launder matter" attendant scrubbed the extra bubbles, soap and dirt off the machines.

I gave him my best cheery "Good Morning" and he came back with,” People are pigs!!" I went back and climbed up on a folding table and sat down. I did have ONE thought for him, though. Instead of grumbling, try putting a broom to the floor (the same orange peel has been there for two weeks.)

I didn't try to cheer him up---I guess I would be pretty disgusted too if I had printed all those great signs and no one read them.