The Laundromat Experience

How long has it been since you've had to use a laundromat?  Here are some images to get you in the mood:

There is a laundromat in Nederland, but the least expensive washer is $4 per load.  This laundromat in Boulder that I use still has some $2 machines.

I have a full-sized stackable washer and dryer in storage back in Missouri that I pine for, although having it here would do me no good since I have neither space nor running water.  I put off doing laundry as long as possible, especially in the winter when the weather is harsh making it difficult to get the bags of dirty clothes out to the car.  I have enough clothes, bedding and towels and wash cloths to last about a month.  But I was really running out of clean clothes and knew yesterday I couldn't procrastinate any longer. 

There are certain things essential for this outing:

Quarters.  There's a branch of my bank just north of this laundromat so I stop there, get $20 from the ATM and then go in the bank and get two rolls.

A good book:

I had almost finished this, so it was just the right amount of book to get me through the laundry.  I had never read any of R.J. Ellory's books.  It was quite good, but he is English and this was set primarily in the U.S. and there were some glitches that a good American editor should have caught...a reference to Mardi Gras being the first week of April, for one.  Think he must have had that mixed up with spring break or something. At any rate, it was good enough that I'll probably read another one of his novels if the library has it or can get it.  I wonder if he could use a paid American reader?

Fluffy Terry Cloth Robes.  Just kidding.  But I did have the passing thought yesterday that this would be a good idea.  Sort of like a spa so mountain people could shuck off everything and wash it.  As it was I had to settle for shucking off my coat and washing it because for about the last month everywhere I went people were commenting that I smelled like a camp fire.  Love that blow-back smoke.

I have been storing all of my laundry products in my car trunk to open up limited space in my cupboards.  The last time I did laundry, the liquids were thick, but not frozen solid even though I know we'd been having freezing temperatures.  Yesterday everything was frozen.  The Woolite Extra Dark Care that I like to use for my black clothes...

was frozen solid and the Resolve was slurry consistency.  The laundromat had warm water and a bucket so I was able to thaw them out fairly quickly while I was sorting my laundry.  

[Note to self:  Next time, put liquid laundry products inside the car and turn the heater on  high for the trip down the canyon].

Do you take for granted the ease of throwing in a load of laundry while you prepare supper or watch your favorite T.V. show?  Teddee

The Great Conundrum

I'm becoming like an old farmer, checking the weather first thing.  Here are NOAA's predictions for the next three days.  They won't go out on a limb about the winds more than three days out:

Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 41. Windy, with a west wind 20 to 23 mph increasing to between 29 and 32 mph. Winds could gust as high as 50 mph.

Tonight: Areas of blowing snow and a chance of snow after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 15. Wind chill values as low as -5. Windy, with a west wind between 23 and 33 mph, with gusts as high as 55 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

M.L.King Day: Snow likely and areas of blowing snow before 11am, then snow and areas of blowing snow after 11am. High near 22. Wind chill values as low as -5. Windy, with a west wind 27 to 30 mph decreasing to between 18 and 21 mph. Winds could gust as high as 48 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

Monday Night: Snow likely and areas of blowing snow before 11pm, then a slight chance of snow after 11pm. Cloudy during the early evening, then gradual clearing, with a low around 0. Wind chill values as low as -22. Breezy, with a west wind between 21 and 24 mph, with gusts as high as 39 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 20. Windy, with a west wind between 24 and 32 mph, with gusts as high as 50 mph.

The temperatures had been a little higher yesterday and there was one brief period during which the winds calmed down enough that I raced out and brought in wood.  But it looks as if temps are heading down again and combining with really high winds...or breezes in NOAA speak.  Monday night looks like a real challenge with a wind chill of -22.

High winds cause white-out conditions outside because of blowing snow and white-out conditions inside because of blow-back smoke.

The big conundrum when the temperatures are low and the winds are high is the wood fire.  The wood stove, as I may have mentioned, suffers severe blow-back in high winds, filling the cabin with smoke.  (I've tried to capture this phenomenon on camera with little success).  But the cold temperatures and high winds make it impossible to open the doors and windows to let the smoke escape.  I had so much smoke in here last night that visiting dog Dixie--and yes, her name is Dixie, not Daisy, if you read yesterday's post throughout which, prior to editing this morning, I referred to her by both names interchangeably, which I do in actuality--who I think has had fire safety training, left her warm spot on the bunk and hunkered down on the floor.  Smart dog.  I was up walking around, leaning over the smoking flames, poking at the wood trying to get the updraft stronger than the downdraft, eyes streaming and nose burning.  Woke up this morning with eyes swollen and nasal passages so congested it took an hour to get back to some semblance of normal.

Then, there's the question of whether to stay here, keep the smoking fire going and the cabin warm or head down to Boulder, escape the wind and cold and smoke but return to an icy cabin and spend the rest of the evening trying to get the cabin warm while inhaling smoke.  Neighbors suggest propane.  It's tempting.

But today, I'm heading down.  Savers is giving card holders a day's start on tomorrow's Martin Luther King half off sale.  Their prices are so high, these few 50%-off days are about the only time I can shop there.  Wish me luck!  Teddee