Laundry and Lassie

"We should all do what, in the long run, gives us joy,

even if it is only picking grapes or sorting the laundry."

E. B. White

My youngest was home for Easter weekend from college. It is nice
that he is only a few hours away and can drive home about every
three or four weeks, when he completely runs out of clean clothes!
So, every month or so, I wash every single piece of clothing he owns,
plus a few items belonging to his roommate, that are mixed in. He
always says, "Mom, you don't have to do my laundry for me!!" But I
tell him I like to. Besides, I do have a new state of the art washer and
dryer that I would have loved to have had, back when I had a
housefull! Unfortunately, those large appliances last just long enough
to raise a family, then finally bite the dust when they are all grown and
gone. We suffered from staggering sticker shock when our washer
died last year. Because they were so pricey, we purchased the
washer first and bought the matching dryer a few months later. They
were the odd couple; a buff husband and a frumpy middle aged wife,
standing side by side in my laundry cupboard. When, finally, I had both
sleek black models, they were so huge and modern they reminded me
of sporty new cars. My humble laundry area had become a small
garage! Most of my "motherly chores" are over now and I feel a twinge
of nostalgia which fuels me to grasp onto the few small things I can do
for my kids. It seems like just yesterday, that my little buddy was
helping me with the laundry on a regular basis, while his brother and
sister were at school. Afterwards, we would curl up on the couch
with some graham crackers and watch old Lassie episodes on TV.
Ah, those days are gone too soon!