Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Channeling Julie No. 3


This week I'm channeling my inner Julie with another one of my favorite things: freshly laundered white bath towels. I appreciate them all the more this week, after the 85 mph derecho (pronounced day-RAY-cho) descended on Central Ohio late Friday afternoon, June 29, leaving Willow Manor without power for two days. Derecho comes from the Spanish word for "straight" or direct, in contrast with a tornado, which is a twisted wind.

shelf cloud along the leading edge of a derecho
Not only was it the hottest week of the summer, but when Willow Manor loses power, the well pump is out, too.  So, no water.  I ended up staying with my two sons, who thankfully had power.  The contents of the fridge was hauled to their place, along with all my girl-maintenance stuff.  After taking a much needed shower, I reached out to the towel bar, and quickly realized I should have brought my own.  Hanging there, was a mangy thing, I later learned, is fondly known as "Old Blue".  It's a good thing Old Blue is blue. If it was supposed to be white, I would have been even more frightened.

camping out with the guys
I really missed my PC and desk too
By the way, remember when everything in the 70s was earth-tone?  I still have a few threadbare brown bath towels that were wedding gifts, delegated as "dog-towels".  Sturdy things.  They even survived the dogs. I'll be glad when these dog days are over. Come, come, sweet October.

The real things haven't changed. 
It is still best to be honest and truthful; 
to make the most of what we have; 
to be happy with simple pleasures; 
and have courage when things go wrong.

 Laura Ingalls Wilder

34 comments:

  1. oh I only have white towels....love them..thick and fluffy..and they look so nice in the linen closet all folded so nicely
    Hope all is back to normal....do the ghosts mind the power outage?

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    1. Some people in our area were without power for a whole week, so I can't complain. It was just enough to make me appreciate the little things. The ghosts? I would venture to say they like it better without the power.

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  2. Great picture of the Day Ray Cho! I see you play your laptop like a cello.

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    1. I play a lot of things like a cello...

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    2. yes you can. complain.
      we're your friends.
      we like to hear you complain.
      gives us energy and ambition.
      to complain about our crap.
      don't get me started.

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  3. We sure do take electricity for granted! I guess a lot of other things as well... Fluffy and clean white bath towels are an awesome thing!

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  4. my rowels are purple and fluffy son's choice os color

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  5. Hey! the colour of mold, this ol blue. that's handy
    rick

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    1. Old Blue had moved beyond the molded stage...

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  6. Awwww - I'm glad you're back home with your lovely white towels and your desk!

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  8. All of the new fandango weather challenges, keep the weather stirred up, and me too. ;-)

    Clean soft fluffy white towels are the bomb.

    How true, how true, to make the best things. and to have courage when things go wrong.

    life is good, not perfect, but good. enjoy.

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  9. We give names to many inanimate objects, but never towels. You've broadened my naming horizons. Thank you!

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  10. White towels give impressions of cleanliness. Might have been the reason hotels invariably supply them. Glad you're back Tess!

    Hank

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  11. Oh! I feel your pain! There is nothing like an extended power outage to make us feel how tied we are to the modern conveniences. Glad you're back to normal ... and boy, that weather phenomenon sure was strange!

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  12. you were lucky though that the guys were nearby and electrified. that towel does sound a bit scary though, LOL. hey, great leg and toes.

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  13. The entire blogiverse, it seems, is under weather siege. At least everyone that I read regularly. Hope you were able to treat it as a camping trip and that you have recovered from contact with Old Blue. Towels that have names are rarely a good thing.

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  14. Don't know who Julie is, but love the white towels. Hope all is well back home, by now.

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    Replies
    1. These are a few of my favorite things...(sung in my best Julie Andrews voice)

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  15. Camping out makes one thankful for what we normally have.

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  16. Brown bath towels aren't in style anymore? Dang!

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  17. Let's hope that the weather we've been having this year tempers and we don't have to irrevocably alter our lifestyles. T'would seem it's coming to that....presented by Mother Nature herself :) So glad you had family nearby and that you survived the towels!

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  18. Glad you had somewhere to go. Our last ice storm left us without power for 8 days. It was unbearable. After 3 ice storms in the last ten years, we finally installed a generator this summer.

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    Replies
    1. A generator is now very high on the Willow Manor list...eight days is a long time...

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  19. Catfish, my sons are 25 and 32, on either side of my daughter, birthwise. And yes, there is most definitely a gent in my current picture.

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  20. With six children, I learned years ago white towels were essential (I use as little bleach as possible). The blue wedding towel have been the doggy beds for many, many years. The photo of the cloud is breathtaking in its powerful presence!

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  21. I relate to this- I use white towels and have them for my guests and just love to fold them up nice and orderly and find ways to display them. Old towels get split between dog towels and mop up towels. I'm flabbergasted BTW that you have sons that age! Glad that you're okay.

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    1. Oh, thank you! I'm glad you're flabbergasted...

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  22. The "Old Blue" towel story made me laugh out loud - memories of college kids washing all their laundry literally in one wash, possibly with cold water (remember Ann Landers who wanted to make us believe that no one needs hot water to get clothes clean?).

    That the power never ever goes off is one of the treats of living in Austria. Power lines are run underground.

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    1. With all the technology we have, I can't believe our power lines are still strung up on poles. Quintessentially American, I suppose.

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  23. Your pedicure goes nice with the carpet :)
    You made it through the derecho....sing it like Manilow

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    Replies
    1. Rene, I think some lyrics are in order here...I feel them coming on...

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  24. Yes, Wedding #1 in '76 saw a plethora of green towels, pewter wine goblets, Tupperware storage sets with orange lids & an incredible dark chocolate brown Finlania dinner set. Still have 2 out of the 4 things still in use, you guess which ones!!
    Millie xx

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  25. man. it is hot.
    did you use boxes for the refer foods.
    probably.
    just loose in the front seat seems odd.
    milk and all those gourmet mustards.

    i like the old fashion ice trays.
    have them in this refrigerator in an Extended Stay.
    But what about the water. Is it safe to have?
    as melted mixer for the brandy?

    willow manor on heat stroke.
    does not compute

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Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
― O. Henry (and me)