Laundry Day

  Laundry is my least favorite thing to do.  Not having clean socks is no fun either.  Bite the bullet, it's got to get done.  We have a Laundromat here at the campground but it's downright expensive.  Today I went elsewhere.  $1 a load on Wednesdays, what a deal!   Several stores and a Subway sandwich shop in the plaza.  Perfect, I can get lunch and shop while I'm waiting.
  I love my old van, it's comfortable and it runs great.  It also leaks.   Lesson learned, never trust a mechanic who says your high top van will fit into his garage bay.  The van fit but the roof vent paid the price.  I washed a large load of dog grooming towels two weeks ago.  I left the freshly washed  towels in the hamper, in the van, below the leaky vent.  I now had a three foot tall solid block of frozen terrycloth.  I managed to break it into a few reasonable sized chunks and put them into a green trash bag.  I loaded up two packed hampers belonging to my neighbors, all my clothes, my comforter, linens and throw rugs.  A fifteen minute drive and I was there.
  The Laundromat was busy but I only had to wait a short time to get enough free washers.  The senior aged attendant was a doll, chatting with me and offering advice on how much soap I should use.  The advice was not needed but I like friendly people so no problem.  That is until she saw me try to put the frozen chunks into one of her washers.  This is a no no I learned, I must put the mess in the dryer and defrost before washing.  Clunk,Clunk,Clunk, everyone in the place could hear the sound of the blocks hitting the dyer walls.  This is not going to work.  Hot water was the obvious answer so I spent a half hour scalding my hands in the bathroom sink until the towels were (almost) ice free.  All seven loads were finally running and I could relax for a few minutes.
  The heater in my van has not been working well.  Somebody told me that it might be because I needed more antifreeze.  I did look into the radiator and I did see a green tint, how was I to know if it was enough.  There was an auto parts store in the plaza so I went in to get advice.  "Don't look in the radiator" he said.  "There's a reservoir on the side for antifreeze.  I went back out, raised the hood and walked sheepishly back in.  "Did you find it?" asked the cashier..  "If you mean the bone dry white plastic container with the words add antifreeze here written clearly on the cap, yes I found it".
  I got to know the clientele at the Laundromat quite well in the three hours I visited.  I finally had everything folded and in it's appropriate bin or bag.  I loaded everything into the van, in the rain, in the front, in the back, nowhere near the vent.