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Borrego Springs, CA

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Ordinary challenges



Today was a day filled with those little challenges that I choose to think of as making life interesting.  First up on my list was learning to use the on board washer/dryer.  You wouldn't think by this stage in my life that washing clothes would be a challenge, but it was.  :(  This is one of those all in one machines that first washes and then dries your load (a very small load).  I started out with socks, undies, a couple of wash cloths, and one pair of jeans.  Oh my goodness, what a long time that first load took!  It was over two hours, and you should have seen the jeans.  There's no way I could have worn that wrinkled mess of a pair of pants without steam ironing them first.  And since I've given up ironing in the last year, I wasn't about to start in again.  The second load, I did pants and a sweatshirt. (I rewashed the first pair)  I didn't put it on automatic dry.  After the wash, I pulled the stuff out and neatly folded the pants and put them outside in the sun to dry.  That worked...no ironing needed.  Then came the third load of tee shirts.  I've been dealing with that load for over three hours.  I think I need to talk to someone with one of these Splendide washers.  It has to be easier than this!


Next on my list was to change the outside light by the door.  The bulb had apparently blown out.  Hmmm...do you know the term vertically challenged?  There is no way I can reach that bulb even with a step stool placed on the outside stairs.  Luckily, a six foot neighbor has volunteered to give it a try tomorrow.

Remember all those beautiful birds I had visiting my feeders?  Well, in the last couple of days a gazillion cowbirds have moved in and are hording all the seeds.

See all those dark dots in the field?  They're cows, and that's where the cowbirds should be!  Until they leave, I'm not putting out anymore seed.  Can you tell I was a teenager in the '60's?  I've had enough and I'm not going to take it any more!  :)  Move on, you blasted cowbirds.

When I arrived at Red Rock RV Park, I asked if I could extend my stay for another six weeks.  I thought it would be nice to stay in the Yellowstone area for a good share of the summer.  I was told that probably wouldn't be possible.  So, this afternoon I pulled out my maps and campground books and started looking into where I might go with a final destination of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon by the last week in August.  Then this evening, the owner stopped by to inform me that I was now number one on the waiting list to be able to stay.  Okay, I don't wish anyone ill will, but I hope there is a cancellation in the next two weeks.

About 4:30 this afternoon (while I was waiting for load #3 to finish), Emma and I were sitting outside enjoying the balmy temperatures and sunshine when an unbelievable blast of wind suddenly began.  Remember those three pair of pants that I had drying in the sun?  Well within seconds they were air born!  I was chasing them all over the front yard.  Then I rushed inside to roll up one of the window awnings before it took off and landed in Iowa!  Sheesh!  That blast lasted about a half an hour before the rain arrived.  As quickly as the wind and rain arrived, it moved on.  It's amazing how quickly these fronts arrive and depart.


The view out my front window shows yet another round of rain clouds approaching.

I had several other little challenges today that I won't go into.  It's a little after 8:00 right now, and I think load #3 is finally done.  I wonder what a wrinkled mess my tee shirts are in.  :(  I'd better go check.


Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later,  Judy

10 comments:

  1. It's a good thing I just read your blog about doing laundry because I had totally forgot about the load I put in the washer this morning about 9 a.m. It is now nearly 10:30 Saturday night so I had better go get that wet load into the dryer. See how important blogs are....:))

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  2. I know what you mean about those washer/dryer combos. I have found that I don't let it go right into the dry cycle. I take out my clothes after the end of the wash, give them a good shake and dry them in small loads. Things like jeans, etc, I take out while just slightly damp and either hang to dry outside or on a hanger inside. Tshirts, the same. I'm going to try those dryer balls, that are supposed to help with wrinkling, but haven't found a store that sells them yet.

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  3. On one of my trips to Ireland (before I moved there) I stayed in a flat that had a washer/dryer combo, and I experienced the same difficulties. Took forever, and I don't think the clothes ever did get completely dry, but they were sure wrinkled.

    I've heard that if you take them out as soon as the wash cycle is over, shake them out good, then put them back in for the dry cycle, they might not get so many wrinkles. As nice as it would be to have an onboard washer/dryer I think I prefer using a laundromat now and then. Good luck.

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  4. Judy...I hope you get your wish and can stay at your current RV park. It sounds like a nice place to be. I have a Splendide W/D and have learned to use it successfully (after 3 years). I'll do a post in a day or two and give some tips. Maybe someone else has some good ideas, too.

    I was a teen in the 60's too! Awesome time, wasn't it?

    Have a good week ahead.

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  5. Judy, we had a Splendide in a motorhome in the past--same thing--it took literally forever and the loads were so small. We would rather have the space the thing took up and go do the laundry at the laundromat all at once. There are better Splendide W/D out there-if the machine is vented to the outside it does dry faster and the small stackable units are much better.

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  6. Hey Judy.... two thoughts on the washer/dryer.

    First: is your dryer vented to the inside or the outside? Because if it's the inside kind, there is something about needing to open your drain cap as it dries because it uses water as part of the drying process and if the cap is closed, it can't drain that water out... I forget the exact details, but folks on rv.net had something about the inside vented ones taking forever and that was how to help with that....

    Second: If it's vented outside (like mine is) then after I wash a load, I let the machine turn off before letting it go to dry cycle. (you can set it to wash and dry all in one fell swoop if you are gonna be gone somewhere) But if I am around, I let it stop between the wash and dry. Then I take out the wet clothes where they are plastered tight to the drum from the spinning cycle. I shake them all good and then toss em back in and start the dry cycle. Otherwise what happens is that the wrinkles are dried in because the clothes were packed tight to the outside of the drum to begin with.

    Usually I use the washer to just wash, then I take the clothes out and hang on a wooden collapsible rack and hang the shirts on hangers. The wooden rack fits either in the bathtub in our rig for drying overnight, or out in the sunshine during the day setting outside. Some parks do not want you to put up clotheslines, so the wooden rack meets the need. It's lightweight and folds up pretty flat to store in our closet behind the hanging clothes.

    I think there is a book out on using the RV washer and dryer to it's best method and even seminars at some of the RV rallies by folks who wrote the book.

    Hope that helps!


    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    Karen and Steve
    (Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/

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  7. yup, that's exactly why we had them take out the darn thing when we bought our motorhome! we'd met too many people and heard too many stories like the one's above and decided that we just didn't want the hassle of it. so now that area is our laundry "hamper" and storage!

    hope you get to stay! you're really making me want to come to YNP! but we can't come there every year... we are heading out around the first and probably going up to northern parts of WI, MN and MI; but we don't plan very well. take it as it comes. is that from the 60's??? lol

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  8. We also have a Splendide washer/dryer and I have discovered that small loads are the key. I wash on low spin and either the express or gentle cycle. I also take clothes out and shake if I need to dry them. I like to hang most up and let them dry natural especially my T-shirts. I usually take sweatshirts/jeans to the laundromat if I can...they just do better. If I happen to do jeans I do them by themselves. When I do the sheets I also try to take them to the laundromat. If not, I do the top and then the bottom with the pillow cases.
    I'm looking forward to reading Margie's blog on this topic whenever she post it.
    I don't think you are doing anything wrong per se I just think it is the nature of the beast.

    Good luck!!
    Mike & Gerri (happytrails)

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  9. When we were looking at RVs at a show in May I notice several that had the washers. My first thought was that I would rather have the storage space and not have the weight of the washer to haul around! Here at home I like to do wash only once a week. When we did our 2 week RV trip last year I only washed once at a park laundromat. I liked that I could do it all at once in several washers and get done.

    I hope you get to like your washer, but if you don't, have it pulled out and used the place for storage!

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  10. Hi Judy! That is like the washer/dryer combos we have in the flat we rent when we go to Scotland. Takes absolutely forever. The key is very, very small loads. Another reason we opted to not get one installed in our 5er. We use the space for storage and will just visit laundromats! The combos serve their purpose; one just has to be reeeaaallly patient with 'em!

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