Notes from the Laundromat

I have travelled back in time to the early years of my marriage when I saved quarters and washed several loads of laundry at once. (Washer and dryer stopped working last week.)



When I slyly took the above photo with my phone, George yelled "mom! Are you taking picher of dat guy?"

When dat guy was done putting his clothes in the wash, he sat down right next to us. After a minute of watching us color he told me I was a good mom. Then I learned the following facts:

1. He has a 44 year old son who is an electrician in Las Vegas and hasn't worked in 2 years.

2. He sends his son $500 each month.

3. He is a retired attorney for the government and when he left Washington D.C. in 1982 he shook his finger at the white house and told them they were messing things up too much.

4. On his son's 16th birthday he gave him a car, a truck, and a motorcycle.

5. He can't hear. Which makes me wonder how he knew I was a good mom. I think he uses that line on all the moms so that he can talk about his life for awhile.

Earlier this week a toothless man gave George a quarter to play a video game and helped him play while we waited for our clothes to dry.

Also, the other patron of the laundromat, not the old man, was washing a single shirt today.

August Happened

In bullet list:

• We moved to St. George. I came in advance with the kids and Robert joined us two weeks later.
• The comments from the kids on the day we pulled into town were priceless. "This place is beautiful!" "Mom, thank you so much for moving us here!" "Are those mountains real or fake?"
• Our truck was two weeks late in bringing our stuff to us, and when it finally arrived, I just wanted them to turn around and unload at the dump.
• The dump is free here.
• Robert was here by then and he wouldn't let me do that.
• The house we are renting is smaller than our house in Iowa by more than half.
• We have become intimately acquainted with the local Goodwill, a.k.a. the D.I., and also the Dump.
• The dump is free here!
• So far, Robert loves his new job.
• The kids have tons of friends and I am considering installing revolving doors on the house because of all the people coming and going all the time.
• Except that we are renting and I don't think the landlords would appreciate that.
• I have lost five pounds since I got here. I'm pretty sure it was just the water evaporating out of my system.
• You know, since we moved from the humidity of the Midwest to the desert of the Southwest.
• Everyone says we came in the height of the worst weather of the year.
• I say, if this is the worst you can do, I am going to have to be pried out of this place with a crowbar.