Kelly’s Unnecessary Blog

In my household there is no competition. I keep the dishes done because I don’t want to give the cats (either these two or my previous two) any reason to think that they need to jump on the kitchen counter. Like all good cats, I’m sure they must when I’m not looking.

Laundry, on the other hand, is the bane of my household chore existence. I HATE LAUNDRY. I hate the doing of it, I hate the putting away of it. That’s why I have oodles of socks and underwear—and really, clothes in general; that way I don’t have to do laundry more than once monthly.

Since I have to do laundry at all, I am pleased that I can at least accomplish the task inside my own unit. Shortly after I moved in, I bought used (for $50) a portable washer and dryer from a former neighbor who sold his place. It was an excellent investment. I hook the washer up to the kitchen sink, and I have what still seems like a jury-rigged arrangement for venting the dryer inside. But I purpose-bought the “vent” at Home Depot, so it must be okay. It has been for four years, anyway.

Although having the machines in my home mitigates some of the distress of the chore, it doesn’t alter the fact that it must still be put away. That’s why clean shirts are draped over the back of a futon chair just waiting for their next wearing (perfect place for that), and for at least half a year, socks and underwear have been plucked from a laundry basket that makes its current home atop the dryer.

They may not be put away, but at least they’re clean. I offer no more than that.