Molting

That's right. I'm molting. Not the first time. I have a long history of not properly considering the sun's strength and my pale skin's tendancy to singe.

The other day I was on the roof washing clothes. I have been instructed to write more about my everyday life. Thus, I shall do so now in this aside... Keep reminding me to do this, because I often clam up when I'm not feeling witty or like I have something both informative and amusing to say. So, yes... I wash all of my clothes by hand. Only the richest have machines... and I ain't the richest. There are dry cleaners here but no laundromats. Washing clothes by hand is just what you do. So, we get out the big plastic tub and scrub away. The washing isn't so bad. Tide (or as they pronounce it here -- Teede) is a wondrous invention. Just a few hours of soaking, a little sloshing of the whole tub to pretend you're an agitator, scrubbing of the important spots... and there you have it. Clean garments. Often that's done in the kitchen, however on nice days it's tempting to go up to the roof and soak in some (too much) sun while doing the chore.

Skip forward... the drying certainly isn't so bad. We have a couple of small clotheslines on the balcony of our second floor apt, and there are several large lines on the roof. The sun here will usually take care of that in no time. I even bought some fabric softener that smells reeeeally good, so that plus the line drying works out just fine.

Now.... the middle bit is where I have the problem. I'll admit I've taken washing machines for granted in general. But OH, the spin cycle. I've never had cause to stop and admire the spin cycle at work. I was usually too annoyed that the lid to my washing machine locked during the spin cycle and didn't unlock itself for what seemed like HOURS if I was standing over the machine waiting to transfer the clothes to the dryer. I mean, seriously... IT'S STOPPED SPINNING ALREADY. Anyway... I will never take the spin cycle for granted again. I do solemnly swear. Because I hate to wring me out some clothes. My forearms might just turn black and fall off before I gain the strength to wring properly. That's why I said the sun USUALLY dries the clothes in no time. That's IF you get a respectable amount of water out of them. Most things I can handle.... my jeans take days to dry.

What can I say, I'm a wimp.