Day 41: Halfway day – is the glass half full or half empty?

I remembered the big idea or thought for the day from our last full day at Camp Tesomas. It fits for Thursday: I have had forty-one days of summer vacation and I have forty-one days remaining.  When I look at my accomplishments and reflect, I have done well. My blog is up and running, I have been to Paris and have closure to my father’s passing, summer camp with William was fun, and I am now at the cottage. I still have a few goals to attain before summer closes and that should be my focus for the remaining days.

One of the biggest struggles I have with summer is the lack of structure. The blog gives me a purpose, a focus, and a deadline. I need to write each day. I am not sure who is reading but it does not matter. It is making a difference for me and it is helping me to focus on making the days count.Thursday was rainy with drizzle to start the day and a steady rain by mid-morning. I needed to wash William’s and my sleeping bags, which required a front load high-speed washer we do not have at the cottage. I loaded the sleeping bags, a book, the un-mailed letters, and laptop bag and took off for the Laundromat. Being a rainy day many people had a similar idea as I did except there was the weekly washing. I it had been many years since I had used a Laundromat for washing my clothes going all the way back to my days in California and when I first moved to Chicago. Then washday was on my day off and it varied from week to week. It was much more expensive to wash than I remembered. I had come with an ample supply of quarters, but these machines took dollar coins and lots of them. The large high-speed machine cost five dollars and the small high-speed machine was three dollars; unfortunately, the sleeping bags were too large and bulky and needed the larger washer. Once they got started, I was able to sit back and read and people watch.

The Laundromat, or any public gathering place for that matter, is an interesting place to people watch. People come with all they have that is dirty to wash – towels, clothes, or like me bulky items you cannot wash at home. Sometimes it is vacationers in need of clean clothes or families whose washer is broken or do not have one in their home. I use two washers to cut down on time and wait. Soon, the washers are done and it is time for dying the sleeping bags. William’s is down and dried on low heat, mine is synthetic and dried on medium heat. The driers take quarters and I can use my cache. One quarter provides five minutes of drying with a two minute cool down and I popped in four quarters in each to see how it works. Midway through the drying process, Beth called to ask if I could wash Olivia’s bedspread. Ivy had been in Olivia’s room and wet her comforter. At the cottage, Olivia sleeps on a pad at the foot of Beth’s bed and has since she graduated from her crib many years ago. Beth arrives and we trade William’s dry sleeping for Olivia’s wet comforter: I am back in the washing business. Washing Olivia’s comforter gives me time to read Flush, a book I have been reading for a while and I finish reading waiting for the comforter to wash and dry. I enjoyed it and I have another of his books, Scat on my summer reading list. Unfortunately, I run out of quarters and the comforter is only partially dry. However, the rain has past and it is sunny outside – I can hang the comforter on the line to dry at the cottage.

Next on my agenda were the coffeehouse and afterwards, the post office. I had stopped at Walgreen’s before the laundry, to have pictures printed to include in the letters I had written the previous night. Beth had picked up the pictures and brought them to me while I was washing the comforter and they turned out well. I readied the letters, finished yesterday’s post, checked mail and a few other blogs and sites before packing up and heading back to the cottage.

It has been warm and humid and Thursday afternoon was the warmest day since we had arrived. Fortunately, the forecast was for cooler weather to arrive overnight. In the afternoon, Beth worked in the kitchen making cherry jam with Grandma Weaver’s recipe. Grandma was supervising and Olivia and William were just tired and enjoying a quiet afternoon inside. I grilled chicken for dinner and while I was grilling, Olivia and I shot hoops on the basketball hoop on the driveway. Grandpa sat down, watched, and talked with us while we shot. Olivia did well shooting – four of ten free throws – great for a girl who rarely plays basketball.  Beth made a salad to go along with the grilled chicken and pulled dinner together and we all ate dinner at the table. It was our last chance, possibly until Labor Day weekend to have dinner with them as Grandma and Grandpa are leaving Friday morning. After dinner, I helped Grandpa pack the truck. Ivy and I went for a long walk and came back exhausted. I was in bed by ten and asleep before my head hit the pillow.

It has been a good first half of summer and it has been well spent. Friday is the beginning of the second half of summer and possibly the best days ever.

Thanks for visiting MtDC. How are YOU Making YOUR Days Count?