What I think about while walking Jack

Tags

dogs, Jack, pets, postaday2013, walking

Jack and I, when I’m home, walk together one mile around Kaolin Road, twice a day. That is when my mind wanders and I often think about what I am going to write about, especially if I haven’t been gardening, baking or cooking. No matter how I feel, I always try to get Jack out, for my own good as much as it is for his, the anti-exercise Jack Russell that he is. Today I was thinking that I hadn’t done anything to really write about, except for doing laundry and watching t.v. The thought of laundry which in my case, barely constitutes as a chore, considering that it wasn’t until I was 17 that my parents moved into their own house and had a washing machine and a dryer in the basement.

Prior to that all of our laundry was put into a laundry bag, then into the wheeled cart, eased down a flight of stairs and then down the stoop and down the street to the corner laundromat every Saturday morning. Those weren’t very enjoyable Saturday mornings for my mother. I know that going to the laundromat almost became my permanent chore, but I’m fairly sure that it didn’t because I accidentally created a soap induced flood in the laundromat and the man was very upset with me and I think with my mother, that she allowed me to do something that, obviously I was not equipped to do. I’ll never forget the panicky feeling when I realized that I had put in too much laundry detergent and the bubbles kept rising and multiplying until they were overflowing beyond the confines of the machine and I didn’t know what to do. After that disaster, I remember being given the chore of ironing and I became quite good at that and I never minded ironing, I found it to be relaxing, busy work where you can let your mind wander and make up stories or finish a story line currently running on your favorite soap opera.

While I was thinking of those days, I went back further in time to when my grandmothers had to do laundry. Now doing laundry back in those days, that was a chore. I can imagine that it had to have taken all day to wash the clothes, rinse the clothes and then to let them air dry. How did anyone get fed on those days, just picturing it would make me too tired to cook and it’s not like those poor women had microwaves or Hamburger Helper to relieve them of kitchen duty. We might complain about being women in this day and age and I know that it is still hard for many women; single mothers, single women, married women, but I still think that we have made progress in many ways. I love my washing machine!

“I’d like to thank my cats.”

You are receiving an award –- either one that already exists, or a new one created just for you. What would the award be, why are you being honored, and what would you say in your acceptance speech?

I have received awards before, when I was in school and it was always very exciting. They never required any speeches, they were handed out at graduation for the excellent work in whichever subject matter; French, History and all around excellence. This acknowledgements meant a great deal to me because they were a validation of the hard work that I put into school and these awards recognized my abilities and my determination.

These days I wouldn't even pretend to award myself with anything, I haven't done anything, written anything or really accomplished anything to write home about. I might have spoken a little too soon, the fresh peach pie that I had made sometime last week could have been a contender in a pie contest and according to the baby boy, my frittatas could be contenders as well for a contest. So if they gave awards on baking or cooking, and I won, I know who I would thank; I would thank my parents for instilling in me a love of cooking and baking, I would thank my hubby for always being supportive in whatever I do and I would thank my two babies for always eating what I made for them without any complaint whatsoever.

Awards are wonderful but I don't really need one; the ones that I had received, I don't even know where they are, I try to do things to the best of my ability at the time and that is enough for me. As long as I sincerely made the effort and I didn't shortchange myself, I am satisfied. I am my own biggest critic, not necessarily my biggest fan, only my biggest critic and that is something that I seriously need to work on because everyone should be their own fan and be in their own corner. I would like to know what that feels like one day and it is something that I intend to discover eventually. 🙂