Things I have learned at the Laundromat

While washing clothes at the campground laundry, these are the things I have learned:

If I have a can of pop and a package of cookies, near me, the kids will find me.

My kids, come to find out, are NOT the dirtiest ones in the campground.

Everyone has a story to tell. Like the lady who's husband is dying of liver cancer and how she's learned to value life and appreciate it so much more day to day. I wish I had gotten her name. But I will never forget our conversation.

Or the lady who is camping with her 6 grandkids, and complaining about how much laundry she has to do....that one cracked me up, since I was doing laundry for twelve of us!! And, having my grandkids so far away, I don't think I would ever complain about doing their laundry. I would love to have them close enough to me so that I COULD do their laundry!

Another random thought while I am watching the dryer spin, is, for every quarter I am sticking into this dryer or washer, I am depriving one of my kids the opportunity to shower in the campground shower room. Yes, they charge a quarter for a shower. At first it ticked me off, I mean, we are paying plenty in the two week jaunt to cover a shower. And Nicole was terrified it would shut off in the middle of her sauna and she always took two coins just in case. I always shower in the camper, but the big kids, especially, go to the shower room. But then I mellowed out and realized, for just a quarter, I lose 3 teen or near-teen children for up to 1/2 hour. That is actually a bargain for a quarter. With the benefit, I do not have to listen to their teenage conversations, that usually makes my skin crawl after the 22 hour car ride to Jersey.

When I am on laundry duty, it never ceases to amaze me how quickly the kids find me. I mean, usually at a campground, I am looking for where they got off to on their bikes, but when they know I have a bag of laundry money, they come running to me like long lost cousins. They are the sweetest, most loving children I have ever seen when they have their grubby little hands out, asking for a couple of quarters for the game room. And, ask their dad? He's had his hands full with them the whole time I did laundry...what??? They were bothering me, not him!!

At home, we both dread laundry duty, and are very grateful for a friend that helps us keep our heads above the suds. But when camping, we fight over who GETS to do the laundry, because that usually means a bit of time with a magazine, our laptops, or a short nap between machines having to be switched. However, since the kids are now masterminds at the whole quarter thing, we get less time alone, and more time fighting off their requests. I may quit lobbying for laundry duty from now on.


Another thing I have learned is that people will knock you down to get their laundry into a washer before you. I typically go early, and figure for 6-8 loads it will be a 2 1/2 hour job. That's if Atilla the Hun is not trying to do her laundry. I fill the washers as full as they can go and still get the clothes fairly clean, but Atilla likes to put 5 pieces of her delicates in one washer, a hand towel and a few washrags in another, while she takes yet another washer for her tennis shoes that she, most likely, would never wash at home. So out of 9 washers, she has just taken up 3, and stands guard over a fouth one, just in case a member of her family may need to put garment in it before she is finished. I think the rules should say, "No saving washers," because laundromat people do not understand the phrase "first come, first served." With Atilla at the helm, I have 5 washers available to do 6-8 loads of laundry, and I am only washing what I have to have to get by. Our camping clothes traditionally get pretty ruined every year, so it's just a matter of necessity that I wash while we are camping. The clothes don't usually look much better when I am done. They do smell better tho. One lady actually accused me of not saving a washer for her. What?? Like I can think about what she needs when I am fighting off grubby hands begging for quarters, Atilla's dark stare as I slink past her to double load the last washer in the place, and she thinks I can save a washer for her? Oh my. It's a world I am not that comfortable with.

Plus, alot of campers have an attitude. I mean, the ones who pay to leave their campers there all summer act like they own the place. In reality, we pay MORE than they do, so shouldn't we be entitled to a little bit better treatment - or at least some kindness!!

I was glad when I met friends of Scott and Britt's to know that there truly are some people in South Jersey who are kind, compassionate, nice people. Otherwise, my dealings with most of them would leave me with a much different impression.

So, that's what I think about when I am doing laundry at a campground. I suppose in some way it will grow me or I will gain compassion, or something like that. Mostly, I get the job done, and when I get home, I appreciate my friend who helps me with my laundry even more. Plus, my friend never holds out a grubby hands and asks for a quarter. Now that's a definate win!