Blue Monday-Wash Day Today

Blue Monday
Wash Day Today
8.5" x 11"
pencil
Previously, I posted a drawing of wash day, always on Monday, when I was growing up, and I wrote about how it was at our house, and in most of the community. Monday seems to be the day for washing in many places besides our little corner of Texas.
To see that drawing, along with the one about ironing day on Tuesday, and heavy cleaning day, waxing floors and such, on Wednesday, look back in the older posts.
Today's drawing is of wash day today. I thought that might be appropriate since it is another Blue Monday, with clothes in the washing machine and more, sorted and ready to go. It's a gray day outside with warnings of the first freeze of the year tonight. I'm sure glad that I don't have to do my laundry over a wash pot and a sink with a rub board, then hang clothes on the clothes line outside, wait for them to dry, and have to carry all that inside to sort, fold, sprinkle, and get ready to iron on Tuesday.
In my picture, above, there are stacks of laundry on the floor by the utility room, sorted and ready to wash. The washer and dryer are beyond the open door, along with the central heating and air conditioning unit. A variety of products for making the clothes clean and soft line the shelf about the washing machine and dryer.
I'm sitting in the den, in a recliner, feet propped up, while I draw and watch an old movie on tv. Bitsy, my elderly Manx cat, is perched behind my head while she naps. Beyond the double doors is the dining room and living room, with the organ. My mother's painting of what we called "the big house" or "the two story house" (my great-grandfather's house), hangs over the organ. There is a fireplace on my right side. That would be nice for a warm fire tonight and tomorrow after the cold weather comes in. It won't be cold for very long, though.
I don't know if very many other people wash clothes, while they are drawing and watching old movies on tv! That's the way I do my washing, these days. I might even be painting, or in another room, working on my computer, while the machines do the heavy things. That's really amazing, if you stop to think about how things were done not so long ago, and how they are done today. I wonder what new inventions they will come up with in the future to make our lives even easier. And, of course, along those lines, what will they come up with so that everyone can have these same easier lives.
I won't need to iron tomorrow, Tuesday. I caught up with that on Saturday. Most things don't need to be ironed, these days. But, an occasional purchase by my new-to -purchasing- his- own- clothes, grandson, means a few 100 % cotton shirts that have to be ironed. I think that he will read the labels better next time he buys his own clothes.
Let me know if you see something that you are interested in purchasing, or if something appeals to you.
Thank you for reading and sharing. Be sure to check out the various things on my sidebar.
I'm having a little trouble typing this right now. Trying to hold a puppy with a tummy ache! Pluto, our Chihuaha, Dachshound, Beagle, mixed puppy, was clearly in pain last night, yelping and crying in pain, so that we couldn't sleep. A call to the vet at almost midnight, revealed a big fee for emergency calls. I thought for sure that he had chewed on something he shouldn't have found, and was having stomach pains. We gave him some bread, which might coat any foreign objects, and I remembered a vet telling me to give my dogs grease, like from bacon, butter, or Crisco, if they were ever poisoned. We were contemplating giving Pluto some Crisco, but he went to sleep, finally. My daughter took him to the vet when they opened this morning.
It turned out that the tiny dog had just eaten too much food and was a little constipapted. And that was expensive, too. So, he's taking a laxative. At least, he isn't crying out in pain like he was last night, and we know that he didn't eat something that he found. He's been chewing on the fireplace rocks, the wood for the fireplace, socks, laundry, he even pulled the fuzz off of a tennis ball we had given him to play with. We threw out his toys that weren't well made and I encourage the family to keep tiny things picked up, like Legos, paper clips, wraps off of straws and snacks, and clothes. He chewed a hole in my favorite flannel gown while I was holding him! I'm pulling him away from things he shouldn't have, like the fireplace rocks, and substituting his chew bone for them. But, I know the chewing will be going on for a while. We moved the pet food from the floor and will feed him just when he needs to be fed. The cats will have to jump up on something to get their food.
When pets, and children, get sick, usually in the middle of the night or weekends, and you don't know what is wrong, or what to do, and can't take them to the doctor or vet, it is so upsetting. Makes you wish that you were a doctor or a vet or a nurse and had some concept of what to do. Some way to get relief for that beloved person or pet.
It's a relief to know that Pluto is going to be fine and that he didn't eat something that could hurt him. Honestly, I never heard of an animal eating too much and having a tummy ache! My pets have always eaten what they needed, then left to do something else. This little one takes a few bites of food, or a little water, runs off, then is back for more.
Finally, he is running around, now that my daughter is back at home. Pluto is so attached to her, he wants to be with her constantly. He usually just wiggles and his claws scratch me, when I try to hold him. Today, while my daughter went to the store, he wanted me to hold him, while he chewed on my fingers.
Stay warm and enjoy something indoors, a warm drink, a hot meal, or soup, or, maybe even one of my favorites. I like to eat ice cream when it's cold, and while I sit by a heater, or stove!