Laundry and other surprises

Thanksgiving Monday (Canadian) started out looking like a nice day, 10 C, sun out, so I put some clothes into the washer. As fall approaches laundry becomes a chancy thing as we do not have a dryer. So as the days become gray, colder and wetter with drizzle and fog, the clothes just don’t dry outside (and take a long time inside- you can figure on just one load a day on the drying rack) There are incredible drying racks available to buy here, but I got the cheap model last year- no extra fold-out extensions. It folds up flat for storage, and is made of metal tubing with eight heavy wire lines about 3 inches apart.
Of course by the time the washer had finished, it had clouded over outside so I ended up hanging the clothes out Tuesday morning which dawned clear and sunny. I did get out the drying rack to throw the socks and undies on- small stuff uses up all my clothespins and line space, and we have had the heat on in the house since the beginning of October. I put in a second load of Garry’s work clothes, and two hours later (that’s on the short cycle) I heard the spin cycle end and hung them out too. European-style washers only have cold water going in to them; they heat the water to the temperature you dial. Many people I talk to use cold water cycles, which cuts down the time required, but work clothes need some hot water to get clean, so.......it takes a while. Victor had this washer here when we came, it opens and loads from the top, but you spin around the drum and spring open the inner basket, because it works like a front loader at home (but sadly much smaller than mine in Manitoba.)
I took in most of the laundry at 2:30 leaving the jeans and one t-shirt that had the sleeve turned inside, unfortunately they were still not dry when I did bring them is at 5:30, now they are on the drying rack too. The days are much shorter now than in the summertime, just getting light at 6 in the morning (instead of 4am), and dark by 6:30 at night.
After meat pie (traditional post-Thanksgiving dinner) and chocolate-banana pudding for lunch, Garry went off to check out prices for the rest of the supplies for the equipment shed he wants to build next. There are a number of beams left over from the building of the second floor in the barn- they were used to lift the support beams, but he was checking out stuff at the metal dealer. They plan to do the roof with the asbestos panels that are common here. It will be a simple pole barn, tall enough for the tractors to fit under, as soon there will not be room for them inside the barn, once we have calves and heifers this winter.
The milk buyer came to the door while he was gone, so I phoned Garry since I had talked to him a while before and he was on the way home, turned out he was checking out a field behind the village. Good thing he hurried back as the man was having trouble with the milker ladies- there was a missing 2 liters (Garry couldn’t find the book – in the photo-to write it in when he got a pitcher of milk this morning) and so he explained. The ladies write down how much milk they get from each milking as they are paid by how much milk “their” cows give (they each milk the same cows every time) and then the buyers pay by how much milk they measure into their cans, and the discussion gets very lively if they don’t match up!
Garry brought the little bull calf outside so I could get a picture of him- I have been trying for days but he is in a dark part of the barn and we still haven’t replaced the camera with the broken flash- while the boys were helping him feed the cows.
When I went out to answer the door I discovered that we had mail tucked under my nasturtium pail by the door. What a surprise – when we were at Europe-area conference we met the Halls who were returning to Canada. They spent a crazy amount to send us a note and some Tim Horton’s coffee. Of course Garry is looking forward to trying it out. My sister sends Jonah books to read, they cost as much to mail as to buy, but he is so excited when they arrive. Even e-mails from someone who reads our blog, make our day, everything is encouraging when you are far from home. Thank you!!!