And I Halp'd

Remember that ancient ad for Hamburger Helper? I think that's what it was for. Well, my helper is not a cute little girl. It's Baxter.

See all the hairs on my NEW (be still my heart) ironing board cover? Baxter's contribution to my ironing.

And he helps with the warm, just-out-of-the-dryer laundry.

By sitting on it.  

Thanks, but no thanks.

OH THE HUMANITY!

Ummm...no,  not the humanity, geeze.

OH THE LAUNDRY!

Has Knittergran been building tents in the backyard? you ask.

Nope. She has been hosting some members of her granddaughter's climbing team at her house. And this is all that remains of their visit. There were (one night) the following people: my daughter, the coach, the assistant coach, and five climbers.

The next night:  the coach and six climbers. My daughter and the assistant coach flew back to Austin; the extra climber came from? A different team? Yes, but it's too complicated to explain.

And now there are none.  We had all been to Chattanooga for a regional competition and then we all came back here so that the climbers could check out the new Stone Summit gym in Kennesaw, where Nationals will be held in July.

And in Chattanooga, the kids climbed the outside wall (15 meters high) in heat so bad that the automatic timers didn't work and the grips were hot, hot, hot. 

This is video of my granddaughter's climb.  She is on the right wearing the green shirt:

Annnnddd...

She made it!

Her team will be back in July.

And I need to get going on the laundry if I want it to be finished by then.

I Might Be Simple-Minded

My family would ask "Might be?" but don't listen to them.

But why do I think I might be?

Because I’ve just been watching my washing machine….again. It has a clear top, so I can look in while the machine is running...and I do. I’m trying to figure out how it works. It’s a top-loading front washer and it is a mystery to me. I put the clothes in (in heaps, per the instructions) and the soap in, and the washer sprays in a small amount of water, then spins really, really fast, then suddenly stops, sprays in some more water, and on it goes, repeating the whole process for almost half the cycle. Then the drum wobbles back and forth, then spins, then……never mind, it’s boring, I know. But so far, it works just fine, and I am convinced that there might be magic involved.

The instruction book says that this washer has an “invisible agitator.” I am not making this up – an invisible agitator. Doesn’t that mean it doesn’t exist, since something like that can’t really be invisible???

A friend of mine wants me to put in intentionally-soiled items: an old towel with blueberry and strawberry stains, a cloth with salad dressing on it, and the like. A pop quiz for the washer. But if I am to believe that there is such a thing as an invisible agitator, then I would just prefer to believe there is magic involved.

So, no pop quiz, and I’m off to resume watching the laundry….