First, take a look at the top half of our water filter. That muddy water came from our faucets, and is the same water Maggie had to work with for washing the kids clothes today. So, washing the kids clothes in dirty water = grumpy mom. And, one grumpy mother = one great journal entry. And now I have a great blog post. Enjoy.
How To Do Your Laundry in PNG:
Step 1: Turn on the hose to fill the washing machine. While it’s running, sort the clothes into two piles: one to scrub by hand and one that can be washed as-is.
Step 2: Decide that your standards haven’t sunk quite low enough to wash clothes in water the color of charcoal. Drain the machine, wipe out the dirt at the bottom, and go borrow a bucket from your neighbor.
Step 3: Walk 100 yards down the hill to the rainwater tank, fill up the bucket, put it on your shoulder, and carry it up the hill to dump in the washing machine. Repeat 2 times, and don’t forget to spill water down the front of your dress and soak your underwear.
Step 4: Wipe the sweat from your brow as you stare at your half-full machine and decide there has got to be a better way.
Step 5: Experiment with different articles of clothing and finally settle on your son’s church shirt to strain the dirt out of the water. Fill your machine the rest of the way and keep telling yourself it’s better than it was.
Step 6: Spray the layer of black dirt from the shirt/strainer and throw it in the wash with the rest of the clothes. IMPORTANT: Stand on a chair before you turn on the machine! This will prevent the rats from running over your toes, which will keep you from making unearthly noises that will inevitably upset the baby.
Step 7: Scrub the other pile of clothes with a bar of soap while racking your brain to give your two-year-old a job to do that won’t end in her being soaking wet and all your freshly-cleaned clothes laying in the dirt. Fail miserably and watch helplessly while she gets soaking wet.
Step 8: Put the clean clothes in the spinner to get the soapy water out, positioning the drainage hose so that the soapy water runs back into the washing machine because you are NOT going through that again. Then remember that you haven’t strained any water for rinsing. Go inside and get a pair of your husband’s shorts, wrap them around the bottom of the hose, and fill the rinse tub with almost-clean water.
Step 9: Put the spinned clothes into the rinse water, swish them around, then put them back into the spinner. Have an epiphany and tell your soggy two-year-old that she can now safely put the other pile of clothes into the washer without causing major problems. When the rinsed clothes are done spinning, pile them into the laundry basket and repeat the rinsing process with the other load. (CAUTION: Remember the rats. Constant vigilance!)
Step 10: Hang the clothes on the line, except for the kids’ underwear and wash cloths, which are too dang small and annoying to put on the line and will dry just as well scattered on the porch. Breathe a sigh of relief and dream of the day when your children will be old enough to wash their own clothes. Or at least old enough not to poop on them.