Day 12 – What Chore Do You Find The Most Challenging To Do?

note: this is part of #bloganuary where each day in the month of January, there is a prompt that we can write on.

Also, I am a day behind on this one and therefore did not meet my commitment of posting on the day of the prompt. In my defense, the internet went out yesterday. I will give myself a pass on this one.

This is going to sound odd, but I do not have chores per se. I also classify a chore as something that is loathsome and undesirable. For the most part we do not have “his and her” chores. Nor do I have a traditional “honey do” list. She is an incredibly strong and independent person.

She will also tell you that she can do everything that I can do, just better. Then she will say not really, but probably. HAHA

Because of this, it is difficult for her to ask for help. Why would she ask me, when she can just get it done herself. For example, one day, for no reason and without warning, she will just wake up, start pulling everything off shelves and out of cubbies and start cleaning. If I ask her what I can do to help, she will usually say nothing. I would help for sure if I had a heads up and knew that was the plan for the day. And what Dawn will tell you is that she may not know that she is going to clean until that morning. She just wakes up in “cleaning mood”. What ever that is.

However, If I am to think of one chore that I would turn down, it would be dusting. Which I know is part of cleaning. Now, I do not mind dusting the TV, the desks, the big items. I just do not want to dust all the nick knacks and collectables that we have out. UGH. The thought of picking up 100 tiny Gnomes, stuffed animals, pictures, house plants, and various items that Dawn has on display that makes our home amazing does not appeal to me.

I do know that the vacuum cleaner being left out is her way of asking for that to be done. She will strategically place it in the room she is “hinting” should be vacuumed.

Including dusting, there is not one chore that I would not, or have not done at the house. I typically clean the litter box and vacuum that area in the morning, she does it at night. On trash day, I am usually up before her and I take care of that.

But, here is the story of chores I want to share.

I did laundry for a number of years before Dawn. I did laundry when we were first married. However, I have been kicked out of the laundry room unless I have special permission.

Why? Well there are a number of reasons…………

See, I know that cloths need to be separated for the most part. What I learned once Dawn and I got married is that they need to be separated by specific colors, material, and the list went on.

What are specific colors? Great question, let’s take grey. I see grey as either the “darks” load, or the “whites” load. Makes sense to me. Apparently, that is wrong as I was instructed as much. But I digress…..

The final straw for her was when I washed my own work cloths from a week of construction. I took all my work cloths from the week, and put them in the same wash. Underwear, socks, jeans, and shirts of all colors and fabrics. It all just gets sweaty and dirty the next time and I am not trying to win a fashion show out on the job. I dump some detergent in and close the lid. Set it to warm and go. When they are done, I put them in the dryer and I am ready for the next week. Remember, these are my work cloths, what do I care. That was the last straw. She starts telling me that I have to separate colors, and material types. Not everything should go in the dryer, on and on. I was giving a list of things that for a number of years I did not know I was doing wrong.

Now, I was not quite as carefree with our regular cloths and especially hers. But here is where I was really schooled on laundry.

I did not know about all the bags that she has for the different garments that she wears.

A bag for this undergarment, a different bag for sweaters. UGH. And, I know that the washer has a bunch of markings on the dial, but seriously, I just go to warm, permanent press, and that is it. Oh no she says, you have to use the different settings. And, while I would just measure and dump in some detergent, she informed me that there is different detergent for the different cloths as well. What!

She tells me that the washer will perform a different job depending on the cloths that you have in there and that will help the cloths last longer. Whatever, sounds silly to me.

Now you can see why I am banned.

Unless, the cloths have been separated and I have been instructed as to which detergent is used, what setting to use, as well as the temperature of the water. Also, what does and does not go in the dryer. Then, I am permitted to wash cloths. But still there are items, especially the ones that go in those aforementioned bags, that she would rather me not wash. If I do, it is an emergency. Now, just because I do not wash them does not mean that I do not fold and move the clean laundry to the second floor. She figures I can not possibly mess that up.

I joke of course, I am not really banned. It has just been strongly suggested that I do other things and stay away from the laundry.

“Fine” I say, “I guess I will just go to the shed and separate and organize screw drivers.”

She does not understand.

“Babe, of course you have to separate them. Some are used for different applications and you have to have the right tool for the job so the they last.”

Hmmm, where did I hear that before…

Have a great Friday y’all

t.t.