Community Laundry

Today's picture is from 1942, and shows women washing clothes in wash tubs with wash boards. The tubs were in a community wash center in Pinedale California. One wonders how long it would take to do laundry this way . . . I would have to think that it would be an all day job. When you look at this chore, you really appreciate the modern convenience of a washing machine and dryer. If you look at all the progress that has been made in technology over the last 150 years, I wonder what advances really had the biggest impact on quality of life. I would have to say three of the biggest would be indoor toilets/showers, refrigeration, and washer/dryers. If you have those three things, life really is a whole lot easier. On indoor plumbing . . . I really like being clean, and being able to jump in the shower every day is a very big deal (as is being able to go potty without having to put your shoes on and light a lantern). Similarly, life is a lot easier when you can keep food fresh in a refrigerator. Can you imagine trying to deal with milk without a modern refrigerator? And, as we see this week, washer/dryers are a huge time saver. So, if I simply had refrigeration, indoor plumbing, and a washer/dryer, I could be pretty comfortable.

Domestic Update:

We finally got a break from the 14 straight days of rain, and I was able to make progress on the greenhouse. The concrete men showed up, and we got the ground stakes concreted in.

The greenhouse structure is all built connected to the ground stakes, so if I got them in the right place, the assembly of the greenhouse should be easy. The next thing is, I need the plumbers to come and dig the trenches in the pad for the plumbing. Then, I can put in the sub-floor insulation board. Then the concrete people will come back, and put in the first level of rebar. Then, I run the radiant heat tubing around, zip-typing it to the first level of rebar. Then the concrete people come back, put the next level of rebar down, and then we should be ready to pour the slab. Once the slab is poured, then the assembly of the greenhouse can begin. It is a little frustrating how much work there is before you even get to assembling the structure.

Now, the plumbers actually did come out yesterday to dig the trenches in the pad for the plumbing. However, I decided that while they were out here, I would get them to go ahead and dig a trench over to Chickie Town, and bring a water line and electric line over to the Chicken Coup. That way I could provide a little heat for the chickies in winter time. Also, when the days are short, the chickens lay much fewer eggs. If  you turn a light on in the coop before sunrise in the winter, the chickens will keep laying eggs all winter. Also, the water line will let me make a little water system for them, so I don't have to keep going out and filling their water dish.

Unfortunately, they got about 20 feet of the trench dug, and the rock I live on broke the back end off the trencher. You see, many men have tried to trench through my rock, and many men have failed. The bad thing is that since the trencher broke, they were unable to do the primary mission, which was to get the trenches done in the pad for the greenhouse. They say they will come back tomorrow with a rock saw, and make the trench with the large riding rock saw.

So, progress has been made, but we have hit a few snags.