Laboring on Labor Day
I love my life, but it’s hard work. Writing is a very sedentary activity. Still, my new lifestyle does get me moving. Aside from the exercise I get walking back and forth to the bathroom many times a day (and night), there’s doing the dishes.
I have a sink, but it’s small, and the spigot reaches out but an inch, which makes sticking a pan under there to rinse difficult. Plates? I have to turn the water on full force and angle it just so.
Which is problem, if you remember, because my grey water bucket is only about 2 gallons.
Guess how many gallons of water it takes to wash 6 plates, 20 utensils, 6 cups, 4 bowls, 5 pans, and 2 measuring cups?
That’s about a two or three days of dishes for me. And it takes 7-10 buckets of water. Which means 7-10 trips to the grey water dump, which is over 1 mile of walking, carrying a heavy bucket full of water.
Altogether, it takes about 5 hours to do the dishes and clean my little camper, top to bottom. Because it’s small, I have to clean, top to bottom, every morning, or else it looks like a disaster hit it. I only do the dishes about once every three or four days because there’s a leak that I have to clean up after doing the dishes, and I’m waiting for Glenn to get home to fix it.
Today is a Dish Day. And a big writing day, too.
Are you laboring on labor day? What’s on the schedule? Or are you having a fun day? Do tell, so we can live vicariously!
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Natasha Fondren is a writer traveling the U.S. in a camper with her four cats. She is currently enjoying the lizards and desert heat in Arizona.
I’m at work but I won’t lie and say I’m laboring.
LOL, Travis! I thought you worked at the post office, though! I thought it was required that you get the day off! Seems a sin.
I’m laboring on my book, but I admit I’m doing it in bed. There’s this view. And my cats are all here. So, er… the dishes will have to wait for a few more hours.
The new place we moved into in January has a dishwasher and I get excited every time I run it because for the past few years, it was by hand. But I didn’t have to carry the bucket – I feel for you!!
Hope your dishes go quickly and smoothly and good luck writing!!
As for my day, just doing some writing and hoping some friends that are in town stop by.
Nadine, I’ve been spoilt by dishwashers, for sure! I appreciate them now that I don’t have one much more than I did when I had one, for sure! LOL!
Thanks. Yay for friends and writing!
Oh, my! That sounds like a Hard Labor day, Natasha! Take care of yourself first and foremost. The dishes can wait.
LOL! Well, it seems so, as I keep procrastinating them! I can’t be expected to lug buckets in pouring rain, can I?
I’ve been spending the entire day on my backyard deck either playing catchup the 60 odd blogs I follow or doing a little writing.
I’m just about at the tail end of my catchup (always save the best for last) so it’ll be back to writing soon.
Nice, George! That sounds lovely! Was that a compliment? Thank you!
(blushes)
I’m doing research for a book that might not get written and will almost certainly be unmarketable if it does get written so I’m ind of pretending to work while actually playing.
The dish situation sounds dire. Won’t Caesar lick the dishes clean for you?
That sounds wonderful, Eric! I’ve been toying with one in the back of my mind, too. Very fun!
I wish he would, LOL! I have two that would, but they have often-upset stomachs.
I’m writing my plot and character notes for a new book. I have to figure out a plot point and then I should be ready to go. I’m going to use something that was in today’s newspaper.
I wonder if you can fit some kind of rubber tube thingy on the faucet to make it easier to rinse the dishes???
Edie, that is SO cool! I need to read the newspaper more.
Yeah, I’m going to have Glenn put in a new spigot, and I’m hoping he’ll also put in one of those sprayer things. That would make things TONS easier!
Oh, man, Natasha. If it took me 5 hours to clean anything, I assure you it would remain dirty. You’re my hero!!!!
LOL, Robin! Well… there are times when it remains dirty while I procrastinate, LOL!
I started classes on Labor Day.
Is this ironic?
Yes! But I can’t believe you started classes on a holiday!
I wrote 1300 words.
I rarely count my words but today I happened to writer that much in less than an hour, entirely submerged and typing my fingies off.
Dishes. Erg. My husband does the dishes and I cook. Sounds like Glenn and you need that sort of arrangement when he gets back.
That totally rocks, Betsy! I love when that happens. I’d really like a day like that.
Personally, I try to convince him that I’m writing for our bread, so he does both the cooking and the dishes.
I did no laboring today.
That’s totally awesome, Charles!
Such a different lifestyle!
The bathroom thing…that’s probably the biggest thing I hold against camping!
I don’t mind the bathroom thing so much, McKoala. It’s a pain, but I like that it forces me to get some exercise in.
I’m late to the comments, but I have a suggestion for being much more efficient with your water. I can wash all that with two buckets, you just have to soap everything up at once (or in several shifts) and be creative. When soapy water collects in a glass or bowl, I pour that into the next to rinse, etc. It might even be easier to just use the bucket & a smaller bowl to pour the water. That might save you several trips.
That would help! The problem is the rinsing in the awkward position of the faucet, and the fact that I was heating up water. If I do it with cold water, I don’t have to fill up the sink. It’s been going quicker if I just use a soapy sponge and rinse, but sometimes ya’ just need a little hot water clean, you know? LOL!
I’ve also gotten better at scraping every last bit of food off the plates. The helps, because then I don’t need to change the soapy water, you know?
OK, you have a walk for the water-get empty 5-6 gallon jug-you know the type that the water coolers use and a kids red wagon (Or green one) fill it up. pour what you need in pan to heat up early. fill one bucket with cold, one with heated. You still will have water in your big jug so you can skip a day or so between getting the water. If I have totally confused you-watch “Die Hard with a Vengence”-it is the one that takes place in New York and crooks are stealing gold from the Federal Depository.
forgot to mention, Dawn makes soap that you use on a wet sponge, you wash wet dishes (can be cold water) and then rinse them all. (I hate doing dishes any shortcut works great.) Also, when cooking supper, heat water in teapot and as soon as done cooking empty grease etc, then add detergent and the hot tea water. Wash as soon as done eating and the pans won’t be so bad. Other option is to use sturdy paper plates that do decompose. Silver ware is easiest to wash and won’t use gallons of water. Now you know why so many go out to eat every night-doing the dishes is a pain!! (hubby’s dream is to do what you are doing now-I have a more realistic plan-do it for 6 months out of every year.)
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