In case you’re new here, I’ll recap just a bit. I live in an apartment and my apartment manager lady is most vigilant about handing out notices. I have received notices about cars that did not belong to me or my guests, bikes that certainly weren’t mine, and general porch tidiness even though my porch is tidy.
I came home from Ladies Bible Class with Sarah yesterday to discover that I have received another notice: No More Hanging Laundry Outside.
Indignant, I immediately began preparing myself to march down to her office and give her a piece of my mind. I had yet to really let her have it for the other notices, but I figured she had poked me too much.
Does she have any idea how much it costs to keep a second floor apartment cool? Why should I run a hot dryer and make it all the more expensive?
Did she not notice that I only hang my nicer items outside? No underwear or ratty under shirts. It’s not like I don’t have public laundry hanging standards.
If I got a new dryer, where would I put my vacuum or my space heater, or the air pump? I use that little spot in the laundry closet. Doesn’t she know that a dryer would throw a monkey wrench in my whole household order?
What about the environment? I don’t really care a whole lot beyond not littering, but she doesn’t know that. What if I’m just doing my part to reduce greenhouse gases or fumes or whatever it is that Al Gore’s peddling?
Fuming and working up a good steam, I did what I usually do when I need to gather my thoughts: I started to scrub a pan. Am I the only one who gains deep insight while scouring? This was one pan scrub where I pretty near scrubbed a hole in the pan and came out resolved to let the whole mess slide.
What!? How could I let that lady get away with her environmentally deficient, poor people poking, generally annoying like a mosquito ways?
I’ll tell you.
Somewhere between the bottom of that first pan and the plates that followed, it dawned on me that I was actually responsible for this complaint. I had been hanging my laundry for the last six months under the “it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission” mantra. I was almost certain all along that there was some reference in my lease that covered hanging laundry ( according to the notice, it’s under the “porch decoration and furniture” section).
Against every fiber of my self righteous little body, I knew that I was wrong and *gulp* the apartment manager lady was right. I was vaguely aware that it might be against the rules to hang my laundry and I was asking for trouble when I put it out and disregarded the rules.
I spent the better part of winter hanging laundry indoors, so I knew I couldn’t complain that it was impossible to dry my laundry without the sun and wind. The gloriously fast and efficient sun and wind.
So, I’m back to hanging the laundry inside. As soon as I get it all hanged up (hung? hanged? Jenni? A little help?), I fully intend to pat myself on the back for being such a grown up about the whole thing.
Did you hear that, Universe? I’m a grown up.
Susan says:
You know, she should be happy that you hadn’t strung up a line between the buildings, or down in grassy area. I mean, it could have been worse.
Maybe I am not nearly as grown up as you are.
May 15th, 2008 at 11:16 am
Eric's Wife says:
That’s funny, because when my neighbor in the next building heard about it, he suggested we string a line up between our windows. Then we could hang our laundry and holler back and forth like in Little Italy.
May 15th, 2008 at 11:36 am
Kim Heinecke says:
Who needs a cruise when you’ve got Litl Itly?! We get the same “notice” treatment when our pop up camper is parked in our drive way for more than a day or so…
May 15th, 2008 at 11:53 am
Natalie Witcher says:
You kidding, JT had an huge bus RV in front of our house for probably 1.5 minutes when an officer stopped to ask us about it because a neighbor called. Dude! Relax, we’ll move it already!
You’re clearly more of a grown up than I am.
May 15th, 2008 at 11:57 am
Eric's Wife says:
Can’t we all just get along? Why they gotta be all bringing the Five-Oh in on it?
May 15th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Brandy @ my12hats says:
This post had me holding my side with laughter… only because I TOTALLY identify! One time I was so mad that I found my “answer” while scrubbing the INSIDE of my dishwasher. *shrugs*
I am also VERY impressed with your grown-up-ness. Much more mature than I!
May 15th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Eric's Wife says:
Then you understand why I was happy to have at least gotten my answer before I wound up cleaning out the fridge. I think that would have been tragic.
May 15th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
deleise says:
The 5 oh! You are killin’ me! Darn you, Mean Apartment Manager Lady, for being right. We’ll get you next time.
May 15th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Eric's Wife says:
I hope that the theatrical note on that comment includes a shaking of a clenched fist.
May 15th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
deleise says:
Sorry. I left that out. And pursed lips.
May 15th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
Eric's Wife says:
Oh yes. Lips must be pursed.
I suspect you and I will come up with some piece of comic gold someday, Deleise. Watch out world!
May 16th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Natalie Witcher says:
uh…amy….where’s today’s post?
May 16th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Cat says:
hey, I have pots to scrub - wanna come over and I’ll make you mad??
oh, the rebellious in me would still be trying to figure out a way to make it a “win-win”. ya know, zip-tie some nice bamboo sreen fencing to the railing (which would provide some cooling and privacy btw) and then hang your laundry below the sight line (aka camouflage).
now, the mature side of me would challenge myself to return kindness for the poke in the eye…perhaps a nice loaf of banana bread for the old gal (aka mean ‘ole apt. mgr. who probably is rarely shown kindness - at least by those who’ve met her more than once)
I find that pushing myself to the extreme limits of being Christlikeness suddenly makes me suddenly humble with the struggle I have to just be civil sometimes :o)
you go girl!!!
May 16th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Your favo cousin GINA says:
“that first pan and the plates that followed, it dawned on me” HA you were doing dishes and it DAWNed on you!
Okay it was funnier the first time I read it.
So, you have more restraint than I. When we had mean neighbors Damon was holding me back from busting out the brass ones and shoving them in her face. But I just stood back and polished them…and they moved. So maybe there’s hope that she’ll find some new fabo job elsewhere….hey there’s an idea, start sending her the classifieds anonymously (sp?) maybe with the banana bread that was mentioned earlier…hmmmm. Just a thought.
May 16th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Jenni says:
I love the pun Gina caught. Classic.
I believe “hung” would be proper.
And you have my undying respect for both scrubbing pots AND being a grown-up. I wish I cleaned things when I got upset. My house would be spotless.
Har!
May 16th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Theresa says:
I love the reference to little Italy. To make that a site to behold would be to get yourself some of those big lacy bloomers and hang them…I love the visual. I have really this last 5 years or so learned to “scrub pots before confronting” It has helped me!!
Love this post!
May 16th, 2008 at 10:14 pm