How I miss my washing machine back home!

Never really gave much thought to a washer and dryer until I moved over here.  Keep in mind that it takes over 2 hours to wash a very small load of laundry like 4 to 5 men's dress shirts totally fill the dang thing up.  And dryers just aren't used over here so it's back to clothesline days for me.  But I am extremely grateful that I have a washer in my apartment and it's quite a step up from beating my clothes with rocks at the local river bed to get them clean, Ha, Ha!  The not having a dryer thing is no biggie when the weather is hot like it has been but not sure what I'm gonna do when it's snowing or like today and yesterday just cloudy with rain showers.  I washed 3 loads on Saturday and hung them out with only dropping 3 things onto the balcony below us which is a huge improvement from what I did the first few times I hung things out.  Anyway there were huge storms that blew in and soaked all my hard work not once, not twice but three times!  I told Mark that it was just extra rinse cycles but seriously was really getting tired of it and knew the neighbors were probably just shaking their heads at what a stupid woman I must be.  It all got dry finally and it's fine but it was seriously making me feel very inadequate in just dealing with everyday life.  I'm over it now!!!!

Yesterday we picked up our visa permits which allow Mark to work here and me to stay with him.  It's a huge process of filling out paperwork then waiting for it all to be approved which took almost 6 weeks but it's done now so we can stop carrying our passports, birth certificates  and marriage license with us everywhere.  Silly I know but I hated carrying it all in my purse because if it got lost the hassle of getting replacements would have been a nightmare.  Now I just need to find a really safe place to store it in the apartment.

Anyhoo, I kept the car after we picked up our permits and I was determined to spend the day just doing "Donna Stuff" so I drove myself into Karlsrhue to this antik store I had read about on line.  I know what it sounds like "wah freaking hoo, she drove herself into a city" but it was a big deal to me.  The car is still a rental, 6 speed and there are a lot of one way streets where I was headed.  And how did she know that you ask.....well because I'd already been trying to find the store and got lost several times over last week until I finally gave up in tears.  Now I was determined that I was gonna conquer this store and get my confidence back that I could handle living overseas just fine without Mark's constant help.  I got there, parallel parked the car without any issues so I was flying high.  Walk down to the store and it's not open....WTF?  It's open from 9 to 12 then 2 to 4 everyday is what I read on line but then I see a hand written sign which of course, I can't really "read" but it looks like the hours have changed to opening at 11 so ok I have some time to kill.  I walked around, found some cool home decor places just browsed then sat myself down at a cafe to order coffee, chocolate croissant (not German but I love them) and read my book until he opened his store up.  I went back and this store is amazing just high quality antiks that are just gorgeous!  I think I might have made him nervous because I was petting every piece, opening doors and drawers just loving every minute of it.  He was the type of storekeeper that followed behind you which makes me nervous but I soldiered on and ended up buying a great yellow ware pitcher for 10E which was probably the cheapest thing in his entire store but who cares, I bought something!  Then I drove to get Clarice's new id tag with Mark's new cell phone #, went to the WalMart type store here and finally ended up at my favorite antik store.  Come on, I had the car so why waste a perfect opportunity.  I found some more great stuff and I'll post pictures later this weekend after I get everything washed up and in place. The lady was happy to see me and gave me some really good prices.  I also told her that I'd bring pictures next time so she could see how much I loved what I got from her.  Not completely sure she understood me but she could surely tell by my smile that I loved her stuff.

Donna Davis asked me last night what if the people at Mark's job don't like what I chose to furnish our apartment with since they "own" everything I have bought.  I told her too stinkin bad if they didn't but how could they not?  What is it about old, worn wood surfaces or rust or tattered fabrics that speak out to me?  Is it the stories they could tell or do tell about the people that owned them before?  Is it that someone treasured an item enough to keep it several years?  Is it because they saved their grandmother's little tin of sewing whatnots whether out of sentimental or practical reasons?  Could they not afford new things or was it because they treasured it?  I don't know but all of that runs thru my mind no matter if it's a fine antik cabinet or a little tin sewing box so I'm drawn to it.  I won't apologize for it or try to rationalize it to people that just don't get it but I will love what I bought for as long as I can and try to pass on that sense of history to others.

Ok enough for now because the washer has finally stopped so I get to go figure out how to hang Mark's dress shirts to dry.  Have a great weekend and do something that makes you smile!
Donna