It's been that kind of week so far. (This title is typical of the notes I'd get attached to non-working machinery when I worked as a Biomed Tech in a lab. So very helpful.)
Thing 2 came home Easter Sunday from his month-long stay in Columbia. Yes, the country. That's an adventure for a young man, and I'm glad he got to go and enjoy himself and work on his health, fitness, and life goals. Still, I'm even more glad he's back in the USofA again and I can stop worrying.His first load of laundry, an understandably large load, was thrown into the dryer which promptly gave up the ghost. The heating element, which had been getting weaker and weaker over the years, finally broke for good (a literal break in the metal coils). I let the dryer run all night and the air movement through the drum dried the load. That was a pleasant surprise--my goal had simply been to keep the contents moving and avoiding mildew.
Monday my Sweet Adeline chorus (Austin Harmony) voted for dissolution. We had a great 19-year run, but these past four years have been rough and we lost members to the point where we couldn't cover all four singing parts, nor come up with enough warm bodies to run the business side of keeping a chorus running and solvent. Those of us on the Management Team have been drained to exhaustion. It's sad, but the only realistic option at the moment.
Today, (dreadful) Tuesday, I had mentally devoted to taking inventory of chorus costume items. Thing 2 had asked permission to take the car for the morning to visit friends and take care of some business. He pulled out of the garage and discovered a rear tire was flat. Not 'slow leak' flat, but 'fill it as full as possible and hope you can get to the Firestone place down the street before you're driving on the rim' flat. (I love our little pancake air compressor when we have tire situations like this!) So his morning was spent getting the car to the tire place, walking back home and waiting for the call to pick it up, walking back and picking it up, then ceding possession to me for my errands. Poor guy, but he's got the car now and has announced his intentions to be home late. (He didn't have to do any of that, but he's a great young man and tries to pull his weight around here when he can. Plus, it was a beautiful Spring day with temps in the 70s, so the walks were a nice outing. I've done the same thing in the middle of Summer, and it's not pleasant.)
My afternoon, around my promise to pick up some chorus property from a former member, was spent researching new dryers and, conversely, how to replace a dryer heating element (and troubleshooting to determine if the heating element was the problem to begin with). It certainly looked simple enough in the YouTube videos! My dryer's heating element wasn't held on with 2 simple screws like every single element shown in all the videos, but I finally got the darn thing released from captivity and a replacement part ordered. For $30, it's a worthy experiment in prolonging the life of this old appliance (bought used when we moved here in 2009).
In the meantime, if we must do laundry in the next 5-7 days, the weather will probably stay lovely and cooperative. Or there's always a laundromat.
Here's what I'll be inventorying here at home, and spending the rest of the month collecting from the few remaining chorus members:
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| 2006, hanging in a walk-thru closet, very near the ceiling and barely clearing my head as I walk in. Five of these original members--me included--are still in the chorus and voted last night. |
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| Tops made by me, clearing all the JoAnn Fabric stores across the nation of this "night sky" fabric which was being discontinued. Tanks, pants, and jewelry also being inventoried, all hanging in various closets throughout the house. |
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| Same pattern as above, mixing it up with microdot fabrics. Made by me too. Director's 'black' top was a rainbow of colors under the lights. |
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| I didn't make this first bunch, but inherited the remaining fabrics (to include the black travel knit for the slacks) and patterns to continue making these for 2020. |
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| Care to guess how popular long-sleeved black shirts are in the middle of Texas, in the middle of Summer? (Relay for Life event, 2013) |
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| A more comfortable and blinged-out top soon replaced the black ones. 2016 after a luncheon gig. |
Oh, Carolyn -- the dryer is an annoyance but the chorus is your family.
ReplyDeleteWhen Austin Harmony came close to imploding in 2010, I joined a chorus an hour north of me as a dual member. I sang and competed with both choruses for three years (and got the chance to perform at Carnegie Hall!) That chorus will be my new home (Chisholm Trail Chorus, in Temple).
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We went on a dingy sailing holiday which had a chalkboard where you could note any faults with the kit. That was the early 90s and I still use the term that I saw written there. BCU (bit cum orf). My mother's drier was bought in 1963 for my nappies and was still working in 1990. I saw its twin in the Science Museum while mum's was still in service. My father used to replace the heating element whenever it failed, much to the joy of whoever was on the parts desk at the time. I'm sorry about the choir but like driers, nothing lasts forever. There comes a time when there's no chance of mending it and you have to let it go.
ReplyDeleteSo funny!!! Unfortunately, I had a 'bit cum orf' when trying to disconnect one of the pieces. I'm going to have to attach a new end to one of the wires, but it's just another annoyance to add to this week's pile.
DeleteOne of my 'man do I feel old' moments came while wandering through an antique market several years ago. There was a display of women's Army uniforms, and they were the new ones being introduced just before I was discharged! Depressing places, those antique markets.
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I'm glad you still have a place (group?) to sing. I'll brag a little - our college choir sang in Carnegie Hall - isn't the view from the stage just fantastic? Enjoy singing, with maybe not all the responsibility you have taken on in the past.
ReplyDeletePlace? Group? We'll call it a singing sisterhood.
DeleteI think it's a brilliant idea on the part of CH to rent the place out in its down time to any group willing to pay. The package deal we got was great fun. Gotta rephrase that old saying though: "How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice (and $5,000)." (Prices have probably gone up since 2010!)
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When we moved and I had to leave my first chorus, I left thinking "I don't want to join a chorus that needs me." I was pretty exhausted from the demands I took on with that one. Over the last 20 years, I managed to take on as many and more with Austin Harmony. I'm looking forward to the honeymoon period when I can just be Molly Member. Knowing me, it won't last much more than a year. I'll soon be using that four-letter word when asked if I can take something on: Sure!
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I had to back up a few posts to see what was going on with the various SA costumes. Sorry to hear your group is disbanding. I’m wondering if many Sweet Adeline’s will end up joining Barbershop choruses now that they allow women to join. My hubby’s group had 6 or 7 women join right away. He quit because the hour (some times more) drive each way. Plus we have other groups locally to sing with.
ReplyDeletePart of the dissolution is to inform members of their other options, and the Barbershop Harmony Society was certainly mentioned. If I hadn't already decided to go north (you know that hour's drive? That's me for now too), I might have looked into the local BHS chorus. Our director certainly is, but as a possible director!
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And since you're listed as Anonymous, I really do wonder who I'm "talking" to.
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