Wash Day

At home I throw in a load of laundry, sweep or write or do something else, then move the clothes from washer to dryer, sweep or write or do something else again, then fold and put away.

Here's it's a bit different. We draw two tubs of water, grab powdered soap, add clothes and rub. One tub is for washing; the other for rinsing. Because we've been traveling widely in dusty places, we must empty both tubs before the "load" is through.

The tubs, I should mention, are on the tile floor in the bathroom, which is a corner of the kitchen separated by a partial wall. There's a shower (no stall), a faucet for filling buckets, a toilet (blessed, beautiful toilet!) and a sink.

Washing the clothes is an athletic endeavor, involving much standing, bending at the waist, energetic scrubbing, intense wringing and the use of muscles (in my hands, for instance), that I didn't know I had.

The best part is last: Hanging the clothes on the line to dry. It doesn't take long here. In a couple of hours I bring in a pile of clean clothes, crisped and sweetened by the sun.