Laundry

Since we've moved into our apartment, there have been several moments that have given me deja vu from college...........on a much quieter scale, of course. But the hallways and doors, individually decorated......the personalities.....the common gathering areas. Somehow it takes me back to the ambiance of McDonald Hall at Missouri Valley!

That feeling hit even stronger this afternoon, when I made my first trip to the laundry room on third floor. It will take awhile for me to get back in the habit of keeping quarters on hand to feed the machines! We have two washers and two dryers on third floor, while there are two washers and one dryer on second floor. First floor residents have to drag their laundry up the elevator.

I don't envy them that trip – I'd hate to load up my dirty clothes and detergent, ride up the elevator, and find that the washers are in use. It's a little bit of a hike for us, at the opposite end of our hallway. But hubby is sweet to help me haul the clothes down so I can start everything at once. I think early afternoon may be a prime time for me to find empty equipment – during soap opera time.

Doing laundry in the dorm was a pain. I can't remember if there were two or three laundry rooms – two washers and one dryer each – for the entire dorm. Two arms of the dorm had three floors each, while the other one had four. I occasionally did my laundry there when the weather was bad. Otherwise, it was easier for me to stuff my dirty clothes into a laundry bag and haul them to the laundromat a few blocks off campus.

I don't remember ever going to the laundromat alone, though it surely happened a time or two. But many of us made the little hike from campus over to Odell Street and Morrow. There was even a footbridge across the little creek so we didn't have to walk on the street. And next door to the laundromat was Dairy Queen. This was the early '70's, and DQ is still in the same spot with a laundromat next door. Sometimes we'd take homework with us, but mostly we'd just run over to DQ and treat ourselves to a small something while our laundry did its thing. Occasionally we'd be fortunate enough that one of our few friends with transportation would be going at the same time and we could ride.

I really enjoyed the two years I spent on the campus at Mo-Val. I'd never been away from home before for any length of time, and I'd never had the opportunity to have a social life. I know I over-did the social aspect, but it was so nice to go places and be included. It was different to suddenly have to share a room with someone I'd never met before. That didn't work out too well, but after a few weeks a dorm room was available that a good friend and I could move into. At the end of first semester we were able to lay claim to a mid-year senior's room and that's where I stayed for the remainder of my college career.

In a way, that dorm room was like our apartment – it was the back corner dorm room and so was much quieter than a lot of the rooms were. I had to share a bathroom, but for two semesters it was with two friends. The last semester was a little different atmosphere when there were two mid-year freshmen in that room. I didn't have quite the same relationship with them, to put it mildly! It may have had something to do with my booting one of their boyfriends out of the dorm when he came to my room instead of theirs – and narc'd them out to the dorm mom. No guys were allowed except on certain weekend hours and with our parents' permission.

The times, they have changed – including the laundry facilities! My experience for today was my first time getting to use a front-load washer. I can't wait to see what new experiences await me tomorrow!