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Saturday, June 19, 2021

Those Useful Things

 Y'all already know I'm nuts right?

I purposely try to give thanks when I meet 
a real, genuine, kind, and 
normal (by my standards whatever that might be) person.
This week, I met one of those people.
Some time back, I really worked on getting plastics out of our house.
There were some things that were easier than others.
One of the challenging things was to find a good laundry basket.
I did find one about a year ago, but it was expensive.
It was expensive enough that I went home and stewed on it
for a week or two before finally deciding to buy it.
I am hoping it lasts the rest of my life. 

I love my laundry basket!
Now how many people can really say that?  
As I said, I've used it for about a year.
It seems just as sturdy as the day I purchased it
and shows no signs of wear.
This was important to me if I was spending money on a basket.
We have a small area for laundry right inside our back entrance
so there's not a lot of extra room.
The basket sits on the washer 
and acts as our hamper during the week.
Laundry day, I set it on the floor to sort loads.
Then as each load is done, I take it out to the summer kitchen
where I have the clothes line set up.
We have so much wind here, 
it's almost impossible to hang clothes outside.
They get dirtier than before washing.
So I do the next best thing under the circumstances.
To haul the wet clothes out to the summer kitchen,
I use a slightly smaller basket that is. . . . 
plastic :-(
As far as plastic baskets go, it is a good shape and size
but it stands out in our home like you wouldn't believe.
I recently contacted the maker of my basket to inquire
if she would be willing to make me another one only slightly smaller so it will fit right inside the one I have.
She said she would and asked if I could bring my basket by
so that she could make sure it would fit as she was making it.
We made the necessary arrangements,
 and I dropped it off at her home.
I had never met her in person.
It took about a half an hour for me to simply drop off a basket.
She is a delightful person.
Isn't it funny how when we meet some people,
there is little to say and much silence.
Then with other people, it seems like there should be a pot of tea
so the conversation can keep going.
She was one of the later, and I was ever so grateful to meet her.
And aside from her genuine character,
she has a fabulous skill.
It will be a couple weeks before I get to use both of my baskets
to do the laundry.
Doesn't that sound silly~
to be anxious to use laundry baskets.
Well, that is my kind of excitement.
I truly appreciate quality items and even if a purchase is difficult
to bite off from a financial perspective,
not only not regretting a purchase but also being glad of it
is even better.  
And I'm learning more and more
quality people tend to make quality items.
Perhaps that's part of the draw.

That's all I really have for today.
I just wanted to share the appreciation of something good.
I hope each of you finds a bit of goodness today.


21 comments:

  1. Oooh I would LOVE one of those baskets!! Any info on the maker or website would be really appreciated.

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    1. I will attach the link. Mine isn't shown, but if you inquire, she has my basket so can count or measure etc. Mine is 20" diameter and I think about 14" tall. She is a jewel (both the basket and the maker ;-))
      https://www.basketsbyemily.com/pages/aboutus.php

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  2. No, I don't think you're nuts, lol. I enjoy laundry too and prefer to line dry as well. Sadly my laundry basket is that nasty 'p' word you don't like. But, ya know what... I do have a couple manufactured baskets. However they are not the carefully handwoven with love basket you spoke of. So when the present laundry basket cracks I will replace it with one of these manufactured baskets.

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  3. That is one beautiful laundry basket!! I would ask for the maker's info, but do not think it would be practical to ship such an item to Nod sadly. I, too, appreciate something home made....and quality. My laundry basket is not plastic...it is wicker, but I am certain likely manufactured in that large country overseas. And, yes...I so get the "people" thing. I always feel particularly blessed when one of "those" people cross my path. ~Robin~

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  4. We have the horrible (always breaking) plastic ones and I do hate them. However, I don't think I could bring myself to use such a beautiful basket for yucky laundry - it would have to be holding clean towels - or magazines - or even be a knitting basket instead. Since the pandemic began we've been doing all our laundry by hand and hanging it on hangers over the bathtub to drip dry. No, we're not fanatics particularly but just well aware that our laundry facilities in our building aren't the cleanest at the best of times and even worse over the past year. Oddly, we find we're actually taking much less time to do the laundry by hand than we were running up and down the stairs to the machines...and have the added benefit of not a huge amount of static electricity in our electric-heated apartment all winter, a side effect of the additional moisture in the air. Win/win! And are we going back to using the machines? Not likely!

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  5. There is nothing wrong with anticipating a quality product, especially handmade.

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  6. Good job on the laundry baskets! And the friendship you obviously just made. I do have a laundry basket that's not plastic, but I only use it for clean laundry. There are a couple of plastic hampers for the dirty stuff.

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  7. Considering how quickly plastic laundry baskets break and how un-aesthetic plastic is, it sounds smart, not silly! Well done!

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  8. It is the simple joys isn't it? In the times in which we live, these are now more important than ever. Enjoy your baskets.

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  9. I treasure the handmade items in my home, and totally understand your excitement.

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  10. I love well-made artisan work, too. Every time you see or use that second basket, you will have a feeling of peace and happiness! It is worth the price!

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  11. What a lovely basket. I have some wicker ones I use but you are so right handmade are the true quality
    Cathy

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  12. That is a pretty basket and yes, well made artisan work is so worth every penny.

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  13. I love your basket! I always love hand made and artisan made things!

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  14. Very pretty basket! I like what you wrote about quality people and their work. So true...

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  15. How absolutely fabulous! I'm learning that it's worth it to make or purchase quality items. Expensive sometimes, but when you consider that plastic is temporary in use and permanent in trash, it's worth it.
    Blessings from Harvest Lane Cottage
    Laura

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  16. Last year I purchased a basket to support the makers— women in Ghana. I got it explicitly for groceries. While shopping I get more comments on that basket. One woman was moved to tears as she shared with me how her mom would go to market with her basket.
    Good purchase!!

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  17. hmm...what is a summer kitchen?

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    1. It is usually still pretty hot during canning season so a summer kitchen is an outdoor kitchen so we don't heat up the house with all the canning pots etc. Mine is set up in what was the original garage. Here is a link so you can see :-) https://www.thelocustblossom.com/search?q=summer+kitchen

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