The Chit Chat Chit Chat Thread

betty rose

Well-Known Member
Most houses here don't even HAVE a washing station. People put the machines in the bathroom or kitchen. The hookup here was in the bathroom. But, I refused that as I HAVE to have a bathtub and there wasn't room for both. Most people in the Netherlands also don't have bathtubs....out of all the people I know, I only know one other person with a bathtub. It's considered a luxury here. There was also a hookup in the kitchen that could be used for either a dishwasher or a washing machine. I refuse to haul all of my dirty clothes through the area where I prepare food. GROSS. So, we asked hubby's uncles...one is a plumber, one is a contractor, how hard it would be to make a hookup in a large closet that sits directly over the kitchen hookup. No problem....drill a hole through the floor and run a pipe down to the kitchen hookup and join it there. Easy peezy. So I have a whole closet just for the washer and dryer....they just fit with enough room to put a box of detergent in next to it, and a box for laundry in front of it. My mother-in-law thought it was too much luxury...she kept calling me, telling me she had figured out a place for my washer and dryer!! I could put it in the bathroom! I told her I had already said no to that. Then she'd call me and said "You could put it in the kitchen!!!" and I told her I had already said no to that. And then she called me and said "You could get rid of the toilet downstairs and put it in there!" and I said "No, because I need a 2nd toilet...it's nice to have in case someone's sick, or for parties so people don't have to go upstairs to go to the bathroom." So she said "You are going to HAVE to make a choice!" and I asked her why. "Well, you don't have a water hookup anywhere else!" and I reminded her that we were making one in the closet, AND that it had already been consulted on and approved by the plumber and contractor. Periodically, she'd call me and say she had found a solution!!! And it was always one of those three options...bathroom, kitchen, or downstairs toilet. But in every one of those scenarios, I had to sacrifice something and/or climb stairs with a basket full of laundry. Why should I when there was another perfectly good option that didn't require me to give anything up or go up and down stairs carrying a big laundry basket (which is REALLY unsafe on Dutch stairs which are steep and narrow)? My mother-in-law's answer was "-I- didn't have all that in MY first home! I had to go upstairs to do laundry." My answer was "Yes, well -I- don't HAVE to, because I can put it in the closet and it solves everything." She even tried to tell the plumber and contractor it was going into the bathroom...she was there when they came and offered to show them where everything was supposed to go. If I hadn't been walking by right then to say no, the plan had NOT changed, and in fact it was still going in the closet, I would have had to call them back to have them put it where I said in the first place. But the Dutch consider all of that a luxury. A friend of mine who is American married a Dutchman and he wouldn't get a dryer for her...everything had to be hung, and he wouldn't let her have a dishwasher. Those were just luxuries...she didn't need them. No, HE wouldn't do the laundry or the dishes, but she didn't need all that expensive stuff, and houses are so small that there's not ROOM in most places. I have a pretty decent sized house by Dutch standards, but a house in the States could probably eat our house for breakfast. And yet, we don't have stacked washer and dryers like the one in that picture...BUT, the real down side to that setup is that they are attached...if one breaks, you have to replace BOTH.
Different customs. We had a foreign exchange student, living next door. She spent more time at our house, since we had a pool table in the living room. Any way she said all American's are spoiled with the large houses, all the appliances and fancy items in the kitchen. It must have been an adjustment coming from the states. Of all the things, I wouldn't give up, besides the washer and dryer, is the dishwasher. I hate washing dishes, it's so boring.
 

betty rose

Well-Known Member
I am the first to admit that there is a climate change happening at the moment, but, any serious problems will probably not happen during our lifetime, at least mine. Things change constantly. Twenty five years ago, upon returning from WDW to Vermont when we got home the temperature was over 60. That was March 1st. The snow was gone and it never returned that year. Twenty five years ago that happened and at the time there was no concern at all because so many people had witnessed the fluctuation of weather that happens all the time. I think I told the story here already but when I was 5 years old, 63 years ago, I was panicked because there was no snow and it was warm and I couldn't figure out how Santa was going to be able to land his sled. Probably around 30 years ago, I remember washing my car outside on Christmas day and the was in northern Vermont. Odd weather patterns are not cause for undue alarm... just remember last winter. Even global warming (climate change) doesn't happen that fast.

Oh, and by the way, if we are in a true climate change there is nothing we can do about it. It happens as a matter of course on the planet. The ice ages followed by global warming happened before any of us were here to pollute.
Absolutely agree with this, it would be nice to clean up the air. But then you would have to get rid of volcano's, and our modern way of life. Can we do things better, yes. But I don't think that will amount to much, like you said, these cycles have happened since the dawn of time.
 

betty rose

Well-Known Member
In my opinion, the older they get the better. Now that doesn't mean that there won't be a certain amount of whining about being tired and can't walk anymore. My litmus test was to watch how they reacted when something they really wanted to do came up. They would whine and complain about how exhausted they were for hours and when we finally would leave the degree of speed and energy they were able to generate to get into the hotel pool was similar to a tornado. They have a way of being selectively "exhausted".

That's not to say that if they aren't fairly active generally, that the new routine will cause a little fatigue, but, unless there is a serious medical issue, it probably won't kill them. Just imagine how you would feel walking around on those young flexible, pain free legs. Just as a side note, that I think helps is to remember to slow down your pace. They have to take two steps for your every one, so whatever pace you maintain becomes twice as much for them. The legs are strong, but, they are also very short. No long strides are possible. Take your time and there should not be any problem and the real bonus is how fast they fall asleep in the evening.
Good advice.
 

King Capybara 77

Thank you sir. You were an inspiration.
Premium Member
Now this is a misbehaving Ferret. :)
332026161_280eafddb1.jpg

Hairs not grey enough and no tattoo's ;)
 

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