So I have failed miserably at posting a picture a day.  Mostly this has been hard because it is rarely that I log onto the computer daily…or even every other day.  Tim checks my email for me and lets me know if I need to go down and check for myself.  Anyway…I hope everyone stateside is doing well.  I, personally, am getting sick of the rain.  It rains daily here and unexpectedly.  The things that I have come to “know” in Chile are as follows: (not necessarily in order)

  1. Never go ANYWHERE, for even a moment, without a raincoat
  2. You will find beans on your plate for at least one daily meal
  3. Don’t assume ANYTHING…ever
  4. If you don’t like the weather, wait 5 minutes
  5. You can’t bribe a cop (I do not know that from personal experience)
  6. Mind your bags!!

I did laundry yesterday…not for the first time but it is this time that I will relay to you.  First I must remind you that all the water at the farmhouse is rainwater recovery water…meaning there are gutters on every building that runoff into big tachos (1000 gallon salmon bins).  Water from the tacho is then carried via 5 gallon buckets to wherever it is needed…kitchen sink, back of the toilet, washing machine or to water plants in the greenhouse.  At our hill house, casa cerro, we have running (cold) water pumped from a well but we don’t like the color of it so we drink captured rainwater.  As of yet we don’t have hot water anywhere but are still hopeful that soon we will.  Back to the laundry…the washing machine is half the size of mine at home and I can lift it with one hand.  It has a small agitate side and a centrifuge side. First you haul buckets of water from the tacho beside the bodega IN TO the bodega and dump at least 15 gallons into the agitate side, add detergent, Omo, and then clothes (maybe like 1/3 of a normal sized load at home).  You set the agitate dial anywhere from 3 to 15 minutes and it will agitate one way, stop, and agitate the other way.  If your clothes are really dirty (and most of them are b/c who wants to have to wash a lot) you let them agitate for 10 minutes, drain the muddy water, and start over with at least 15 gallons of water.  Then you take the clothes out of the agitation side, wringing them as best as you can, and put them into a clean bucket/hamper.  Your next small load can often go into the just used water for its 1st wash followed by a change of water and re-agitation.  This process is repeated until all clothes are washed…mind you no rinsing has happened yet.  So the next step is, you guessed it…rinsing.  You drain the soapy water from the agitate side and rinse the drum of suds, add 15 gallons of water and the first batch of clothes (again 1/3 of a load).  The first 1/3 of a load agitates for 5 to 10 minutes then a few articles of clothing at a time go into the centrifuge for a minute spin, all of the clothes from the 1st rinse go into a holding bucket for rinse number 2.  All the clothes go through this process at least 2 times, if not 3, with the soapy water dumped between each 1/3 load.  This exercise took me ALL day then and then came the problem of drying clothes in a season where it rains daily.  We filled the house with clothes on lines, drying racks, the banisters and built a fire in each wood stove and enjoyed the sauna.  What a process…that explains why dirty clothes don’t look so dirty anymore.  I swear I will NOT complain about all the laundry when I return home.  An experience like this really puts things into perspective.

The washing machine.The bin that the water comes from.

I am constantly looking for reassurance that summer is coming.  The rainy season is supposed to end and be replaced by beautiful 80 degree days with bright blue skies and puffy clouds.  I am hopeful that this reality will eventually come to fruition as we have seen a day or two like that already (and they are spectacular).  I could really use a few more of them though (I imagine I am not getting to much sympathy).  It isn’t that cold even with the rain (about 56 – 68) but the rain comes so fast and hard when it comes that you don’t want to venture to far afield for fear of getting caught in a torrential down pour.

Tomorrow I hope to spend some time catching up on internet correspondence, post this and a few pictures and spend some down time with the children.  Wednesday, Lisa and I (and maybe Brandi) will head into town, Puerto Montt, for supplies.  Thursday Tim and the children and I are taking a day trip into Puerto Varas.  I am looking forward to seeing some more of this beautiful country and perhaps having someone prepare a meal for me.

Tim and Bennett in my Christmas present.

A spring runs right down our drive and with all the rain it is currently a small river.