The Land of Missing Socks

My new sock hopper/garment washer!

Now I know I have written about this before but the sock problem in this house is not going away. You see with three boys and one man, the socks all seem to blend together and get lost. At one point I was going to assign everyone a different color sock but Doug thought he might like a little variety. At another point I had a eureka moment where everyone would simply do their own laundry. This was a good theory and two of the boys do indeed wash their own laundry but there was a possibility I hadn't considered.

The boys don't put their socks in their laundry baskets! They are strewn around the house and often end up in a little pile by the basement door. This doorway leads to the washing apparatus and so that theory has gone right out the window.

Now you may be asking yourself why this is any kind of problem and the answer is because I never get my socks back. I have bought nice $12 tennis socks and am left with only one of the pair. I have also bought nice $12 tennis socks and don't have either one. They are probably in someone else's drawer. And I am sure the same is true for every other household member - we are left with incomplete pairs of socks or no socks at all. It's all very sad.

During another eureka moment, I started buying socks in 'girl' colors and this method isn't half bad. But I think I might have a better solution (see photo at the top).

My mother-in-law bought me this contraption for washing delicate garments but I have decided to use it for my favorite socks. This way they cannot get lost - in the washer. (The dryer may be another matter). All I am saying is that it would be nice to keep/wear a pair of socks for more than a couple of weeks. I'll let you know how this sock washer works out.

Unrelated thoughts

• I don't appreciate it when people say "Been there. Done that." Is that dismissive or what? I vow to never say that phrase.
• At a mini-college reunion over New Years Eve one friend called our lot "underachievers." I agreed but look what all those underachievers have become. One has a painting business, a couple are teachers, one has a succe$$ful mortgage business and another has a high level government job. Not bad. And by the way, I did not have bland friends. These people are characters of the best kind - smart, quirky, witty, and they like to have a good time.

Next time: My Mid-life crisis re-visited. Can you stand the suspense?