And waaaay too good to stay hidden away in the comments.
Sister Mary Clara, OSL has left a new comment on your post "Am I Crazy?":
I LOVE that basket and would buy it in a heartbeat. Of course, as a life professed member of the OSL (Order of St Laundra) I take seriously the quality of the liturgical objects employed in the holy rites of laundry.
I could even be tempted to go higher than fifty dollars. Maybe you will feel better, Mimi, if I tell you just how much higher. A few weeks ago my daughter and I were shopping for a bassinet for her about-to-be-born baby. We were sorely tempted to spring for the $450 (plus tax and shipping) one at Pottery Barn, consisting of a finely woven basket on a wheeled cart (see it online )
Clearly, as a bassinet this would have been an extravagance, since the baby would outgrow it in a few months. We saw clearly, however, that the item would then serve as the ultimate laundry cart! And we don't expect ever to outgrow our need for laundry. Moreover the cart was so beautifully made that we imagined it would last a lifetime.
If this were not enough, I pointed out, the basket could be lifted out, freeing the cart (with the addition of an oval-shaped glass top) for use as an elegant cocktail or tea server.
We knew St Laundra would approve (we didn't even need to pray over it), but there were certain other parties to the decision who would never have been able to grasp the appropriateness of a $500 outlay for a laundry cart, even if it happened to be a laundry cart that would be a source of endless inspiration and be passed on to future generations. So we let it go.
Posted by Sister Mary Clara, OSL to Wounded Bird at August 4, 2008 11:00 PM
Thank you, Sister Mary Clara, for treating the matter of the cost of the laundry basket with the appropriate gravity. The bassinet/laundry cart that you linked to is a true object of beauty, but, unfortunately, not everyone grasps the merits of being surrounded by inspirational, though costly, objects. MY guilt slate is now wiped clean, forever and ever. Amen. Many thanks to you, Sister.
UPDATE: For those of you near the South Bronx, if St. Laundra, on occasion, fails to come to your aid, here's an alternative.
With thanks to a reader.
That was hilarious! I might have missed it if you hadn't moved it to the top. Thanks for moving it up. BTW not ontopic but I hope you're not in the path of Edouard.. don't know what part of Louisiana you live in..
ReplyDeleteOne more reason to love Sister Mary Clara! Perfect!
ReplyDeleteAs you gathered, Mary Clara is not a nun. I believe that I began the joke about calling her "Sister", because her double name reminded me of the names of the nuns who taught me through elementary and high school. This comment was absolutely too good to leave buried.
ReplyDeleteI live in Thibodaux, in southeast Louisiana, about 60 miles SW of New Orleans. We were not affected by Edouard, thanks be to God.
Jane, Sister Mary Clara writes so well that she should have her own blog, but then I'd have another blog to read, and I don't get around to reading those that I want to read now, and, of course, I love having her comments here.
What a great comment. I'm so glad you moved it to its own spot.
ReplyDeleteSt. Laundra. Excellent.
Well, I think th money would have ben well spent. After all the bedding is included!
ReplyDeleteRuth, I'm especially devoted to St. Laundra.
ReplyDeleteSusan, thank you for calling attention to the bedding. That makes it a veritable bargain.
Truly a beautiful thing; it's going on my "Wish I might" list immediately.
ReplyDeleteJohnieb, for the next grandchild, perhaps? We could all chip in.
ReplyDeleteMimi, I'm so glad you've let go of the guilt.
ReplyDeleteAs St Laundra taught, "It all comes out in the wash!"
When and if I do start my own blog, its themes and concerns will definitely include the preoccupations, influences and mystical insights of my patron saint.
Glad you got the NYTimes piece about God's laundromat! More than one alert reader today.
Oh, Mimi, I just remembered some of the laundry baskets my mother had! Remember wooden bushel baskets? They were round with metal handles and used to be packed with potatoes and apples. Well, Mother had a pattern for a liner for them made from either cloth or oil cloth(another thing no longer made like it was). You could even buy the liners ready made, remember? They were fairly sturdy, but totally unartistic. Very utilitarian!
ReplyDeleteMary Clara, thanks to you, I am now guilt-free.
ReplyDeleteSusan, I remember the bushel baskets with metal handles and the liners. I have a beautiful hand-made palmetto laundry basket, but I'm too lazy to measure and make a liner. I have never used it for its proper purpose, because it's too rough for clothes. My Amish basket is quite smooth.
Ah, Blessed Sister Mary Clara comes through in fine style! I cannot imagine a better absolution for any guilt: past, present, or future.
ReplyDelete