A Southwestern Farmer's Market and the culture of laundromats

A farmer's market in Taos has a somewhat different flavor and ethos than ones I frequented in the NE. First there's the profusion of chiles - red, green and yellow - whole, fresh, dried, made into wreaths, hung from wires as lights, necklaces, bracelets, etc. There are chile biscuits, scones and of course salsas. There were many foods I have not yet made the acquaintence of - sopapias, churros, and others I can't remember... And of course live mariachi(sp) music and a few other solo folk musicians playing for the crowd's appreciation. The usual assortment of veggies for sale as well as the myriad variety of beans - I counted 7 different kinds of pintos alone! Unfortunately I had already done a buying splurge at the grocery store and limited myself to some fresh garlic but next week I will know better....

Another venture for the weekend was a trip to the local laundromat - a perfect occasion for people watching, analyzing behavior (the therapist in me still lives!)and getting my 2 week old laundry clean. It brought me back to college days - when my clothes were washed in anonymous washers/dryers and I played the waiting game with other strangers. Have you ever noticed how people do their laundry so differently? There are the "shove it in" type who don't sort colors and try to sqeeze in as much as possible into the too small washer. Do they use cold, hot or warm temp? Perhaps that explains pink and orange underwear and bleached spotted jeans. These same type of people don't tend to fold their clothes after the dryer I've noticed - it's again the "shove it into" the plastic bag and run out the door. Then there are the segregationist type, bordering on obsessive-compulsive who take up 3 washers at a time because they don't believe in any colored/white clothes touching, the way you wouldn't let any of your vegetables, potatoes or meat touch on your plate. They naturally are the folder types - taking pains to put creases in their towels and sheets and painstakingly matching socks - putting them into their own section of the basket upon completion. Some people are friendly and others maintain an aloof stance - almost as if they don't want anyone to know they are doing this embarassing task - averting eye contact and keeping as much distance as you would on a New York City sidewalk rushing past pedestrians intent upon their destination.

If I had a financial windfall I would want to develop a designer laundromat (why are most of them dirty, and have a living below the poverty level feeling?) - with beautiful decorations on the walls, tiled floors, and colorfully painted walls. In addition I envision an "honor" used trading book section, self serve keurig green mountain coffee maker, free wifi, TV, a healthy snacks vending machine, comfortable chairs, and an abundance of wheeled laundry carts that actually work. Of course a big community bulletin board - maybe a book discussion group held biweekly for people who want to bond over books as they're waiting for their laundry to be done.
Public clean bathrooms, gender specific, local newspapers for sale, and air conditioning in the warm weather. The list apparently could go on and on....
It must be an occupational hazard of a social worker/writer - always imagining how things could do with a little self-improvement, personal growth and spiritual enlightenment...