To Dry Clean or Not

or things aren't always as they look. I've been busy these past couple of weeks getting my winter stuff cleaned and put away and just being plain lazy. One of the last things I put in the washing machine was a coat similar to the one in the photo, which incidentally will not fit me as it's a size 8. I'm sure it'll fit someone in my family though, so when my friend said she had a jacket she no longer wore, I took it. Anyway, the label in the jacket that fits me says DO NOT DRY CLEAN (says the same in this jacket ). I was so happy and into the washing machine it went. After all, every summer I throw my continental quilt in and it comes out perfect. I've been using the same quilt for at least 10 winters, just changing the cover when I change the sheets. My heart sank when the wash cycle finished and I took my jacket out. The feathers in it seemed to have washed out because the jacket was flat, flat! I couldn't feel anything that felt like feathers, and resigned myself to having ruined it. When I was younger, I cried if something like this happened. To my surprise, when I looked at my dried jacket the next morning, it was all puffed up good as new! What a relief since it happens to be my favourite thing to put on to keep out the cold, especially when we get those Arctic winds (sorry if anybody thinks I live in a tropical country). I don't like fur coats. Besides that, I usually wear some dog hair whether or not I notice.
I must say this past week we've had fantastic weather. Opening the windows at night has been sufficient. The only problem there is all the noise that comes in from the street. On Friday night the Red Bull X Fighters were again in the bullring. Remembering all the noisy motorbikes afterwards, I was prepared to be woken up. I suppose I slept profoundly because nothing woke me up. The only evidence that there must have been some commotion was that someone had dumped the contents of the rubbish bin from the bar next door under our windows.
Last Tuesday night our building finally had its annual meeting. One of the dreaded topics was to elect the new president and vice-president. Of course, no one volunteered because it's a thankless job always with a lot of problems and bother. I don't understand why people can't live together peacefully, but there seems to be drama after drama. Finally, the administrator wrote down all the flats on pieces of paper and we choose from those. Luckily mine wasn't drawn. I sure hope the administrator keeps his promise to take on as much responsibility as possible. I keep thinking how I'd like living in a building with lots of flats, but then maybe not - more people, more problems.
Hope everyone is enjoying a nice Sunday. I'm off to see if I can't get rid of more papers. I used to be addicted to magazines, especially the home decorating ones. I've since limited myself to one subscription, a computer magazine, which I think this will be my last year subscribing to it. I have several issues I haven't looked at. I'm for going paperless as much as possible. I love books, but if one has little space like I do an e-reader would be perfect. That doesn't mean if someone gives me a book, I won't appreciate it or read it. One of my end of course presents was a signed novel..