Thursday, November 08, 2007

Migration Patterns of Laundry

Last year around this time I posted an image celebrating the migration habits of birds. This year, as the days grow shorter, my attention turns to the migration patterns of our laundry pile.

The pile begins and ends each day in the same spot. In the morning it wakes up on the little bar in the kitchen and moves into the living room, so Tom can find a place for his cereal bowl. Soon I get up. I'm shocked to find the pile in the living room–in plain view to anyone walking down the street, so the pile migrates into the bedroom. In the evening when it's time for bed, the pile settles itself back onto the little bar in the kitchen for the night. Exactly the same migration pattern takes place day after day. Sometimes the pile gets heavier and sometimes the pile gets lighter. Sometimes the pile changes color. But it always follows the same path.