I never thought I would miss an appliance as much as I did our washing machine. Some may have read the post about the “Washing Machine of Nightmares”. The trips to the laundromat every two weeks was really getting old. The first couple times the entertainment from the people there kept it interesting. Verbal arguments, or outright shoving matches were a bit stressful I must admit.
I think next to the refrigerator being the number one appliance that you really need, the washer comes in as a strong second. If you have a bad back it is hard to carry baskets of clothes to and from the car, plus in and out of the laundromat. We never think about the machine while we load and unload it without leaving home, until that noise starts. You know, the one that it isn’t supposed to make?
Long story short, someone at the Easter supper for the family actually had a washer they were going to donate to charity. That tidbit of information came out as we were talking about our washer having made horrible noises shortly before its demise. So now we have basically a new “free” (I really like the free part) washer. I was ready to just hug it when it arrived.
It is true that we take appliances for granted most of the time. Until we open the refrigerator for something cold and the ice cream is escaping from its carton in a semi-liquid form. Or we toss those dirty clothes that we really need for tomorrow in the washer and hit the start button, only to be greeted by a sinister sounding beep and flashing lights indicating a failure.
Comments welcome,
Yes, I that is our nature to not feel missing anything until that thing has gone or goes bad.
I sure missed it, that’s for sure. Thanks for the comment YellowCable, I appreciate it this evening.
Being at the right place at the right time.Free is good.
Yes, that worked out well. Michelle was talking to one of her cousins while we were at the Easter supper. Another cousin overheard Michelle, and that is how we found out about the washer. Thanks for the comment Stella!
We had to use a laundromat several times on our last roadtrip so I know what you are talking about. Ugh… Not only is it a hassle, but they attract the most odd (and slightly scary) people.
Yes, they do tend to attract a rather different crowd. I’m a people watcher, so found it interesting and rather fun to watch them. I guess it’s the ex-Police coming out of me. Thanks for visiting and commenting, I enjoy seeing your smile here.
How neat that you got a free machine! I love that photo above.
That is a funny photo isn’t it Anne. Funny how the knobs had just the right indicators on them so you could turn them to look like eyes askew. Then the nice touch of the blanket. It’s amazing how fast some people can see creative things like that. Thanks for the comment Anne!
I have always liked going to the laundry mat. I don’t mind carrying the laundry so much and I think the people are interesting. I also liked to bring a book and read, or a notebook and write and you already seem to know there is a good chance of some odd person to spark a thought.
Michelle and I take our tablets to read on or explore the internet while we wait. I wouldn’t have minded so much except for the pain it causes in my back. I sure miss being able to do regular things like carry heavy objects etc. Thanks for the comment this evening, I really appreciate it.
Over here, Laundromats are becoming a thing of the past. When our washing machine made funny noises last year, I got a repair man in, as there is nowhere locally to take washing. It was a reasonable repair charge, much better than buying a new one, anyway.
Then again, I have noticed that the price of such things has come down a lot. At one time, they were considered a real luxury, but are now quite affordable, especially if you buy a basic model.
Best wishes, Pete.
Basic is what I look for. I don’t care for the totally computerized ones that are smarter than me, or need special instructions to operate. 1. Put clothes in, 2. Add soap, don’t add too many clothes or too much soap. 3. Twist dial to wash. 4. Come back later when done. Thanks for the comment Pete!
Sounds like our machine, Ron!
Enter your comment here…Try NOT being able to drive to the laundromat! And yes, I can truly relate, and if you have a house with pets your need to have that machine happy and ready to wash increases ten fold! Congratulations on your new one, … mine have never been free, I Wish!
It’s the first new one (1 year old) that I have stumbled across in my 65 years. These things are expensive, and don’t last half as long as the old ones did.
Just this weekend, we had a brown out – I’ve never experienced one before – for example only two in a row of 4 lights in the bathroom vanity worked.
Anyway, it was breakfast and the toaster wasn’t working. We took it to different outlets that were working and nope, it was… um,… toast.
Hubby ranted a blue streak about cheap overseas products and he dumped the toaster into the garbage.
I mean, it’s a $20 toaster. Not a huge loss, right? But still…
The story ends well – when the power was restored, I had a hunch and rescued the unit from the landfill – and saved hubby a frustrating trip to the hardware store. It worked.
It’s a good thing you re-tested after the power returned to normal Maggie. That was a serious brown-out! We don’t get brown outs here, if it acts up it usually goes all the way off. Thanks for the comment!
Love that pic! Hee hee! Well Ron, I really related when you said you were ready to hug your new washer when it arrived. OH HELL YES, how we take our appliances for granted!! When I spent 4 months in Greece back in 1971 with my then-husband and toddler daughter, and the money ran out (we were there to make a movie, but our backers stopped backing!) – I then had to do our laundry in the bathtub. No washer of course. We’d been sending our laundry out to a service. (No laundromats where we were in a semi-rural area.) Including diapers. Also I had no oven. (And this was pre-microwave time.) Just a two-burner little electric thing. And no fridge. When we got home, Ron, I kissed every single appliance. And the floor, for good measure. 🙂 You can read about a few of my Greek adventures by putting “Greece” into the search box on my blog. These things always look better (funnier!) in hindsight, don’t they!) 🙂
That would have been a really crazy time with no fridge. I will check out some of those Greek Adventures, thanks for the tip about them. You are so right about things being funnier in hindsight, we had just replaced the fridge about 5 months ago, so I was about ready to cry when the washer stopped altogether. Thanks for the comment Ellie, I always enjoy them.
No need to thank me Ron, I enjoy your posts, so we’re ‘even’! 🙂
Love the photo!
Thanks, I thought it was hilarious. Thanks you for visiting and commenting, it is greatly appreciated.
That’s great you got a washer again. The part of going to a laundromat that would bother me would be the not be able to do other things while it does its thing. A refrigerator would be my worst appliance to do without.
I had forgotten how much we depend on the refrigerator for just keeping things cool so they don’t spoil. Eggs, Milk, Lunch meats, mayonnaise. A cooler with ice doesn’t store much, but I was sure trying. 🙂 Thanks for the comment Kathy.
Our refrigerator conked out several years ago (at age 6!). That was painful. We not only lost of the refrigerator but half the food that was in it. We needed a specific depth so the price tag was painful. I don’t ever take my fridge for granted and tell it that every day.
I think all refrigerators should have a very bright red led that comes on at a certain temp, to alert when the thing has stopped working as it should. Thanks for the comment.
That is a great idea! So much better than ice cream all over the defrosted burgers.