Thursday, May 7, 2015

In a flash

It will be two weeks tomorrow that a flash of lightning disrupted my little corner of the world.
The electrician determined that the fried wiring smell came from a GFI outlet in the kitchen.
He replaced it and all the kitchen outlets are working again.
I replaced the circuit board in the garage door opener and it's working again.
The appliance repairman was here to look at the washer and dryer, 
and this is where the story goes south. 



He had to order parts and will be back next Thursday to install them.
But he won't know if he needs to order more parts until the first batch, 
which will restore power to both machines, is installed. 
So best case, the washer and dryer will be resuscitated in another week;
worst case, it will be three more weeks (when he can order more parts
and get back here to install those).

When I first heard this news, I was pretty much dumbfounded.
A month without a washer and dryer? Surely I would not survive.
But after the shock wore off, I concluded it was not the end of the world.



Turns out that hand-washing clothes isn't too bad. 
It's not like I'm having to hike to the nearest stream and pound it on a rock...



...and I've got a drying rack with a view.
Shirts and jeans are being worn a day or two...okay, maybe three...longer than customary,
but nobody's around to complain except the animals, and I don't think they've noticed.

If it weren't for the fact that houseguests are arriving tonight and that I'm leaving on Tuesday
for a four-day visit to see my mom, I could get away with the used clothes concept indefinitely.


Surely you remember Ethel and Ethelette #1. Lucy certainly does. We've got all sorts of shenanigans
planned for the next four days, then Ethel will be staying on to ranchsit while I head off to Florida.
(I've warned her to bring plenty of clean clothes.)
Anyway, blogging will be erratic and sporadic, but I'll try to send a postcard now and then.






19 comments:

  1. Suggestion: Buy new washer and dryer, have repairman take old washer and dryer and get them running. Store them as a "back up" pair, in the garage. Just saying. I'm thinking that the trip charges alone could bankrupt you!! You do have the adventures.

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  2. wow, Rebecca2 is a smart woman... might work.. have fun with the two Ethels and a good time in Florida with your mom

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  3. Buy new washer.
    Drying is easy as long as the weather stays dry and calm (rain and high winds would keep the wet stuff indoors).

    When I use to do long trips overseas, I found I could wash the underwear, roll it in a towel to wring the extra water out then let it dry overnight and wear it the next day.
    Outter clothing got a bit more wear before being relegated to the bottom of the suitcase (under a large plastic bag.

    All this is predicated on the Washer being sicker than the Dryer.
    Hopefully the first set of parts takes care of the problems !!

    --> love the tile surround on the sink :)

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  4. How dependent on appliances - but if there is one thing you are - it's adaptable. Have a wonderful vacation. Will miss you but glad you get a break. Signed Lucy. I mean Aunt Jean.

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  5. We live a dirty life. We need to address the clothes thing. Do what makes sense for your life. Hand washing does take a lot more time...

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  6. Enjoy your time away, safe travels!
    Wendy in Thailand

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  7. Love the rack! I hang 80% of my clothes anyway and I am bringing Febreze! :-)

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  8. You can do that hipster thing and just not wash the blue jeans :) Sounds kind of funny to me too. New washer might be the best idea from the comments. Space could be an obstacle though.

    You will be a great Mother's Day present for your mom. Lucy is looking forward to the spoiling from her ranch sitting co-conspirators.

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  9. Always an adventure! Look forward to hearing about all the shenanigans out there :-)

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  10. Love the smell of clothes after they've hung in the sun to dry. Sweet smelling memories.

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  11. Tell Florida I miss her! Have fun and be safe!

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  12. I've been living a dryer-less life for the last 8 years because this is Germany and dryers kill the earth, or something. I'd rather scoop manure with my hands than hang socks to dry, and I see no end in sight.

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  13. Have a good vacation! When you get back, check out the donkey photos at the library of congress. Some are fun, like this one: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/hec.36518/?co=hec

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  14. Have fun. Sit by the pool and drink a margarita.

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  15. An American in Tokyo5/7/15, 5:41 PM

    Sorry to hear about your washer and dryer! I have lived 15+ years without a dryer, but I think I would have a hard time without a washer!
    Maybe you can do some laundry while visiting your Mom? You can pretend you are a college student again! ha ha!

    Have fun with your friends and your Mom and don't worry about the blog! We'll all be waiting here for you! =)

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  16. same as Rita: Love the smell of clothes after they've hung outside to dry and less electricity spending. Have a nice break with your Mummy

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  17. Do the college thing, and take all your laundry home to Mom!

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  18. Wow - that would be a challenge for me to go a month, but as usual, you have found a perfect work-around. :-)
    And now the excitement really begins! Have a wonderful time with Ethel and Ethelette (keeping my fingers and toes crossed for more exciting news very soon), and safe travels to your momma. Please give her a gentle squeeze from me!
    <3

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  19. Have a great time, both with Ethel and Ethelette and with your mom. BTW, my washer/dryer is in my kitchen, so when I had my kitchen gutted and reno'd, I was five weeks without them. I survived - and now I rarely use my dryer because I love the smell of clothes dried outside. You just may get to like it! (Okay, but not the handwashing-everything part).

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