The Raft

I had no idea that our washer was broken until our dryer broke.
I washed a load of towels and bibs to hang them dry on the rack we bought back in Jay's Waterbury-days. I took them out to hang them and realized that there was still some food on the bibs and the towels were a little stinky. You don't get that close to your wet clothes, usually. It's really mindless work, just tossing them from one machine to the next. You don't give them a good look-see until you're folding. Unless you are checking to see if a specific stain came out, right?
But I am not a big worrier about stains. You become very blase when you are a known "spiller" with 2 babies and a husband who's got a knack for gathering random stains he cannot explain. If they come out, great. If not, oh well.
Anyway, my point is this: How long was my washing machine broken? How long was the fabric softener masking the smell of dirty clothes?

So - today two lovely men delivered and installed my new machines. They would not/could not install my dryer because our vent-thingy is not "up-to-code" and is a "potential fire hazard". No problem. I hooked that fucker up myself. Fire Hazard. Bah!

I put a load of Abby's sheets and blankets in first. I figured if anything went wrong, I didn't want to ruin our clothes and with my sweet girl complaining about her current sleeping conditions, I wanted to get her set up asap.

You can sort of see the Little Mermaid swimming around in there.

I started her up and Abby, Wyatt and I sat on the floor infront of it and watched it roll.
Roll - It - Did.
I recommend everyone buy a front-loader. Cool to watch.
The machine (I really should name her) feels the load and determines the cycle time and spin strength. How sweet is that? My first load was 48 minutes. My next one was 51 and my last 3 were 54 each. I think 54 might be the max. That is the only way I knew how much to put in. A lot, really, but it took me a few tries to figure that out.

This is pretty much what my kitchen still looks like, even though I am on my 6th load already. The way laundry piles up in this house is extraordinary.

Long story short, the washer and dryer and working fabulously. I love them as much as I love my pets. My clothes feel and smell fantastic. I really cannot believe how good they look, feel and smell. I am horrified by my old washer.

All in all, Jay and I have had pretty good appliance-luck. In almost 7 years of marriage, 1 apartment and 2 houses we have replaced one vacuum (first one was a shower gift, thanks Mom!), one dishwasher (both houses came with them), one microwave (after giving away a perfectly good one). We have acquired 2 refrigerators (1 from each house and since the assmuncher who bought Yellow House didn't want our appliances, we took the fridge with us and gave the washer and dryer away). So, considering this washer and dryer just broke (they were at LEAST 9 years old) and were a gift from the previous owners, I think we can say we've done a-ok.


I have to go now. is done and is ready.

I am open to suggestions for the names of my new washer and dryer. My only request is that they rhyme somehow and that the washer is female and the dryer, male.