Ode to my Washer and Dryer

Well, most of you know we moved on January 1st. Well, our other Washer/Dryer was unable to come along, they had to go back to the company we rented them from. I figured it was MUCH cheaper to get a set on Craigslist than to pay $40.00 a month. SO... I decided we'd get a used set on Craigslist. Well, quickly we realized we were kinda broke, and so every time we paid our bills we said, "we'll wait until our next paycheck"... well, it was 2 weeks before we decided to break down and go to the Laundry Mat, so we did that, Great FHE :), great lesson on cultural diversity and home economics... and financial budgeting as well. So after that we were good for another two weeks... well, since our last experience at the Laundry Mat i was a little resistant to go again and I decided it was TIME to go get our own... then we went broke again... so I figured, if a Washing Machine could do it, why can't I? A Tub is as good as any place to launder my clothes, its like handwashing everything, that can't be that hard. So I sorted through our boxes full of dirty clothes (you know you have too many clothes when you can go this long without doing the laundry) and put all the whites in the tub with a bunch of HOT water and laundry soap. Then I pulled my pants up to my knees and followed the movie "A Walk in the Clouds" with Keanu Reeves where they stepped on the grapes to make wine... well, I stepped all over my clothes to make them clean. I figured it was just as good as a washer, right? And kind of adventurous :) SO, that was great, I let them soak for a good few hours, and I called it good... SO then I decided we can't wear them wet, its time to dry. So I rinsed them a few times (filling the tub, stirring the clothes like food, and then draining it) And then I took out the first item... tried to wring it out, and thought to myself, "Hmm, thats kinda hard." So I did my best and hung it up. As you can imagine with a tub full of whites, the wringing out process wears on my poor little hands and it took FOREVER, and even after much wringing, they were still dripping wet. After about 1 1/2 hours, I realized that the Washing Machine in truly a miraculous invention. How did they do this back in the day with 8 kids and farming in dirt? I don't know. I decided that all these years I have truly taken advantage of my washing machine and not given it the proper appreciation and respect that it truly deserves. So I left the rest of the clothes in the tub to await our future washing machine that I'd rather get than have food on our table.

Here now is my ode to my old washer:

"Oh Washer, Where have you been? You were so good to me for so long, and now you are gone. And I miss you dear washer. I miss you so dear. I'm sorry I never thanked you for your hard work. Please come back and wash my clothes so I don't have to, please?!"

SO, we found a washer/dryer set on craigslist for $100. $100!!!! That's it!!! I was so excited. I had all my clothes in piles, ready to take their long awaited treatment in our new/used washer/dryer...

We get them home and they are probably about 12-15 years old, I know we had the exact same set growing up, so it could be older than that... yes, I'm getting old... anyway, so I do my first load in the washer and take out the clothes and I'm absolutely AMAZED at how non-soaking they are, truly a miracle. So I put them in the dryer and turn it on, and I'm all excited, and then I open it up later and realize... they are still wet! What the HECK!?! Yeah, the dryer doesn't work. It pushes air through, but there is no heat. AHhhhh Maaaannnnnn! SO, back to the hanging method, luckily there is no dripping wet clothes this time, just very damp, but STILL, do you know how long it takes for a towel to dry without a dryer? Approximately a day and a half, and if you are needing a towel, a day and a half is a VERY LONG TIME! SO, needless to say I didn't do any more laundry besides that first load, and the rest just waited there, for OVER A WEEK! We debated on if we should get a heating unit thingy for the dryer or if we should just get a new one, or another used one from craigslist. After much debating, and way too many days to do it, I finally broke down and found one that would deliver to me for only $125.00. Plus a 6 month warranty. SO, on Monday, I finally got my dryer that works, and here is my ode to my newly used dryer:

"Oh Dryer, oh dryer, where have you been. I've needed you for so long, and now you are here. Thank you dear dryer for all that you do, I'm so grateful for your drying abilities and for the heat that you bring to my warm clothes. YOU ROCK!"

There you go, good times.