One Thing or Another

It just goes to show you, if it isn’t one thing, it’s another. A few days ago, our electricity went out. So what, you might ask? The temperature was forecast to reach 116 degrees where I live. No power meant no air conditioning! It also meant the refrigerator and freezer would stop working. Of course, I had just returned from a Costco run, so our freezer was packed. I also stopped at the grocery store and bought our favorite ice creams—Carb Free Peanut Butter Chocolate for my husband and New York Super Fudge Chunk for myself.

An hour after our power went out, a neighbor called me, panicked, to ask if we still had electricity. I told her we didn’t. For a moment, I considered telling her, jokingly, that we did, but I realized she wouldn’t appreciate it. She tried calling the electric company, she said, but all the lines were busy.

Not having power sure ruins everything. I couldn’t do laundry—one of my favorite chores! I couldn’t bake since our stove is electric. There was no TV, no internet, nothing! I’ll just have to spend time with Hubby. He suggests that we visit someone instead. “Who?” I asked. “Everyone in the area is without power. Besides, how are we going to drive anywhere if the garage door won’t open?” My husband replied smugly that he could open the garage door manually. Smart aleck! After a few hours, the inside temperature is approaching ninety degrees, and even the cat is starting to sweat! Finally, the power came back on, making us truly realize just how much we rely on it.

Guess what? The very next day, our internet connection went out. At first, we thought it wasn’t as bad as losing electricity the day before. Usually, our internet comes right back on—this time, it didn’t. The day dragged on with no computer, no TV, no online bridge, and nothing to read on my Kindle since I hadn’t downloaded any new books. The only books we had were ones we had written ourselves, which we’d already read a time or two for editing, etc.

We kept receiving updates about the internet via text messages. The first message said service would be restored by one o’clock. We got our hopes up, but were disappointed when one o’clock came and went. Then, we received another text saying our service would be back on at three. At three, we turned on the TV, and to our surprise, it worked—for a minute or two! This on-and-off pattern continued throughout the day.

What should I do during these difficult times? Sure, I could do laundry or bake now that the power’s back on, but I just don’t feel like it. Funny how that works—when we lost electricity yesterday, those chores were all I wanted to tackle. My husband and I tried to strike up a conversation, but, to our dismay, we ran out of things to say. At our age, there aren’t that many fun activities to choose from. I don’t know what Hubby ended up doing, but I finished a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle.

We received a final text message stating our internet would be restored by eight, but once again, it didn’t happen. To our delight, we woke up the next morning to find that our service had been restored. The computer showed it came back on at 3:00 a.m. What a great way to start the day—we had both electricity and internet! Yay!

What now? Our dishwasher suddenly stopped draining! I searched online for an easy fix. I cleaned the filter, but that didn’t work. The suggestions I found say either the water pump has failed or the drain is clogged with calcium deposits—our water is very hard. I wondered: should I call a repairman to clean the drain, and if so, how much would that cost? A few months ago, the door wouldn’t close, and that repair cost $200. So, how much would a new water pump cost?

Hubby asked me, “How old is the dishwasher?” I say, “I can’t remember.” When he looked at the paperwork, he found that it was just over eight years old.”How long do dishwashers typically last? Yep! Eight years. Planned obsolescence!

We decided to bite the bullet and buy a new dishwasher. The next challenging task was choosing which one to get. We both did some research. My husband wanted a model that was quiet and didn’t exceed a certain noise level in decibels. I found myself wondering why, considering our hearing isn’t what it used to be. He always complains that I don’t answer him. I do—he just can’t hear me!

What else matters? Size, of course. Most residential dishwashers are the same size. As for color—black or pewter—either would work since our dishwasher isn’t visible from the other kitchen appliances. All the high-tech bells and whistles aren’t important, since it’s just the two of us. The final issue was timing. My husband found a dishwasher on sale that we could get in two weeks. The door had a handle that stuck out rather than being recessed, but that wasn’t a dealbreaker. Besides, I’ll just hang the dish towel on the handle.

Did I stop using the old dishwasher while waiting for the new one? No, of course not. I ran the lightest load, hoping to use as little water as possible, and maybe it would drain. After the first cycle, I checked the dishwasher and was thrilled to see it looked empty. But when I turned on the kitchen light and put on my glasses, I realized it hadn’t drained after all. I had to get the water out. As it turned out, there was a lot of water—nearly up to the rim. Any higher and it would have overflowed. What should I do? I grabbed the baster I use for turkey and started sucking water from the bottom of the dishwasher. This is taking forever! There must be a better way. I tried scooping it out with a cup, but I couldn’t get a good angle. I googled what to do, and the advice was to mop up the water with heavy towels. That’s exactly what I did. Have you ever tried lifting a heavy towel that’s soaked with water? And can you manage this without dripping water everywhere else? Good luck!

On day two, I figured out I could remove the rack, making it easier to reach the water. But by day three, my back went out from all the heavy lifting and awkward movements. Then I had an epiphany: I could wash the dishes by hand! Turns out, it wasn’t that hard—I was almost washing them anyway before putting them in the dishwasher. Many good things came from this washing-by-hand phase. I no longer had to worry about which pan to cook with that would fit in the dishwasher. I didn’t have to wait for the dishwasher to finish before putting away the beaters, or leave them out on the counter. The same went for lids, blades, and other utensils. My counter is no longer cluttered, and I don’t spend as much time carefully loading the dishwasher to avoid breakage.

One downside might be that the dishes are no longer sterilized without the heat cycle. Actually, I’ve had the sniffles ever since the dishwasher stopped working. Perhaps I’m coming down with something because I’m exhausted from all the crises I’ve had to handle lately. These recent events brought back an old memory. Once, my small son asked his dad why we didn’t have a dishwasher. His dad answered, “Son, your mother is the dishwasher.” My son thought for a moment and then asked, “Who’s the refrigerator then, Dad?” When he was about six or seven, he told me he wished he had lived in the pioneer days. I asked him what he would do differently.

“I would ride my bike.” “You wouldn’t have a bike.”

“I would watch TV.” “There was no TV then!”

“I would play with Legos.” “Son, they didn’t have Legos.”

“Of course, Mom, you know all that since you lived back then.”

Yes, I let him live, and no, I did not leave him along the side of the road. All this made me realize how many conveniences we have that make our lives so much more pleasant. Sadly, we take them for granted.

I’m not the only one dealing with home issues. Some of my family members are experiencing much more serious problems. During a violent windstorm, a relative’s roof was blown off while it was pouring rain. The ceiling, walls, and floors were all soaked. As a result, not only did the roof need repairs, but the entire interior of the house required restoration. The repairs will take months to complete. In the meantime, they had to find a place to stay, which proved to be no easy task for a family of four and two large dogs. They eventually found somewhere, but it wasn’t ideal—their son now has to sleep in the garage! Another loved one’s basement flooded when the sump pump stopped working. Water covered the floor about an inch deep, ruining all the laminate flooring. Although laminate floors are marketed as waterproof, they are only resistant to spills or cleaning, not prolonged submersion. The adhesive holding them in place isn’t waterproof. While all this damage can be repaired, the process will take several weeks. For context, it takes me two weeks to get a replacement dishwasher, so refurbishing an entire basement will be much more time-consuming. Insurance will cover most of the costs, but not without some tough negotiation, and nothing can make up for the inconvenience.

Hubby just came into the house from the garage while I’m writing this, looking chagrined and holding one of my golf hats. The once-white hat is now covered in black tire marks, and the brim is broken.

“Did you run over my hat?”

“Yes, with the golf cart. Twice. I didn’t see it.”

Unknowingly, I must have dropped it on the garage floor. Now my favorite hat is history! Yep! It’s always one thing or another!

Do you have such exciting events in your life? Your comments are welcome, and our readers would love to hear from you!