Wrapping It Up

I have a few loose ends to tie up before ringing in the new year. Looking back through my drafts, I found several partial posts that were never finished for various reasons. Rather than finishing each post, I'm combining the whole washing machine/Thanksgiving saga and saving the other stuff for another time.













Every year at Thanksgiving I bake pumpkin rolls. Loads of 'em. I sell them to raise money for Christmas gifts. This year was no different, I cranked up the oven and quickly fell into a nice rhythm. Normally there are a few casualties during the process, a couple of burned cakes, one that stick to the paper and refuses to let go etc. Everything was going way too smoothly. About halfway through I went down to the basement to throw the towels in the washing machine, only when I turned it on, nothing happened.

I wasn't really shocked, just annoyed. It had been acting cranky about a month prior. I would put a load of laundry in and about halfway through a cycle, it would stop. I found that if I lifted the lid and dropped it hard, the machine would start again and finish the load. Not one to question the logic behind such things, it continued on like this for some time until one day it just started working properly again. And it worked fine until I needed to bake 40 pumpkin rolls.
My grandma gave me that machine eight years ago. I know she had used it for at least ten years before that and I don't think she had bought it new. You do the math. Unwilling to deal with the added stress of a broken appliance, I washed the towels in the sink, delivered the desserts and started packing for our Thanksgiving trip to my dad's house.

We had a wonderful visit. A bit of shopping in Historical Fredricksburg, good food, good wine and a whole day spent at the lake just talking and watching the babes dig in the sand. Even Big T enjoyed himself after he found Yeungling Black and Tan at the grocers across the street.

Thanksgiving was quite an adventure. After soaking the turkey because someone forgot to take it out of the freezer, we got up bright and early to stick it in the oven. Shoved it in, turned it on...nothing. The oven started beeping. Then flashing. Then beeping and flashing at the same time. After some time pushing buttons and a bit of internet research we finally concluded that it was in need of a technician and promptly flipped the breaker.

The turkey and all the trimmings were baked at a very gracious friend's house, Susan and I running back and forth between houses with various dishes. We finally ate dinner around 8pm. It was a long day, but most memorable and we were very thankful.

Home again and faced with a broken washer and growing pile of laundry, I began researching machines. Armed with a copy of Consumer Reports ratings, I headed to the store. Three days later a truck rolled up with a brand-new, shiny washing machine. Look how it sparkles. Look how it shines. Look at the big-ass dent in the side. Back onto the truck it went, the delivery guy assuring me that LG would be calling me sometime within the next 72 hours to let me know when it would be convenient for them to bring me another one. Um, okay I'll just sit here on my mountain of dirty laundry and wait. Two days later we were all wearing our rattiest underwear if we were wearing any at all. Fed up, I went to the "other" big home store and had a new machine* and a new utility sink (thanks, Big T) installed and in use the following morning. By the time I got caught up on all that laundry, it was time for a birthday party.

*Early Christmas present. Thanks Dad!!!