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Monday, July 06, 2015

Mad Skillz

This weekend, soda bottles were harmed


I fixed the washing machine.

All by myself too. As you know, if you've been reading here long, farm women are surrounded by the kind of men who can split huge tractors in half and repair whatsoever is borked in there.


Stuff was grilled, including steaks and hamburgers from our most recent beef


They can weld old balers up and get another few years out of them, change oil, replace brakes, and all manner of other impressive and esoteric repair and maintenance tasks that I wouldn't touch with a ten-foot wrench.




However, none of them messes with washing machines. They are not so much complicated as encased in inconvenient metal parts that make them hard to fix.

When ours started screaming this weekend whenever it was on the spin cycle, my thoughts turned to spun bearings, broken pulleys, jammed wingnuts, and other things that are hidden deep in the guts of the white monster.

Dang.


The boss made his famous potatoes

That poor little machine works nearly continuously. When the herd of adults who live here aren't washing clothes, there are baby things in there...and you know babies....and in the interim should there be one, I wash Alan's grouty clothes from his job. 

When I do that there are crumbs of cement in the tub when I get done...I could darned near pave the driveway with them.

Thus its apparent demise brought consternation and frantic plans for getting a new one...quickly.




This morning I figured I'd run one last load of small blankets through it.

What could happen but that it would break completely?

As I was putting them in...I'm a shorty...I had to lean on it to reach.

Moving it a tiny bit produced that same Godawful shriek......from the OUTSIDE!!!

I dug around in the clutter of old plastic bags, misplaced tee shirts and other detritus that lurks beside it and found.........wait for it......ta da........ the culprit.

The big metal dustpan had gotten shoved up against the side and was making the noise when the washer jiggled in the spin cycle.

I moved it.

Like magic the little washer that could is working fine again....

Is that cool or what?

I am very happy.



8 comments:

jan said...

Good for you exercising reasoning skills.

tryon1@frontiernet.net said...

I'm glad you fixed your washer. Mine makes a lot of noise on the spin cycle but I think it is inherent in the beast. Got the first load in, there will be 6 today as I am washing the sheets and wool blankets. We have to go for our fishing licenses too. $5 each at 81 and 83. Love Mom

12Paws said...

Hurrah for the distaff side--"Dare to repair."

Cathy said...

Aha! The devious dust pan! Ya gotta keep an eye on 'em.
But they do keep your sleuthing skills honed :)

Anonymous said...

OH LOVE THIS!!! I have a washer like it, but no dustpan around...and wow you are clever to fix it with looking, seeing culprit OUTSIDE IT..then..tadaaaaa magic. GOOD ...love the cement in the tub ha ha ha ha ha and love your writing. Hope you are kepeing all these blogs for book you might do later on..the posts are amazing. Now go celebrate with one of those steaks..and some of the boss's potatoes..mmmmmmmmmm---Merri

threecollie said...

Jan, I was SO happy to accidentally discover that it was something simple. That poor little washing machine works hard!

Mom, I have to get mine too. Alas since I am a mere youth it is going to cost me $25. Dagnabbit. Love you!

12Paws, I laughed so hard when I found out that it was something so silly,

Cathy, that one has caused so much trouble since the boss brought it home from the hardware store!

Merri, the poor washer doesn't so much wash the boy's clothes as beat the dirt off them. There is often a quarter inch of grout on the legs and the stuff is....well....no matter how you look at it, it's cement! lol Take care!

Terry and Linda said...

You put a huge smile on my face! And I CLAPPED my hands together for you!!!

I so understand the need to keep the washer going!

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com

threecollie said...

LInda, it was SO funny!