For years I had a dryer that everyone told me was misnamed. It didn’t so much dry the clothes as toss them around for a few hours until we all decided enough was enough and wore them whatever state they were in. I stubbornly refused to buy a new dryer claiming we could live with the situation.
This decision was taken out of my hands however when it became impossible to turn the dryer on. As the rest of the family cheered (I don't suspect anyone of actually sabotaging the dryer…) I marched off to the store to finally purchase a new appliance.
Since it had been years since I had bought one I felt like I had dropped in from another planet. There was steam dry and sensor dry and the non-wrinkle option (as opposed to the wrinkle one?!). It was a little dizzying. I was most concerned with capacity and speed. I had carefully measure the dimensions of the laundry room and I chose the largest one that would fit there.
As we waited for the delivery date, my husband made repeated trips to the local Laundromat, asking me each day to remind him when the new dryer was arriving. It finally arrived, but it never occurred to me to measure my doors (can't they tilt those appliances or something?). It never occurred to me that the doors on my almost 100-year old house might be smaller than doors on houses today. The dryer wouldn’t fit through my front or side door! Back to the store it went and back to the Laundromat trudged (okay he drove but trudged sounds more dramatic!) my husband.
A few days later I returned to the store. I chose a more compact machine and placed my order. I chose a delivery date and we once again eagerly awaited it. The dryer arrived and was hooked up. After a small celebration, we threw in a load of clean clothes and sat down to eat a relaxing dinner, my husband eagerly anticipating an evening that didn’t involve the Laundromat. The dryer went round and round and round but the air was cold and the clothes were wet.
Grimly my husband returned to his (now favorite) local haunt and I called the store to complain. They promised to return early the next day with a replacement model. But somehow that request never made it to the delivery company and, although I waited all day, no dryer arrived. The waste of time was starting to take a toll and my patience was beginning to wear thin.
A very apologetic delivery man arrived the next day. Before removing the new, seemingly defective, dryer, we decided to try it one more time. We discovered that the problem was not with the dryer but rather with the exhaust pipe. It was clogged with lint and needed to be professionally removed and then re-attached to the dryer. Seriously?
This was beyond the scope of the appliance store or its delivery man so I called my local handyman. “I was sick last week and I’ve been swamped. Can it wait a few days?” he asked. At this point, I was reduced to begging and hysteria, joined by my husband whose nights at the Laundromat had quickly lost their entertainment value. Sensing our desperation, he very kindly offered to rearrange his schedule (I apologize to whoever had to wait) and come the next morning. He did, the pipe was cleaned and hooked up and we finally had a functioning dryer. It had taken literally years.
But, like so many things in life, once again I learned the lesson of gratitude. (Perhaps if I weren’t such a slow learner, I wouldn’t need to face these situations over and over and over again.) I actually get excited every time I turn the dryer on and it works.
And I’m appreciative – that I don’t need to hang my clothes outside, that I was able to purchase one, that it actually works well, that all the service people were so kind and helpful.
It doesn’t have the steam option and some of my clothes are still wrinkled, but they’re warm and dry and so am I. And I am also grateful for all the other small things in my life that work – my washing machine, my refrigerator, my freezer and (for all you winter soup makers!) my hand immersion blender….
Our opportunities for gratitude are literally endless; sometimes the Almighty steps in, in a gentle way, to remind us not to miss them.
(11) Ruth, April 26, 2016 4:27 PM
FEELING THANKFUL
Thank you for this reminder. While sitting in the laundramat today, I took a video of my clothes. Think I'll post it.
(10) Anonymous, April 26, 2016 4:33 AM
what kind of dryer did you get?
My dryer is actually about 20 years old and I am looking for another one, I would like to know what you got please.
Thanks a lot
(9) Em, February 11, 2016 10:59 PM
I think the clogged pipe/hose is a fire hazard
(8) Henny Walkin, February 10, 2016 11:03 AM
gratitude
You forgot to add one more thing to be grateful for: your husband, who ungrudgingly trudged to the laundromat.
Continued blessings!
(7) Diane, February 9, 2016 10:10 PM
Had good laugh-I could relate
My dryer wasn't working well last week as we were getting ready to travel. I figured too full, & finally after 2 hrs clothes dried. The sensor part stopped working 2 yrs ago. It came with the house when we bought so dryer must be 15 yr old. I'll have to get someone to check vent now. This happened, too in newly built apt that came with washer & dryer. Clothes wouldn't dry. Handyman came & turned out when put in dryer & exhaust vent, someone forgot to open the hole for the vent! FYI-My husband doesn't believe in sitting in laundromats. Before we married, he discovered "fluff & fold" paying someone else to do it.
(6) Anonymous, February 9, 2016 9:31 PM
The weather in CT is lousy. The article made it better.
So true. Not really funny when the doorway was too small. But cleaning the vent should have been suggested when the dryer was purchased. A blocked vent causes fires.
(5) Melissa, February 9, 2016 4:10 PM
Great rtile about real life expectations
Constantly having to navigate,, negotiate and come into the light about how it is we neglect certain aspects of our lives ... it all has to work together. Gratitude is key. Sometimes small changes add up to great dividends. Thank you for writing this; it was both humorous and fun!!
(4) Pauline, February 9, 2016 4:05 PM
Funny story.
Yes, before I got to the end of the article I was going to suggest checking that the exhaust pipe is clear. One time when our dryer got to the point that no matter how many times I would run it, it just wouldn't dry, I asked my husband to check it the exhaust pipe. To our surprise, when he disconnected the exhaust pipe, a bucket load of dried olives fell out of it's end, all over the floor. That's right, olives! The pipe was packed pretty solid with those olives. Apparently the squirrels outside decided it was a good place to store their collection from our front yard olive tree. They packed the pipe from the outside exhaust opening really well. So to prevent this in the future, we had to put a screen over the outside opening of the vent. Most people won't have olives in their pipe/hose/vents, but yes, they should be cleaned out every so often. Also, just so you know, wash machine hoses should be replaced every so many years too, as they can get brittle, crack, and leak. And by the way, u-tube has great repair videos. My husband repaired our old washer with the help of one of those videos.
(3) Dina, February 9, 2016 11:07 AM
Who is wise? He who is happy with his lot!
Good to appreciate what we have!
(2) Moshe Hillson, February 8, 2016 9:26 AM
Clothes Lines
You mean to say that it's impossible to hang clothes on a line in sunny Los Angeles?
(1) anonymous, February 7, 2016 4:12 PM
fire hazard
For all of you out there, please be sure to check your dryer regularly for lint build up. This is a potential fire hazard. In addition, exhaust pipes of dryers should be checked every so often as well.