Owning a home is one of life’s sweet privileges. Over years of patience and loving care, the mortgage becomes smaller. Our home comforts us in time of loss and grief in a place filled with memories of happy times with loved ones. But, make no mistake, ticking time bombs await us like hidden land mines. Our appliances and plumbing. And so begins the tale of two dishwashers.
The dishwasher of Winterpast is an amazing machine. Installed new in 2020, it has settings of all kinds. It even has a setting for washing baby bottles of which I have no need. Gleaming stainless steel, both inside and out, it worked fine until two months ago when it stopped. Just like that. It hummed but refused to do anything else.
As a widow, the worst feeling occurs when something big breaks. Roofing, electrical, and plumbing are things I know nothing about. Along with the lack of knowledge, I’m limited in my strength and the ability to be on ladders. Each day that nothing goes wrong with the roof, plumbing, or electricity, I’m grateful. As a widow or widower, we are often left alone to figure these things out. As a widow, we are at the mercy of repairmen who know we might not know.
Widows and widowers everywhere. Before you call any repairman, google some information. YouTube is full of helpful videos for small fixes. At the very least, learn some terminology so that when the repairman tells you your flubbermagee has exploded into the thingamajigger breaking the twixbiscuit, you will know if HE knows what he’s talking about. And so my story continues.
Over the last ten months, I’ve been blessed with my Mysterious Marine’s knowledge about most household problems. Up until he died, VST was “the guy”. When you’re lucky enough to know “the guy”, you don’t need to CALL “the guy”. Calling “the guy” is costly and, on some occasions, creates more trouble than you had in the first place.
I’m pretty happy with my home warranty at this point in life. An insurance policy, it covers every appliance in the house, and a few outside. After an annual fee, if something breaks, there’s a $125 service fee. Period. If your appliance is no longer repairable, you get a new one. Over the years, home warranties have replaced my garage door opener and fixed many air conditioning compressors. Pretty good thing to have at this vulnerable stage of life.
In May, my dishwasher stopped working so I called the warranty company. Within a few days, a repairman was in the kitchen letting me know that the mother-board in my three year old GE dishwasher was fried. Toast. Not repairable. He’d need to order parts and return at a later date.
I forgot how nice it is to prepare a meal, wash the dishes, and have a clean kitchen afterwards. Totally clean and ready for the next meal. No dishes waiting to be washed in the stainless box. In the beginning of this ordeal, I didn’t mind washing the dishes at all. It reminded me of simpler times. But, that was in early May. It’s now late June. The bloom is off that rose. There’s nothing romantic or simple about washing dishes after cooking a meal.
Throughout May and June, I made weekly calls to the warranty company, each time being reminded about problems with the supply chain. I was surprised they didn’t blame Covid. Two parts were in, one was coming. Soon, they promised. And so, the ritual of dishwashing continued.
Finally, the day arrived. Yesterday, the nicest repairman arrived with three parts to make my dishwasher whole again. But, there’d been leaks. Now, the floor has warped because of those leaks. Two problems for the price of one. BUT, the dishwasher is working. A win!!!!!
I was so excited, I invited my MM over to enjoy Taco’s. I’d cook, and then put all the dishes in the dishwasher for the first time in almost two months!!! We’d celebrate!!! And we did just that. A lovely evening it was!
My MM awakes each morning at 5 PM to enjoy peace and quiet in his bachelor pad. A simple routine shared by humans everywhere. Enjoying that first cup of steaming coffee we all love to enjoy in the safety of our own home. A time to slowly wake to the day. A favorite time of day, UNLESS…………….
“Joy. You won’t believe this. Something leaked last night. Water is everywhere. I think it was the dishwasher.”
When one thing’s fixed, the next breaks. Such is the life of the homeowner. Double that if you’re dating someone that also owns a home. Groundhog Day of the dishwashers.
Whatever you do today, if nothing is broken in your house, dance a bit!!! If anything in your house is leaking water, prioritize and get it fixed. Leaking water is one of the most damaging things we can have in our homes. Small leaks lead to BIG problems.
As for me, I’m off to help my MM sop up his kitchen. Being “the guy”, he’ll have this fixed in no time.
More tomorrow.