To Love, Honor, and Do the Dishes

My son had an extra two hours at home this morning. Sauk Centre schools opened two hours late. We'd had freezing rain overnight, and calling the roads slick was an understatement. Osakis and Alexandria simply closed their schools, but Sauk Centre very seldom gives up a school day.

Someone we know went to the hospital this morning, with a broken leg and ankle. He'd slipped and fallen on the ice. I'm not at all disappointed that I haven't stepped outside today.

A technician looked at our dishwasher this morning, and found out that the motor was kaput. Replacing the motor would cost almost as much as a new dishwasher - and the one we've got might develop another glitch any time. It's far from new.

So, we're getting a new dishwasher. I think it makes good financial sense - considering the risk that a near-replacement-cost repair might be followed soon by another expensive fix.

If all goes well, we'll get it tomorrow. I hope this goes more smoothly than the last appliance we had to replace. That time, when the thing came, it was a fraction of an inch too big for the available space.

My wife, musing on household expenses, noted that within the last year, we've had to get a new

• Street
• Van
• Dishwasher

Actually, we don't need a dishwasher. My parents got along fine without one - until I was in college - and we could do the same.

On the other hand, I've been spending a noticeable fraction of each day washing dishes since Friday - and I'd rather be doing a different sort of work.

Just the same, I'm glad I can do chores like that.