Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Mabel and Chester

There are mountains of laundry around this joint. Some wet. Some muddy. Some dripping. Some clean. Most are dirty.

My washing machine finally said, "enough!" and bit the dust. Moment of silence please.

R.I.P Sears Kenmore 80 series May 2001-March 2009
Sniffle

S'
Okay....So my new models are arriving this Saturday. I have polled my Facebook friends asking if it is inappropriate to embrace the appliance delivery man when he arrives. My friend Paula says, "
Only if he'll do a couple of loads of laundry first!"

I like that about Paula, so level-headed.

So I have decided that perhaps the new models need names, to make them feel at home, to make them work harder, to make them want to stay for more than a decade, to make them love us .....

Mabel and Chester. These were the names of my dearly departed paternal great-grandparents. I feel a bit guilty for not having named any children after them. But come on.... Mabel? Chester? No wonder we nicknamed them "Bom" and "Chet."

In my mind, my new appliances are bright burgundy red, glittering, shiny and new, but I then remember that I didn't want to spend the extra 300 bucks for colored appliances. So they are white, shiny and strong, true to their names.


Mabel will, of course, be the washer: hard-working, super efficient, tough on spots but with a gentle cycle. Chet will be the dryer. An easy line here would be because he blows hot air and spins in a circle, but anyone that has ever met quiet, sweet, tiny Chester knows better.

2 comments:

HiddenJewel said...

I'm so sorry to hear about the demise of dear Kenmore 80. It's always hard to lose a member of the family, even when it's expected.
I am delighted that Mabel and Chester are coming to live with you to help take care of your family. My only concern is the time between now and Saturday. How will the delivery guy find you under the mountain of laundry that is sure to accumulate? Perhaps you could rent a storage unit temporarily? Do they rent them for just 3-4 days?
Or maybe you could ask some friends to laundry sit? Just 3-4 tiny little 55 gallon trash bags that they could put in their garage for a few days. If everyone on your block took a few and everyone in your church took a few and everyone you work with took a few, then maybe the mountain would be small enough for the delivery guy to still get in. Or, you know, you could ship some down here. I could wash & dry them and - oh dear, how would I get them back to you? OH, YES, we would just HAVE to BRING THEM TO YOU!
Oh how I wish that would work!

Anonymous said...

This was great! I think Mabel(Bom)& Chet would like it too! Did you know that only kin were allowed to call Mabel "BOM"? Crazy friend Mike, not your uncle, called her"BOM"once,(only name he knew)as we all called her that name. Well, she nearly bit his head off informing him that she was "MABLE" to those not family! Thanks for this tale. Family of Grandma BOM.