Life does not always go as planned…today was a reminder of that. Last night, for better or worse, my washing machine gave a strange series of beeps and ceased to work somewhere partway through a giant load of whites…mostly towels. Of course it was towels. It gave out before the final spin cycle. On the bright side, getting them out of the drum constituted a “weight-bearing exercise”.

A facebook lament yielded help and advice from a variety of friends, one of whom heroically tried to revive the beast this afternoon. He revived it long enough for one last alert beep and a cursory spin, before a strange electrical smell indicated the brand new fuse had blown again. My hero, Jon, finally pronounced the patient beyond help (or at least not worth the money it would take to rehabilitate it). Time of death: 6:03pm.

My evening has been taken up with hunting for a replacement that I can get delivered sometime before I die. Appliances of the type and price range I wanted are apparently a scarce commodity right now…I ran into “sold out” and “backordered” until Sept or October more times than I can count after pouncing upon a promising lead. I know from experience as an interior designer that the word backordered can often be translated as “never”. I have finally emerged victorious and considerably poorer, but a replacement is coming next Monday.

Today was far less productive than I planned and so, in lieu of a real blog post, I offer you a eulogy for my washer.

Ode to a Washing Machine

You came to be part of our family just 17 years ago and have served us well. Your high speed turbo spin cycle always sounded like jet engines landing in the mudroom, but you practically dried the clothes before they hit the dryer. Your pretty robins egg blue panel inspired our laundry room colors. At the onset of your mid-life crisis, your slightly possessed alert beeps contributed to the family exercise program as we vaulted downstairs multiple times per wash to encourage you to finish the job. You lived a long and productive life for an appliance these days, and were almost old enough to vote. Now you can go to your eternal rest and be reunited with your dearly departed dryer in that great laundry-room-in-the-sky. Rest in peace Ecosmart.

I leave you with a handful of beautiful and inspiring laundry room photos - I admit to a bit of laundry room envy! Perhaps my Ecosmart has landed in a far far better place that looks something like these!