Bright Ideas

Our dishwasher “died” a couple months ago. It had been ailing for many weeks, complaining each night when Brice turned it on. He did that at bedtime because I would have ear plugs keeping the sound away from me. Brice can sleep through anything; I would remain awake without the ear plugs.

Eventually the complaints ended and it was silent. Instead of replacing it, Brice just washed the dishes every morning. We don’t use many dishes, both eating off the same plate.

When I was growing up, my friend Kaye’s father sold appliances, and their home was filled with them, from color TVs to dishwasher. My dad said we already had dishwashers: mom and I.

In fact I never had a dishwasher until we bought a house in 1983; I referred to it as a place to store the dirty dishes. For hundreds of years, people had to carry water, heat it, and then wash. Pumps were an improvement and then hot water heaters and taps. Just turn the handle and hot water magically appears.

We didn’t have a drip tray; mom would smooth out a folded t-towel and clean, wet dishes would be stacked on it until dried by me. And then I left home.

In Australia, the doctor’s house had a dishwasher; the owner’s wife showed me how to use it. I assured her I already knew. One neighbor had one, but they were rare. Most women washed dishes by hand, and it was the rare, thoughtful husband who dried them. That was 42 years ago; I’m sure everything has changed.

We used to host Thanksgiving dinner and always Christmas Eve supper. Our daughter said we would need a new dishwasher by then. What ever happened to people working together; young people doing the job for old people? Our daughter has cooked Thanksgiving dinner; we just need to travel to her house and now that may not be possible this year. She works all day Thanksgiving.

She is the only local younger person in our family and everything shouldn’t fall on her shoulders. I suppose Brice or we will go to Baker and choose a new dishwasher before the holidays. We don’t have much time. Even a phone call might solve the problem, although, we’d like to see what’s available and in what colors. You know I’m particular about color; I don’t want anything silver in my kitchen.