By Bonnie Brown
Columnist

For those of you who didn’t read a much earlier column about my washer and dryer, let merefresh the details. I had a Whirlpool washer and dryer purchased from Lowe’s many years ago.

It was bisque, which is to say it was beige. I loved this set. The washing machine had a dial that would allow me to back up and add another item of clothing, adjust the amount of water, and did a great job of cleaning our clothes. Neither was the top of the line, but these machines got the job done. Until they didn’t. The washing machine repairman probably made things worse, so we decided it was time to purchase a new washer and dryer. They had served us well for many years.

I mourned the loss of my trusted machines, but when I saw the new machines on the showroom floor (all white, by the way), I was impressed. They were larger, had more dials and functions, and the washing machine had a sexy glass lid. I was excited to make the purchase and welcome these Maytag beauties to our home.

At first, I was concerned that Ms. Washing Machine (I named her) was not adding enough water. I raised the sexy glass lid to check the water level and the settings, and when I closed it, Ms. WM added a bit more water. I was on to something! Yay!

The setting I had chosen was for medium soil level. It took Ms. WM such a long time to complete the cycle. I would have been able to advance the cycle on my old machine, but Ms. WM would have none of it.

When the wash cycle ended, I tossed the clothes into Mr. Dryer and spun the dial to 60 minutes. Since I was still learning about the settings on these machines, I checked the clothes after 40 minutes and they were completely dry! Kudos to Mr. D! His efficiency made up for Ms. WM’s long cycle.

Just when I think I’ve had it with Ms. WM, I saw that not only did the clothes get clean, but a couple of shirts were turned wrong side out when I moved them to the dryer, so that must have been her efforts to address some stain or dirt on the garment. I had a little better feeling about Ms. WM. But when I wanted to add something to the washing machine, I was required to press the mean red pause button. It took a while to get used to that, but fortunately, I don’t use that pause button often.

All this to say that I’m still making friends with my “new” machines, purchased in 2018. Yes, I’m a slow learner in many ways, and I hold a grudge when I feel I’ve been challenged, especially since they are machines. I must give Ms. WM her due. She still looks shiny new, and the glass lid still looks very sexy. I must admit that Mr. D is my favorite machine. He did have a little moment when he shut down and couldn’t be started. The repairman arrived quickly, pushed a button and we were back in business. The repairman didn’t charge for the visit which was quite nice of him. I think Mr. D was simply resting.

Not to worry. In a year or two more, I will have made friends with my new machines.