I'm Singing the Miele Dryer Blues...

Well, last week it was the washer..... this week it was the dryer. And in case you think that I am exaggerating or making things up, I have included the proof! Yesterday was "Finish the master clothes closet organization" (also known as the second bedroom) and "Clean the house" (a 1 hour job) and "Do the laundry"....... I sorted the clothes early as I knew that it would take me all day to finish the few loads I had. Then I loaded the machine and got ready to add the soap et. al. I think I have figured it out.... you build a dam with the powdered Borax near the BACK of the cup BEFORE you pour in the liquid detergent. And you get the detergent all ready (measured into the little cup/lid), pour it BEHIND the Borax and QUICK slide the dispenser drawer almost all the way in. Then you VERY QUICKLY pour in the softener in the VERY SMALL SPACE at the back of the dispenser drawer and slam the drawer shut BEFORE you start the water part of the cycle. PHEW!!! No soap on the floor this week. So now it's the dryer...... take a look at the control panel and tell me this - WHAT IS TURBO????? The dryer takes off at super speed and goes....... And then there is - "Normal" and "Normal+". Your clothes dry normally and then...... MORE normally???? And what does a "rotary iron" look like?? I have looked inside that thing and in the lint trap and all over and I don't see anything that even BEGINS to look like an iron. Maybe it happens when the door is shut and it is all dark and warm and whirling around inside..... Kinky! I just wanted dry jeans and tee shirts. And I love the little rain drops ON A DRYER. I obviously don't think like a European when it comes to doing laundry. And it DID take all day to get the laundry done - especially when the washer fits 1 set of queen sized sheets in a load.
Ok - now to rag on the stove again. I know, I know. I am a spoiled brat. And yes, after 12 years of cooking on Olaf the Viking stove I have forgotten what the rest of the world knows as normal. On the Viking, things cook FAST as you have LOTS of BTU's pouring out of each burner. On this 1950's O'Keefe and Merritt, the burner might light..... and then it might get warm...... and then your food might cook....... and then it is time to go to bed and you are eating semi-raw food because you have NO PATIENCE. I sit around reading my good book (The Alienist loaned to me by my sister-in-law) until just before Mark comes home and THEN I start dinner. WRONG!! We have been eating 90 minutes after he gets home because I have misjudged how long it will take to COOK the dinner. So it means less reading time and more cooking time (I know, I know.....wah, wah, wah). But at least no more burns (my war wound is still blistery but healing).
Today I am ready for an adventure! I will go the the San Jose Public Library to get my library card. The two most important memberships I like to get in a new place are library cards and a museum membership. I will get a book on gardening in CA today and spend some time this weekend figuring out what veg I can plant this time of year (eat your hearts out you New Englanders!) and what flowers are seasonally appropriate. I want to clean up the flower beds next week as the inside will be mostly organized. I may also look for a bird book to try and figure out who is singing the most interesting song in the early morning. The only problem is that with no directional hearing, I have yet to figure out where the bird is or what he looks like. A small dilemma. Mark will be putting up the antenna this weekend. So I will have great stories and pictures on Monday of the adventure. Wait til you see the remote DRAWER (it takes a whole drawer to hold them all!). But, after all, we are in the capital of the Geek World.