July 1, 2018

White Dog nestled against me. "You know what one of my favorite things about Opera Season is?" she asked me. I tilted my head in query.

"That Sunday mornings are long and slow since we are all up so late on Saturday. We relax and take our time." "AND eat picnic leftovers," Nilla added.

"We only get to soak up Universal bliss for a little while," I reminded all. "Remember, when we left yesterday afternoon we had a washer full of wet clothes and water. It is still there waiting for us to fix or deal with." There were groans all around.

Bella lightened the tone with her comment that dad and the entire White Dog Army crowded in Tizenegy's eating space was for sure going to have him barking in anticipation of a party aka FOOD.

But it was no party. The team worked all afternoon (with only time out for treats and lunch) clearing the hard to reach filter, hand spinning the tub to remove SOME of the water, and scooping out icky water. They pulled out sopping wet clothes, ran outside to the deck with the laundry basket and twisted to wring out the excess water before throwing each item onto a newly strung line across the deck to drip dry.

Every so often they would pause and attempt to run a cycle in the hope that things would start to work again. During lunch, Steve poured bleach in the hopes that if the issue was a clog, it would dissolve. With each new effort the frustration level grew. And every video they watched that guaranteed success, didn't.

Finally we agreed it was time to call in professionals. Here in Albuquerque there is one authorized repair guy for our washer. Steve called to leave a message to discover that the repair guy was on vacation until after 4thof July weekend...not good news when you have an Army.

A friend of a friend gave Steve the name of their handyman who "could fix anything but was pricey." Momma and White Dog were a bit skeptical; we began the "fix or replace" discussion and Steve promised to try to contact him first thing in the morning.

There was nothing more we could do except wait. Nilla, our girl who loves bubble baths, was accepting but not happy to learn her scheduled time in the tub had been cancelled. I kissed her head and promised that just as soon as we could wash towels again SHE would be a top priority.