Speedy and the Washer

OK, I know this is not my typical blog but I have a funny story for you. Last week, I was doing laundry and since it is very noisy, I always keep the laundry room door closed. I opened the door to check on the dryer load and instantly smelled smoke and the room looked a bit hazy.

I jumped on the dryer, pulled it from the wall and unplugged it, but the plug and outlet were cool. I was stumped. On impulse I opened the washer lid – well, the washer had stopped spinning and all I could hear was a low hum like the motor had died and the clothes were sitting in a pile of sudsy water. That’s how I knew I had myself a washer problem.

When Mike came home I told him about it and he proclaimed he would handle everything. This was the first time in almost 40 years of marriage that he decided to help with this type of household problem. I said, “fine, go for it” and recommended he get on the internet and look for a Whirlpool repair person. Actually I told him to look it up in the phone book which I know is hopelessly old fashioned. So anyway, he did get on the internet and made an appointment for a service call for the next day. I was mightily impressed as he has shown no interest in this type of thing in the past.

I come home from work the next day and Mike has left me a sign on the washer that said “NO PROBLEM, ONLY NEEDS A BELT.” Great. He tells me later the guy had ordered the belt and would come back when he got it. Finally, the funny part. I look at the card the guy left and it said:

SPEEDY’S LAWN MOWER REPAIR
Address and phone no.

And in the tiniest font imaginable on the very, very bottom of the card it said

Simple washer and dryer repair

Well, in the end Speedy called and said he did not really know how to fix it and would not be coming back. Leave it to Mike to call a mower repair service for the washer. Apparently Speedy can only really fix lawnmowers. Whirlpool is on their way on tomorrow. Speedy charges $10 for a service call but told Mike he didn’t have to pay. So much for Mike handling the family maintenance issues. But he tried. I guess next time it’s back to me again.