Lucy and Ethel: The Appliance Episode

Sometimes you just have to laugh at your own foibles. As far as household appliances go, Hapny and I have done no better than an episode of The Lucy Show this week. I reported previously that we figured out how to operate the combination washer/dryer by random selection of button pushing and knob turning.

The washer/dryer circa Monday.

Well...I was very disappointed with the results after my first load. Clothes just didn't get very clean and everything was so wrinkled I did something I haven't done in years.... I ironed my slacks and cotton blouses. Hapny's results were no better. The clothes smelled clean, but that's all you could say. I should have known better than to blame the machine, a brand I had never heard of--Ariston.
I was also frustrated that the ice maker in our Mitsubishi fridge was not working. It appeared to me that the mechanism had been removed as there was a receptical and scoop for cubes.

Living room with curtains.

On Thursday, when the housekeeper came in, I asked about the missing drapes for the bank of windows in the living room. There was hardware for drapes, so I was hoping this was an easy request. It was. She left and shortly returned with the curtains followed by a guy carrying a ladder to install them. It was the same technician who had come at our behest to show us how to operate the TV and cable remotes after our failed attempts.

Our fridge has a well for the icemaker.

He soon had the drapes installed so I asked him about the missing ice maker. Turns out there was nothing wrong with it. We just needed instruction on where to pour in tap water! It was so obvious! A cap and well right there as you open the door of the fridge. That was a little embarrassing. That was nothing compared to what happened next!

The washer/dryer circa Friday.

I then asked him if he could instruct us on how to use the washer/dryer. No problem! He explained what the icons on the knobs and buttons meant, which were not self evident to either Hapny or me. Ah! We had been cooking our clothes in super hot water and air. That explained the wrinkles. Here's the kicker.... He looked at our bag bottle of detergent with a curious look on his face. "Is that not the right detergent?" I asked. No, indeed it is not. In fact, it's not detergent at all! We had been washing clothes in fabric softener! Doh!! Well, that explains a lot. That's when I had a mind meld with Lucy Arnez! Yes, it is possible to be that dumb! Ethel, I mean, Hapny and I laughed then and we're still amused. We have since bought real detergent and with lower temperature water, have much better results with the laundry. Now, we just need someone to show us how to turn on the gas range! I limit my cooking to the microwave (which has a user manual), but she is only able to cook on the one electric eye. We definitely won't be guessing whether to strike a match or not to fire up the 3 gas eyes! Where's that technician?

Range with one electric eye, three gas eyes.