Mistah Washing Machine, he dead; your protest songs will not avail you.

[truepenny]

So last Wednesday, as is my occasional wont, I was doing laundry. One load through washer, into dryer; second load into washer. Go down to take first load out of dryer, and discover that (a.) the washing machine is full of water, (b.) there's a distinct smell of burning in the basement, and (c.) the washing machine will not go again.

Phooey, says I, and call the nice appliance repair people, who cannot make it out until Monday. I spend the rest of the day drying the INCREDIBLY SOGGY load that was in the washer when it gave up the ghost, and we hunker down.

Monday, the nice appliance repair guy comes and within ten minutes has diagnosed the deadness of the washing machine. (A gear in the transmission--and I didn't even know washing machines had transmissions--froze, broke, and burned through a belt on its way to Valhalla.) We need to bestir ourselves to buy a new one, and we're working on it, but we haven't got there yet.

This is relevant, because heres_luck and renenet are going to be here for Thanksgiving, and boy it would have been nice to be able to wash the blankets the cats have been nesting in.

::sigh::

I can, however, vacuum, which leads to domestic little scenes like the following.

---

[TRUEPENNY drags vacuum cleaner into small front bedroom]

FORMERLY FERAL NINJAS: Crumbs! A balrog! [vanish]
ELDER STATESCAT: [nesting on Truepenny and Mirrorthaw's bed] Ahem.

[TRUEPENNY turns on vacuum]

ELDER STATESCAT: [sings] We shall not be moved ...

[TRUEPENNY finishes with small front bedroom, drags vacuum into master bedroom]

ELDER STATESCAT: [sings (2nd verse)] We shall not be moved ...

[TRUEPENNY works way across room with balrog vacuum]

ELDER STATESCAT: [sings] We shall not be mo-oved / Jails cannot hold us / Liberty enfolds us / We shall not be-- Oh bugger.

[ELDER STATESCAT flees, in a huff]

[TRUEPENNY finishes vacuuming ... for now.]

FFN: [from hiding place] Perfidious consorting-with-balrogs biped!

---

All shall love me and despair.

Comments

[fancythat2.livejournal.com]

Washing machines (machines in general, and plumbing and the coffee pot and...) can be the bane of our existence can't they? Not to mention, choosing the most inconvenient time to go belly up.

I love the cats vs. the Balrog story. I get that at my house too. The Matriarch: Yikes! Oh horror! Fleeeeeeee!
The Daughter: I see you but I like my napping spot. I'm not mo-ving. Yaaah! Personal space, personal space, you've invaded my personal space! Fleeee!

[eliade.livejournal.com]

Your cats are wonderfully literate. *g*

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

Well, they do live with me, after all.

[eliade.livejournal.com]

*grin* I really liked your last two essays on science-fiction & fantasy, by the way. The world-building stuff was fascinating and I want to think more about that when time allows--maybe over this long weekend. :)

[stillsostrange.livejournal.com]

Crumbs! A balrog!

No Aiee!? It's not as much fun without the Aiee!

[0ccam.livejournal.com]

I've had to have the transmission replaced on my washing machine three times.

The first time, when the repair guy moved the machine, there was a little pile of plastic shavings.

I swear I'm not overloading. I'm NOT.

Is yours a Kenmore or Whirlpool?

Thank goodness for Home Warranty (American Home Shield I think--worth every penny).

[vass]

That is a beautiful playlet. A classic of its genre.

Poor cats.

[elisem.livejournal.com]

*snorfle snrch snork snork hee hee hee*

[kelliem.livejournal.com]

ROFL! My cat, The WussyPussy, would have fled in terror before you even started the balrog vacuum!

it would have been nice to be able to wash the blankets the cats have been nesting in.

There's always the local laundromat. That's what I ended up doing the last time my washer quit in the middle of a load with company expected. :)

[hominysnark.livejournal.com]

The title of this post alone was enough to make me snort fluids--the rest is equally priceless.

[sarekofvulcan.livejournal.com]

*snerk* Permission to metaquotes?

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

Certainly, if you like.

[sarekofvulcan.livejournal.com]

Thanks! (http://www.livejournal.com/community/metaquotes/4311717.html)

[azurehart.livejournal.com]

Appliances are a great deal like small children. Something always goes wrong with them over a holiday when you cannot get in to the doctor/appliance repair shop.

The bit about your cat's had me in stitches. Mine levitate to the top of the bookshelf at the first sight of the-dragon-that-lives-in-the-closet, and watch me vacuum from their fortress of solitude until it's safe to leave orbit and return to the mortal realm.

[mariannelee.livejournal.com]

Balrog! That's hilarious.

My husband used to talk about vacuum-cleaner training the cat by duct taping it to the thing. Fortunately, he's too lazy to carry out most of his mad schemes. The really embarrassing thing is that my five-year-olds both still run screaming from the thing.

[raincitygirl.livejournal.com]

Ooh, this is FUNNY!

[fred-god-of.livejournal.com]

My Cat actually adores having his stomach vacuumed.

[nagasvoice.livejournal.com]

Funny, how Elder Statescats have managed that instant-levitation thing.
I mean, you may find amazing claw-marks here or there later on and wonder when that happened, but not at the time. All you *see* is exploding hair.
And the really, truly Elder ones seem to Apparat or go invisible without moving at all.