A New Washer and Dryer

 

I'd say we have a new washer and dryer at no cost to us except we do pay a good amount each month in rent to Barclay Square Apartments also known as Apartments Seldom Scene.  Our new lease which began this month had just a $30 increase which is not bad at all.

Our dryer had been temperamental for months.  When we thought we should put a request for repair on the portal, it would work the next time I used it.  But then it began squeaking.  Not just a little squeak but a very loud persistent squeak.  Jim had enough of it with his study right next to the laundry room.  So he put our complaint on the portal.  

Within hours, Adriano was at our door.  He stopped the annoying squeak but said he wanted to get us a new dryer.  He said it was 20 years old and if it was repaired, it would just make trouble again.  It might take a few weeks, he said, but meanwhile it was usable and quiet.

However, Adriano and Don and Tony were here early this morning within a week and hauling out both our dryer and washer because they were all one unit.  This was not an easy job when it is necessary to go up and down a flight of steps.  So now we have a brand new washer and dryer--and I don't  even have a load of laundry to do.

There are many household chores that I postpone or do with reluctance but not the laundry.  It is so good to have a unit right in our apartment--and now one that is brand new.  I use my eco friendly detergent called Earth Breeze which eliminates plastic jugs from any need for recycling.  I guess it is just a feeling of accomplishment with very little effort. 

A Tale of Long Ago--our Cat

 

 A similar cat

Last night I had a dream in which I was supposed to record on an exam three types of cats.  Maybe some cat food ads triggered this dream; maybe a Facebook friend's photo of her cat.  I couldn't come up with the answer so I decided to fill in the space with my memories of our cat years ago.  When I woke up, I thought I could write about our only experience with a pet because it is quite a story. 

Jeff was four years old and very fearful of other people's pets.  We had an opportunity to get a kitten so we brought one home from a friend whose cat had a litter.  Jeff named him Grinto which was his misreading of the Spanish name for cat--Gato.  It worked!  Jeff immediately got over his fears and happily greeted a friend's very large wolfhound shortly after that.

Grinto was an indoor-outdoor cat.  He was quite territorial and there were fights in the yard.  He was also not very clever because when he saw that it was raining when he looked out the front door, he would try the back door for better weather!

Several years later we moved about a mile away to a larger house.  One day Jim and I went for a walk and Grinto followed us.  Suddenly he disappeared.  He was nowhere to be seen.  A few days later he showed up at our previous house. This meant he found his way back to his original territory--about a two mile distance! 

 We tried to get him to come home with us but it was like trapping a wild animal.  He would not get into our car and we couldn't catch him.  Fortunately our former neighbors were willing to feed him and keep him.  A few years later they moved but they tranquilized him and kept him inside. He managed to stay with them until he reached the end of his life.  I can't remember how he met his demise.

So that was our story of our only pet--with the exception of goldfish.  We realized that Grinto was not loyal to us, his family, but just to his own backyard.