Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again expecting the same results. ~Albert Einstein
Albert, if you don’t stop leaving your test tubes and beakers in the kitchen sink for me to wash, I’ll show you a theory of relativity that you won’t soon forget! ~Mrs. Einstein
When I was a little kid, I used to beg to help with the dishes. Standing on a chair in front of a sink filled with soapy water was a lot of fun. As a teenager, I never minded washing the dishes as long as it was at someone else’s house. Now, at the upper limits of middle age and teetering at the edge of senior-citizenship, I’m done. I cannot find any pleasure in washing dishes whatsoever. Even worse than washing them is having to put them away, only to pull them out again when dinner is ready. Over and over, day after day, and they just get dirty all over again. We just have a small kitchen at our house, and when we put in a new sink and countertops a few years ago, decided to save cupboard space and not put in a dishwasher. HE hates dishwashers. His mother hated dishwashers. I’ll bet you dollars to doughnuts that his grandmother hated them, too. I love dishwashers, but at the time of that regrettable decision had a husband who was retired and did all the cooking, cleaning, laundry, dusting, and dishes and I was too blissfully happy and relaxed to even think about it. I probably shouldn’t even mention this, but don’t think I didn’t notice that for a few wonderful months, I had a “wife” and not a “husband”. Unfortunately, the economy tanked, gas prices went up, and he needed to go back to work. With his job and the manly duties of snow removal, splitting and hauling wood, mowing a large lawn, golfing and fishing, he no longer had the time do wash the dishes every day. It didn’t take long to notice. Two plates, a couple of glasses and a fork on the counter can make a tiny kitchen look cluttered in no time. Somebody had to wash them, and since I don’t have an upstairs maid, that somebody would have to be me. It made me remember that the reason I loved dishwashers so much was not so much about the dishwasher itself as much as it was about the hiding of the dishes in the dishwasher. Toss them in, close the door, and a quick swipe of the counter makes everything look neat and tidy. We met in the middle and share the dishwashing duties now. On his nights, HE washes, dries, and puts them away immediately. On mine, I wash them and leave them in the drainer. The upstairs maid should get to them sooner or later.
My lack of a dishwasher is for the exact same reason as yours!! I detest doing them as well, but my husband’s back is very bad and he cannot stand up long enough to do the dishes or even help with them. But that’s ok. Here is a little verse I remember hanging in my grandmother’s kitchen:
Thank God for dirty dishes,
They have a tale to tell-
While others are going hungry
We’re eating very well.
Cute, huh? I haven’t commented before, but I love your blog and read it faithfully!
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I remember that quote from years back. Thanks for reading, by the way. 🙂
Chris
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A co-worker of mine asked her husband for a dishwasher for Christmas. He told her he wasn’t going to buy her an appliance for Christmas! I told her to tell him that a toaster is an appliance, a dishwasher is Love. With a family of six, I need my dishwasher. No one knows how to find the kitchen around here unless it’s time to eat.
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I’ve been to your house and didn’t notice you had an upstairs at all,LOL. I don’t have a dishwasher ’cause I did not want to sacrifice one of the beloved larger kitchen cabinets. I wash dishes when I need a coffee cup or spoon!
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lol!
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