washing machines

I have bought a new washing machine. I'm actually excited about it and can't wait for it to arrive on Wednesday -- in part because the laundry is piling up like you wouldn't believe.

I bought a Kenmore HE3 machine with a 3.8 capacity drum and a 1050 revolution spin cycle (don't I sound knowledgeable? Thanks to Tom, my Sears salesperson, I have a bunch of buzz words that sound like I really undestand this stuff. All I care about is will it do the wash). Apparently this means that I can fit a king-sized comforter or 23 bath towels into one load! Wow! And supposedly the high spin cycle means that the clothes will need less dry time. It was expensive ($999 after my rebates) but if it lasts as long as the last one and cuts down on dryer use it's not so bad.

It really makes you appreciate how far we have come with laundry in the last 100 years or so. Let's face it, at the turn of the last century washing was a three day process and very labor intensive. Now, our heaviest chore is shifting the wet laundry to either the line or the dryer. And thank goodness for no more scrubbing boards. I think our first load is going to be all of the sheets. Now I'll be able to get all four sets of bedding into the machine in one load, it's going to be great.