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Brian and I were packing for our trip. I couldn’t find my overalls, and I really wanted to bring them. I recalled putting them into the hamper to be washed, and Brian didn’t recall folding them with the clean laundry. We searched the whole house looking for them, and couldn’t figure out where they were. We were getting cranky and weren’t thinking well on an empty stomach, and finally went to dinner. On the way to Agave, we considered where the overalls could be. Brian suggested that sometimes, socks and other small articles of clothing are known to find their way over the top of the washer basin and get stuck inside the washer. Since my overalls are relatively small and they have those unweildy long shoulder straps with hooks, we were convinced that they must have gotten sucked into the underbelly of the washer. Yes, that’s definitely where they must be. Maybe my black polypro shirt that has been missing for over a year is in there too!

After dinner, Brian crawled back behind the washer and immediately went to work taking it apart. He figured out how to disconnect the electrical controls on the top, and how to take off the cabinet. I tried to help by holding a flashlight and offering an extra set of hands to mop up drippy hoses. After over an hour, with a few puddles on the floor and most of the washer diassembled, it appeared that the overalls were not actually in the washer. It also became clear that the washer was not going to be re-assembled in the tight quarters of the bathroom.

It’s 11pm and we need to leave at 6am. What to do? I went to sleep.
After a short but intense frustrated interlude, Brian took all the various parts of the washer out into the living room and successfully put it back together. The tricky bit, of course, is getting the assembled washer BACK into the bathroom. Brian was smart and took the door off its hinges. He reconnected the washer and even ran a load of laundry (the wet towels and rags from mopping up the floor) to be sure it worked. He got to bed shortly after 1am.

We woke up at 4am to clean up, pack, and hit the road. You may note, at this point, that while the washer is back to its original state, the overalls are still missing. I reluctantly got out of bed and hopped into the shower. Brian started combing the closet and dresser with a fine tooth comb, insistent on finding these overalls. And he did!

There they were, in the bottom drawer of the lingerie stand, under a pair of jeans, where they belong.

Now at last Brian knows how a washer works! And he knows not to trust me when I say I put things in the wash, and I looked in all the drawers. We had a very funny story to tell our family though.