out_of_the_ordinary

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MAW!!

Thank you, Mt Rider! I know! The control is unbelievable. From lightbulb types to how our washing machines work....

I hope you have a nice weekend, Cat!

After much pondering, praying, researching online and calling my aunt for advice, I bought the Speed Queen. It'll be delivered Wed. When we went back to the store, I asked the salesman if he would mind pulling the agitator out so I could see underneath in the tub. He wasn't able to get it out. I asked if he'd call the manufacturer to find out what's under it (material-wise). He did! Since he was on hold for a long time, I explained my current washer situation and me being allergic to that cheap pot metal. He has problems with metals, too! He has to wear an undershirt tucked it or else he reacts to metal belt buckles. We determined the part on my current washer that keeps corroding is a lint filter. On the Speed Queen, that part is plastic. According to the company, the only metals that my clothes and the water would come into contact with are the inner stainless steel wash tub and the outer tub which is enamel coated. This is a local, very small appliance store and I felt we got much better service than any of the larger stores. Before going there.... I had called another small appliance store about 45 minutes away to check their prices on Speed Queen washers. I also explained by current problem. That store also sells GE. That salesman told me that that part in the GEs doesn't usually corrode until the washer is 7-8 years old. [Hey, wouldn't that be after the warranties ran out?] So they do corrode....it's not just me. He did ask about well water, and if it goes through a softener, and then said my well water must be causing the reaction. [That or hey, maybe GE could just not put crap parts in their washers! ] other stuff for anyone that might be washer shopping sometime soon: The place I bought this washer from used sell exclusively Maytag. I mentioned to the salesman that I heard Maytag got bought by Whirlpool. He said yeah, that's why we've gotten away from Maytag. Apparently, Whirlpool is throwing the Maytag name on some real junk. People are getting upset because Maytag has a certain reputation and now it's no longer quality stuff. Also, while it says "Made in USA", most Maytag stuff is just assembled in the US while most parts are made overseas.

I agree with Jori...the book Carrots Love Tomatoes is a good one.

BOLDING MINE Thanks for the info! I keep waiting for my old washer to die and then I'll be on the hunt too. Mine will go in the basement so this clinches the debate for me on top/front loader. You're welcome. I found that odd, I mean, most people have their laundry area in their basements. Why aren't they telling you that they're not good in basements? I know, 'cause they are trying to sell you one. But still.... Anyway, that was the repair guy's comments so I thought I'd share.

Decision, decisions.... We went to look at washers today. The only new one I'd consider is a Speed Queen. It's double the price of the used ones I looked at, though. So I can get a used washer for $300-350 with a 1 year warranty. The ones I looked at were older ones, so no eco-crap so they'd clean better than most of the new ones in the stores. The Speed Queen is $700, 3 year warranty. It's better than most of the new junk out there, made in Wisconsin; no electronic stuff, just turn dials; fills the tub up the whole way for both washing and rinsing cycles (you pick the water level). I didn't have them pull the agitator off, but would before buying if that what I decide on. DH is no help.... and has no opinion.

Thanks, HazelStone! We're going to look at washers this weekend. There's a used appliance store I want to stop in. While I don't think I'll find a wringer washer there, maybe I can find a used washer in decent condition that is older (before everything was use less energy/water). Looking at new washers online...there's many complaints about washers not washing clothes clean or leaving clothes soapy. Every year as washers become more "energy efficient" they wash less. Oh, I saw a manual washer on Sears' website http://www.sears.com.../p-00828646000P I hadn't seen that one before. I scrolled thru the pics. It kind of looks like a giant salad spinner.

Thanks! Do regular appliance stores sell wringer washers? When we had the repairman here last week, I asked about the front loading washers, especially about the mold/mildew problems I've heard about. He's the one repairing them so I figured he'd be more honest than a salesman about them. He's constantly working on them and from the impression I got, doesn't seem to recommend them. His comments: -They're not for basements. They shouldn't be sub-ground level. More mold and mildew in them then. -Once you get that smell in them, there's nothing that gets rid of it. You have to buy a new washer. He said some of the newer ones now have a clean-the-washer cycle that can completely fill the washer with hot water. -They're not washers you can toss a load in and walk away. You should be near. -Things being left in pockets literally destroys them. Even small toys. (I've washed everything from shotgun shells to change to survey pins and magnetic survey nails, so that one really stood out at me!) -You have to pay close attention to making sure it's a balanced load. Putting 5 dress shirts and a towel in is going to make it "walk".

Help! Any recommendations on new washing machines? Anyone buy a new one recently? I go for basic appliances, no extra bells and whistles. I know I want a top loader, 2-3 load size options, a few different wash cycles (2 regular and a delicate), and a few water temperature selections, a bleach dispenser, a fabric softener dispenser and an extra rinse cycle. I'm looking online at reviews and it seems like everything in our price range is junk. Especially with all this "eco-energy-saving-government-pushing" stuff. Never buying a GE again! DH wants to be able to check under the agitator of any machine to make sure it doesn't have the cheapie pot metal ours does. I wonder how salespeople will respond to that....hey, if they want to make the sale....

Thank you for the advice, everyone! One of my big concerns was freezer space. I feel better about that now!

Jeepers!! Dora!!

I've been full of questions here lately! We've been buying local grass-fed beef. It's delicious! We've bought it just in small packages. To save money, we're looking at the options of buying it by the half or quarter this fall. The estimated carcass hanging weight for the half is 330 lbs. and for the quarter is 165 lbs. We're leaning towards the quarter. How much freezer space does that take up? Does anyone else who buys beef this way have advice? Any other questions I should ask? According to their website, when you pick it up, it's already wrapped and frozen. There's not a difference in the price per pound between the half and the quarter. There's no processing fees.

Oh, no! But better dead that alive, right? (They scare me even dead in the trap, though)

Good afternooon! It's been raining on and off most of today. It's pouring right now. It will be nice not having to water the garden this evening! I'll have to go out later and check the rain gauge. This week, we got our broccoli plants in and planted seeds for carrots, a few lima bean plants and yellow squash. We have to get the trellis out for the pole beans soon so we can plant those. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Good morning! Thankfully, it's cooler here, too! I'm so glad the dew point is dropping!! DH took today off of work because the washer repairman is scheduled for this afternoon. I hope he gets here sooner rather than later! We're planning to finish getting the garden planted this afternoon/evening. I found some nice broccoli plants this weekend. We need to get those planted. And then the sunflowers, carrots, squash, parsley, pole beans and the rest of the onion sets. I don't think the spinach is coming up, so we'll have to re-plant that. I have to buy a few more marigolds yet. It looks like the opportunity for DH to get overtime has come to an end. I was hoping it would last longer, but the OT he was able to get has been a blessing.

Can you just buy boric acid in the store? When I was little, I used to wake up and not be able to open my eyes. They'd be literally crusted shut. I took alot of gently scrubbing with a warm, wet washcloth to get them open. My mom called it "matter in your eyes". She'd make this stuff, using boric acid, and I think boiling water. She'd let it cool and keep it in the fridge. Then she'd put it on a cotton ball and wipe my eyelids with it. It was very soothing.

Good afternoon! What's going on today? It's hot here. The weather forecast is calling for hot and very humid for today and all of the holiday weekend. "Feels like" temps are to be in the mid-to upper 90s. They're also calling for scattered storms. We sure could use some rain. The grass that's not in the shade is dry and is starting to sound crunchy when I walk on it! Not normal for May! We need to get the rest of our garden in. Even though the typical rule of thumb here is to wait for Memorial Day weekend to plant most things, I think everyone must have gotten an early start. Everything looked really picked over last weekend. We're grilling chicken for dinner. I don't want to heat up the house cooking and it's nice not having pans to wash!

I was making my grocery list and going through coupons this morning. I noticed on the Unilever brand coupons, now added in the bold small print, it says: "...MAXIMUM OF TWO (2) IDENTICAL COUPONS allowed in same shopping trip". I hadn't noticed that before.

Amber, gofish,

We bought an upright a few years ago. I wish we could have bought a big deep chest freezer. We had to buy an upright due to space issues (small house!). I also have a small chest freezer that's 10+ years old. Things I don't like about the upright (as compared to a chest freezer): -you lose more cold air when you open it -it runs more -you don't fully use all the space. In a chest freezer, you're piling things on top of each other. It's tough to utilize the space in an upright unless what you're putting in there is easy to stack. If all of our frozen stuff were things like frozen pizzas, it might work out better. -when the power goes out, the upright thaws quicker than a chest freezer. We lost power for nearly a week and it was a few days before we could find a way to get the freezers running again. I didn't lose anything in the chest. I lost some stuff in the upright--mostly things that were on the door and things that weren't meat (veggies, soup, stock, fruit). -the "frost free" feature. Maybe someone else can add to this, but I think all uprights are "frost free". Not good for storing veggies and fruits. I also think the meat doesn't keep like it does in the chest freezer due to the "frost free" feature. edited for grammer

We haven't had one of these threads in awhile! What have you been reading or what are you currently reading? I recently finished: Original Intent by David Barton I learn so much from his books!! (stuff we should be taught in school!!) Service by Marcus Luttrell I haven't seen this one promoted, but saw it in Sam's Club and picked it up. DH and I couldn't put down Lone Survivor and thought it should be required reading. God Bless our servicemen and women! Norman Vincent Peale: Words That Inspired Him (it's 2 works in 1; My Favorite Quotations and My Inspirational Favorites) Currently I'm reading the book The Classic Writings of Billy Graham. It has 3 of his works: Angels, How to Be Born Again and The Holy Spirit. The last 2 books and the next one I picked up very cheaply (just under $10 each) in the bargain books/clearance section of Barnes & Noble. Next to read: The Beloved Works of C.S. Lewis. It contains 4: Surprised by Joy, Reflections on the Psalms, The Four Loves and The Business of Heaven.

Hang in there! I think we've all had tough teachers. It's okay when it's a tough teacher who's a GOOD teacher. This doesn't sound like that, though. At least there shouldn't be too much more of the school year left.

My washer is a top-loader. The crud in the pic is normally covered over by the agitator base. (DH had pulled out the agitator). I've just never seen anything like this in a washer.