Washing Dishes!

Consider this a study if you'd like. My sister and I have an ongoing disagreement about the necessity of an automatic dishwasher. She insists it's a "must have" and I don't. So here goes with the comparison.

First her way: THE AUTOMATIC DISHWASHER

You scrape, wipe and stack the dishes. If necessary you rinse them. You bend down several times in order to carefully arrange them in the dishwasher so that they are angled just right. You add detergent and possible a "crystal drying agent", close the door and set it to run. You wipe down the countertops and stove and hand wash anything either too big or two encrusted for the dishwasher. Approximately 2 hours later, you can go and empty the dishwasher, bending down for each dish or so and then placing them in the cupboard--after checking if they're actually clean. [This is an important step when using the only dishwasher I have experience with.]

Okay, now my way: WASH AND DRY THE DISHES BY HAND

You scrape, wipe and stack the dishes. Rinse the juicier ones if necessary. Put detergent in the sink (which is at waist level) and run hot water while washing silverware. Rinse and place in drainer. Then wash the glasses, bowls, plates, serving pieces. Scrub or scour pots and pans. On a typical day this all takes about 10 minutes. With a crowd to clean up after, it has taken up to 30 minutes. Once they're all stacked to dry, wipe down counters and stove. Empty sink and rinse suds down drain. Grab a towel and dry those dishes that haven't sufficiently air dried by this time then place them in the cupboard. Hang up the dishtowel and you're done. Again, on a typical day this entire process takes about 15-20 minutes. And then I'm done--no reason to come back two hours later and finish.

So that's it. The comparison. I do feel that a family of four or more would definitely put a dishwasher to good use. But for my small family of 2 or 3, it's just not necessary. And actually, I like doing dishes--the feel of the hot water is soothing, the work is easy and the finished job is very satisfying.

On Giving Up

I seriously considered NOT blogging anymore. I felt, and still feel, that I'm just writing down words that no one ever reads. And, frankly, I feel too much like this already. I talk and few people, if any, listen---that is really listen to what I have to say.

I just watched "The Jane Austen Book Club" for the first time. I've been wanting to see it. It was okay--not great. But it made me jealous for that group of people who were willing to make the time to get together regularly and talk about books. Well, talk about anything. Really care about each other. I don't have that and I want it.

At church on Sunday morning is about the only time I actually see my friends and then I'm just limited to only a few abstract sentences that don't really mean much. I like these people, my friends, and sometimes there's time for a little more gut-spilling, but mostly it's all surface chatter. They all have active lives and no time for such silliness as discussion groups. It's sad really. Am I the only one out there who would like this?

I have a husband. My husband is very intelligent and talks on a much higher plain than I am either able or willing. So we do speak, but it's usually about business-type stuff dealing with the house, car or some other uninteresting thing. If he brings up the physics he's studying, I'm sure he notices my eyes glaze over. Same with him if I start talking about feelings.

And I have a live-in daughter. She's really great to talk to. She offers great insight--sometimes I don't like it, but she's usually right. I get the feeling more often than not that she really does care about me. But she's at work all day and tired after battling traffic on the way home. She wants quiet and not to be bothered by a clingy, lonely, pitiful mother. And I don't want to drag her down. I don't think it's a child's place to keep a parent happy. Still it's nice to feel her love.

I miss conversation. I don't mean I want to be talking all the time, but once in a while an intelligent discussion about something interesting would be nice. So to blog and have it not read by anyone, or at least not commented on, is just very unrewarding. But, yet I have decided to persist. If nobody reads, than I'll consider it a bit of a diary.

Maybe I'll start a book club if we ever sell the house and actually move to Madison.

Maybe it'll be a Ken Follett Book Club. Or maybe Maeve Binchy?