Clean Laundry for Christmas

Christmas Eve will be remembered for the great laundry room flood. We had washed down the roast teriyaki chicken with a nice Spanish red wine, eaten the Christmas cake, and opened the presents. I had retired to the couch and was examining a Lego airplane my son had created when I heard the sound of rushing water. I rushed towards the washing machine. The floor was covered with an inch of water and more was trickling out the washing machine the door. I turned off the machine, grabbed a towel, and began pushng water through the door to the bathroom, where there is a drain set in a tile floor.

My wife clattered down the stairs to see what was the matter, and helped me with the towel work. My son peered into the room from time to time and wondered why we were more interested in mopping up water than in playing with him. It took about an hour to restore normality. Then my wife hit the Internet and found a 24-hour service number for Toshiba washing machines. She called up a representative and was told a service person would come the following afternoon. The problem was diagnosed as a faulty hose. The service guy rigged up a temporary replay and said it would hold until a new part arrives next week.