Day of Delight

[mixfinder]

We had an old farm house in rural Ellensburg, when the kids were in high school. I commuted 118 miles to work in Seattle each day and 118 miles home each night.
The basement at home was clean and large. I had the faithful 806 and 808 pair I bought new in Michigan, in 1977. After moving ther, I found a Maytag of similar styling but the blue accent at the St Vincent de Paul for free because it was untested. A week or so later at the Salvation Army, I found the matching dryer for $50.00. At a second store, in Gray's Harbor found a Lady Kenmore 2 speed wringer washer, with Chrome skirt and wringer, white tub and a RotoSwirl agitator, for $60.00. On Friday nights, I would gather all the laundry in the house and set the whites to soak in bleach and the colors with stains and spots in an enzyme bath. The next morning I would bound up and head to the basement. I would start the 806 and let it drain into the old Maytag. I would old Blue, drain into the Lady Kenmore and when that load was finished I would drain the wringer washer. I did three loads with the original water and no hold time between. Wet laundry would go in the dryer until damp and then hang on lines in the basement until ready to fold. No wrinkles, less energy, better smell and no shrinking. I had a Kenmore mangle from 1954 and used it on Wranglers and linens. A Turquoise Blue Sunbeam Shot of Steam Iron did the fine work. I would wash to my heart's content and iron when each load was done. In between, I clean and repair that week's find of vintage small appliances and pack the current evilbay sales. It was a very happy time in my life.
In 2000, we moved to town and gave the 806 set to friends, sold the older Maytag set at the moving sale and one of my daughter's high school friends bought the Lady Kenmore and is secretly a washerator, to this day.
Kelly

 

[tomturbomatic]

Jeepers, it must have been hell to part with such wonderful toys. "Like a hammer on the head and a knife in the heart." Did you rinse the load from the wringer in one of the automatics? My wonderful aunt of blessed memory did her washing much as you did because she had a Maytag square tub wringer until she bought her 1957 pair of Highlanders. The washer had a red toggle switch for hot or warm wash and it was a suds saver model. No load was dried for longer than it took the washer to complete a cycle. The damp clothes were hung on lines in the basement. The washer only stopped long enough to be unloaded and loaded. The sainted woman worked full time, raised beautiful flowers, sewed like a machine and was such an excellent cook who shared goodies with everyone, that it seemed her stove never completely cooled down so she had to do the laundry as efficiently and as quickly as possible, which was fine, except that all of the fun was over too soon for me. My basement is too full of appliances to hang laundry, but I have a couple of those wooden folding drying racks for things that don't dry as quickly as the rest of the load.

I hope that you have found other fun and happiness to help make up for the loss of "Kelly's Wonderful One Man Overnite Laundry" and also hope you no longer have such an awful commute.

 

[mixfinder]

Commuting in the Tub

My best and most enjoyable work was raising four kids.

They wanted to be in the country and have their horses at home. I would never have forgiven myself, if I stayed in the city and one of them would had gone sideways as a result.

The commute was 2 hours, on 4 lane roads the whole way. It took me the same amount of time to get to work from Ellensburg, 118 miles away as it had from Puyallup, a suburb, of Seattle, which was 28 miles out. Traffic in the King and Pierce countries just crawls.

Another passion of mine has been Lincoln Town Cars. I bought my first one in 1972 and drove nothing else after that.
I drove an average of 1,500 miles a week before I retired. I would start looking for a replacement when the mileage reached 300,000. Tough, powerful, capacious and silent. Also good in snow since I commuted over Snoqualamie Pass.

Now, let me see, where were we? Oh, yeah rinsing from the Kenmore.
I saved the rinse water, from one of the Maytags in the double cement laundry sink and rinsed the Kenmore wash in there.
I quickly learned the wringer was hard on zippers and buttons so I only washed linens in the wringer washer.

In the summer, I diverted the sump pump out onto the front yard to get another use out of the water. Eastern Washington is arid and desert like and if you don't water it, it won't grow, unless you are a tumbleweed.

 

[tomturbomatic]

When I mainly used top loaders, I rigged up a 30 gallon plastic trash container with a submersible pump and was able to drain the rinse water from all of the machines into it so that I could water plants outside. The same system of hoses allowed me to transfer wash water between machines on opposite sides of the basement with just the washers' pumps. The last few years we have had a pretty good amount of rain. John and I guaranteed that when we spent $800 a piece installing submeters for outdoor use, but this year we are behind in rainfall so I am having to water one way or another.

 

[petek]

So Kelly, do you like Seattle better than Michigan..where abouts in Michigan were you from? Seattle and Vancouver both sort of lost their charm on me since I left Vancouver 20 years ago, too big too fast.

 

[petek]

So Kelly, do you like Seattle better than Michigan..where abouts in Michigan were you from? Seattle and Vancouver both sort of lost their charm on me since I left Vancouver 20 years ago, too big too fast.

 

[mixfinder]

Home is anywhere I am

I grew up in Eastern Eashington and went to College in Seattle and Providence
I moved to Indiana in the early 70's to open a reastaurant in Amish Country and there I was recuited by Stouffer Hotels. Corporate offices were in Solon, Ohio.
We lived through out the Mid West up and down the East Coast. We moved back to Washington so I could teach in a Culinary Arts program.
The time I lived in Michigan was a time of great personal pleasure. I had a dream job, plenty of money, comfortable marriage and two of the four kids. The friends we made there still bemoan our leaving and always ask when I am coming back.
The state was in virtual financial collapse as gas prices were high, sales of manufactured goods was down and manufacturers were moving plants to the south to break unions. That left 1000s unemployed, taxes soaring and the economy has never fully recovered. The scenery and weather are great. Being a bit of a wild one, I loved the storms and horrific weather.
After 27 moves in the past 36 years, I could comfortably live anywhere. I live with bone disease and cancer, but do not let the words or numbers define me. Warm feels better. Cold is the temperature of poverty! I was ready to move to a warmer climate when the other shoe dropped in September. I have a crack shot team of doctors here, so it seemed easier to stay than decide where to move.
My third daughter, lives in Kansas and will have a baby in December. She asked me to come be with her and her husband to take of the baby for a while. I plan to do that.
Life is harder now. It would be easier if someone took the dayshift. I am a bit like an old Packard. If you can get the cold blooded sucker started it is a comfortable ride after it warms up. (Not that, I really mean body parts, not covered by a swimsuit)
Kelly

 

[mixfinder]

Avocado Sunbeam

Petek,
I was noticing the Avocado Sunbeam, Model 12, in the background of pictures posted from your kitchen.
When the MM series, was introduced, in the US in 1967/68. The existing model 12's were painted in the new popular Avocado and Harvest Gold. The Logo decals were lightened a bit and applied over the new paint colors.
They were only sold outside the US and are rare for the Sunbeam collecters.
It was the best mixer Sunbeam ever made and the model run began in 1957.
I am sure you know this; oil it regularly. In humid settings the spindles can seize. Without lubrication rear motor bushing often scores and begins to growl and shriek. Annoying in public places.
There is a doughnut shaped oil wick for the rear bushing, that surrounds the governor push rod and will hold a ton of oil.
I have found aerosol lubricants with the tiny red extension fits nicely into the oil port.
Happy Mixing, I have beater envy!
Kelly

 

[petek]

I can't see why they wouldn't have been selling the avocado in the USA if they were selling it in Canada along with the Gold and Chrome models. (which I have also) as well as the pink and turqoises which I don't have. I'm not supposed to be collecting mixers anyways but they seem to be piling up around me.

 

[goatfarmer]

I live near some Amish Country.Was the restaurant in Northern Indiana?

kennyGF

 

[mixfinder]

Avocados Sighted in Canada

Silly goof!
Of course they were selling Avocado Sunbeam Mixmasters in the US in 1968, under the NEW MM model number and the radical NEW modern design and the radical NEW louder, less powerful and FIRST motor in a full size MixMaster that did not require oiling. (Notice I am learning not to say lubrication)
The poor Canadians were left to pay full price for the OLD model 12 design, painted in Factory issue Avocado and Harvest Gold.
At the time I thought the Canooks were getting hoodswinked but in hindsight (looks funny) you were the winner in getting to purchase what was an amazingly well constructed machine. We happily shipped our model 12s off to the thrift store and carted home our NEW $69.99 plasticmaster.
That is why a factory painted model 12 in Avocado is a big deal to a US mixer collector.
Kelly