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In the middle of doing a load of laundry, my friend's mother discovered there was no heat in her dryer. Because the machine was over 20 years old, she decided to buy a new one.

The first time she used the new dryer, the same problem occurred. Frustrated, she asked her husband to investigate. He eventually reported that the trouble was a burned-out fuse. It would only cost a few dollars to replace. "A few dollars!" she exclaimed. "That fuse has already cost us $600."

   --Brenda Robson (from Life's Like That, 1996)

Since all the utilities and heating in our new home are electric, my husband, Frank, is always reminding us to turn lights and television off when we're not in the room. I had a difficult time breaking myself of the habit of turning the laundry-room light on first thing in the morning and leaving it on.

One night as we were preparing for bed, Frank went to the laundry room and turned the light off. When he returned, he asked me to tell him when I needed a new washer and dryer so he could come with me to buy them. "Why?" I asked, puzzled by the unusual request.

"I just want to make sure we buy a new set that isn't afraid of the dark."

   --R. Fabiano (from Life's Like That, 1996)

When I arrived home, I discovered my roommate, Marilyn, quite shaken. She had stapled an electric cord under the cabinet, with the cord plugged in, and had received quite a shock. I told her that her story was about as dangerous a stunt as any I had heard, except for that day's report on the radio about a woman who had put a bag of garbage on her stove so the cat wouldn't get at it, and the bag had caught fire.

Marilyn was silent but had a strange look on her face. "That was my sister," she said.

   --Sue Schottner (from Life's Like That, 1996)

Because the oven was overshooting the set temperature, I shaved a few minutes off the cooking time for my muffins, set the timer and asked my husband to keep an eye on them while he did the dishes and I dusted. Not long after, I smelled something burning and dashed into the kitchen. "Are those my muffins burning?" I asked Paul.

"Yes," he said as he calmly wiped a dinner plate.

"Then why are they still in the oven?" I cried.

"Because," he replied, "the timer hasn't gone off yet."

   --Cheryl Anderson (from Life's Like That, 1996)

With five of her eight children still living at home, my mom is constantly doing laundry. Much to her dismay, her 21-year-old dryer finally gave up the ghost. She bought a new one at the local appliance store, and with the service that comes in small towns, it was delivered the same afternoon. Allan, the owner of the store, even hauled the old dryer away. The next morning Allan called Mom. He asked if she wanted the load of wet clothes she had left in the old dryer.

   --Colleen Mahoney (from Life's Like That, 1995)

I put a roast in the oven one noon hour and set the timer, a feature I hadn't used yet. Before leaving work that afternoon, I phoned my 15-year-old son to ask him to check the roast and peel some potatoes. Minutes later he called back. "Dad, the roast isn't cooked. The oven didn't come on."

The roast was on the menu again the following day, but this time, since I stopped by the house after a business lunch, I decided to turn the oven on myself. Again before leaving work, I called my son to check the roast and get the potatoes started. Again he called me back. "The roast still isn't cooked."

"Listen," I said. "I know the oven's on. I turned it on before I left. I didn't use the timer."

"Oh, the stove's working fine," he told me. "It's just that the roast is in the fridge."

   --Douglas Millroy (from Life's Like That, 1995)

The doors on my aging Pontiac had frozen shut. When repeated hip and body checks wouldn't budge them, I hit on the idea of stringing extension cords together and using my hair dryer to warm the doorjamb.

While I was trying this method, a young woman came around the corner, two toddlers in tow on a toboggan. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her stop to watch, and I looked up. "Don't mind me," she called out. "I'm impressed. Since the twins were born, I can't even find time to blow-dry my hair!"

   --Judy Millar (from Life's Like That, 1995)

We were trying to decide where to go for a ski holiday, and the travel agent was showing my parents and me brochures of various condos and hotels. She explained that all the units with stoves, fridges and dishwashers were marked with SC, which stood for "self-contained" units. "Nonsense," my mother corrected. "It really means 'she cooks.'"

   --Kevin Buchan (from Life's Like That, 1995)

Sitting at the kitchen table of our rented apartment, my husband and I were catalogue shopping for appliances for the new home we were building. Rick suggested we buy a stove with the self-clean option. I countered that keeping the oven clean was no big deal, and we could put the extra money to better use elsewhere. Without a word he went to the stove and threw open the oven door--and we ordered the option.

   --Lynda Belt (from Life's Like That, 1994)

While I was visiting my father, my brother called. He couldn't get his secondhand clothes dryer to work. He had tested it before buying and had been satisfied that it was a worthwhile purchase. My father made several suggestions, but nothing seemed to work. Then my husband, sitting across the room, asked if the dryer door was open. Dad passed the question along, and his grin provided the answer. My brother quickly said good-bye and hung up.

   --Margaret Millar (from Life's Like That, 1994)

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