>The saga of the dishwasher continues. I keep getting really down about it and other things that have gone wrong, but somehow I’m just not meant to be down for long. Something always seems to come up and remind me that it could be worse — could be raining.

I was dragging myself through washing dishes last night before bed and feeling exhausted, when I realized that I may be saving water. Our water bills may be going up (way up) in the next year or two or five, so anything that saves water is good.

The estimate from the appliance repair dude is for $281. Tonight we will windowshop for dishwashers to see if it’s worth our while to replace or if we should repair. Either way, it’s a big cost. But it could be worse — at least we have a choice.

I was about to wash dishes mid-day when La Petite got in the shower. Drat. I did the dishes after she finished and delegated the folding of laundry (towels and dish cloths, mainly) to her. I couldn’t really complain, although I wanted to. After all, she is home from college and able (and willing!) to chip in on housework and yardwork. I have time to wash dishes, whether I want to or not, because I teach in a public school district that hasn’t adopted year round school … yet. The timing could have been much worse — the dishwasher could have held on until school started, and broken down in September.

The Husband’s car needed repair. La Petite’s tuition, etc., is due, um, now. El Grande’s registration fees and the works are due tomorrow at the high school. But it could be worse! They successfully repaired the car this time. The tuition can be paid in installments. El Grande’s fees are a one-time deal; I’ll pay tomorrow and be done.

Drat. Just when I think I can get away with being crabby, I realize that we haven’t hit bottom quite yet. But really, people — all this and PMS, too? I give in: I’m CRANKY!