I ate all the muffins

Remember about my dryer, and how my neighbor was going to come over that day to fix it?

Yeah, he didn't. I camped out at home all day for the 2nd day in a row--didn't shower, didn't run my errands, didn't do anything except stay at home and wait for him and get more and more frustrated and take his calls about the different things that had come up and how he'll come over right after he gets this one thing taken care of.

After TDL was asleep that night, I drove to the store to buy his milk, since we'd run out. Got out of the car and realized I'd parked in a handicapped spot. Moved the car. Got into the store and realized that my wallet wasn't in my purse. Said [Jenny's word] in my mind. Remembered that I did have WIC vouchers in my purse, so grabbed formula instead. Believed that the people in line were giving me looks and had to refrain from screaming, "Lady, I do not NEED to be getting WIC Looks from someone who has  DOG IN HER CART so just STEP OFF." Came home and proceeded to have a meltdown with swear words and sobbings and statements like "I just want clean towwwweeeelllllls!" and "Plus I'm PMSing which is why I'm so fat and crying right now and also why I wanted chocolate from the store and I couldn't get annnnyyyyyyyyyy!"

GH comforted me, and then offered me the tonic of peanut butter and chocolate chips on a spoon, which he swore would taste just like a Reese's Peanut Butter cup. It was pretty good. After wallowing for a moment, I remembered that I have a brother who lives 20 feet away with a working dryer. I called him and announced that my period was three days away and that's why I sound so unhinged and can I please use his dryer tomorrow. (Bless boys who grew up with sisters. They are the best.)

So yesterday I spent all day doing laundry and drying my sheets and towels and underwear in the dryer of my sweet brother and his lovely wife. And then Daltongirl texted me wanting to know why on this green earth I hadn't asked for help because she too has a dryer and is married to the very handy and sweet Daltonboy. Love my lovely friends.

I have learned an important lesson, though, during this experience and some others I've had in the last year or so. Ready for it?

It's just better to have money.

I'm not kidding, it is. Doing favors and accepting favors and bartering services is all very well and good, except for when it totally is not. Because when there are delays and things, you have to accept it. Like when the nice lady in my ward offered to take newborn photos of the Dark Lord for free but then got busy and didn't give me the images for several months (there went my Christmas cards and/or birth announcements). Like with my dryer right now. You can't go stomping around and lighting fires under people's butts because they are doing you a favor. And that's what money is for. It means you can hire a professional and ensures that you are a priority. Your problems will be addressed immediately rather than when somebody "can get around to it."

I have accepted that my neighbor is never going to fix my dryer. He might not even have the part that is needed to fix it, because every time we ask for it he has an excuse for why he can't give it to us right now. Maybe he just doesn't want to disappoint us and feels that all these excuses are better than the truth, which is that for whatever reason, he can't help us. He has some problems, problems that make me feel really bad for him, and despite his good intentions it is just not going to happen.

So. On to Plan B!