Dryer Drama

Recently, I had an issue with my clothes dryer. I went to pull a load out and it was still damp. So, I put a little more time on it and restarted it. When it finished and I went back, the clothes were, again, still damp. I checked the lint trap. I checked the hose connection for any kinks. I checked to see that it was getting warm. Once more, I put a little more time on it and turned it on. When it finished, I opened the door, full of hope that it had fixed itself, but again…..damp clothing. So, I started searching through files for the warranty. The washer and dryer were just over a year old, how could anything go wrong? After a few hours with no luck and the laundry piling up like 5pm traffic, I decided to pull the dryer out and get out my handy, long-handled, made for this type of thing, lint brush and try to fix the situation. I cleaned out every area I could find to clean. I detached the hose from the wall and shook it out. This frightened me because I knew that the hose connected to the vent on the outside of the house and what if the problem was that a little mouse had climbed inside and built a lovely and cozy home. But, shook it, I did and no mouse fell out. Whew! I was very brave! But wait! The vent on the outside of the house! I had forgotten it. Maybe it needed to be cleaned. So, brave as I am, I sent JJ out with the long-handled, just for this occasion brush and told him to clean the vent. Dutifully he went out to do it. Pretty soon he called to me, “Mom. Come here.” I did not like the sound of that! What if the mouse was living in the vent and JJ had just discovered a thriving nest? (yes, I DO have a fear of mice.) “Ok, here I come”. When I got out there, I couldn’t believe my eyes! The vent cover was smashed, completely flat against the house!!!! No wonder nothing was getting dry! JJ popped it out and we started drying clothing once again. As I thought about the whole thing and wondered what could have happened, it dawned on me that a certain bat-loving, bangs-on-everything, 5 year-old boy might just have something to do with it. You think?

Good night~