Commentary

By Loyal and Charlotte Baker

We have an old Kenmore washing machine. We think we’ll keep it.

It replaced a Maytag. You know, the one with the lonely repairman, his life ebbing away as he awaits a call that (supposedly) never comes. The Maytag machine would be working to this day, except the circuit board went spitzen-sparken and out the door it went.

Instead of $30 for a belt or $100 for a motor,...