When I went downstairs to take the laundry out of my washing machine in mid March, I opened the lid and found everything setting in the water at a standstill.

Nothing worked. I checked the circuit breaker, and that was OK, but the washing machine had no power.

I dipped out the water and did the best I could to rinse the laundry by hand in a pail.

Next, I called the Lehigh Valley store where we have purchased appliances for many years.

A recorded message stated the business was closed due to Gov. Tom Wolf’s guidelines for the coronavirus pandemic.

I was able to leave my phone number for the service department.

I received a call from a service employee who said work could not be done until COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.

He also stated my 8-1/2-year-old machine probably was not worth fixing. The cost of the service call, labor and parts could be applied to a new unit.

He said the average life span of that washer is 8-10 years. The Maytag I had before this machine lasted 33 years.

Since the Lehigh Valley dealer was closed, I looked at washing machines at a big box store which was open.

I could purchase a machine there but due to pandemic precautions, installers were not allowed to enter a home and would simply unload the washing machine outside my door.

I decided to wait for the local dealer to reopen, and to use a laundromat in the meantime.

After six weeks of closure, the local appliance store opened with strict regulations. Customers had to schedule an appointment, and employees sanitized everything before and after the person was in the store.

Unfortunately, with pent-up demand, delays in the delivery system, and closing of some of the manufacturing plants, washing machines were in short supply.

I decided to call an appliance store in a different area and was pleased to learn they had just the washing machine I had in mind.

My husband and I went to the out-of-town dealer, and I felt so relieved I was going to have a washing machine.

However, the store owner told me it would be a mistake to buy that machine, and she and other sales staff enumerated objections to it.

These included too many settings for anyone to understand, a fake stainless steel interior, plastic parts inside, and difficult access for repairs.

Then, she gave the tub a shove and said the whole thing was unstable. She implied the machine was a piece of junk.

I was stunned.

She recommended a machine which cost nearly twice as much.

I didn’t think I needed a high-end washing machine, so we left empty-handed.

I was distressed that I still did not have a washing machine. I was taking necessities to the laundromat, but other things were starting to pile high.

I decided to visit the local store again and was pleased to see it was well-stocked this time.

Although I looked at numerous machines, the warning of that out-of-town dealer remained in my mind.

I did not want a piece of junk, so I purchased the higher level machine recommended by her, although the sale was going to a business closer to home.

I figured my COVID-19 relief payment from the federal government would pay for it.

After 16 weeks without a washing machine, I welcomed the new unit to our home on July 10.

It restored a bit of normalcy to my life, after all of the changes brought on by the pandemic situation.

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Editor’s note: Susan Rumble is a longtime reporter and columnist for the Parkland Press.