SAN ANTONIO — Washing machines are not the quietest appliances, but Sue Ann Brooks' machine is so loud you can't stay in the same room with it. What makes that even worse is that it's less than a year ...

Way back in time I wrote a column about wash day in my family when I was a young boy. I recalled the log cabin that my father built back in the mid 20s and the fast moving spring running beside it ...

“See that?” I asked, pointing at a TV ad for major appliances. “If we ever have to get a new washer and dryer, that’s the color I want!” They were deep blue, and I heard a choir of angels singing.