Nancy Drew and Laurie R. King and Home Depot and Electrolux!

I'm going to apologize for this post right now.  I slept for about two and a half hours last night, so I'm not operating at full steam.  If only I were capable of taking a nap.

I think sleep evaded me because I am angry about the problems we're having with our new washing machine and the response from both the store we bought it from (Home Depot) and the manufacturer (Electrolux).  The Electrolux compact stackable washer and dryer were rated in the top four of their kind, so we chose them.

We bought them on 2/19/16 but the washer was out of stock, so they weren't delivered until 4/12/16.  After the power button was pushed and the cycle particulars were chosen on the touch pad screen, I couldn't get the Start button (also touch screen) to make it start.  We called Electrolux, who sent out a repairman in 5/1/16, who admitted that he had no experience with these machines.  He didn't do anything except keep touching the screen.  He finally got it to start and suggested that I wasn't moving my finger on the screen properly.  Really?  I don't want to have to do magic spells to do laundry.

It seemed to work okay as long as I didn't try to go from one load to the next without turning the washer off.  I wasn't happy, but I was feeling my way along.  But this week, it's gone back to not starting.  I'm waiting for the repairman.  If he can't fix it, it's going back to the store, one way or another.  I think it's a lemon.

We called Home Depot and Electrolux.  Electrolux pawned it off on Home Depot since that's where we bought it.  Home Depot said that there's only a 30-day return window and that it starts with the purchase date.  I pointed out that our paperwork says a 90-day return window and that it's ridiculous for any warranty / return period to start before you have the appliance.

They finally agreed to a return  -  but we have to take it back to them, they won't pick it up, even if we get the replacement washer from them!  Two strong young men delivered the washer and dryer, hefting them up a flight of stairs to the second floor.  So how are my husband (71) and I (63), who don't own a truck, supposed to get this damn thing back to them?  And why should that be our responsibility?  Stay tuned.

Despite all this, I've been managing a lot of reading.  A friend gave me A Grave Talent when I was in Massachusetts a few weeks ago.  I've read all the Mary Russell books, but I haven't read any of the Kate Martinelli books.  I liked this one and plan to read others.

Kate has moved to San Francisco and has a new partner, Al Hawkin.  He's not pleased to have someone he doesn't know, a woman to boot, working with him on a case involving strangled little girls.  But, as a woman, she'll be good to use for the press.  The murders seem to have some connection to a commune type place.  They discover that a famous artist lives there under an assumed name.  They also find out that she was convicted of strangling a little girl she babysat for.

They become convinced that she didn't kill the three little girls who have just been strangled and that she was innocent of the previous murder.  They have a new suspect.  The artist helps with a trap

I liked the characters in the book.  There was enough detail that I felt I got to know them.  That's often missing.

In the summer, I have to read at least one Nancy Drew book.  This is one I bought recently, so I decided to read (re-re-read) it before I put it with my collection.  I collect Nancy Drew books, only the originals, not first editions, but before they rewrote them starting in 1959.  They rewrote them to remove some racist stereotyping and to update the stories.  I prefer the flavor of the originals, warts and all.

Nancy and her friends, George and Bess, and sometimes her boyfriend Ned, try to figure out why parties are being used to burgle the houses where the parties are held.  Does it have anything to do with the party company hired to stage the parties?  Does her friend Linda, who works for the company, have anything to do with it?  Who are the criminals wearing velvet masks?  Read it and find out.