Whelp, that'll do it

The first major purchase we made as a married couple was our beautiful washer and dryer set. We splurged a little bit on these (though we still got a killer deal) because we both felt it was better to invest in a high-quality set that would last us forever than get a cheap-o set we'd have to replace much quicker.

Can you tell how much we love them?

Nearly 13 months later (that's right, barely outside of warranty), we noticed something funny happening with our dryer. Despite interminable cycles, the clothes weren't getting dry and actually smelled kind of musty. The Maytag guy had a look and determined nothing was wrong with it.

Yesterday, resident handyman Parker diagnosed the problem - a foot long, very dense bird's nest built inside the vent that pumps the air outside. No, I don't have a picture - I wish I did. He said it was completely solid, except for a tiny hole for the bird to get out. It didn't just have sticks and leave and lint, either. The bird has been bringing in chunks of thick cotton (where does he get that?) to pad his nest.

(Not ours, just an appropriate pic I found here)

The sad news is the birdie no longer has a home. The good news is, my clothes smell wonderful. I'm ok with this arrangement.