A Companionable Chore

Since our dishwasher hasn't been reinstalled (it lacks a "side mount," which is on order) we are doing the dishes by hand. This is a chore I actually like. I like getting my hands warm, I love using our new sink and faucet, and mostly I like sharing the dish washing and drying with someone else (almost always Ben), chatting as we wash, dry and put away dishes. Our new streamlined modern wondrous kitchen doesn't have a dish drying rack like our old-fashioned one had, so you either have to set your just-washed dish down on the counter next to the sink to wait until you stop washing and start drying, or, ideally, you hand it to someone who is waiting with towel in hand just to dry it. This companionship makes the whole process quite easy and enjoyable, and I find I don't miss using the dishwasher very much at all.