it's not a big deal...

.. but so annoying if you devote any time to considering how aggravating it is, it rapidly self-inflates to become much larger than it should. A relatively small problem in the overall scheme of things, but could become annoying. Mildly or more-so, depending on how much time you chose to invest. A frequent response to many of life's small annoyances you might hear: 'everything is relative'. You have to put things in perspective to realize there are not many things worth getting your blood pressure up over. Even though small things, left unattended can expand to appear monumental, it's really not a big deal.

When we moved into this house there was a teeny back porch on the north east side of the building. Over time we decided to get a screened porch added, as well as space for storage, adjacent to the carport. The connections for water and power for washer and dryer were up against the wall inside from the teeny porch. The vent for the dryer goes through the wall and blows hot air and dryer lint out there, where there used to be a teeny porch. But for many years the much larger porch has been screened, a space about eighth by twenty feet. Still that lint and hot air blows through little hole in the wall onto the concrete of the porch - making dust-bunnies, cobwebs and coating the screening.

It's been annoying to have to go out and sweep the porch, periodically corralling the dust-bunnies and swiping at the cobwebs to keep from looking like a haunted house. It does not really qualify as an aggravation, and probably not actually worth writing and reading about, but it is very irritating as one of those household chores that never seems to 'stay' done. It should be cleaned up about once a week, but sadly I care remarkably little for housework, so it might happen every few months. Which means the lint accumulates, and we often appear to be decorated for Halloween.

I've asked several people for suggestions, ways to resolve the small splinter-sized annoyance. The answer appeared as the people from TN came for the weekend, planning to help with the 'honey-do' list that has accumulated for months. I'd think of things that need to be done, and either unwilling or unable to accomplish, often just not ready to devote the time to a variety of small projects that need attention. Then along comes the smart, resourceful guy who can seemingly puzzle out most any challenge, knowledgeable, practical and with a brain wired for taking things apart. How fortuitous there is a fix-it guy in the family, since all the others are no longer here with us!

He went to the ACE hardware store and came back with this little 'kit' in a box that seems to be the solution to the on-going minor irritation. The vent deposits the lint into the little plastic box, that has a couple of inches of water in it. When the fluffy stuff hits the water, it changes form, just like we learned in science class. It becomes a liquid, that will eventually turn into  a solid if the water reservoir is not kept filled - so you can just peel the lint off the bottom of the little container: poof! Problem solved!