I DON'T NEED IT.

I admit, for a guy who lives alone, I use A LOT of water. I see it in my bill I receive each month from Grand Prairie Water Distribution, in Stuttgart, Arkansas.

I do take a shower each day. Sometimes more than one. I can get dirty -- and/or stinky -- pretty easily.

Along with toilet flushing, washing clothes, watering trees & plants, and -- not often enough -- washing my truck, I have five turtle "ponds" which encompasses about 700 gallons of H2O. That water has to be changed/replaced on a regular basis.

At least the three cats don't have to be bathed. Well, sometimes they do have to be cleaned off, or wiped down. Cats DO get dirty.

I moved into this house in September, 1996. In those 14 years, I have always washed my dishes ... by hand.

I believe hand washing uses LESS water than a dishwasher. Plus, I like to wash dishes by hand.

I always use hot water, detergent & let the washed dishes rest in a rack. I'm not a hand/towel dryer. Let the dishes drip-dry themselves.

Too, I sometimes let (a few ?) dishes set in the sink before I wash them. Nothing really filthy or nasty. No one is offended, since I live alone, remember. Just waiting to have enough to make it worth my time. I've got plenty of extra "clean" dishes.

Here in Arkansas & counting the townhouse I had in Memphis, Tennessee -- actually, Bartlett, Tennessee, the "generic Germantown" -- & the apartment I had before that, I have always had a dishwasher installed.

I just never used them.

Well, I did run the dishwasher a few times at that old apartment. My wife at the time liked to use the dishwasher. She also turned it on one time while I was taking a shower. Instant cold. Yes, we had a big fight about that -- stupid, dumb idiot -- maneuver.

After I got rid of her, I never used the dishwasher. Everything strictly, "hand washed".

When I sold my home in Tennessee, as part of the final closing inspection, I had to show the Realtor the dishwasher in the kitchen was in working order. I had to stall for time, wondering how to turn it on & run the dishwasher. I was faking it. In 18 years, I never had used it. Thank goodness, it worked.

I tried to figure out the other day just how many years it has been since I used a dishwasher. My best guess would be about 37 years I have been washing dishes by hand. Since back around 1973.

Along that line of thought, I went in the current kitchen & opened up the dishwasher, something I don't believe I've ever done before.

I was kind of hoping it might be filled with gold bars. No such luck.

I'm thinking maybe it's time to remove the dishwasher, as it is just taking up needed room. I could use the space for some sort of storage or extra shelves. There's lots of possibilities.

I just don't need -- or use -- the dishwasher.