Most Helpful Appliance Ever

As my body ages and the energy levels drop appliances to do as much of the house-work as possible are important. One, however, has proven to be the god-send I had always hoped for, a robot vacuum cleaner. No longer does a backache emerge from steering a wand around the floor to bother me. No longer do I have to follow the head to every corner of the room. Finally, I don’t even have to put it away as it can take itself back to base for recharging.It was not something that crossed my mind before until it came up in an ad on TV. It seemed incredible but even then the real beauty of it escaped my attention. Then, one day when my back was sore and the vacuuming still had to be done, it hit me. How much would one cost and so what if it cost a thousand dollars wouldn’t it be worth it?My reasoning went further. A dishwasher cost me almost that much and it takes a load off me. So too does the washing-machine, and I could never do without that one. Add to the list the micro-wave and its time-saving and wonderful benefits, plus the stove. What, in fact, would my life be without any of these modern gadgets.Recently a reverse cycle air-conditioner was added to the list and the result was warmth in my bedroom which had always been the coldest room in the house. It was more like a freezer in the winter time and in summer, well the temperature in there at night could be as high as 100 degrees Celsius. What it did for me to have my room warm or cooler, depending on the season, cannot be adequately expressed.So why would a robot vacuum cleaner be any different. Having given it enough thought I rang a few places to check on supplies. Having decided on the iRobot Roomba, which was the one featured in the ad, it turned out to be probably the best on the market.Bringing it home and setting it to work was sheer joy. At first I watched it like a hawk to see how it coped with the electric cords, mats, and other things that could stand in its way. It has a mind of its own and easily manipulates these things with ease. It darts in and out between chair legs, dives under others when it has access, and shoots under the bed and other places.Now and again I hear its little tune as it calls out to be emptied. When it gets low on energy it parks itself back at its base and now, as with my other machines, I don’t know how I would do without it.