“Nothing is ever easy” my mother used to say. Not true for everything, but I was muttering those words yesterday morning, when I tried to power wash the aggregate concrete patios by my pool. Two months ago I decided to purchase an electric power washer, instead of hiring a company to power wash all my patios. It is slow and messy work, but a job I can do myself. I knew I didn’t want to cope with a gasoline-powered power washer, but thought I could safely use an electric one. A month ago I used the power washer on my kitchen patio and the stone patio by the pool. Not perfect, but they looked much cleaner when I was done. However, the very dirty patios at the deep end of the pool were a logistical challenge; the plug on the cleaner would not fit the recessed electrical outlet at that end of the pool, and the garden hose was too short. I had to find another electrical connection (extension cords don’t work, a safety measure) and a second hose, and I put it off for more pressing jobs. Yesterday I was determined to clean those patios. It took lots of steps to string the electric line and the hose. Those two problems solved, I set out to clean the patios—and promptly snapped off an integral part of the handle, a lever that kept the power hose in place. I hiked back to the yard hydrant, turned off the water, and sat down to ponder the broken piece. See that little blue rectangle next to the black hose? It took me about thirty minutes of studying the manual and trying various ways to snap the lever into place. I am very stubborn–my mother used to call me mule-headed–and at last I succeeded. After that, the actual cleaning was…hmm,  well, a snap!