Can you believe it?

This picture is somewhat embarrassing.  Our old vacuum was wearing out; I recently had patched the hose with duct tape when I couldn't order a new hose.  It still worked but the case was cracking, and since the on/off switch was broken we plugged the cord into a plug with its own switch.  That worked just fine, except every time I wanted to turn it off or on I had to go to the wall plug, a bit tedious.  With so much going on, buying a new vacuum was not at the top of my to-do list, but when I looked in the machine's manual and saw the receipt indicating we bought the vacuum in 2002, I realized it was time to start researching on Consumer Reports for a new one.

EK beat me to it, buying us a Shark Navigator with a lift-away canister for easier use on stairs and off-floor cleaning.  Now, I have vacuumed the house weekly for years.  I may not dust that often, but I do vacuum.  The first time I used this new machine, which claims to have really strong suction, this is the amount of dirt it picked up.  Wow!