A repairman has come and gone. He only charged me $20 for the service call, since he can't fix my problem. (NB: that's a bad sign.)
The dishwasher has been overflowing for the last few weeks. It went from a one-towel leak to a five-towel leak. The appliance repairman couldn't replicate the problem at first, but then he got it to happen. He told me that the valve that should shut off the water when it washes or rinses dishes is broken. The actual part costs a few dollars. The potential labor costs are several times what the dishwasher is worth. (Retails $299 new, $100 after four years, labor is $40/hour, 4-6 hour job to pull the dishwasher, take it apart, replace the part, put it all back together, put it back, run a cycle).
So now I'm out of a dishwasher. Hello dishwasher fairy? I've been a very good ulitave this year. Really.