The Day the Appliances Died

One morning, when I shoved a mug of water into the microwave, it lit up like a firecracker.

Hubby came running. “Did you warm your car keys in the microwave again?”

I crept from under the table. “I just wanted some tea.”

He tentatively examined the microwave. “Whatever you did sent it to its Happy Heating Ground.”

“At least, it didn’t leave a crater.” Our son had shared scary dormitory stories of popcorn-popping microwave doom.

Too cheap to buy a new one, I considered repairs. We might even survive without one.

Right.

“How do I do this?” Hubby, holding his mug with deer-in-the-headlights uncertainty, dampened my optimism.

“Easy. Fill a teakettle, set it on a burner and boil until it yells.”

“Sounds barbaric.” He took a step back. “What’s a teakettle?”

I’d given ours away, so I showed him how to fill a little pan.

He said, “Microwaving is the only cooking I do.”

“Perhaps you should return to the simple life,” I said loftily.

“Sure.” A sudden smile broke through. “You’ll do all the cooking.”

Now that sounded barbaric.

But not so primitive as heating water to wash dishes. Our hot water heater, apparently mourning the microwave’s demise, wept all over our garage before gurgling its last.

The plumber came. Five hundred dollars later, he introduced us to an appliance that actually heated water. Accustomed to our decrepit one, I burned my hands whenever I turned on the faucet.

We reset the temperature. Problem solved. But the new microwave and I had issues.

“Someday, I’ll get the hang of this,” I tried to say. The ice bag on my tongue muffled my words.

“Too bad the owner’s manual is in Sanskrit,” my husband sympathized.

After a few trips to the burn unit, we adjusted. But then, the oven’s thermostat malfunctioned.

“Maybe it likes cornbread rare?” I said to Hubby.

The fridge, taking its cue, froze a dozen eggs and melted 27 boxes of popsicles I’d bought on sale. The icemaker swore as if in labor.

The repairman suggested Band-Aid possibilities, but didn’t pull punches with his diagnosis: at best, my stove and refrigerator had six months to live. All we could do was keep them comfortable. Keep them comfortable?

Feeling flatlined myself, I decided to self-resuscitate with enough French Roast to make me lift appliances.

But Mr. Coffee’s performance is weak. His coffee maker innards and mine both have seen better days.

Like all appliances, he won’t live forever, and the guarantee ran out ages ago.

 

But, praise Jesus, I will, and mine won’t.

When no more replacement parts are available, will you go to the Master Designer for a new you?

If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17

6 thoughts on “The Day the Appliances Died

  1. Robbin Williams

    Thank you for this great post!!! It brought laughter, as well as encouragement to those of us who have had similar weeks/months of multiple things breaking down or going wrong all at once. I look forward to each of your post!!! God bless!

    Reply
    1. rachael Post author

      Thanks, Robbin, for your kind comments! I think I don’t depend on modern conveniences, then break out in a rash if Mr. Coffee or Ms. Keurig don’t come through the way I think they should! Blessings on your appliances, and may they all stay in a cooperative mood for a long time 🙂

      Reply
  2. Maggy

    Rachael,
    Not sure if you are set on your Mr. Coffee, but my sister, mom, aunt and sister-in-law have all sworn by their BUN coffee pots drip kind. Not being a big coffee drinker the only thing I noticed about it was that it was lots faster. I personally don’t care for microwaves. Hope this helps… Maggy

    Reply
    1. rachael Post author

      Thanks for the helpful hints, Maggy! Sometimes I wish I weren’t dependent on the microwave–especially when I nearly blow one up–but it does save me a lot of time. Sometimes I wonder what weird appliance they’ll come up with next 🙂

      Blessings on your day, and thanks for reading.

      Reply
  3. Karla Akins

    Your writing is awesome. Too bad your appliances weren’t! 🙂 Isn’t it amazing how they coordinate dying? It’s like that are sentient or something…That’s just too scary to think about. But then again, we do talk to them, so…

    Reply
    1. rachael Post author

      Thanks, Karla. Yes, those appliances are all against us! I hope the cars and, worse yet, our computers and cell phones, don’t join the kick-the-bucket planning sessions!

      Reply

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