Saturday, January 11, 2014

Farewell




I said goodbye to an old friend last week. My friend is a lot like me--likes to cook, not too beautiful and is wearing out a little around the edges. For almost twenty-four years, we spent daily time together as we wrestled with life. But, as with all good things, time takes its toll and willingly or unwillingly we are required to move on.

Yes, I am bidding adieu to my General Electric four-burner range, circa 1989. We bought it when we built our house. Our budget was very tight and top of the line appliances were never considered. We settled for a modest little work horse stove and I certainly put her to the test the minute she arrived. We had been living on quick meals and whatever scraps we could piece together as we scrambled to complete a home building project in addition to our full time jobs. The day we signed papers for the house and officially moved in, I prepared a pork chop dinner. It wasn't anything special but I remember the comfy fragrance of a home cooked meal. Better yet, it was our first meal prepared on our new stove in our new house. It was a moment that settled us into the rhythm of new surroundings and new mortgage payments.

Ms. GE never complained as I continued to cook and bake throughout the years. She never needed a house call from the doctor as she preheated, baked, broiled and boiled with relative ease. It was only in her latter years that signs of aging began to surface. The scrawny little knobs on the clock/timer broke off first. Next came an impossible battle with the drip pans and burner rings as they charred themselves to a crusty patina. The self-cleaning oven needed additional help with the sticky messes I managed to create and finally, the burners started screaming for mercy as I jiggled and juggled them into place. My soup pots became accustomed to sitting at an angle and losing heat when the connection was suddenly interrupted.

Despite Ms. GE's frailties, I stubbornly continued onward and would probably still be doing so if my soft spoken husband hadn't finally declared that it was time to end my co-dependent relationship. Shortly thereafter, we trudged our way through snow and slush and entered a local store filled with smiling, gleaming new appliances. Once again, budget constraints meant foregoing the seductive call of top of the line ranges. We moved, instead, toward the less flashy little models and after some deliberation and crunching of numbers we settled on an LG range, knob-less, smooth top and basic white, please.

As I prepared my last meal on my tired GE, I said a prayer of thanks for all her years of service. Conservatively speaking, she cranked out over 14,000 meals, 1,000 desserts and 1,200 dozen cookies. My family and friends are grateful for such faithfulness.

Now, there is a new sheriff in town and I hope we have many productive years together. I know for sure that her knobs won't fall off, her burners won't require jiggling and she is easier to clean.

I wish I could say the same for me.




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