stressful week
Well after that really nice day I had last Saturday, all hell broke loose in the household. The next day I came home to find a dead oven. Not a cheery thought when your husband has an order for 30 dozen cookies to fill for grad. Especially during a week that he has plans to be out of town for most of the days before grad. I have to say I found it quite depressing. B came home from his weekend away to find a note: oven is bitched. I am sure he found it quite depressing as well, so he had to do some tearing apart of said oven in an attempt to find out what the trouble was. Seeing as a flame had shot out at me from the "selector" switch, I was pretty sure it wasn't the usual fuse or element thing that happens sometimes with ovens.
Monday , after we ascertained that this job was beyond our diy skills, I called the local fix it guy, who I thought was retired, but I figured he would know who I could call. He offered to come and have a look.
Tuesday he came, saw and told us the grim news. No part he had would work to fix it.
Wednesday ( days are clicking closer to grad...) B finds out that our oven is so old ( I know, 20 years is really quite good, it cooked us a lot and didn't owe us a thing anymore....) that they don't make those parts anymore.....but he did find a wall oven in the clearance centre for 400 bucks, which he thought might do. This eases my depression somewhat. I had had a busy am., doing school visits, haircuts, errands and chores. I find this message on the machine from husband and call him back. I decide to go look at oven in a.m. and likely buy it. Decide that if we must rent a truck, it might just be the right time to get the washer and dryer we so desperately need that i have been saving for. Ever since using penpals front loader last summer, I have been fixed on this idea, despite the fact that they cost twice as much as regular. Last weekend, a client was raving about hers and how much water and power saved. I decide this is the right time. (finding oven eases the depression that ensued when wife thinks hard earned savings are going to go to oven,rather than washer.....) So anyway, I try to find some scratched and dented's in the Sears shops around the city. I spend so much time on the phone when I am home for lunch and supper that I only have five min at each meal to actually eat. Not a good plan. By the time I am home from work by 9 p.m. I am exhausted mentally. Husband is finding out info on the net re: machines I have been interested in. Wife recalls that she will NEVER buy another Kenmore washer after last lemon.....
Of course you know where this is going , don't you.....?
Next a.m. husband reluctantly takes ANOTHER day off to deal with this crisis. Brother in law rises up early and drives back here (having driven to Farm Progress show the day before and then home again....)so lend truck and strong back and probably electrical knowledge....
Wife and husband go cruising for washers. End up at Sears new home centre store, where salesman the day before has promised fantastic deals in back room (eg. in back room, you can take it with you that day. Otherwise in this city, every store orders their stock from Alberta and you have to wait.....) Wife and Husband suprisingly spend their time being seduced by ---you guessed it---Kenmore appliances again. So rather than being ecstatic at the thought of amazing laundry, I am feeling cynical. I was so happy the last time and it was such a cause of misery. I think I might feel better if they came from the scratched and dented because then you don't expect perfection and you are not totally surprised by appliance betrayal when you got it on sale, or discount or whatever.
So anyway, now we wait. So much for my brilliance in terms of " buy it now because we have a truck available" Now I have to wait till next week and get someone in this family (we are not a borrowing kind of family) to borrow a truck from someone to go get them. Furthermore, the basement is a pit, which means I need to figure out how we will get them down there when they come, not to mention the removal of the old ones....I am tempted to leave them on the lawn with a "free" sign on them. But we all know, no one takes free stuff, but I could sell them for fifty bucks. Who knows.
The other stunner of this, is that we decided not to buy a matching pair. In which case, why am I buying a front loader dryer, when any dryer could do? I guess we just liked this washer and this dryer better than the other halves they came with. To add more confusion to the mix, when we left this store to go to the clearance center with Jeff to get the oven, we found both models of dryer in the clearance place. But still bought them in the full price store.
I suppose partly because it was almost time for me to be at work and partly because we were tired and partly because you wonder what is wrong with the ones at the clearance place. I had hoped I could get the saleslady to do a deal, but I should have known better because the co-worker I had spoken to on the phone the day before told me they weren't allowed to deal. Pronouncment from on high. BUT, she got me with the offer of a fifty dollar gift card. Which almost makes up for the diff in the two prices and lets me take the new one and go peacefully to work.
I wish I felt euphoric. Mostly when we buy things I feel a sense of dread. Just one time I would like to just go buy something because I wanted to, rather than because we are desperate. Although I have to say that a) I am using my new oven and loving it. and I am really glad I didn't have to shop for hours, go through many sales flyers and agonize over all the diff kinds. before making a decision. There was one there, and we took it. That was it. I was in agony the night before as B told me it was bigger than our old one and I didn't think he could make it fit, but he did. And I was at work, so not here to hear the saw cut into my beautiful cupboard. He even had most of the sawdust cleaned up by the time I got home and made supper as well....
So I did start to feel better. My mood started to life. My brother in law was here, we had a nice meal with wine to celebrate the new oven and a nice relaxing visit after. It took almost a week, but i finally felt non-depressed. I do, however, still have feeling of apprehension over the new washer and dryer that are not here yet. We have a history of making bad decisions when it comes to high ticket items. I have to wonder if it will be worth all this money, but I think the power savings should be worth it. I just can't help but wonder if this will be another lemon.
We had sworn, no more Kenmores. I mean, my parents had Kenmores as their first appliances, and they were still going strong when they gave them to me when I left home. I abandoned them when I got married, silly thing. For all I know, maybe they are still going somewhere....
My Kenmore microwave lasted over 20 years, so why doesn't that make me feel better about things? Maybe because nothing is built like it used to be. My dad gave up his washer and dryer when he got the condo--these are the only ones my parents ever had, after the wringer washer. I think they were bought in 1970...Like the freezer, which he also sold with the house. You know that none of these new appliances, his or mine, will last even close to that time period.....
This spring my telephone, toaster and crock pot croaked. The toaster is the only one older than 2 and it probably was no more than 5. So we are back to using our 26 year old toaster that we got as a wedding present. I just can't toast bagels and stuff now...Can't seem to find one I like. Ditto with the crock pot. I will try again in the fall. The phone seems to be still going, but I don't trust it. Right now the toilet is acting stupid, the hot water seems to keep shooting out of the taps for th past month. At the hairdressers someone told me that is the fault of the softener. I suppose, seeing as it is nearly paid for......
I just can't see how we are going to take care of all these things when Cait is coming home in a week. My life rushes by like the wind.
Monday , after we ascertained that this job was beyond our diy skills, I called the local fix it guy, who I thought was retired, but I figured he would know who I could call. He offered to come and have a look.
Tuesday he came, saw and told us the grim news. No part he had would work to fix it.
Wednesday ( days are clicking closer to grad...) B finds out that our oven is so old ( I know, 20 years is really quite good, it cooked us a lot and didn't owe us a thing anymore....) that they don't make those parts anymore.....but he did find a wall oven in the clearance centre for 400 bucks, which he thought might do. This eases my depression somewhat. I had had a busy am., doing school visits, haircuts, errands and chores. I find this message on the machine from husband and call him back. I decide to go look at oven in a.m. and likely buy it. Decide that if we must rent a truck, it might just be the right time to get the washer and dryer we so desperately need that i have been saving for. Ever since using penpals front loader last summer, I have been fixed on this idea, despite the fact that they cost twice as much as regular. Last weekend, a client was raving about hers and how much water and power saved. I decide this is the right time. (finding oven eases the depression that ensued when wife thinks hard earned savings are going to go to oven,rather than washer.....) So anyway, I try to find some scratched and dented's in the Sears shops around the city. I spend so much time on the phone when I am home for lunch and supper that I only have five min at each meal to actually eat. Not a good plan. By the time I am home from work by 9 p.m. I am exhausted mentally. Husband is finding out info on the net re: machines I have been interested in. Wife recalls that she will NEVER buy another Kenmore washer after last lemon.....
Of course you know where this is going , don't you.....?
Next a.m. husband reluctantly takes ANOTHER day off to deal with this crisis. Brother in law rises up early and drives back here (having driven to Farm Progress show the day before and then home again....)so lend truck and strong back and probably electrical knowledge....
Wife and husband go cruising for washers. End up at Sears new home centre store, where salesman the day before has promised fantastic deals in back room (eg. in back room, you can take it with you that day. Otherwise in this city, every store orders their stock from Alberta and you have to wait.....) Wife and Husband suprisingly spend their time being seduced by ---you guessed it---Kenmore appliances again. So rather than being ecstatic at the thought of amazing laundry, I am feeling cynical. I was so happy the last time and it was such a cause of misery. I think I might feel better if they came from the scratched and dented because then you don't expect perfection and you are not totally surprised by appliance betrayal when you got it on sale, or discount or whatever.
So anyway, now we wait. So much for my brilliance in terms of " buy it now because we have a truck available" Now I have to wait till next week and get someone in this family (we are not a borrowing kind of family) to borrow a truck from someone to go get them. Furthermore, the basement is a pit, which means I need to figure out how we will get them down there when they come, not to mention the removal of the old ones....I am tempted to leave them on the lawn with a "free" sign on them. But we all know, no one takes free stuff, but I could sell them for fifty bucks. Who knows.
The other stunner of this, is that we decided not to buy a matching pair. In which case, why am I buying a front loader dryer, when any dryer could do? I guess we just liked this washer and this dryer better than the other halves they came with. To add more confusion to the mix, when we left this store to go to the clearance center with Jeff to get the oven, we found both models of dryer in the clearance place. But still bought them in the full price store.
I suppose partly because it was almost time for me to be at work and partly because we were tired and partly because you wonder what is wrong with the ones at the clearance place. I had hoped I could get the saleslady to do a deal, but I should have known better because the co-worker I had spoken to on the phone the day before told me they weren't allowed to deal. Pronouncment from on high. BUT, she got me with the offer of a fifty dollar gift card. Which almost makes up for the diff in the two prices and lets me take the new one and go peacefully to work.
I wish I felt euphoric. Mostly when we buy things I feel a sense of dread. Just one time I would like to just go buy something because I wanted to, rather than because we are desperate. Although I have to say that a) I am using my new oven and loving it. and I am really glad I didn't have to shop for hours, go through many sales flyers and agonize over all the diff kinds. before making a decision. There was one there, and we took it. That was it. I was in agony the night before as B told me it was bigger than our old one and I didn't think he could make it fit, but he did. And I was at work, so not here to hear the saw cut into my beautiful cupboard. He even had most of the sawdust cleaned up by the time I got home and made supper as well....
So I did start to feel better. My mood started to life. My brother in law was here, we had a nice meal with wine to celebrate the new oven and a nice relaxing visit after. It took almost a week, but i finally felt non-depressed. I do, however, still have feeling of apprehension over the new washer and dryer that are not here yet. We have a history of making bad decisions when it comes to high ticket items. I have to wonder if it will be worth all this money, but I think the power savings should be worth it. I just can't help but wonder if this will be another lemon.
We had sworn, no more Kenmores. I mean, my parents had Kenmores as their first appliances, and they were still going strong when they gave them to me when I left home. I abandoned them when I got married, silly thing. For all I know, maybe they are still going somewhere....
My Kenmore microwave lasted over 20 years, so why doesn't that make me feel better about things? Maybe because nothing is built like it used to be. My dad gave up his washer and dryer when he got the condo--these are the only ones my parents ever had, after the wringer washer. I think they were bought in 1970...Like the freezer, which he also sold with the house. You know that none of these new appliances, his or mine, will last even close to that time period.....
This spring my telephone, toaster and crock pot croaked. The toaster is the only one older than 2 and it probably was no more than 5. So we are back to using our 26 year old toaster that we got as a wedding present. I just can't toast bagels and stuff now...Can't seem to find one I like. Ditto with the crock pot. I will try again in the fall. The phone seems to be still going, but I don't trust it. Right now the toilet is acting stupid, the hot water seems to keep shooting out of the taps for th past month. At the hairdressers someone told me that is the fault of the softener. I suppose, seeing as it is nearly paid for......
I just can't see how we are going to take care of all these things when Cait is coming home in a week. My life rushes by like the wind.
posted by Diana @ 9:38 PM
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