A Vintage Life Lines from 2008.
The older I get, the more I’m learning to leave things alone. I mean literally, leave things alone.
I just didn’t learn this soon enough to ward off what’s going on with my appliances that makes me afraid to go into my kitchen.
A few years ago we did some kitchen remodeling. At that time we got a new range top and venter hood and a new oven. We integrated the new things with the old refrigerator that I had bought used a year or two before the remodel. So what if the water-in-the-door feature leaked a little and left rusty stains all down the front? We also kept the dishwasher we got cheap in 1996 because it was a leftover display model with no warranty or instructions. Both appliances worked. Sort of.
I’m a sucker for a bargain, and I had some pretty good bargains in my kitchen, everything bought with economy in mind. I did notice, after I had enjoyed my new stuff for awhile that my bargain appliances didn’t match. Somehow that hadn ‘t seemed important when I was gloating over their low prices and the fact that two of my elderly appliances were still chugging along fine.
Then we got HGTV on cable, and after watching a few shows I learned that I had committed the two cardinal sins of kitchen furnishing:
First, my appliances did not match. The refrigerator, dishwasher, oven and microwave were white but the range top was black.
Second, except for a venter hood bought at a sidewalk sale (it worked pretty well after we pounded the dent out of it), these appliances weren’t stainless steel, THE finish for appliances these days.
According to the TV designers, either of those errors alone--our appliances’ failure to match or their lack of stainless steel-ness-- would have brought the Design Police out with a warrant for our arrest. But a kitchen that was guilty of both fashion mistakes made our whole house absolutely worthless on today’s market!
Fortunately, we’re not interested in selling our house, and I’ve lived quite well with my design faux pas for several years now. Then my husband, whose idea of kitchen fashion is a pan full of bacon on the stove, decided that it was time to get our kitchen up to fashion code.
Actually, fashion wasn’t his concern as much as the fact that he kept slipping in the water puddles every time he walked by the refrigerator.
And the dishwasher had come loose from its moorings under the cabinet and walked out into the middle of the floor when I ran a load of dishes. It tipped over when you opened the door, and you had to hold it up with your knee while you threw the dishes in, then slam the door shut and give it a little shove back under the cabinet. In protest, the door would then jam against the cabinet and refuse to open the next time. I thought I was coping just fine.
At his insistence, though, we purchased a new stainless steel refrigerator, microwave and dishwasher. Instead of solving our problems, we’ve just bought new ones.
The up-to-date dishwasher is installed and working fine. It would be great if it had room for dishes. It has so many baskets and flaps and racks on it that I have trouble fitting many dishes in at one time.
The microwave fits into the space for the old unit, with room to spare. Lots of room. So we had to buy a “fit kit” for $118 to cover up the gaping hole in the cabinet.
The refrigerator delivery has been delayed four times so far. That would be okay except for the cleaning quandry. Not wanting the delivery men to see what might be lurking under the old fridge, we pulled it out, cleaned under it and put it back. I kept cereal boxes and chip bags on top of the fridge, all of which had to be removed the top of the dryer until the new fridge comes.
Now I’m worried. How fast do dead bugs, dried lizards and dust bunnies start re-congregating under a refrigerator? I’d hate to have to collect and re-bag all that stuff if delivery is delayed again.
And, all this will require decisions about whether to transfer all 14 half- empty jars of jelly to the new refrigerator or throw them out. I’ll have to analyze the “eat by” dates on all the old frozen pizzas and pot pies. Not to mention trying to identify some of the frozen carcasses that have been in there since 1995.
As you can see, getting new appliances is way too much work. I can cope with old stuff that I understand. But soon now my husband is going to say we need to change that white oven to stainless steel to match the other new things.
I already know what I’m going to tell him: “If it ain’t broke, it hasn’t walked into the bathroom by itself, and all it needs is a cobweb cleaning and dead lizard adjustment, let’s just leave well enough alone!
