Time to say Goodbye?

This time-honoured song by Andrea Bocelli is about love for another human being. But what about a stove or a dishwasher, or a vacuum cleaner. When is it time to say goodbye to them?

One evening, when fortunately I wasn’t cooking dinner for anybody except Peter and me, our roast chicken was still clucking after 2 hours in the oven. Finally I carved off the legs and cooked them in the microwave. They came out grey and unappealing, but at least they were well done. Meanwhile I put the carcass back in the oven and tried another setting – convection. An hour later the carcass was cooked and crisp. A temporary solution had been found.

Later on, I read up on convection cooking, and adjusted my temperatures and timing. Occasionally I worry that this setting might give up too. I just hope it won’t be when we ‘re having company. We have discussed buying a new stove. We know that the stove and all our other kitchen appliances were replaced during a kitchen renovation in 2012, so they are all (unlucky?) 13 years old.

We also know that our house is almost 70 years old, a plain red-brick bungalow on a large lot. We are situated next to a 2-storey monster home in a very modern style. The neighbourhood is slowly becoming gentrified. Peter and I are even older than the house and, when we decide to move on, this place will be razed by a developer in a heartbeat. All the appliances, new or lovingly used, will be landfill. Climate change, anybody?

A couple of weeks ago the dishwasher started acting up. It didn’t drain properly and sometimes leaked all over the floor. We had to get down on our hands and knees, a hard position for us oldies, and scoop or suction up all the dirty water. The repairman told us what we already knew – buy a new dishwasher. In the meantime, he fixed the drainage problem and the leak. Then he vacuumed out all the dirt underneath, which had been exposed when he took off the front cover. As he left he said to Peter: “Don’t spend any more money on this old girl.” I don’t think he meant me.

The following Friday, when Lucy the cleaning lady plugged in the central vac, she got no suction. The dishwasher repairman had done it in. We left for an appointment while Lucy was fidgeting with the hose, knowing there was a spare upright vacuum in the closet. When we returned a few hours later, Lucy was in distress. She had given up on the central vac and tried the spare vacuum which was also not working properly. She had to resort to “brooming ” the rugs. I can only guess how much work this had been. She left the house in a bit of a snit. I couldn’t blame her.

The central vac repairman arrived a few days later, took one look at the machine, and said it was at least 40 years old! Of course, he told us to buy a new one. Well, unlike the stove and dishwasher, this one was a deal breaker. Lucy runs the show here. But the repairman had another suggestion, a refurbished model two-thirds the price of a new one and accompanied by a guarantee. It seemed like the way to go.

The repairman actually arrived on Sunday morning and an hour later we had a “new” central vac. Lucy will be thrilled. But the stove and dishwasher are still standing – on their last legs.

We haven’t yet heard from the fridge…

Sue