Great plans do not always bear fruit. On our first trip to the Texas hills after purchase of the new house we towed a trailer loaded with necessary items to subsist for days at a time while working through the process of Texas repatriation. The spare refrigerator from the basement (a 28 cubic foot behemoth in boring white), a queen size bed previously stored, spare stainless flatware, linens to make the bed and several wardrobe boxes of clothing. Ol' Abner included items he considers necessary for handyman type efforts, but I won't go into that since it holds little interest for me
UNLESS something really necessary should break.
Son and Daughter-In-Law were waiting at the new house when we arrived long after dark. DIL had spent many evenings at the house preparing it for our arrival. She had met a carpet cleaner there to have the carpets sanitized while she scrubbed and polished every surface. The gloriously clean smell refreshed our senses despite the fatigue of a fourteen hour drive pulling a heavily loaded trailer. Our negotiations during the home purchase had netted a large breakfast table that I coveted. She had set the table with new place mats and coasters. My Keurig coffeemaker was set up and ready to brew my morning coffee.
Son assisted with unloading the trailer and setting up the bed. In less than an hour the refrigerator was plugged in and filled with items from the ice chest, our bed was made and the apprehensive canine had tested the back yard. We gratefully settled in for a good night's sleep as the kids left for their home, knowing they had to arise early for work in a few short hours.
The morning brought the discovery that a piece of cheese had been placed in the freezer along with the kool packs for the ice chest. We laughed that the fridge had clearly made the trip without mishap. An hour later, everything in the interior of the appliance was lukewarm. Good thing he brought some tools. In minutes Ol' Abner had the back off the beast and all it's innards laying on the utility room floor. He concluded hopefully that some oil might have leaked into the compressor, or from it, or something of that nature, and possibly just unplugging it and letting it all settle for a few hours would remedy the situation. I recommended we just go purchase the primary refrigerator I planned to add in a few weeks anyway. I don't think he heard me....
Eight or so hours later the old girl kicked in on command when plugged in. When we left the following day for the Ozarks, she was still keeping her cool. Our initial trip had been successful. The pickup, motorcycle and it's trailer were all registered in the Lone Star State, Ol' Abner had obtained his temporary driver's license and tax exemptions had been filed in Travis County for the newly purchased property. We had a place to sleep when in Texas, a table for eating and appliances in place for preparing and preserving our food. Two chairs are in the living room, and two closets are filled with clothing. Oh yes we were functional. (or so we thought)
Our second trip included items Ol' Abner deemed necessary. The riding lawn mower, two meat smokers, multiple boxes and totes from the storage facility and a couple of wardrobe boxes of clothing. I was lucky to get a quilt and some pillow cases included to enhance our sleeping comfort. We ended our trip during daylight hours to view the freshly groomed landscape. DIL had again performed her magic, this time with the help of a friend. The yard was mowed and edged, shrubs trimmed so the new neighbors would not be ashamed. Once inside, we unloaded the ice chest, and proceeded to unload the trailer. The next morning, the food in the fridge was nice and warm...oh no! More ice obtained from the convenience store, food moved to the ice chest, and the back of the fridge dismantled again. Ol' Abners conclusion was that the fan motor need to be replaced. We don't yet have internet in the new house, so he pulled out the trusty yellow pages and started his search. A bit taken aback by the price of the part, he concluded he needed to get on line or find a nearby appliance repair business. Again I suggested to deaf ears that we go ahead with the purchase of that new one with the French doors and Freezer drawer. A fruitless search for appliance repair stores in the vicinity, and an on-line search revealing even higher pricing left us looking for a small "cheap" refrigerator to keep in the utility room. Cheap being a misnomer, we returned to the convenience store to replenish the ice supply for the ice chest.
The following day Ol' Abner and son were in the local home improvement store managed by Son's neighbor. For some reason they wandered from their actual mission into the appliance department, when they heard about a tax free weekend coming for the Memorial Holiday weekend. Now that eight and a quarter percent savings on top of Ol' Abner's 10% veteran discount got his attention. Friend further pointed out the "major appliance sale" adding an additional ten percent off. NOW he's thinking we might need to go ahead with an appliance purchase. He came to get me and we looked them over, chose a fridge and he agreed to go ahead with the new washer and dryer I planned for this house.
That evening when Son and DIL came out to our house with dinner in hand, we mentioned over dinner that only four more days would be endured hauling ice and storing food in a soggy ice chest. A light went off in both their eyes. The storage space they rent less than a mile from our house contains a small "drink fridge" that Son kept on his tool box in the garage at their old house. Next morning, we went to the storage area, retrieved the little chiller, wiped the dust off the outside and plugged it in on the counter.
It's perfect for keeping insulin, a bit of lunchmeat, a carton or two of yogurt and the freezer section actually makes a little tray of ice.
Don't you think it enhances the look of my kitchen. I do plan to continue with some red accents in the kitchen. The "chopper theme" wasn't quite what I had in mind, but the cool is very nice. It's probably a good thing they didn't think of it til the purchase had been completed and delivery scheduled, or Ol' Abner might still be stalling for a "better deal".
Later today, I will have a new refrigerator, washer and dryer. It's time to wash sheets, towels and a few clothes, even though the chill factor is not quite so urgent now. I welcome the automatic ice maker. Popping cubes out of the tray is soooo passe!
