Feb 19, 2010

A kitchen antique

Years ago, my dad was an HVAC subcontractor. His main supplier ran a contest one year. For every item you purchased, you received points and could earn "fabulous prizes." At the end of the contest, Dad had enough points to "buy" several things for our home. (Unfortunately, he did not have enough points for the vacation trip my mom was hoping for!) While I don't remember all of the things he bought with his points, I do remember the lawnmower and the microwave oven.
Microwaves had been out for awhile, but were expensive back then. My mom wanted one, but wanted the new-fangled ones with an automatic turntable so she didn't have to rotate the food herself. Our new microwave was one of the first models with the turntable, made by Panasonic. This was back in 1978.
DH and I still have and use daily that microwave. It was "passed down" to me sometime after college. Occasionally, the turntable will stop turning. DH then takes it apart and replaces the rubber band that turns the turntable. We don't use official replacement parts; the rubber band off of a bunch of broccoli works fine. Notice the timer knob instead of an electronic keypad!
This week, after 32 years of use, the light bulb finally burned out in it and we had to replace that. They just don't make things like they used to. ☺
Wednesday, DH took the day off and spent the day cutting more firewood. We've gone through a cord of wood and now have an additional rick. This has been an unusually cold winter for this part of Texas. Next year, we shouldn't have to use so much wood. (Although DH really enjoyed using his manly chainsaw and the tractor during the gorgeous sunny day we had!)
I haven't stitched a lick in two days as I have been busy with life, but I hope to stitch some today, and of course, stitch this weekend.