Out with the Old

R.I.P.

My oven died. In hindsight, this was not unexpected. Many, many months ago, the bottom heating element wasn’t heating up. I replaced it - and after a short while, the replaced element wouldn’t heat up, either.

So, I made a call to the Local Repair Guy, who came over and fixed what turned out to be a broken wire behind the oven wall. No big deal. But while he was there, he asked me how old the oven was and I told him that it came with the house - and I’ve been living in this house for about thirty years.

He made some comment about how I was lucky to find a new heating element for an oven that old - and how, if something like the controller ever went, I would be screwed.

Flash forward to the other day when I decided to use the oven.

I had a bunch of boxes of Chex cereal left over from when I made party mix for Thanksgiving. For some unknown reason, rather than follow my traditional routine - which is to leave the remaining boxes of cereal out on the porch for so long that I can’t tell whether they’re any good anymore or not - and then leaving them on the porch for even longer until I stumble across them and find them either spilled and/or crushed and therefore beyond useless - before finally throwing them all away, I decided I would use them up and make even more party mix - and then figure out what to do with it all afterwards.

I got as far as dragging out all of the cereal boxes I could find, figuring out how much it would make and started dividing up all of the spices. Then I put the butter into the pan and preheated the oven. And then - nothing. The oven wasn’t going on.

It was another call into the Local Repair Guy, who promptly came over and, fifty dollars later, confirmed that his previous prediction was indeed correct. I was screwed. It was now time, unfortunately, for a new oven.

As noted in at least one of my previous posts, my oven is tiny - and it’s a built-in wall oven. Do they even make these anymore? Can I get one that will fit into the same opening? Only the professionals at the local appliance store could answer technical questions such as these.

Well, according to said professionals, it turns out they still make tiny ovens - but they’re a special order. The only thing is that because they're special order, they take several weeks to get. Oh, and the other thing is that they’re a lot more expensive than a regular size wall oven. Apparently, less costs more.

But will it fit into the existing opening? According to the appliance professions, the answer is a resounding, “maybe”.

As for the installation, the appliance store doesn't do installation, but they recommended someone to me who does. I then called and semi-talked to the recommended installer - over a very bad phone connection. Near as I could tell, he'll install it but I have to call him again, if and when the oven ever shows up.

So now I'm in a holding pattern - waiting for my special order oven to show up and hope that I can get in touch with, and hopefully understand, the installer - at least enough to get him to show up at a time I'll be home - and then hope that the oven it will fit into the old space - and then hope that the new oven works (this last point is somewhat critical).

As bad as this is, I keep telling myself that it could have been much worse. At least the oven held out through both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners - as well as through making Christmas cookies on Christmas eve. And unlike most times when I’m telling myself something, I think this time, I might actually be right.