It is one of those times when several items in the house have broken at the same time. You know what it’s like, everything is working until one doesn’t and then several don’t. It is a nuisance and costly at any time. However, these Covid times make any purchase in our local area risky. We may have to order some items on-line because we are staying home these days.
The new stove was purchased locally however. Our previous LG brand was a source of frustration and costly the last several years. We purchased a new circuit board for the stove in the fall of 2020 at a cost approaching $300.00. It lasted a year. Then we replaced the board again and it lasted two months, giving out this past Christmas Day. We were lucky not to have been cooking dinner for the family that day, just ourselves. Tired of the inconvenience and waiting for the part, we replaced the stove. We didn’t buy an LG, that’s for sure.
The electric can opener finally broke such that not even my husband could use it. I always had trouble with it anyway. Now I use the GI can opener my father had, an old reliable design which is still in production, used by soldiers during war. Simple and reliable!
Our corded landline phone is on its last legs. Since we only use our cell phones for emergencies, our landline is important. Our portable phones are on their last legs too and replacing both types will be more than we want to spend after the stove purchase. We can’t do without at least one home phone however.
Smoothies are on the breakfast menu for my husband and the hand blender is causing problems. It will have to be replaced soon.
This brokenness is a function of old age for everything and everyone concerned. We’ve lived long enough to expect everything to wear out, including appliances. Besides giving out ourselves, old age means we see major and small appliances we’ve had for their natural lifetime give out, many at the same time.
On the other hand, aging is a privilege. How fortunate we are to live long enough to have to replace appliances! Yay!? At least that’s the way I am looking at it, in an effort to stay positive in these times.
Update: sad news from Prince Edward Island. We have had our first deaths from Covid. Two islanders died this past week, seven others are in hospital. Presently there isn’t anyone in intensive care however.
My four year old grandson may have been exposed to Covid at daycare last week. Now our daughter’s family is in isolation but due to a staff shortage on the island, she has to work isolate at the nursing home where she works. This involves full PPE and isolation from other staff during breaks.
Meanwhile we had another storm this past weekend, worse than the previous weekend, followed by windchill in high -20s C. The snow banks are piling up now. However, daylight is lengthening and when the sun shines through the windows, there is warmth.
Hope
51 comments:
You're certainly undergoing a winter of discontent, Marie. Do sorry about the family illness and your daughter's situation. I guess the appliances are just the last straw.
I haven't had a home landline for many years, too expensive for something I never used.
We haven't had a landline for decades, and we each have a cell phone and use them exclusively. I cannot imagine not having them. Lately I've been dealing with my lower back and hope that it's not worn out, just temporarily indisposed! But your post sure makes sense to me. Well done, Marie.
Covid is horrible and just keeps getting more horrible as we go. You are correct, old age on a budget is for the birds. One thing goes, then the next and then you are waiting to see what happens next....This is why I am retired with four part time jobs....lol...
I think your appliances are participating in the long-dreaded Uprising of the Machines. Sleep with one eye open.
I broke my right thumb and now my ability to use my dominant hand is slightly hampered because it didn't heal correctly. It takes me several minutes to open a can with our manual can opener and I've been tempted by one of those can openers that is designed for people with arthritis. Or I can just keep making my husband open all the cans.
We've been talking about replacing our washer and dryer since we moved into our house more than three years ago. COVID is a big reason why we haven't done so in the last couple, so I feel you the stress of replacing large (and small) appliances.
Sending you happy thoughts re: COVID. May you and your loved ones stay healthy and safe.
Oh my, I know just what you mean. Also, it is indeed a privilege to live long enough to wear out the appliances.
We have a new toaster oven that my husband hates ... and I have a nasty suspicion it is reciprocal.
I have a new phone for Christmas, an iPhone. Steep, steep learning curve. It talks back.
Hello,
It seems our appliances break in waves, one after the other. We use our cell phones for everything and have not had a landline for decades. We could have a line attached to our modem, part of our cable monthly package. I hope you and your daughter and family all stay safe. It is nice to see the daylight time is longer. Take care, enjoy your day! Have a great new week!
Our kitchen appliances are on their last legs as well. Our stove stop only heats in certain areas and our dishwasher runs only when in the mood and our kitchen faucet is stuck and will not turn left or right. We had plans of redoing our kitchen for sometime now.. we are living with a kitchen made in the 70's. Now our appliances are yelling at us to please redo the kitchen..
Sorry to hear about the spread of Covid in your daughters home. I with everyone health.
Hope your family remains Covid-free. May you find a wonderful new stove, my daughter-in-law's stove of three years has been quirky since they got it. It's a Kitchen Aide gas stove, nice for cooking but one of the burners quit and there are NO parts for it. The oven is great. I wonder if there are any reliable brands anymore.
Sometimes it never rains but pours!
The other thing I find as I get older is that I misjudged just how old items really are. So when the electric kettle stops working I think maybe it's still covered by the guarantee, only to find, when I check, that I've owned my "new" kettle for nearly ten years!
I hope no one develops Covid from the exposure...
I hope that you are satisfied with the stove you bought. I have a GE and have not been happy with it at all. Roger tells me to go get another one but I refuse to as this one cooks. So I will make do...I am good at making do. I have only had one electric can opener and did not keep it long. I prefer to just use a regular old can opener--Swing Away brand,
We keep a landline, too, because Roger could not handle a cell phone...he hits too many buttons. Plus, if I am going to talk to someone for more than a minute, i prefer holding a regular phone.
Your plate is full. Good luck with the various and sundry items. The saying when it rains, it pours come to mind.
Amazing that PEI has come this far into the pandemic before experiencing the loss so many other places have had in abundance. But each and every one matters and it breaks my heart.
Hi Marie, When I think of Island Musings, I usually think of lots of beautiful photos taken when you are out and around on PEI. Having said that, this post, where you are in the writing mode, is wonderful too. I am mid-70s and can fully relate to all you said. When I first started blogging, over a decade ago, blogger wanted us to have a little side bar “about me” thing. Just a few words would be fine. I chose to say, “Looking for the gold in the golden years.” :-) I abandoned that after a while. The gold in the golden years is as hard to find as gold in the ground. I’ve got to say I admire your ability to stay positive. Coincidentally, a few years ago my electric can opener died. I went to the hardware store and found a manual opener … sounds similar to the one you are using. It works perfectly and is actually faster than the electric one. Lastly, I’m sorry to hear about Covid on PEI. I keep praying for things to turn around but, so far, it just isn’t happening. Despite that, I’m sending along wishes for a good week ahead for you and yours. John
It's nice to get a bunch of good years of functionality from your appliances.
The story on the stove, I remember when you got the new board for it. I would never buy that brand again. Sorry to hear about your daughter home being invaded by covid. I hope everyone will be alright and recover. Covid has made a big mess of life everywhere. Good luck with getting a stove replacement. Stay safe!
I still have a landline too since it's bundled with my internet and cable. (still too expensive though) I know what you mean about appliances. I'm due to spend a LOT of money. My stove and refrigerator are 25 years old. My dryer is making funny noises. New appliances don't generally last as long as these old beasts. :(
ooooh boy, if it's not one thing, it's another...or everything!! we bought a dishwasher, after one year and one month, it died. no more warranty and the repair was going to cost the same as getting a new one. we bought it sight unseen. covid was in high gear, stores were closed....the salesman told us it was the best one they had. it was $ 800.00 and lasted a year, it's insane!!
our covid numbers are insanely high, our deaths as well. it is hard to know that it is among you!!
It is not fun to have to replace items. Now, with the pandemic, it is really hard to get things too. Sometimes, items are not readily available at the store.
I have a landline too. We use cell phones more. The landline is there because, it is part of a bundle (Cable, phone and internet)
Prayers for good health,
and bright new appliances
Boy, I hear you on things getting old and breaking down. Our dishwasher bit the dust and its too expensive to fix or replace so I'm back to the old -fashion hand washing..its a pain but one does what needs to be done. Hopefully we will Last as long as the other appliances.
Stay well and hope your family comes through this ok too.
Sue
I hear you. I really hear you. Lots of our appliances have chosen to give up the ghost recently (and bits of me are imitating them).
Stay as safe as you can - and I do appreciate the positive spin you found.
Our garage door is done and we are awaiting a new one. $$$$$$ But one needs an automatic garage door.
-sigh-
Sorry about the covid happenings. Are people finally realizing that the "jab" does not protect them??????
đŸ”¥ đŸ”¥ đŸ”¥ đŸ”¥
I hope we age better than the appliances!
How sad to live through the demise of the appliances.
Good one, Joanne. Lol.
My appliance repairman called the circuit board a "mother board." Now I'm not sure about the derivation of that term. Either there is a missing gerund after mother (which I will not state as it is a common obscenity, not that I haven't used the word though) or the mother controls everything. Being in the last half of the 70 years myself, I can commiserate with most of your post. I hang on to my landline....clarity of the sound......among other things.
Hang in there.
Your story is similar to mine when it comes to appliance. We had the fridge and washer go in the same week just before Christmas. We have other very old appliances and Red isn't very young anymore either.
Well, my appliance story is that I had a perfectly operating oven [13 years old]. I foolishly decided I should clean it! Damage done! Unable to fix! New oven, absolutely hopeless.
As you can imagine I have been watching the snowy scenes. First storm a magical wonderland appeared. Second storm made me fully aware how cold, windy and long your winter is. Storm three looms! Stay safe.
I cant belive it soo much trouble!!I hope really times will be better for you!Senf my good wishes to your daughter and to you!
Here all is open(shops cinema training ect ect) regarding covid we have free PCR-test at home so we test every day at home many many times, the whole family and we go to work 90% of us are vaccinated with three doses so what more can we do?We live trough it ..not so many deaths / sick either(mostly the non vaccinated get sick over here,with omicron, 90% of them hospitaliced)
Well we will see the future!
Good hopes for you!
Anita
It's so boring to replace and dispose of the old items.
Sorry to hear about your daughter, I hope everyone in her family will be alright.
Here Covid is everywhere. At the moment we are safe but the situation is very bad.
My experience with LG appliances.
We had an LG refrigerator that lasted 18 months when its mother board died. It took 3 weeks of trying by our appliance repair vendor to find a replacement part with no success. They explained to us that LG is Korean made. Once a specific style of appliance is no longer manufactured, they stop manufacturing replacement parts as well. And once the parts inventory is exhausted, you are out of luck on getting it fixed. And that was our experience. It was a very expensive refrigerator - over $2500 - and I loved it, but I would never buy another LG anything!! We were advised to buy American made - meaning an American company because nothing is made in America anymore. By our laws, American appliance manufacturers must continue to make replacement parts for 10 years after they stop manufacturing an appliance. I don’t like my GE refrigerator as much as the LG one, but it can be repaired if it fails. And I certainly don’t like spending another $2,000+ within 18 months of spending $2,500.
That was an expensive lesson. I have told this story many times to help people - hopefully - to learn from my experience.
We don’t go far anymore, so I hope our old car keeps on chugging. That’s a pretty expensive replacement.
All these things happen in 3's We also find if one thing happens there are always following similar things! So sorry about the COVID there, keep safe. Cheers Diane
My apartment came with a stove, but I never use it.
It is frustrating when things break down, but I love your attitude about it all! Covid is on the rise here in our area as well. Keep safe
If I Lived Next Door, Would Walk Over A Give You A Hug - Sending Positive Vibes My Friend - Hang In There And You Will Prevail Over Time - Wish I Could Say That Its Just Stuff But It Is More Than Just That - Stay Strong
Cheers
I'm sorry to read about the Covid deaths on PEI, and about the exposures in your family.
Our stove and fridge are on their last legs and we are starting to look at replacements. I have an LG washer and dryer that I'm very happy with (11 years now), but I will be wary of an LG stove after reading of your experience.
Yes, things wear out, but life is a gift and aging a privilege. My parents are 87 and 85 and enjoy life in spite of aging. I hope that I do the same.
I love your Old Age Outlook of being able to live long enough to replace appliances! :))
I hope your daughter's family will be okay. Take care and be safe, Mxx
I feel your pain. Our furnace is having issue. I don't think it major. But need to call in some to look at it. I will post about it soon.
Coffee is on and stay safe
Oh my goodness. You really do have lots to replace. Maybe it's time to see what you can do without ... or at least change brands as you mentioned. I'll bet you can't wait for Spring.
Better times are on their way... :)
I'm so sorry you're having such a hard time. It seems like appliances always break together, and then they're replaced together, so they break together the next time. It's a neverending cycle.
I hope your grandson doesn't end up getting sick. That has to be scary for all of you. And how frustrating for everyone that your daughter still has to go to work like that. My sister works in healthcare and is extremely unhappy about the shortened quarantine period for healthcare workers. I'm absolutely amazed that your area hadn't had a death until recently. That's incredible compared to here!
I hope everyone gets a negative COVID test soon.
It seems to happen like that, everything going at once. But you have had more than your fair share!
Two grandsons and one son-in-law have all had covid, one grandson before Christmas but still poorly. Hope your family escapes.
Oh Marie, So sad to hear that there were now deaths from Covid. I thought this strain was not as deadly. It seems to be spreading in Florida and Pennsylvania but without hospitalizations. I've been nursing a dishwasher for a year and I think I'm loosing the battle and will need to get a new on.
1/22/'22
How is your 4 year old grandson doing? I hope it was the *Omercon* or whatever it is called Variant. I call it 'imacold.'
Hope it was like a cold and not hard on him...
Did the rest of the family get it?
I ask because our family next door...... Father, daughter, 1 son have had Covid. Another son had the Flue. 2 also had the latest version ("imacold")...
And!
My daughter in law and 1 son, did not get ANY of these things!!!!
All living in the same house.
đŸŒ²❄⛄đŸŒ²❄⛄đŸŒ²
Beside a Babbling Brook,
Our grandson did not have the virus for Covid after all so neither did our daughter and the remainder of the family. The youngest won’t be going back to daycare for a few weeks anyway.
Marie
Beside a Babbling Brook,
Here in the USA about 864,000 humans have died from what you call a cold. What you don't know CAN hurt you. Stay well!
John
It seems things break in groups of 3's. Don't know why, but it sure seems that way. Seems like last time we hit the 3, it was washer and dryer and stove. Ouch, 3 items you use alot and are pricey. Hope that does it for you for awhile. I use an old fashion hand held crank can opening, never like electric ones; so at least that's one item I don't have to worry about going over. Sorry to hear about the cold there and your Covid deaths. Sad. Hope the rest of the folks are able to stay healthy and away from it.
Well! This year has not started out the way you had probably hoped. On the plus side (and I do believe that there are pluses and minuses to everything), perhaps you got all of the bad stuff out of the way first. Here's Hoping!
Unexpected costs tend to occur at the most inconvenient times.
I can relate to things breaking down. My house is old enough for everything to be replaced. I need a new roof, my gutters need to be replaced, the handle broke off my microwave and my toaster oven is on its last legs. Meanwhile, I am putting in new things at my apartment at my sister's house so I can afford to replace all the old stuff. Like you, I must have a landline and I hate electric can openers. I am late reading this post, but I want you to know you have my sympathy with things giving up the ghost. Hope you all stay safe from COVID. Here in the mountains of NC we expect snow tomorrow, but it won't be like yours I am sure.
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