They just don’t make things like they used to. My Grandparents used to say that all the time, but back then, things did last for a while, and, there were fix-it shops scattered around town to get you back in business. Shoes, broken appliances, cars, they could be fixed by skilled people. I can remember going to the local shoe repair man with my mom. His garage was his repair shop. We’d drop off shoes and pick them up a few days later. I loved visiting that shop. Now a-days, everything is made overseas (China, most likely, where things are NOT built to last) and now my husband and I are looking at tossing out our 4 year old microwave in the trash (or wherever old microwaves are supposed to be taken.) My husband used it yesterday evening to reheat some leftovers, and shortly after, I tried to heat up some soup….no go. I tested it several times, with the soup, and then with a cup of water, but nope, it had given up the ghost. Husband tried a few things, and he’s REALLY good at fixing things, but microwave ovens are mysterious creatures. Nothing he tried made any difference. When he gives up on something, you know it’s a hopeless cause. He went on Amazon and ordered a marked-down microwave (i.e., the box was damaged), and it will be delivered on Saturday. Just another unexpected expense, right when my health is forcing me to quit my job.
I’m going to make note of the new microwave’s arrival on my iPad calendar, like a birthday, popping up every year, so that I can keep track of how long this one lasts. And, just in case you’re wondering, the one that just died is a Hamilton Beach. I can no longer recommend that brand!
This morning, I had to get out a pan, and add water, then add beans, then wait for the burner on the stove to heat up, then put the pan on the stove top and wait for the water to start boiling. It was tedious, wasted ten minutes of my morning! 😜
I remember my parent’s microwave, it lasted for YEARS! And my husband took his parent’s old microwave (which was huge), to use in the kitchen at his photo studio. That thing kept going forever. We moved it with us into his final studio location, and didn’t get rid of it until we sold the studio. That thing had to be 20 years old, built like a tank, and built to last. That kind of high quality obviously cut down on foreign countries’ profits, so all those companies cut way down on quality parts, so that they could sell more to the United States. Then Amazon happened, and now we happily and conveniently order most of what we need from Amazon, not thinking about the (many) negative effects of such a lifestyle. (There’s more than one way to bring a country to its knees!) As for me, you’ll find me at the thrift store or at yard sales in the summer, for most of my material needs, and I’m still pushing my cart around the grocery store every week, using coupons and searching for the best deals (and also shopping on Fridays, which is my least favorite day to shop), just for the extra “gas points.”
My complaining is done “in fun,” but I know that there are so many people living on the edge these days, I wonder what God is trying to tell us. Let me guess. He’s saying what He has always said, which is, “Turn to me for peace and joy and fulfillment, and for the promise of eternal joy and salvation. The passing things of this life can never completely satisfy our longing. And especially now, with certain countries stocking up on nuclear weapons, sending them up into orbit where they can obliterate life with the touch of a button, it’s time to turn to the source of all life, and to place our lives and our trust in Him, the one, true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a trinity of love, longing for us to find our way back to the safety of our triune God’s embrace, where life, love and happiness are found in abundance, and will last throughout eternity. Now there’s something we really CAN count on to last!
grandma's coffee soup 