Here a Refrigerator; There a Refrigerator

They're big, hold lots of food and generally we take them for granted. We don't celebrate their birthdays and Hallmark doesn't have cards expressing appreciation for their efforts.

Truthfully we really don't pay them any attention--other than to yell at kids to keep the door shut-- until there's a problem.

All that changes when they stop working properly. The first sign? The dreaded ice cream "mush." It's all down hill from there.

So, we've had our white "icebox," as my Gram calls them, since we bought the house in Winterville--that's 16 years ago. In case you didn't know, that's truly ancient for a refrigerator. For the purposes of the economy they consider the life span of a refrigerator to be five years-do the math, in human years our refrigerator is 230 years old. (For those of you interested, I used the life span of 72 years--a youngster these days.)

Anyway, I digress... so, we've had the ice cream issue for a while, but lately the problem has crept down out of the freezer into the fridge, resulting in not-so-cold milk, a horror to be avoided at all costs in my house. The decision was made....the purchase of a new refrigerator is necessary.

The biggest issue? Not what color--still want white; Not style--still want freezer on top. Biggest issue--SIZE.

Can we replace the one we have with a similar one? Answer...NO!! In the 16 years since we were last refrigerator shopping, the world has gone wacky. Fridges now come in two sizes--microscopic and immense. Ok, so that's an oversimplification, but the reality is that there is huge size gap in capacity. You can get 18 cu ft or 21 cu ft. Some smaller; many larger--but in the crucial size we needed those are your choices--nothing between.

Add in my desire for glass, split, repositional shelves and the options become, shall we say, limited. End result? After hours spent online researching, checking out the options in EVERY local retail establishment and measuring and remeasuring the available opening, the decision is made...the fridge is ordered....and arrives speedily. After a quick reposition of door hinges, the removal of the old fridge to under the carport, the new beautiful fridge is slid into position and .....

DENIED!! It's too wide by almost an inch--culprit? The floor moldings and the non-plumb walls of this old house!!! How many times did we measure that space?!! How many times did we check and recheck the outside measurements of the fridge??!! AAARRGGHH! So, time to make another decision--keep the fridge, remove the molding and slide it in? Or send it back to the store....

Bruce is handy, he can get the moldings off...so fridge is left sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor., making loading and unloading the dishwaster interesting. Food, which was already removed from the old fridge is installed in its new home and we wait for Bruce to get home.

That night after two hours of painstaking work, carefully prying off the toe-molding, then the cap-molding and finally the actual molding, the fridge is once again lined up, ready to be positioned in its new home, it rolls into the space and......DENIED AGAIN!!!

It's still too wide, by the smallest of margins, less than 1/8". The discussion of options is heated....shave off the countertop, move the electrical outlet, just shove it in there and hope for the best...final decision--time to buy another fridge and have this one taken back (which they will do for 30 days--thank goodness!).

So, back to the internet....searching one more time for a fridge with enough space inside for the food and with a small enough outside to fit in the space. What I wouldn't give to have a pocket universe fridge--like my mom's purse, much smaller on the outside than the amount of stuff she manages to fit inside--mental note, talk to a physicist about that, but again, I digress--

Final conclusion, we will have to settle for a fridge that isn't really big enough (Bruce is going to have to cull the hot sauce collection. He will no longer be able to have an entire door bin), but will fit in our limited space (and look weird because it will really be too small).

Now, where to get it....not the first store....so back to Sears for a Kenmore--last one survived for 16 years, maybe the next one too....

Nice guy helped us, we picked one with all the bells and whistles--including through door water and ice..funny since we don't have the water hookup, but that can happen in the future. We made his day because we bought the whole protection package and everything. Phone call to other store, come get your fridge. They'll be there Monday, new new fridge comes Tuesday. So, the old fridge comes back into the house after Bruce gave the coils a good cleaning (I don't want to know how Bruce got it up the steps himself--he mentioned something about laying on the side??!!) and naturally the inside has to be cleaned after sitting outside in 90 degree weather for two days.

End result, spotless old refrigerator and for about 48 hours this last weekend I owned three refrigerators.....an old one that once it was cleaned is now freezing and chilling perfectly--OF COURSE!!; a new one that is too big and occupying the walkthrough from the kitchen to the dining room and a new one that is paid for but still on route to my house.

If I have to think about refrigerators for the next five years......it will be too soon!!!

Lesson learned--before buying a new fridge try steam cleaning the coils of the old one......