A Bit Of Downsizing

Our refrigerator has been slowly dying for the last year or so.  It was really annoying during the 8 days that our power was out (I believe I may have mentioned the hurricane a time or two already) when we had to run the generator all day just to try to keep it cold (eventually we gave up and just piled everything into coolers, and ended up tossing most of the freezer contents).

And then the electronic controller went out, pinging happily so that it sounded like an arcade in the kitchen.  And it was stuck on ice, so I couldn't get water through the door anymore.  Sometimes I don't realize how many times a day I grab a quick drink as I walk through the kitchen (I noticed this during the 8-day power outage--I tended to stay a little thirsty).  Time to say goodbye.

Appliance shopping we went.  We had it fairly well narrowed down--we didn't need one with WiFi, or a coffee maker, or one that would keep a shopping list (other than a piece of paper stuck to the front that we could write on). I didn't need a special freezer compartment sized to hold frozen pizzas, or a wee shelf in the door for juice boxes and holders just for sodas.  We didn't need to talk to the International Space Station, or one where the clear glass front would light up when you knock on it so that you can see what's inside.

I did want some amenities.  As well as two crispers, this old one had a snack drawer where we kept our cheeses and sausages.  I liked that.  And I really wanted to be able to get ice and water through the door.  Preferably with the two separate, so we wouldn't have to punch a button to keep changing it.

The big decision was to go smaller.  There is always a tendency to keep filling a fridge, to use it for permanent rather than temporary storage.  Smaller would keep us from doing that.  And we went for energy effecient (reasoning that it would be easier to keep it cold with the generator next storm season).  Our old one was  26 square feet; the new one, 22.

Funny how I stressed over that during the next week before it was delivered.  What if it was too small?  What if I needed more?  Then I gave myself a reality check.  Wasn't this the classic definition of a First World Problem?  What if I had Too Much Food?  I thought about Amanda, with a hungry husband and two kids, living in their tiny rental with an ancient fridge that *might* be 18 square feet.  Or Della, with the RV fridge (and the nearest grocery store in the next town)?  Get real.

Delivery day came.  When we ordered it, we had told them that it would have to be delivered on a small truck--the big box truck wouldn't be able to come up our narrow canopy drive.  Repeated that when we paid for it--"please make note."  Talked to their dispatch the day of delivery.  So of course I stepped outside to see two men walking up our drive.

"Bringing me a new fridge?"
    "Yes, ma'am"
"And they didn't tell you to bring the small truck?"
    "Someone else has the small truck, ma'am."
"Shall I get our pickup truck?"
     "Yes, please."

They got the thing wrestled into and out of the pickup and into the kitchen (and also the old one wrestled into the pickup) and then discovered that it didn't come with the hardware to hook it up to the water supply.  $3 part--but 15 miles to the store.  I was impressed--one of the guys McGyvered a solution and got everything working (although he did warn me to be careful if I pulled out the fridge to clean behind it--yeah, I'm going to be doing that).

So it's in, and it's a little packed (we keep a lot of condiments) but we'll be eating it down (if the chickens settle down--at the moment we have 7 dozen eggs in there.  We need to make more friends).

It's supposed to be fingerprint-resistant stainless.  Guess what I see already . . . .