Out with the "old"

Saying goodbye to our "old"
refrigerator.

 I'm old, but not quite ready to head "out". My age does give me a longer perspective on what else is old, and what is not. Our refrigerator, for example, is not old, but unfortunately, it headed out. Turns out, refrigerators do not last anywhere near as long as they used to. We have a freezer in the basement, that we bought 30 years ago, and it just keeps going. Our original refrigerator, that we bought when we moved back to Binghamton, was running like a champ when we gave it away, 7 years ago. It's replacement, quit a couple weeks ago. This surprised me, an old guy, that expected major appliances to last for decades. Turns out, 7 years is about average for modern refrigerators and freezers, according to a couple repairmen, and 3 appliance salespersons. The explanation, according to them, is that in an effort to make these types of appliances more environmentally friendly, they have become less durable. It seems like you are defeating the purpose, if the machines that are better for the environment last less of a third of the time, than the older machines that they replace. It's expensive too. Have you checked the prices of refrigerators lately? Plus, they can be hard to get now as we still have a supply side covid hangover. 

A window worth saving.

Renovations and repairs continue at the Morford estate. Two major projects currently underway are the renovation of the den, and the bigger project is the re-glazing of every window in the house. There are 24 windows in our home, not counting the basement. I have repaired and glazed 5 so far, and they were easier ones. I am now working on the diamond pattern windows, which are truly the ones were saving, and are the most difficult to glaze. The glaze is the putty like sealant between the glass and the window frame. Each diamond pattern window takes one tube of glazing, 3 Yuenglings, a truckload of patience. It is a good project to have going in the background since I can dive into it when I get a little free time. I'm getting better at the glazing now, so its time to tackle these difficult windows. The repair also includes repair and painting of the sills and frame. I also replace the old ropes that go the the counterweights hidden behind the frame. I will give credit to my late father in law Gene for showing me how to do this. The old cotton ropes rot and eventually break leaving you to prop open the window to get some air in the house.

My glazing is improving.

The den is stuck where all our renovations get stuck, and that's with paint color. We really struggle picking a color, with Cindy being pickier than me. We want something both bold and rich, but not overwhelming. Since I fixed the ceiling, and for now we are going with a simple white, not tiles, it allows us to go a bit more striking on the walls. I'm leaning toward a green, perhaps a spring green, but its hard to find one that's not either too bright, or too dark. the sweet spot is narrow on this.

In other news...Cindy pointed out to me that I never repaired and painted the heating grate in the kitchen. That turned into a bit more than I expected as removing the faceplate allowed the duct work to fall into the basement. That faceplate was the holding the duct in place. Oof. I went with a dark steel paint that matched our old refrigerator (ha ha) and it came out nice. We special ordered our new refrigerator to match it, further delaying the delivery. 

We are researching whole house AC. I'm still a bit undecided on this as the number of hot summer days around here is kind of limited, and I am a "windows open" kind of guy. Still, we must have a window AC in our bedroom for use on several nights each year. I am getting tired of lugging that thing into and out of the window each year. Another issue is the cost. Estimates are coming in at least 50% higher than I expected, but by all accounts we will see a corresponding increase in the value of our house. We'll see.

Birds and a refrigerator door handle

Note the missing handle.

So how are these two random items related to each other? The common thread is frustration, and these two seemingly innocuous items have both caused me an inordinate amount of stress. The door handle broke back in March. Cindy pulled on it to open the fridge and it failed spectacularly, throwing razor sharp plastic parts about the kitchen, cutting her in the process. GE helpfully, and somewhat ominously, has the parts website URL inside the door. When I looked up the model refrigerator, and found the part, it was almost $100! They would not sell you just the plastic mounts, you had to purchase the entire handle assembly, including the stainless steel handle! I then noticed that ALL customer of the reviews were 1 star! Not a single person had given the "handle assembly" more than that. The reviews were scathing, not just because of the price, but because people in active households were replacing the handle once or twice a year at $100 a pop! I then noticed that some customer service rep was responding to the reviews and asking people to contact them.

Being the smart guy I am I decided to cut to the chase, not bothering to order the part, just get GE customer service on the line and see what they are willing to do for me. HAHAHAHA. That was 4 months ago. I have emailed three times and heard nothing in response, until Friday. Low and behold, they want me to call them and speak to a representative. While a good sign, I am still wary since Cindy recently spent hours on the phone with them, listening to elevator music with no result. We shall see. 

The Charger in happier times

Birds and I have a troubled relationship. I enjoyed watching my grandmother feed them during the cold winters in the Catskills. They were a sign of life in the dead of winter. As I got older, and detailing my cars became important to me, bird spotting became to mean the "presents" they left on an otherwise clean car. Then, twice in my 20s, I actually had birds poop on my head. Granted, my enormous skull is an easy target, but come on, really? 

Well this past winter I decided to let bygones be bygones and to feed the birds. I also figured our cats would enjoy the show. I got birdseed, a feeder and ended up ruining my Charger, The birds got me again. Well, not exactly the birds, it was the mice. They found the birdseed in the garage, gorged on it, and decided to pay me back by chewing the wiring harness on the engine. This in turn shorted the Engine Control Module, which is a rare and expensive part that Chrysler no longer manufactures for 2006 Hemi Chargers. There are aftermarket parts that have a bad reputation, so I hesitate to purchase one. The car runs, but only in manual shift mode, which is mainly a sport or track mode and is fun for a few minutes, but kind of a pain in the ass when you are going for groceries. It will not pass inspection this way so a decision is forthcoming. 

It's a Wonderful Life

First world problems right? Yes but it is frustrating. It makes me think of one of my favorite movies, It's a Wonderful Life. George Bailey has big dreams but is stuck running the family building and loan bank. His daily frustrations keep him from seeing how good he has it, until the friendly angel Clarence allows him to see life without him. A key plot point is the old house his wife insists on buying, but is a daily source of frustration and work, right down to the knob on the banister that comes off in his hand every time he heads up the stairs.  When Clarence returns George to his life, he races home to see his family and sure enough, the knob comes off the banister. But this time he kisses it, happy to embrace the frustrations in his life because it means he's alive, and home.