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| From my Birdiferous calendar by Kate McNenly |
Somehow February, the calendar's shortest month, always seems the longest to me. But these days everything seems to fly by so quickly, maybe February will too.
I said goodbye to Christmas, finally. Yes, I know -- most said goodbye to that a month ago. I still have some winter snowfolk to keep me cheerful during the dark days and evenings.
I love this one.
And these little fellows around what was formerly a Christmas tree and now is a Valentine one!
My friend Mike moved north to permanently live in Traverse City. Mike and I worked together for my full 32 years at the station, although it was probably the last fifteen or twenty where we were joined at the hip during pledge and fundraising times. I have numerous memories, mostly good, of our pledge drives. Yes, I know they are annoying to you but they are critical to public broadcasting stations. Mike produced them; I promoted and did on-air during them.
With his retirement, he now has the flexibility to relocate and he loves up-north Michigan. Those in the Traverse City area or up north, look for him at the Traverse City film festival or playing ukulele with the strummers.
Here, he he will be missed. Our friend and former colleague Nancy, Mike and I had a goodbye lunch -- it went three hours. Now that was a good lunch!
And coming very soon -- this week, in fact, I will finally, say goodbye to my old stove, a 1963 Westinghouse that was in my house when I bought it back in 1995. It wasn't much to look at and if a part went (and some did) it became increasingly difficult to find a replacement. But it was a good friend for many years. How many appliances do you have that have worked consistently for 57 years? They don't make 'em like that anymore!
I'll miss you, stove! Goodbye, old friend!
The new stove has arrived and gets its big reveal soon! The gas fellow will come on Tuesday so it's dining out, eating at Rick's and micro-meals for a few days. I am so anxious to bake again! Don't expect a huge remodel here. We're talking paint and a stove and new counters will just have to wait -- but to me, it's a very big deal!). Just a bit more painting, stove hook-up and moving back in the storage pieces and we're good to go! Meanwhile, we watch the birds.
52 comments:
Most people are not fully functional for fifty-seven years, let alone appliances!
Amazing how we can go so long with old appliances coming through for us yet so many people with newer ones are always having to replace them. Can't wait to find out what you bake first.
Your friend picked a great place to retire to. Love Traverse City.
Snowmen are welcome all winter. Your valentine's tree is very sweet. I'm all for living where you love! I look forward to seeing the new stove (and what you make with it).
57 years is amazing for an appliance. I thought I was good getting over 20 on my washing machine. They need to make them repairable and lasting though because sometime people seem to get 5 years on them. I'm sure you've heard that but don't want to read that here. I wish you good luck with the stove! And many many years to come with it. I have winter tree to take down, and I said I was going to do it tomorrow, but the husband said he enjoys the light from it, so maybe next weekend. I am ready though. Happy february. Hugs-Erika
Oh man... an appliance that's been working (mostly) in the house for 57 years? Are you sure you don't want to find a place for it in your basement? Just in case?
That said, I bet you'll love switch to cooking with gas. And new paint will be fun, too -- looking forward to seeing the changes!
We had an amazing new stove in the fall. Double oven, pizza oven, glass top, it was GORGEOUS! We only had it a few weeks and a relay switch something or other went poof. Fortunately the appliance repair guy lives across the road... Not a week later we had a power outage, then a power surge when it came back on, blowing the computer in the stove!
The stove we are using now is about 25 years old and works PERFECTLY. When it decides to die we have a new one in storage in the basement. It's only about 15 yrs. We're in the market for a refrigerator now. Presently have a 20 year old side by side that we don't like. And now a door seal has torn and can't be replaced. I'd like something built about 1990 before they started putting computers in refrigerators. I've been stewing about counter tops too. The edging has been peeling off mine. There was a fellow on TV the other day who said you can buy edging in a roll and all you need is a hair dryer to apply it. He also mentioned that you don't need to match the counter top. Mine is a green pebble looking stuff. I'm going for a plain slate grey for new edging. Cool eh?
Happy New Stove! Your old one really did have a long long lifetime.
best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
It's hard to say good bye :(
But we have to say for the better :)
Waiting for your cooking from the new stove.
You may need some more cookbooks :)
Saying goodbye is not always easy. My stove is from 1979, it's still working, but only just! Still, I'm not complaining. Have a fun Sunday, hugs, Valerie
Hello, dear Jeanie... I bet you can't wait to give that new stove a whirl. Have you decided what you're going to cook yet? Enjoy your Sunday!
Best kind of lunch, friend, “catch up” . . . visiting for three hours.
I have “a girl friend person” and when we get together for coffee or lunch,
it usually ends with one of us saying . . . do you know what time it is???
Love the silver looking snowman . . .
Truth . . . appliances today aren’t like those of yesterday!
Look how sparkly clean/white “she” still is.
“She” has served you beautifully through the years.
Quite a change to go from electric to gas . . . ready for it!?
What will you bake first??
Happy February . . . already #2 . . . month will fly by!
What a great stove! 57 years, wow. You're right, they sure don't make them to last like that anymore. You're doing exactly what I did, only the reverse. I went from gas to electric, and you're going from electric to gas. It took some getting used to on stovetop cooking. Your wintry home decor is a perfect backdrop for February.
Happy trails to your friend Mike!
I'm glad the kitchen refresh is almost done! The changes you are making will make a big difference! It may not be a full remodel but it will feel like a new, fresh space for you! It will be so great to have an oven again, especially for a baker like you! Our friends are in the midst of a major kitchen remodel and they have basically NOTHING and won't have things set up for a month+. Now that would drive me CRAZY!! Kitchen remodels are the most disruptive project, IMO.
Goodbye lunches like the one you describes are bitter sweet. I love long lunches like that where you just talk and talk and before you know it, 3 hours have gone by!
Love snowmen..started playing at making them and am smitten..You have a great collection..Love that stove:(
I just heard on radio yesterday that keeping the Christmas tree around and decorating for Valentine's Day is a thing. You didn't know you were on the cutting edge, did you? Around here, people are getting more and more involved with donating their trees for dune restoration, and up on some of the lakes, they submerge them to make a habitat for fish.
I'm thrilled you're so close to your new stove. If anyone needs a good, working stove and oven, it's you. I finally used the oven on my for the first time last night. Let's see: I moved on December 2, and today is February 2. Hmmmmm....!
Jeanie, I hate goodbyes also. They are dreadfully hard for me to do and I am usually a crying mess before it is over.
Your Westinghouse stove was a gem. There was a Westinghouse factory here in WV and it only just closed a few years ago. You are right they don't make them the way they once did. You will enjoy your new stove and having your kitchen back together.
We enjoy the birds, also. Especially watching the Blue Jays come for their peanuts. Have a great day and week ahead.
ps. I made the Bucantini all'Amatriciana that you posted a while back. Oh my goodness is it to absolutely die for. Thank you so much for the recipe and it was so easy!
1963 was a very good year!!!!!
I'm sorry you have to say goodbye to a good friend. I am dreading the leaving of a young man that I adore. He will be heading back home to the east coast soon and good bye will be so hard. Yet I know he needs to do this for himself so I wish him well.
Good luck to Mike too.
Jeanie, I know how you feel about that old stove. My MIL gave me a stove she had for years, I used it for 20 and then the auto-lite stopped working on the oven ...oh how I wish I had had it re-wired. I absolutely loved that stove and miss it to this day. I did donate it to a place that refurbished for the poor. Hope you get to go visit your radio friend at times. Today is going to be warm here. I am praying Feb. will be kind to us. Blessings to you, xoxo, Susie
What a great stove 57 years is amazing.
Enjoy your new stove :)
All the best Jan
P.S. Also meant to say Happy February Wishes :)
January zoomed by too quickly, but at least we are nearer Spring :)
All the best Jan
I can totally understand you. I get attached to both people and appliances and find it hard to say good bye when the time comes.
Your friend Mike looks like a lovely person and colleague, and will be missed by you. I'm sure, though, you'll stay in touch.
It's a blessing to have a co-worker friend for such a long time. I know how beautiful Traverse City is - what a place to retire. Well, as long as you don't mind the snow. Enjoy your new stove. Looking forward to after photos.
Sounds like you had a wonderful time with your friend who is moving away.
I know a lot of people that don't care for Feb. Antsy for sunshine etc.
For some reason I love February. Maybe because it is my birth month? But also ice crystals show up and i find them to be magical.
Wow, a 57 year old stove is amazing. We had a dryer to last 30 years, and we have had three since that one. No they don’t make anything to last anymore. It is hard to say goodbye to friends when they move, but I am sure you all will stay in touch. Happy Week!
Looking forward to February and soon it will be Spring. Hope Mike's retirement is a blast! Janice
I'm rejoicing with you about your new stove, paint, and everything bright. It is sad that your friend and colleague is moving away - the changes and losses never cease, in this life.
I still have my tree up. It is for several reasons, but they all have to do with being under the affliction of the chaotic remodeling project. It fills my mind with its chaos and makes it hard to accomplish any project as challenging as putting away Christmas -- plus the boxes are in three places, and covered with construction dust. And when I've put the decorations back in the boxes, the containers might have to sit in the family room a while.
The Birdiferous calendar page is lovely! May your February be just slow enough for you to savor the things you love as long as you want.
Any appliance that has worked for 50+ years is a miracle! The top oven unit on my stove burned out this week so now waiting for a part..and seems like everything I want to cook needs the oven!!!! My hubby and I love to watch the birds too. We have 3 feeders in the backyard and the cardinals are profuse. They bring us so much joy. Sorry your friend is moving away but what a blessing to have such a good friend to work with for all that time:)
A nice and long farewell lunch for Mike :)
Hope he enjoys his retirement.
A stove lasting 57 years, wow that no longer happens for sure.
I've only had a gas stove when I lived in Portugal and was always petrified of it as I had always had electric before. Back to electric in Australia :)
I think the oldest appliance I have is a Kenwood Chef mixer that was given to us when we got married 39 years ago.
My parents have had their Kenwood Chef for 55 years, although my Dad has had to fix it a few times, but it still gets used almost weekly.
Enjoy the new kitchen Jeanie.
Always sad when a friend moves away. But it gives you another excuse to travel, right?
Well. And some go for good, poor stove! I bet "he" loved to have his picture taken with you, cute idea! (In German stoves are male).
Oh, I need to refill the bird house, too!
I'm happy for you, you'll be able to bake again!
It's a shame indeed that these days the appliances don't work for decades, like before. It's not only better for the environment, but also for our finances too. If I can, I keep appliances for as long as they working, even if I would like to change it with a new model.
I had to sell a washer and a dryer and get a washer-dryer when we moved house, but the others are still working.
Wow that was a neat stove design. 57 years is unheard of these days!
Jeanie,
Thanks so much for stopping by!! Love your Snow men and your Valentine's decor!! So sweet!! I can't believe that you have had that stove so long!! I am on my 4th stove in 42 years!!
Hugs,
Deb
I like that your old stove has an upstairs. ☺️
Beautiful
Wow, you kept your stove for such a long time. As for public radio, you did a good deed by raising funds. I was a commentator on Hawaii Public Radio for more than a year. Never was paid for it, but I did get free publicity for my book.
They sure don't build them like they used to, do they? Mind, one cousin had her Kenwood stand mixer for her entire married life and it outlived her! She'd had it 67 years, it still works. Two other cousins only gave up on their decades old twin tub washing machines when parts were no longer available, and my Godmother's old boiler was 37 years old, almost unheard of!
~~~Deb in Wales
You are correct...they do not make them like they used to! My husband has slowly been replacing our appliances at the lake cabin, and the last holdout is a seventies era Tappan, and I love it! I have threatened him if he ever replaces it! He replaced the Tappan stove and oven (range) and I'm still upset about it!
The snowy decor is so cute Jeanie! So many goodbyes here. I can see why you kept your stove for so long. You are so right about them not making appliances like they used to. I hope your new stove is much loved after the adjustment period.
It's hard to say good-bye to old friends, isn't it? Can't wait to see your new stove. You're right, they don't make them like they used to. I can't believe you've had this one for 57 years. That's a loyal friend haha. Your Valentine tree is sweet, and I love all your snowmen here and there. I still have one snowman cup in the cupboard, cause January and February are our coldest months.
It sounds like you're off to a good start in the new year, Jeanie.
~Sheri
Not sure which is more memorable: your lunch with Mike or saying good-bye to that stove.
I have a stove that is like that. Mine has a top oven and a bottom oven. I don't think they make them like that anymore. I bought it used and now only one small burner works. I've never cooked on anything else in my life, except when I was doing my internship in Omaha. That place had a gas stove and the pilot light didn't work right. I opened my apartment door one day and smelled gas. I called the landlord, but all he did was come light the pilot light. I had taken my microwave with me, so if I couldn't cook in it, it didn't get cooked. I wasn't about to use that gas stove.
I hope you like your new gas stove, They scare the bejesus out of me and I will NEVER have one, no matter what. Even small changes will bring big results to both your kitchen and your attitude in the kitchen. The rest will come with time.
Glad to see you got Christmas put away, but I always love your snow people you leave out. I usually do the same, but this year I didn't even drag them out. They're wrapped in boxes melting away (grin).
Love your old stove Jeanie. My mother had a Baby Belling, the one on metal legs, which was about 30 years old. It was tiny and you couldn't have both rings and the grill on at the same time! She produced some fantastic meals with it though, even full Christmas dinners :-)
It's so true, they really don't make them like they used to! Enjoy your new stove!
Hi, Jeanie...great to catch up with you! I like the you still have some winter snowfolk to cheer the days--it IS still winter. We have a mini tree with white lights still up--winter tree...gotta have some extra cozy light in winter! ;) WOW your stove was from 1963??!! They build things to last once-upon a time. Hope your new stove will last you a good long time. Look forward to the big reveal! We're gearing up for some kitchen refresh here, so I feel what you're going through. Fresh paint mostly, but we're looking into new tiling too... one thing leads to another ;) Happy Days ((HUGS))
It's always sad seeing friends move away and I understand why you held on to your stove as long as possible, so hope your new stove will also last a long time!
Sad your friend is moving away, but send best wishes to his retirement.
How exciting to be getting a new stove. We replaced ours about 3 years ago and the previous on was probably about 1970's era (gold). You will love having a new stove soooooo much.
Love your winter to Valentine decorations.
Happy February!
Yeah on getting a new stove but your old one did have a very long and apparently useful life, Jeanie. I will be looking forward to the stove reveal in a future post!
WOW! That's an impressive time for it to work. I think your stove deserves to retire. Poor thing. Looking forward to hearing about all the baking you do with your new one.
That was quite a lunch. Sounds like a lovely, "Goodbye," meal. Good luck to Mike with his move, and retirement.
February seems to be going by quickly to me so far. I mean, it's a ready the 5th. Seems like it was only just the last day of January.
Oh that old stove had character:) I see why you were sad to say goodbye.
- Jennifer
Enjoy your new stove!
Love that last pic.
Have a great one.
Your vintage two level stove was amazing. I hope your new one lasts half as long.
Fun to see the professional side of you, Jeanie. You had a rich and fulfilling professional life, working with interesting folks! I don't mind the fund raisers, it's fun to see folks like you with "the gift of gab"! And it's of course a great network. (I don't watch any TV now, but I used to watch PBS.)
As always, love those decorations. So happy for you with your new stove! I just got a new bookcase, and even that was a thrilling improvement to my home and lifestyle!
That stove certainly lasted!
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