Jack gets there on time again – woohoo!

Sometimes we can be really stupid!

A couple of days ago Wendy went to re-heat her coffee in the microwave oven. Alas, when she pressed the button she heard a ‘phut’ and it died. We both tried various things including un-plugging it and re-plugging it. Still nothing. Our trusty microwave was dead.

So we debated at length about the next strategy, because what American household will last long without its favorite coffee reheater? We checked out models on Amazon and various regional box stores, and eventually decided she should see what the local Walmart had in stock. We could get a cheap one there to keep us going and maybe later get a better one via Amazon.

She hadn’t been out of the house for ten days because of a bad cold, etc. (not Covid, test was negative!) so she was gone for some time enjoying a little retail therapy. I don’t worry too much about Wendy’s retail therapy sessions because they tend to center around cheap stuff we will for the most part use. Mostly.

This time she eventually came home with—along with a half-price pack of underwear for me, a clearance scented candle for her, yarn (I pretended not to notice) and assorted bags of “I am going to can this” reduced produce items—a $60 microwave oven.

We man-handled (actually man-and-woman-handled) the defunct machine off the shelf and I got the new one up and plugged it in. Went to set the clock. Nothing happened. I looked for an on button to no avail then read the instruction booklet, but still no information.

Finally, in desperation I plugged it into a different outlet and it immediately lit up.

Hhhmmm – so I cleaned the original microwave thoroughly and got it up on the shelf and plugged it into the alternative outlet and bingo! It lit up – –

So we now have a cheap oven for Wendy’s upstairs office and I have the task of investigating the outlet – or maybe our good friend Leroy-the-Electrician will have to be called yet again. Wendy says the idea of me taking on electricity during a COVID surge that limits emergency room services and might require running a gauntlet is, to use her word, frightening.

Neither of us is interested in going back to Walmart this month: Wendy because her sniffles have returned, me because, scented candles, clearance underwear, yarn….