Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Cursed?

Our oven caught on fire this weekend.  It's only 2 years old (remember this post?).


I'm super pumped about that............................. (sarcasm font)




Before I publicly thank my lucky stars we are not burned to a crisp, let me recap our summer:



  • I quit working.  Zero income from my side.
  • Our furnace/AC dies - (remember when I said our house was a selfish brat?)
  • Our water heater dies
  • My car has random electrical problem that is as-of-yet un-diagnosed (even after many weeks in the shop...).  Mounds of charges are expected.
What did we do wrong?  That's what I'm asking myself!  Are we cursed?

No, not seriously, but COME ON!  We were sooooo good, saving up money while I was working to have an emergency stash while I was in school.  We've lived on a tight budget for almost two years now.  We paid my car off.  We have no debt (well, except smallish student loans now).  I'm helping little kids have a brighter education.... we're saints, practically.





Ok, so anyway, back to the oven.  We had heard a funny pop sound the night before it enflamed, but we assumed it was the cookie sheet we had in the over bending with the heat.  There was also a weird smell, but we were cooking so it just smelled odd, not definable.  Next morning, Tony went to warm something for breakfast, and there was a huge pop (causing all of the lights in the house to flicker), and smoke started pouring out from behind the electrical control panel.  The stove is electric, not gas, and it was clearly an electrical issue, not an in-the-oven issue.  Luckily, Tony was standing right there and got it unplugged and out of the house very quickly, and nothing else actually caught on fire.  I was waiting in standby mode, ready with a fire extinguisher that I don't quite know how to use!


We were using it just as you are supposed to, and clearly this is a manufacturing default (don't worry, Tony has already been in touch with Whirlpool, for what it's worth...)


But here's the scary thing ---- how often do you turn the oven on to heat up, walking to another room or even getting in the shower or going outside to get the mail.  Sure, not the smartest thing to do, but we all assume that if we are in or near the house, it will be ok... If he had done that, the entire kitchen/house would have caught on fire so quickly.  


Lesson learned.  Lucky stars thanked.  Blessings counted.




So, the point of this drama is:
1.  Don't leave your oven unattended (at all!)
2. Our possessions are out to get us, and our precious emergency fund is dwindling.
3.  Emergency funds are good to have, even if you have to use them.


In the meantime, send some happy thoughts the way of our dryer, fridge, and microwave.  They need all the help they can get.


It only has to get better from here, right???

6 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh, I leave my oven unattended all the time. I'm skeered now. So sorry about this! What a bummer for you guys. When it rains, it pours.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes. This is known as the "quit-working-and-follow-your-dreams curse."

    (not fair, or fun- but still worth it in the long run :))

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh my GOSH, Claire! I am so glad you're all okay...but that could have gone bad so fast. I leave the room all the time--heck I even run down the street to pick up an item from the store while the oven preheats...and I'll definitely change that!

    You know, I hear that bad things always happen in threes. It sounds like you've got about six rough things...so maybe that means after this you'll be smooth sailing for a couple of years? :)

    (P.S. Love the sarcasm font. Teehee.)

    ReplyDelete
  4. So glad you are ok. Clearly your appliances are possessed. Why else would this happen? ;)

    LB

    ReplyDelete
  5. That's insane!! I'm so sorry!!! But pretty soon you'll have an almost entirely new house, and you won't have to worry about anything for years! ;)

    ReplyDelete

Your comments make me happy!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...