I feel as though I’ve lost an old friend.  Even though I’ve met a a replacement, we haven’t gotten acquainted yet,  so I’m in limbo-land.

Friday of last week while I was out doing errands, my refrigerator decided it’s time had come.  When I came back into the house there was a strong smell of something burning.  My nose told me it was the refrigerator, so I quickly turned it off.   It had served us well for 25 plus years, so I knew it was beyond repair.  But then the questions began:  Where shall I shop for a new one?  What kind shall I get?  Will a new one fit the limited space where the old one stood?  and, most importantly;  will I be able to save all the food in it?

A good friend for 25+ years.

I’ve had some practice with that last question, what with the power outages we’ve had here in the Northeast in the last couple of years.   So out came the coolers, and I spent the evening sorting the food into the various coolers, and packing it with ice.  Luckily it’s winter and quite cold here, and I have a sunroom that is not heated.  I like having that room; it’s like having a walk-in cold storage space, so that’s where the coolers filled with food are now residing.  A side benefit occurred:  I found some things I’d forgotten I put in the freezer, and I made an inventory list of all the frozen foods currently on hand.

The freezer, now empty of its contents.

The almost empty interior.

The next day, Mr. D. and I went shopping for a new refrigerator, measurements and space requirements in hand.  After visiting four appliance stores and looking at about six different models we narrowed our choice to The One, and placed the order.  I was surprised that in the space I have available I gained 2.5 more cubic feet, and a reconfigured interior in the new model.  Excited as I was, I was hoping it could be delivered the next day.    But no such luck.  Four days, they said.  What? I said—–oh, no!

So, here we are, waiting in limbo-land.  I told Mr. D. that I’ll have to get creative, and design some meals around what’s defrosting and what needs to be used before it spoils.  You can expect to see some interesting foods coming up in the next few days.  The challenge will be to see how many meals, lunches, and baked items I can create without going to the grocery store.   HMmmm!  Let’s see, what shall I make today?   🙂