Cold Food Can Be a Costly Blessing

Last summer, we returned home from vacation to discover that our refrigerator had given up the ghost while we were away. Oh the pain -- no time to say goodbye.

We instantly found ourselves wandering the aisles at Lowe's, muttering words like "doggone it" under our breath (even before we had unpacked our suitcases). There are SOME things you can put off ..... a functioning refrigerator for a family of 6 is NOT one of those things.

We selected a suitable, semi-affordable model and anxiously awaited its delivery the next morning. The Lowe's men showed up right on time and the delivery was made seamlessly. That was a relief, as we had a photography appointment we needed to run along to.

Here's where the plot thickens: When we got back a few hours later, my daughter reported to me that "the basement ceiling had caved in." Huh?! I went to see what she was talking about, and sure enough -- inward cavage had occurred. What the?

It would seem that the installer of our new fridge didn't "quite" secure the water line 100%, and enough water had leaked through our hardwood kitchen floor, through the sub floor, through the basement ceiling, to cause its collapse. Ugh!

ALL I wanted was cold food, folks. Is that too much to ask? I realize that in most third world countries that's a luxury. But if my 7th grade U.S. History memory serves correctly, chilled & amply preserved perishable food is an inalienable right which our founding fathers fought for and secured. Come to think of it, I think I may have failed that course.

Bottom line is that Lowe's made it right ... eventually .... and paid for the entire treatment and repair. Despite not being able to use our kitchen for a few weeks, and huge industrial fans which sound like jet airplane engines occupying half our square footage for a while -- we got a brand new kitchen hardwood floor out of the deal, and a new basement ceiling. So I guess it ended up being a good thing, if you can get past the inconvenience of the whole process.

Anyway, when I saw this cute video of comedian Brian Regan's synopsis of a refrigerator salesman, that made me reflect on our refrigerator saga. You've got to take a look:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rmun8GK6o2c