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Fridge on the Fritz

I came home in a rush today, all out of sync with my routine schedule. Because of a field trip with Brainy Boy on Friday, I missed my regular Friday grocery shopping. We were able to limp through the weekend with the groceries I had on hand, but by today we were 'food-poor'. So between kickboxing and an after-lunch PTA meeting, I jetted to Super Walmart to buy the staples to get us through until Friday rolls around again.

Not wanting to leave the groceries in the car through our summer-like afternoon, I zipped into the house to fling the cold stuff into the refrigerator. Being in such a hurry to get the kids from school in time for Brownie Scouts, I didn't give more than a cursory glance inside. Didn't notice anything. Nada. Nuttin'. Zip.

When we returned from our various afternoon stops, I proceeded to make dinner. I did notice that the chicken I took out of the refrigerator seemed curiously room-temp. And then I noticed that the cheese had that left-out-on-the-counter-on-a-warm-summer-afternoon stickiness even though it too had just come out of the refrigerator. A quick check into the abyss revealed the light on but that weird smell refrigerators have when they have been unplugged for, say, a day or two. A confirmation of the freezer indicated the same thing--everything totally and completely thawed, but cool. Lucky for me, being in the food-poor state we were, I didn't have an overabundance of food to toss.

My first remedy was to check the temperature adjusters for the freezer and refrigerator. I immediately slid them to the coolest setting for both. Miraculously the freezer began humming away, but a check about half an hour later revealed 'lights on, but nobody home'. I began wiggling the plug as well as sliding the dials back and forth a few times, and somehow the motor began humming again. At this point, I haven't decided if it was a fluke and somebody switched the temperature gauges or if our refrigerator is indeed cutting in and out.

By tomorrow morning, I'll know for sure what I'm getting for Mother's Day if this thing is still acting up. AND I'll be taking my kids out to eat tomorrow night while John is at fire training.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Fingers crossed for you on this end. Hope all goes well overnight. You're one awesome trouble shooter.

- Debbie Stewart
Anonymous said…
I hate that "oops I think my refrigerator isn't working smell." Then comes the "hmmm should I throw it out or do I chance a fatal case of food poisoning. " If it turns out to be a Mother's Day present...pick a winner.

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