Having been really sick in my tiny home i wasn’t sure how to gage the amount of time that should pass before i asked somebody to come into the space of contagion to help me work on all the dead or malfunctioning appliances. I decided not to ask my coworker’s uncle from up the road to come try to get the stripped screw out of the dryer. Right before i was sick the septic tank became an issue and then right after i fell ill the refrigerator broke. Also the shock absorbers on the car went. It was one of those things you know? when it rains it pours. I had my hands full with the dryer debacle and then seemingly the other items on the homestead all went, “me too, me too, i need attention too!” I wrote everything down and made my calls and scheduled various relatives of coworkers or friends to come out and give me a hand once i got better until the refrigerator broke. My reasoning was that i couldn’t wait to replace the fridge. That would be something i needed to do immediately. Around this time my grandmother decided to gift me the money to replace the appliances. She and my mother have a saying regarding the homestead, “i’m glad you’re happy but i like to be in civilization.” Well, usually i prefer my way but i’d be lying if i said i didn’t like the civilization way of doing things this time around. I was going to fuss and swear and sweat over these wretched uncooperative appliances some more until i sussed out what was wrong, removed the pieces in question, ordered parts, and put them back together. It sounds easier than it is because nothing goes according to plan. Some screw always gets stuck or you’ve misdiagnosed the problem or the part you ordered doesnt actually fit because contrary to the seller’s belief, it is not compatible with that model number. I had several months of fixing things ahead of me. Instead i just ordered new appliances on homedepot.com. They deliver, install, and take the old one away for a 40 dollar fee. I bought a new stacked front loading samsung washer and dryer arriving on the 20th of this month. The refrigerator was not available until November 23. So i am limited what grocery items i can buy until then, but, there wasn’t really a choice. It was no fridge or fridge on November 23, so i ordered it. I told myself it would give me something to be super thankful for on Thanksgiving. I knew it would take me more than a month to figure out how to fix it myself. Really anything involving a cooling system went over my head. Science class was not my forte in school. In fact it was the thing i was usually failing. I just couldnt understand non-concrete concepts. So, a/c units and refrigerators were a bit out of my league. If backed into a corner i’d figure it out eventually but it might take me half a year so if there was any other way, it seemed like i might better take it. Who is that guy who builds flashing glitter bomb skunk spray decoy packages for porch pirates? Or Otto from that Alaska the Last Frontier show….if i was either of them things would be different but alas im not. The broken fridge was a Frigidaire and it had been some level of broken when i moved in. The freezer went through cycles of freeze and thaw which spoiled fish and made it difficult to maintain ice packs. I figured it couldn’t hurt to try the other option for my price range so i went with the LG. Its just a basic refrigerator but if it works it will be a most treasured item on the homestead. So that there is the civilization way. You click some buttons, enter your personal info, pay, and not only do they deliver it to your house but they install it and they haul the old one away. I’d say this is a rare time when i agree with my mother and grandmother. This one time, the city way of doing things was pretty nifty. I still can’t believe they’ll deliver out here. I’d be lying if i said it wasn’t a huge relief to be done with fixing things for a bit. I do it out of necessity, not love of the process. This is probably the best early Christmas present i’ve ever received. I am really beyond grateful. It feels good to have something checked off the list during this season.