Delivery Men and Other Irritations

 Today is the big day. Our scheduled delivery of my new stove with an oven that doesn't leak hot air and has a working temperature control should be delivered between the hours of 10 am and 2 pm.

I woke at my normal time 7:30 and began my day. Out went the canines, coffee dripping slowly into my cup. The dogs came in and settled next to me on the sofa and I was about the business of dealing with email. I figured I would give myself 30 minutes, maybe 45, to sit quietly with my coffee. Then I would get going on cleaning the old stove to sell it for whatever I can get for it. The top works and maybe a new gasket around the oven door would help. Whatever I can get will be more than I had and I no longer want the stove.

My plan in the back of my head, my inner clock ticking away, I had not even finished half of my alloted coffee when HeWho was asleep was up and dressed, saying he had gotten a call and "they are on the way."

It wasn't even 8:00. This annoyed me, since I was wrapped in my fuzzy robe, rubbing and tugging at Bo's tummy hair. He likes this activity and I can read and rub at the same time. I am good at multi-tasking when I am not fully awake.

This was 3 hours ago. I am not very hospitable, having lost my quiet time. HeWho is loud and abrupt. He made so much noise getting ice out of the freezer, them closing the door loudly. Even his footfalls in socks are loud. I need a certain amount of quiet time to be nice to the world.

I then began with the hateful task of cleaning the oven (new stove has a self cleaning function). The oven was reasonably clean when we moved in and I have never cleaned it, since I so rarely use it.

 Remember olden times when you would buy that aerosol can of toxic foam to spray your oven and then let it sit for an hour or longer until you braved the fumes and caustic mess with rubber gloves on your hands. Then you "wiped" the goo out with old dishclothes that you later threw away, along with the gloves that would sometimes have holes in the fingers. Then slather vaseline on your hands in an attempt to soothe areas that had come into contact with oven cleaner. Good times.

Yeah, I don't have any of that on hand and don't know if they even sell it anymore. I do have baking soda, dishwashing liquid and hydrogen peroxide. I made a paste and slathered the oven interior and door after I removed the racks. I placed a pot of boiling water inside the oven and set the timer for an hour.

The racks are easy. Just slip them into a big trash bag, add about a half cup of ammonia, get all the air out of the bag and tape it closed. Leave overnight and when you take the racks out and rinse them in water, they will be pristine. Thinking the deliver to be imminent, I made a list of things I wanted HeWho to fetch from the Dollar General (not to be confused with the Dollar Tree), where things are generally more than a dollar. It is close by, so ...

I was thinking to have those items fairly quickly. I needed ammonia, a scrub brush, and some gloves to protect my hands, hands that have thin 70 year old skin on them. I did not want to dispatch him until after the delivery. I am afraid that I will be less than nice for the delivery men to deal with. I need a shower and some clothes that are okay to be seen in public.

The timer dinged and I used my bare hands to get the paste and all the cooked on goo out of the oven. I still need to scub some spots that are stubborn and did not relent to my magic potion. My finger tips are wrinkled and tingly and I am just not pleasant. Why did they call so early, then not show up. If they are on the way, I wonder where they are coming from. We live about 50 minutes away from Lowes. 

Three hours of my life dealing with negative thoughts that I will never get back and am still waiting. Think I will go stand in the shower for awhile. Won't hurt, might help.