I Love Old
I love old. Especially when it comes to things for the home. Why buy new when you can reuse or repurpose old? Old things have a history. And when you find them, there is the story of the hunt. Such is the story of my own home.
My kitchen is 1970's vintage. Literally. When we moved in, we walked back in time. Linoleum flooring (which perfectly preserved the oak underneath), laminate countertop and backsplash, and the prize: a 1973 GE electric stove and double oven unit, trimmed out in chrome and wood paneling. She was a true beauty.
After a spiffy paint job and replacing cabinet fixtures, we brought this kitchen back to its true glory.
And then the ovens died.
For months I thought, I'll get them fixed later. After all, it was summer in Atlanta, and baking was reserved for sitting by the pool, not in the home.
Then rolls in our first dose of fall CSA. (Aside: CSA stand for Community Supported Agriculture. Every Wednesday we receive a huge box of veggies from a farm in Ranger, GA. Visit this website to find a CSA near you. Help support local farmers and get fresh picked veggies at the same time.)
Apples, apples and more apples! Zucchini out the wazoo! And best of all: butternut squash. Well now. How can I create my favorite fall dishes without an oven?
So after calling around, I landed on a company to come out and look at our beast of an appliance. The verdict: not possible to fix. Too old. Parts no longer available.
Well if you know me then you know I like a challenge. So I hit the web again and talked to colleagues in the industry. Jennifer Sams of City Issue recommended Antique Appliances, a restorer of vintage stoves. As it turns out, they like a challenge too.
Cost wise: Spend money on repair, or buy new for the same price?
Back to my original statement: I love old. So my husband and I loaded up the old GE into our 1992 Ford Ranger (a relic in itself) and off we went. Well, not exactly...
We bounced into the pickup and went to crank the engine and — nothing. Not even a grown or a wheeze. Just a click. It seemed as though this little old Ranger was giving us the finger. But you know what they say, when it rains it pours, so of course the truck is not going to start.
Luckily our next door neighbor came to the rescue and let us borrow his pickup truck. Just goes to show, it's good to know your neighbors. Especially if they have a fully functioning pickup truck.
So we reloaded the old GE into the newer, mightier pickup truck and started out. The bonus here is that this truck had air conditioning!
After driving for two hours, we made it to Clayton, GA, a small town snuggled in the north Georgia mountains and handed over our blessed Old Mama GE to store owner John Jowers and prayed for the best.
To reward ourselves for our faithfulness to our stove, and to refuel for the ride back, we couldn't help but stop by Oinkers, just like everyone else in Clayton seemed to be doing. And of course we brought home a pound of bbq to our pickuptrucklending neighbor.
Three weeks later, after a new starter and an oil change (both thanks to my husband), we headed north again for our reunion. The stove made the long journey back home, and like the southern woman that she is, the GE went right back to work in the kitchen.
I love old.
My kitchen is 1970's vintage. Literally. When we moved in, we walked back in time. Linoleum flooring (which perfectly preserved the oak underneath), laminate countertop and backsplash, and the prize: a 1973 GE electric stove and double oven unit, trimmed out in chrome and wood paneling. She was a true beauty.
After a spiffy paint job and replacing cabinet fixtures, we brought this kitchen back to its true glory.
And then the ovens died.
For months I thought, I'll get them fixed later. After all, it was summer in Atlanta, and baking was reserved for sitting by the pool, not in the home.
Then rolls in our first dose of fall CSA. (Aside: CSA stand for Community Supported Agriculture. Every Wednesday we receive a huge box of veggies from a farm in Ranger, GA. Visit this website to find a CSA near you. Help support local farmers and get fresh picked veggies at the same time.)
Apples, apples and more apples! Zucchini out the wazoo! And best of all: butternut squash. Well now. How can I create my favorite fall dishes without an oven?
So after calling around, I landed on a company to come out and look at our beast of an appliance. The verdict: not possible to fix. Too old. Parts no longer available.
Well if you know me then you know I like a challenge. So I hit the web again and talked to colleagues in the industry. Jennifer Sams of City Issue recommended Antique Appliances, a restorer of vintage stoves. As it turns out, they like a challenge too.
Cost wise: Spend money on repair, or buy new for the same price?
Back to my original statement: I love old. So my husband and I loaded up the old GE into our 1992 Ford Ranger (a relic in itself) and off we went. Well, not exactly...
We bounced into the pickup and went to crank the engine and — nothing. Not even a grown or a wheeze. Just a click. It seemed as though this little old Ranger was giving us the finger. But you know what they say, when it rains it pours, so of course the truck is not going to start.
Luckily our next door neighbor came to the rescue and let us borrow his pickup truck. Just goes to show, it's good to know your neighbors. Especially if they have a fully functioning pickup truck.
So we reloaded the old GE into the newer, mightier pickup truck and started out. The bonus here is that this truck had air conditioning!
After driving for two hours, we made it to Clayton, GA, a small town snuggled in the north Georgia mountains and handed over our blessed Old Mama GE to store owner John Jowers and prayed for the best.
To reward ourselves for our faithfulness to our stove, and to refuel for the ride back, we couldn't help but stop by Oinkers, just like everyone else in Clayton seemed to be doing. And of course we brought home a pound of bbq to our pickuptrucklending neighbor.
Three weeks later, after a new starter and an oil change (both thanks to my husband), we headed north again for our reunion. The stove made the long journey back home, and like the southern woman that she is, the GE went right back to work in the kitchen.
I love old.