It is another Monday night in front of the computer and like so many previous nights, a decision had to be made on which thing to write about. I had thought about doing a story on what people find important in their lives and get some local input. That will be a good story, but it needs to sit on the side burners for a while. Then, as we were watching the news the other night, scenes of horror and senseless tragedy started to unfold by way of the mass killings in Israel. I am still too hot under the collar to share just how I feel about this (especially seeing women and little innocent children being murdered, so it can be seen on those feckless fool’s websites)!
So, dinner time was coming soon, and my wife was reheating some meat and sweet potatoes in the microwave. This was going to be another special meal, as Cecelia had picked the potatoes from our garden and I had “picked” the wild boar hog out of the backgrounds of our church! Well, she got the sweet potatoes heated up, and as she attempted to set the timer for the meat, the display screen on the microwave went blank.
So, now it was time to switch out the knife and fork for a screwdriver and circuit tester. Within a few minutes, it was determined that the receptacle (to plug the appliance in) had good power, but the machine was showing no signs of life. Those friends and loved ones who know me know that I have some quirky sayings that I share (when the moment is right). One that I used often (as I was on the road for weeks at a time) is “Man’s best friend is not the dog, it’s the microwave!” And for now, this “best friend” was misbehaving. Fortunately, we had quite a few other choices with which to heat this carnivorous treat, and after spending a few more watts worth of electricity on the toaster oven, dinner was a done deal.
Once the tables were cleared and the stovetop was ready for tools, I set everything out that I thought I would need. The question that now bothered me was, “How much of this machine am I going to have to pull apart to find the problem?” I knew that I would have to go online (and probably through YouTube) to find the answer to the problem. Now, one of the first things that I learned when I was placed in a motor pool scenario (in the army) was that I had to learn to look up a lot of vehicle parts (and nearly everything and anything that you use in the service has a model number as well as a nice little picture of the part needing to be attained. I carried those useful procedures out into the work fields because if you drove old trucks, YOU FIXED old trucks!
Back to the present, I only had to open the door to the microwave, and the important numbers were right within sight and ready for me to put on the notepad. After doing this and then watching a YouTube video of someone fixing their machine, I was ready to “operate.” It turns out that after a half dozen small screws were taken out and the necessary metal covers were moved, there was a blown “Buss” type (glass) fuse, showing off a rather dark burned-out spot in the middle of it. I DO NEED to mention that this fun time was had ONLY AFTER I unplugged the appliance! It turns out that even as small as some people say Brooksville is, we have some decent supply businesses. I am confident that once the small but important part is replaced, “man’s best friend” will be ready to serve us in “short order” once again. I hope that y’all have a blessed week and PLEASE, keep the people of Israel in your prayers!
