I lost a good friend today
My Black & Decker iron of 17 years died this morning. It just wouldn't turn on - died in it's sleep. Something to do with the temperature on/off dial, I think...
Don't laugh - I'm a costumer (or, at least, I *used* to be.) A costumer's bond with her iron is sacred and deep. I remember when Mom announced she'd like to buy me a nice iron for my birthday in 1989 - I asked her if she knew what she was committing to. Two weeks of shopping and $60 later she told me the damn thing better last a good long while because she was never doing THAT again. I think 17 years is a pretty good run. ;-)
I now have a crappy $19 special. I want to shop around for something better later, but I have to work tomorrow and not a shirt in the house hangs unwrinkled so I stopped at Walgreens after work. Truth is, I had begun to face the possibility I would have to get a new iron anyway... After all, B&D was getting old and my anxiety disorder had me turning back from work on a regular basis - Just in case the auto-off malfunctioned, etc. (forget that I UNPLUG it everyday, but that's another post...) I had started to convince myself it wasn't disloyal to replace an iron after a decade just for the preventive safety of it. I guess B&D must have sensed my doubt - Thrown itself on the proverbial sword and sacrificed it's life for my sanity... Good friends are so hard to come by. :::sniff:::
I refuse to set a date for the 'funeral' - I can't bear to callously throw it in the trash... This iron knew me when my name was 'Melinda' - few friends can claim as much. We'll see how long it takes to detach... I still have a broken clock in my 'special box' from 25 years ago I haven't thrown away.