by Peggy Robin
Before I left the house, I did a number of things to reduce the hazard (admittedly rather small) of electrical appliances malfunctioning or causing a fire while we're away. I unplugged the towel warmers. I unplugged the toaster oven. And I turned off the master switch on the stove/oven.
The last time I took a week-long vacation was pre-pandemic -- almost two years ago. I took these same precautions before that trip, too. When I came home, I didn't do any cooking right away. It was probably a few days before I prepared a meal that required baking. So, when I finally went to use the oven again, I turned the temperature dial to 350 to pre-heat the oven, and then started preparing the casserole. Twenty or thirty minutes later, I was ready to put the dish in the oven. I opened the oven door but felt no heat. Nothing.
The pilot light was lit, and the burners on the stove worked....so I thought the oven must be broken. I went upstairs to look up the number of the oven repair company, and was about to dial it when I suddenly remembered why the oven wouldn't heat up. I had turned it off at the master switch. All I needed to do was turn it back on. Good thing I didn't call a repairman to charge me $85 to flip a switch!
This time, right before leaving the house, I did something smart. I anticipated my own forgetfulness, and after turning off the oven's master switch, I left a post it note next to the oven that says, "REMEMBER, the oven is OFF."
It's probably unnecessary, though. This time I also remembered to reset the house thermostat to 84. When I come back from vacation, I won't need to read any notes. I will walk into a stiflingly hot house, and along with the heat, I will be hit with the memory of all the pre-trip actions I took that need to be undone. Though I doubt I will need to use the towel warmers before October
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Still Life with Robin is published on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Saturdays.
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