Stove Update - Out with a Flash!

When we bought our new Matag stove a few years ago. We were so excited to be able to for a Matag appliance.  We thought it'd be the last stove we'd ever have to buy...

We were so wrong.  

I was baking a batch of orange craisin cookies in the oven, when the oven burner caught on fire.  I finished baking them on the residual heat (which took awhile) and then put the rest of the dough in the freezer, to bake later.  

George went to work calling around town, to get the parts for our stove.  After running all over Thurston County and paying over $100 on parts to fix the infinity switch on the right front burner and the lower oven element, George installed the parts.  We thought our stove would be as good as new again.  

George offered to buy me a new oven handle, but it would be over $60.00 - once we added shipping and handling and the darn thing was plastic.  I couldn't see it lasting long, so I insisted he make me a wood handle, which he reluctantly did.  

We thawed the cookie dough and I got back to baking cookies.  So far, so good!  I had about 4 dozen cookies on the baking racks.  We were happy campers.  

Then I turned on the right front burner.  FLASH!  Poof!  Sparks flew until the breaker switch snapped off.  Everything in the kitchen went dead.  George flipped the circuit breaker back on.  The clock and light no longer worked on our range.  They were blown out, too. So, I decided I wasn't' going to tempt fate and try another burner.  I got out my Nuwave PIC 2 burner and got George's tea brewing for his Arnold Palmer ice tea. 

The next morning, George decided to try the other 2 burners on the stove.  One at a time they flashed and blew a breaker.  He said "That does it!  We're done with this stove."  

When we were at the parts stores in Lacey and Olympia -  as I recall the refurbished, used stoves were running $299.  So, I looked online.  I found DB Cooper appliances in Chehalis.  Their stoves started at $125 with a 90 day warranty and 1 year for parts.  

I told them about the stove we had.  The owner offered us a $25.00 trade in.  George asked him if the stove came with a bag of money in the oven.  He said "No.  We put a bag of money into the store."  He has a good sense of humor, so George packed up our stove and we drove down to their shop.  

I told the customer service man that I wanted an older stove that is completely mechanical.  Nothing digital on the stove.  They had one that wasn't apartment size.  It looked like new.  I opened the oven and said "I'll take it."  When all was said and done, we paid just over $150.00 after taxes.  

When we got home we realized we bought an RCA stove.  The parts are still made by GE. Everything works great.  Not only that, but there are several things I really like about this stove.

1.  drawer under the oven holds twice as many pots and pans.  Also, the top of the stove top lifts up, so I can clean under the burners.  
2. The area beneath the burners has an enamel finish.  Beautiful.  
3. There is no glass in the oven door.  One less complicated cleaning process I can avoid!

Thank you to the staff at DB Coopers!!!  We are thrilled with the customer service at DB Coopers!  If you need an appliance, it's worth a trip to Chehalis to do business with them!!!

Horse Training Bridge

George built a six foot horse bridge out of pressure treated wood.  Adam and Fran are pleased with their horses training bridge.  Thank you Adam and Fran.  We're glad you're enjoying your new bridge.

Their note and pictures are below:

Hi George,

Here a few shots of our horse using the new training bridge. It's holding up great and barely flexes under their weight.

Thanks again for the great work.

Adam & Fran

Rainier Community Cares Meet & Greet

Rainier Community Cares had a special "Meet & Greet" on September 8th at the Rainier Chapel.  We had a full turnout. Many parents brought their children.  Mayor Randy Schleis, councilman Everett Gage and a couple of people from Rainier Schools attended the meeting.  There were several new faces.  

Thank you to everyone who attended our meeting.  

Plain 5 Foot Flower Boxes

These are a pair of white cedar flower boxes that are 5' long - 1' tall x 1' wide x 1' deep.  
George made these special for someone:  They were stained inside and outside.  He put feet on the bottom of the boxes to keep the bottom off of the ground.

New Wood Oven Door Handle

Less then 10 years ago we bought a brand new stove.  It hasn't held up well.  

1. First the infinity switch went out on the right front burner.  (The large one we used the most.) 
2. Then the light bulb in the oven burned out.  
3. Then the oven handle broke off.
4. Then the lower oven element burned out.  (Flames.  Real flames!)

Well, George fixed the light bulb.  That's not a problem.  Then he replaced the infinity switch and the oven element.  (Those were relatively easy repairs.  Expensive, but easy.)

The handle...  I wouldn't let him buy another plastic handle.  The new handle costs $47.00 plus shipping and handling for a piece of plastic that just wouldn't last a year or two.  Even the screw holes aren't reinforced, now.  Not durable, by my humble estimation.  They just aren't made to last.  

I am so disappointed in this stove, that I actually looked for an older, used stove online to replace it.  I've never had problems like this with an older stove.  

Temporarily he put a couple of brass knobs on the oven door, so I could open and close it. 

Here's the brass knobs on the oven door...

Closer look.

At lease I could use the oven again!

Then he made me a wooden oven handle.  We figured out how to make one that would last, together.  It's not fancy, but it works!

The wooden handle works.  It's solid.  I like it.

George stained it the same color as the trim around our counters.

He wasn't sure how a wood handle would look, at first.  Now that

it's finished - he likes it, too.  He would have bought us a 

replacement handle, but they're just not sturdy.  

That's an exercise in futility.

Butterfly Houses

George has made dozens of butterfly houses for the members of the Rainier Senior Center, as gifts for all the hard work they do.  Everyone contributes.  Many seniors help cook, clean up, bake, pick up food, sew, quilt, take care of the yard and garden.  The teamwork at the Rainier Senior Center is amazing.  

We socialize at the Senior Center.  The food is wonderful.  Everything is home made.

New Wood Sewing Box

One of the members of the Rainier Senior Center asked George to make a special sewing box for a friend as a gift.  This box was made out of special wood, given to George by my brother, Gary and his wife, Sharon.  It has a tray from Michael's and padded lid.  It took quite a while for George to make this.  It turned out very nice!

It is finished, except he put glides on the bottom, after I took the pictures of it.

Wine Carrier w/2 Glasses

George has made several of these wine carriers that holds 2 glasses and a bottle of wine, or sparkling cider.  You can pick one up at the Tenino Time Machine.  

Note:  Most of these have been made to give away as gifts for the Rainier Senior Center BINGO black out prizes, or RSC raffle (with bottles of cider.)

Melanie's Garden Table

My daughter, Melanie, lives in an apartment in Seattle.  She sent us this picture of the tomatoes she grew this year.  WOW!!!

Below is a picture of the white cedar Wishing Well George made her, as well as the white cedar Potting Bench and Strawberry Barrel (from a 55 gallon pickle barrel.)