A Christmas Story…
We
moved into our home two weeks ago and quickly realized that the old Wedgewood
cookstove was not working properly.
After
calling every appliance repair business within two counties and finding nobody
willing or able to tackle this vintage stove, we were feeling a little
down. Christmas was just a few days away, and I was
very nervous. It’s expensive to eat out
all the time and our budget is tight so I had to fix this.
In
desperation, I reached out to an internet antique stove parts company in hopes
that they may have a name for me and they did, Jerry of Jerry and Michael’s
Appliances. Jerry is a repairman with Wedgewood experience,
and he was willing to come up to our mountain; about an hour from his city, to
repair it. Experience, and within
driving distance! Imagine that.
I
liked him immediately. He was an older
gentleman, in his late 80s and he has more than 50 years of experience working
with these old stoves. He brought an
assistant to help him with the elbow grease. He spoke softly,
and took the time to explain everything to me and his assistant Chris (whom he
was training) as he went along. Our old
stove had more than a few problems. One
by one Jerry and Chris isolated and repaired/replaced every broken item until
they had this old stove licked.
The
job took several hours to knock out so we had a lot of time to sit, listen and
watch the magic happen. There were a few
expensive parts broken that had to be replaced.
Luckily, he brought lots of Wedgewood parts. Jerry taught me how to properly clean and
maintain this great old stove so things don’t break again. He later told me that if I follow his
instructions this stove will outlast me because they don’t make them like this
anymore.
I
could have listened to Jerry explain things all day. He reminisced about the good old days a bit
too. Jerry grew up with an old wood/gas
Wedgewood stove in his Mother’s kitchen and he later bought her one almost just
like mine. These are special stoves to
him too, and it made him smile just to see one being used today.
At the
end of the day we had to say our goodbyes and thank Jerry and Chris for their
hard work. The guys had one more repair
to do before they could call it a night and drive back to their town.
Our
old Wedgewood works fantastic now. It baked up some perfect sugar cookies for
Christmas, a few wonderful chicken dinners, and it heats up water for tea so quickly
I can hardly believe it. I am planning
to use the old griddle for the first time tomorrow morning for some hotcakes…
Jerry
and Chris may not realize it, but they saved my Christmas and I will forever be
grateful to them for not only fixing my broken stove, but to Jerry for taking
the time to teach me how to identify what’s wrong with my stove so I can replace
the parts myself, if they're no available.
Nobody else would have
gone to that much time and trouble to help me keep my kitchen running
smooth. Jerry was my Christmas Angel
this year and his service was a blessing. I pray the Lord blesses Jerry and Chris and sends
them many more Wedgewoods to repair.
Have
a wonderful and safe New Year’s farmgirls
and boys!
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Hello stranger. I tried texting and calling. I know your every busy, so I will just say Hi and hope every thing is going good. Glad to hear the stove is working. Jerry sounds like a great guy.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful holiday gift! Your stove is adorable and I can understand why you would want to keep it working. I'm also glad to hear that Mr. Jerry is training someone to follow in his footsteps after he is gone. God bless and keep him.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy cooking on that beauty!
I am soo glad to hear you got your stove fixed . That's what it is like here with folk so helpful and skillful with all sorts of things . In one of our antique stores here they refurbish these old stoves and sell them they look and work like new . Glad to hear you have settled in your new home ! Looking forward to your new adventures ! Have a Happy New Year !
ReplyDeleteThis is the American spirit people should have.Your repair men are the best kind.They are the rare few in between we don't get to meet.You got so blessed they were there!
ReplyDeleteHeidi I really like that stove and know there will be loads of great food coming from it. I am so glad you found Jerry and Chris and had such a good time talking to them and learning about your stove. It was a Merry Christmas gift and I am so glad. By the way I love the new blog design very pretty!
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful that you were able to find someone with the knowledge to repair your old stove and share tips on how to keep it in tip-top shape! Maybe send him a nice thank you note?
ReplyDeleteI am brand new to the hop and I don't live in the countryside, but hope you don't mind me joining in, all the way from the UK, anyway!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great story about your stove and Jerry and Chris. A picture of the three of them together would have been awesome! :) It's wonderful to hear that someone still has that knowledge, and is working so hard to pass it on, and 2. that a young person is interested and committed to learning and continuing it! So inspiring!
ReplyDeleteToday I posted more free books including various gardening and the pictured one, Food Storage, from none other than Backwoods Home magazine!
http://preputilityvehicle.blogspot.ca/2013/01/free-books-available-jan-3-2013.html Thanks so much for hosting and letting me share, and thanks for sharing your great story too.
I LOVE your stove! I have dreamed for years of having one. How lucky you were to find someone to repair it.
ReplyDelete