We had decided not to buy gifts for each other this year.  Instead, we would do our part to make another person’s life better.  It was settled.

Last Thursday, we met our son, Bryant, for lunch.  At the small restaurant where we normally meet, we each ordered and paid for a small pizza.  They delivered three medium pizzas to the table.  With a huge grin, the guy said that the kitchen guys must have slipped up.  Then with a wink he told us he would not charge us extra.  Do you wonder why we go there?

Later that afternoon, Midnight and I were in the recliner checking the backs of our eyelids.  Sylvia was in the kitchen popping corn in the microwave.  (She was going to make a couple of batches of caramel corn.  My favorite.)  That’s when the arcing, the sparking and the sputtering began.  Now, the microwave oven has done that before.  It usually makes a bit of noise and then calms down.  It didn’t quit.

After 20 years of service our old friend had given out.  After a brief inspection, I could see there would be no revival for the old unit.  We put on our coats and drove to town.  We checked out the available models and made our choice.  We now have a larger, more powerful microwave oven.  Sylvia really likes the features and it is much more quiet than the old one.  Midnight and I like that.

Our original plan to give to others did not suffer.  I’m glad about that.  Somewhere some folks will have medicines available to them that would not have otherwise had.  Our granddaughter will not have to dig as deep into her pocket to make that mission trip to Mexico later this month.