We’ve been without a stove for almost two weeks. My friend Wendy smelled gas on Easter so I called Keyspan.

Gas Leak!

The Keyspan lady says a mouse ate a hole through some sort of pipe…The stove repairman declares: "this thing can’t be fixed…"

Cut to: A trip to J&R Appliances on Seventh Avenue. I pick out a GE stove with big metal burners. It’s plated with stainless steel and is one cool looking stove.

J&R promises to deliver the stove on Saturday ("It’s air conditioner season, Miss, we’re really booked up").

I get a call on my cell phone while on retreat — "Is anyone home, we want to deliver your stove…" I call from my private room at the lodge. "Deliver the stove! Someone is waiting in the apartment…"

I’d neglected to give them my home number.

I call Keyspan Monday morning to turn the gas back on…"We’ll be there between 8 a.m. and noon on Tuesday…"

So tomorrow’s the day. Tonight was, ostensibly, our last night of take out for a while. We’ve pretty much done it all: pizza, sushi from the fish store, salads, Indian from Kinara, Chinese, Los Politos, Coco Roco, Grand Canyon. Sometimes a combination of places at one meal…

We’ve been around the globe — with take out.

If all goes well, we’ll have some HOME COOKING tomorrow!!! It’s terrible to be without a stove.

Picture by Elezde  That’s not our kitchen.