I have a stove!
And it was free!
But WAIT! There’s MORE!
It came with a dishwasher!
And it was free, too!
It also came with a goat!
With floppy ears!
And a teenage girl!
I’ve been missing my teenage girl and I was starting to need a replacement! Or at least a temporary stand-in!
Oh, wait.
I guess it didn’t come with the goat and the girl, after all. Man, some people are stingy.
Okay, seriously, some people are very generous. And I am very fortunate. One of our lovely reader friends here, who comments as Jill from Spencer, is just finishing up a remodel on her kitchen. She offered me her old stove and dishwasher, and in return I’ll be teaching some workshop classes to her and her cute daughter. Which will make another opportunity for me to talk her out of the girl!
And the goat!
I’m just kidding. I don’t think I could take another goat. Or girl. I’d better stick with what I’ve got. Yesterday morning, we went to Jill’s house and picked up our appliance goodies and got to check out her goats and her beautiful view.
Her goats seemed SO BIG. They are Boer-Nubian crosses, and are about twice the size of our Nigerians and Fainters. I love the floppy ears.
I also love my new old stove. It’s gas! It’s a 14-year-old Kenmore, in very good condition. I love cooking on a gas range and had almost given up that I would be able to get one for downstairs, so I’m feeling very lucky. Also, the oven is much bigger than my oven upstairs–which had to fit into a very tight space–and my upstairs oven is electric. (The gas cooktop upstairs is actually separate, though the cooktop and oven look like one unit.) I’m really happy about having a gas oven because that means now I can bake during a long power outage.
The dishwasher was an unexpected bonus. As much as I wanted a dishwasher downstairs with all the cooking, canning, and cheesemaking that will be going on, I didn’t have it in the budget and thought I’d have to wait on that for awhile. Then this one fell out of the sky. It’s very wonderful because I’m not a fan of doing dishes by hand, and lugging dishes up and down the stairs wouldn’t exactly be handy.
I have the grates etc in case anyone is wondering where the missing parts are on top of the stove. They were removed for transport and we hadn’t put them back on yet when I was taking these pictures. On another note, I had previously had a line on another free gas stove, but it was quite a bit older and converting it to propane (safely) was an issue. This stove is much newer and was manufactured for either natural gas or propane. It was being used with natural gas but came with the manufacturer’s instructions for propane. Built to convert, it was a quick job and is ready!
Hopefully in the next week, we’ll get everything together to get the gas line run over there, and we’ll also be getting the water line and drain line set up for the dishwasher–and for the sink that’s arriving Labor Day weekend–and then it will be time to figure out countertops (which we will do ourselves). I. Am. Excited! The kitchen is coming together! (Thank you, Jill! I AM SO GRATEFUL. And a special “hi” to Jill’s neighbor, Peggy, who reads my blog and wanted to meet me, but wasn’t home when we were there.)
bonita says:
Great!!! I’m sooo glad you scored a gas range…electric is so hard to control. and with the cooking you do…By the way, is your farm in some sort of a time warp? It seems with all you do, you must have 30-35 hours in a day! Stairs, Pickles, goats, chickens, ducks, geese, meaties, donkeys (any . . .donkey foals?), piggies, appliance pick up . . . cheese, butter, blog…Although good to get it in now in case the super hot weather reaches WV. .
On July 18, 2011 at 4:48 am
KellyWalkerStudios says:
WooHoo! That is exciting. It’s really shaping up. CAn’t wait to see it all together.
On July 18, 2011 at 6:12 am
KarenAnne says:
When there was a power outage near my old home in California, thanks to gas I still had heat, a working stove, and hot water. Now in my new home, in a power outage – no heat, no stove. The no heat is not fun when its nine degrees out, and staying up to run water to prevent pipes from freezing is not fun either.
If I were ever going to build a house from scratch, which isn’t going to happen at my age, I’d use gas instead of electricity as much as possible. Or better yet solar photovoltaic.
On July 18, 2011 at 6:27 am
Granny Trace says:
:sun: How wonderful! Isnt it great when all the pieces fall into place. So happy for you.
Hugs Granny Trace
http://www.grannytracescrapsandsquares.com
On July 18, 2011 at 6:37 am
mammaleigh says:
I am so envious! My stove and oven combo are electric and my dishwasher broke about 2 weeks ago flooding my kitchen! So all the dishes have been done by hand, by me (my family is lucky to find the kitchen counter!). When ever you want to adopt a 28 year old daughter that comes with an almost 3 year old daughter let me know I will be the first on that list!!! (The 3 year old does help do laundry and dishes..lol)
On July 18, 2011 at 7:17 am
Flowerpower says:
That is going to be one fine canning, freezing and whatever else you want to do kitchen! They may never get you back upstairs! :happyflower:
On July 18, 2011 at 7:29 am
STracer says:
Nubian Boer cross! I have four little red heads just like that! Well, two are supposed to be full Boer, but the guy couldn’t really tell me how he tells the difference so I am a bit wary on that. I think one of them is, she is a bit different from the others. I need a full Boer buck now. Let me know if you come across one of those on a deal. We are right down I-77. Congrats on the kitchen appliances. I know you intend on doing all the canning down there, but with the amount you always end up doing — two kitchens will be better than one!
On July 18, 2011 at 7:48 am
Rose C. says:
What a great blessing for you and your home. A canning kitchen is a true blessing!
On July 18, 2011 at 8:20 am
Rose H says:
How fantastic! Such generous friends 😀 Your workshop kitchen will be the envy of the neighbourhood….and a few green eyes from across the pond too! I’m so pleased for you Suzanne, you work hard and deserve all the good luck you get. :yes:
On July 18, 2011 at 8:31 am
CindyP says:
How wonderful of Jill to offer these to you! Things are falling into place nicely 🙂 Can’t wait to see it!
On July 18, 2011 at 8:32 am
Liz Pike says:
How nice of Jill!!! I’m excited for you, Suzanne!
On July 18, 2011 at 8:32 am
Merryment says:
Thank goodness for the kindness of not-so-strangers! You’re gonna love canning down in the basement where it’s cooler, and not having to try to compete for kitchen counter space when making cheese. The dishwasher is a great bonus, especially if it can do a sanitizing cycle. Too bad you didn’t get the goat; she’s a corker, and I bet she’d give Clover a run for her money. 😆
On July 18, 2011 at 9:08 am
lavenderblue says:
What a generous spirit Jill must be! You are going to enjoy that downstairs kitchen/workshop to no end. As soon as I can figure out how to PM, I’d like to ask you some questions about how you are planning on doing the workshop thing for some waaaaa-y in the future plans that I am cooking up.
On July 18, 2011 at 9:52 am
MonkeyPhil says:
How wonderful to have such devoted friends. The kitchen is going to be wonderful when you finish. Waiting to see how it all comes together. Sorry you didn’t get the girl. Maybe next time.
On July 18, 2011 at 11:23 am
Ms.Becky says:
oh this is wonderful news. the generosity of the human spirit knows no bounds. people like Jill restore my faith that “neighbors helping neighbors” still rings true. :yes: :yes: :yes:
On July 18, 2011 at 11:28 am
judyh says:
Suzanne, can you light the oven of your new (old) gas range with a match/lighter or does it have one of those electronic ignitions (or whatever they’re called) that requires electricity in order to use the oven? Gas stoves that don’t require electricity for lighting and keeping lit are sometimes difficult to find these days but I never thought about checking with Sears to see if they still carry them.
That was generous of Jill to give you her used stove and dishwasher. Now for some donations of stainless steel tables, a nice large mixer, some pots and pans, etc., etc., etc. Perhaps you could post a list of things you can use to outfit your new kitchen just in case others have items that are in good condition that they no longer have a use for and would like to get rid of. Just saying……. 🙂
On July 18, 2011 at 11:41 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
judyh, I haven’t asked for anything I’ve received so far and I wouldn’t want to ask. I would feel guilty! I have been very lucky. I figure what is meant to come to me some way will come–or not! Sometimes you’re supposed to do things the hard way. (I’ve done a lot of things the hard way, so I know! LOL!) I will be able to split out a lot of my kitchen stuff, and I’ll add what I don’t have as I can.
On July 18, 2011 at 11:45 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
oh, and also, yes, it has an electric ignition, just like our range upstairs does, but we can still use it in a power outage by turning on the gas and lighting a match to it. (We do that upstairs during power outages.)
On July 18, 2011 at 11:47 am
joykenn says:
I wonder if anyone in the area is remodeling and getting new granite countertops. Laminate counters can last longer than you want to stare at them. Once you remove them they just go in a dumpster and a landfill. They could so easily be recycled into a basement cooking area. I’ve always hated to see the dumpsters full of perfectly acceptable cabinets, countertops,etc. when people remodel their kitchens. I keep thinking that someone else could well use them if they weren’t just thrown away and wasted. I really glad to see that Jill was so generous and offered her appliances to you. Still a lot of life in old gas ranges and the dishwasher is a great bonus….though I can understand your envy of the beautiful floppy eared goat and the daughter too. Missing your own kiddo, huh.
On July 18, 2011 at 12:48 pm
JOJO says:
:happyflower:
Suzanne, I have been following you since you first started, long before I every left any comments or a post and I remember one of the things you said in one of your posts”Frugal is the new black” and those of us that have been with you since the begining have seen just what that means, you have build a farm and a wonderful homestead with hard work and frugality, some of us have been there with you when you were at times what seem to be very ow, but you have worked so hard and now things are really coming together for you, it shows what sheer determination and hard work can do, you did it on you own with some help from family and friends but the vision was yours, you had a plan and knew what you wanted.
I wish all good things for you in the future and hope you will be able to relax a bit and enjoy the fruits of all of your labor.
On July 18, 2011 at 4:00 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
Thank you, JOJO!
On July 18, 2011 at 7:20 pm
whaledancer says:
Jill’s goats are beautiful. I’ve always been a sucker for Nubians. Oh, and her daughter’s pretty, too. 😉 Maybe you could borrow her now and then.
Your new kitchen is really coming together. It’s obviously meant to be. And with two ovens, one gas and one electric, you should never have to be without an oven again. I remember how traumatic it was when your oven died a while back and you were reduced to trying to bake bread in a Crockpot.
On July 18, 2011 at 8:33 pm
Chicken Crossing says:
You are so funny Suzanne. You never fail to make me smile. 😀 I know what you mean about the floppy eared goats. all mine (5) have the floppy ears. 2 full blood nubian, 2 nubian/boer crosses. And We’re not real sure what the other one is but he has floppy ears too. They all look like they have piggy tails flopping up and down when they run.
On July 19, 2011 at 9:26 am
Glenda says:
The kitchen is coming right along! Glad to see the still good appliances get some use. When we got the new stove in the kitchen, I asked Lowe’s what they did with my old one………..they junk them!
I would have given mine to someone, but I wouldn’t want to unload that lemon any other poor soul.
You have made some real strides this past year…..milking the cow being top of the list!
On July 19, 2011 at 10:40 am
wannabee says:
Congratulations on your new kitchen apps….your new stove looks very similar to mine with the knobs on the front. I am a renter and the managers put the new stove in about a year ago. Within the fisrt couple of days after install a friend dropped by for a visit and when he walked in he said it smelled funny in my house. LIKE GAS! I checked the stove and one of the knobs was turned on slightly. It is electric ignition but you have to turn it all the way on to ignite and then back to whatever temp you need. I’m a short person, 5’3″ if I try really hard. So my arms aren’t very long either and anytime im reaching to the back shelf on the stove or counters my tummy touches. I had rubbed against the knobs and turned it slightly without setting off the ignition which would have warned me it was on. I am very cautious now and pay close attention and even go back and check the stove now and again.
Please be careful of this. Otherwise it is a fine stove and works great!
On July 19, 2011 at 5:05 pm
MissyinWV says:
That is awesome!!! :happyflower: I happy for you that you are making such progress! I love the pictures of the goat…Too Cute!
On July 21, 2011 at 5:51 pm