In loving memory of Amana Radarange, 1985-2012

It is with great sadness that I report the passing of a beloved family member — Amana Radarange, our 27-year-old microwave oven. It passed last weekend, not with a bang but a sizzle.

These days, it’s hard to find anything that will last more than a couple of years let alone 27 years. But, our Amana was a good and faithful servant, seeing us through raising two babies, cooking many a casserole and dish of baked beans, and popping innumerable bags of popcorn through almost three decades.

Never did it give us a problem as it sat in the kitchen, watching our family grow and doing its part to keep us fed and my coffee warm, which especially endeared Amana to me.

Amana came into our home shortly after the arrival of our first child, Eli, in 1985. Having seen that we were heating bottles of formula the old-fashioned, slow way of sitting it in a pan of water on the stove, Kim’s dad thought there was a better, faster way to warm formula for his grandson. So, Keith bought a microwave for our household.

Still being a young, determined, independent married couple, Kim and I at first were reluctant about receiving such an extravagent gift as a microwave oven. After all, those suckers were expensive, and we didn’t want him spending so much on us. However, those who remember Keith Treat know he didn’t take no for an answer, and no matter how proud one might be you or polite you were, you didn’t reject his offers.

So, we had a microwave oven, our first and, until last weekend, our only one. It outlasted a couple of refrigerators, a clothes washer, a dryer, a dishwasher, a couple of ceiling fans, two TVs, two recliners, three or four couches, five presidencies and untold TV series.

That was something else about Keith, Treat — quality was very important. It was all right if an item were pricey as long as it would last, although those who knew also remember that he could negotiate prices like no one else, too.

It wasn’t long until we were using Amana regularly. Daily, and not just to warm baby formula. Almost subliminally, it became a key part of meal preparations, of warming leftovers, making snacks, almost everything done in the kitchen.

Until Amana died, I really didn’t appreciate how much we used the microwave oven, and how not having one can be quite a damper on things. Isn’t it amazing how something once seen as a luxury item, maybe even a bit frivolous, becomes an integral part of our lives? You know, things like automobiles, telephones, cell phones, computers, microwave ovens?

Seriously, how did we function as individuals and a society without all the things we now consider necessities? It does make you wonder what would happen to us if somebody forgot to pay the electric bill and everything stopped working. That might make an interesting TV show. Oh, yeah, there is one now, isn’t there?

We realized we wouldn’t cope very well without Amana, so we’ve already found a new microwave — and been using it more than once a day since bringing it home. It would be nice if it it will provide 27 years of service.

As for Amana, well, it’s waiting in the microwave equivalent of limbo until it can go wherever non-functioning appliances go. Great work, good and faithful microwave.