Propane Tank, 2020 — Unsightly After 20 Years
Yesterday was a red letter day for me! I bade a fond farewell to our propane tank and to all its connections to my kitchen range. But I did send silent apologies to all the wonderful cooks and chefs out there who know better than I about the wonders of cooking on open flames! I acknowledge your artistry and (to me) your bravery.
Me… not so much, even though I grew up with gas stoves in California without giving them much thought one way or another. In fact, I think I lived with gas being the only option — both on stovetop and in the oven for my first 42 years. It was natural gas, piped in from under the streets in every house where I lived. I never gave it a thought.
But, when I moved full-time to Oysterville and built my own house, I found that I had a choice. Electric everything, or “gas” which was provided by propane tanks. I don’t know why that seemed scary to me — perhaps because I’d heard of disasters caused by the combination of leaking gas and a spark. (But why I’d never focused on that where natural gas was involved — and surely there must have been disasters now and then — I don’t know.)
Time passed. Nyel entered my life. Nyel who loved to cook and lamented that we hadn’t the proper cooking facility. So, when it came time to move to the family house, the first thing we did was to remodel the kitchen and install a duel-fuel stove. And propane. I was not a happy camper but, of course, Nyel’s wonderful meals more than compensated — even when we did, indeed, have a gas leak early on! (But no spark. No explosion. And no repeat performance.)
In August 2020 Nyel did his magic paint trick — the next best thing to a propane tank disappearing act.
As the years went by and the tank grew rusty, Nyel painted it white to camouflage it a bit — for my sake. He talked about building a latticework screen around it but it was one of those things that we never got around to. I’m sure he knew full well that eventually I would revert to an all-electric stove if ever he could no longer manage the cooking duties. I’m so glad that never happened as long as he lived. And now… Now I’m sure he would be cheering me on. He was just that kind of guy!
Love this.
I totally understand your point of view.
Thanks for sharing.