Wednesday, May 14, 2008

God of small things

You all know me and my somewhat obsessive compulsive tendencies, so perhaps it won't come as a surprise to you that I count my silverware as I put it in the drawer when I empty the dishwasher. Not only does this assure that the stacks are equal so they fit neatly and properly in the drawer (6 spoons handle side down, 6 spoons handle side up, etc.), but it also makes sure that they are all accounted for.

Alas, the other day -- horror of all horrors -- I discovered that I only had 11 spoons. After confirming that I had counted the one in the sink, and double-checking obvious locations like the desk and the fridge, I determined the worst -- one of them had accidentally been thrown in the trash, which had just been picked up the day before. Not completely illogical... it's prone to happen when you have more than 20 people eating in a house at any given time (which had happened about a week before, and Isaac -- not a "counter" -- had emptied the dishwasher the one time in between).

The idea was terrible. 12 of everything except spoons... we'd run out of spoons before bowls for breakfast, we wouldn't be able to have a complete setting next time we have 12 people over... argh. And with this set of silverware (which was a gift to me from my bank in Spain when I left) there is no way to replace just one piece. That's why I registered for a set of Oneida that won't be discontinued and can be purchased open stock. It's currently being used along with our fine china in lieu of real SILVERware, the idea being that in the event of losing enough of the current set, the Oneida could move in as everyday-ware. I just hoped it wouldn't be for at least another 10 or 15 years!

Anyway, after I fretted about this for several days, prayed to find it, and determined to use disposable utensils at every group function from now to eternity, Isaac was loading his plate in the dishwasher after dinner one night and I, from a weird angle on the other side of the room, noticed a spoon resting in the bottom of the appliance, completely intact, up against the motor unit piece. We triple counted and -- sure enough! -- we now have 12 spoons again!

Whoever said God only deals with the big issues needs to think again :)