Followers of this blog will recall a recent post about the wisdom of giving a woman a toaster as a Valentine’s Day present. For the record, our new toaster, which arrived today, is neither a gift to Jeanine nor connected to Valentine’s Day in any way. Maya enjoyed first toasting honors and we split the perfectly browned English muffin. Bread is lowered and lifted automatically and toasted with digital precision as a countdown timer indicates the time remaining.

UPDATE: After 12 years of daily use, this toaster is still running strong but we are retiring it nonetheless. Despite its functionality, toasting times are significantly longer than any toaster I have ever used.