Annoyances.

Remember not long ago I wrote about how the little, red, blinking dot on my television was driving Frankie crazy, and how I annoyed her by not taking a few minutes to correct the problem.

Well, for the last few days there has been something annoying me just as badly, but I've kept it a secret from Frankie because I didn't want her to know I can now sympathize with her frustration. 

Here's the thing.  Last week I washed and cleaned those little metal drip plates under the burners of my stove top.  It only takes a few minutes, swish, swish, I'm done.  However, with my newer stove I have to remove the heating elements to get the drip plates out, and then return them afterwards.  There is one element (back left) that never seems to fall into proper place, and as we walk by the stove the blankity-blank thing rattles...oh yeah...it rattles. 

I've spent days trying to ignore it.  Rattle.  RATTLE.  RATTLE.

Grrrrrrrr!

I was hoping this annoyed Frankie, too and she would take a second or two and simply push the element farther into its receptacle and the problem would be solved.

She didn't.

This morning, I could not stand it any longer.  I wanted to scream...I loath that dang burner.

Me:  "Frankie!  Don't you hear that?"
Frankie:  "What, hear what?"

I walk by the stove again.  Rattle, rattle, rattle.  "That! I say with disgust and irritation."

Frankie looks at me as though I'm a 'fruitcake',  I honestly don't think she heard it.

"This," I state, jumping up and down...rattle, rattle, rattle.  All the while pointing to the culprit.
Frankie:  "Ohhh, that."

I wanted to bash her with a wet noodle...if I had happened to have one.  "How come you've not fixed that?"

She gets that 'remember when I was annoyed' look on her face and opened her mouth to speak.

Me:  "DON'T EVEN say it.  You're thinking about the blinking red light.  That was different, you didn't know how to fix that.  You were at my mercy, and I...well, kinda got carried away with that.  I'm sorry.

Frankie grunts, and pops another donut hole in her mouth.

Me:  "This is different, you know how you could have fixed this, and would only have taken a second of your time.  So, why didn't you."
Frankie:  "Well, first, because it didn't annoy me,  I didn't feel the need and second I didn't want to because I knew it was annoying you.  Revenge is a dish best served cold."

She turned and stomped...yes stomped from the room.  Rattle, rattle, rattle.

Grrrrrr.  I slapped that gosh darn burner good and hard and shoved it soundly into place, then walked around the kitchen to make sure the rattling had stopped. 

Frankie reappears, grinning like the Cheshire cat.  "Now...we're even."

Me: (Under my breath) 'Till the next time Frankie...till the next time. 

Oh, there will be a next time, trust me.