I should have known something was wrong when it started snowing. In May. In North Carolina.

Something strange was happening in the refrigerator. Water began pooling beneath the crisper drawers. Condensation beaded on the milk bottle. The lettuce was limp, and then there was the snow in the freezer. This was no ordinary frost, mind you. A nor'easter had arrived inside my icebox, and the fury was intense. Glittering, many-faceted crystals of ice swirled in a seasonal dance, oblivious to the oppressive heat that assaulted everything around this isolated wintry haven.

I had not really given much thought to the atypical behavior within the appliance. Strange things happen on a regular basis in this house, from the trio of ghosts on the front porch to the light bulbs that burn out prematurely when I find myself in a foul mood. I've gone through all too many light bulbs as of late, but like the ski resort that recently opened in my frigidaire, I simply chalk it up to yet another odd facet of my life. I suppose I should have been a bit more inquisitive, after all it is unusual when Winter and Summer arrive at the same time, particularly in the same appliance. Now I'm faced with a refrigerator full of bad food, a frosty freezer and a hefty repair bill. It seems that the self-defrosting feature of the freezer had been working overtime and a combination of dust, dirt, pollen, smoke and anything else that might have been lurking in my air clogged up a tiny tube within the belly of the beast that must be flushed out.

At least we have an excuse to clean a bit.