GULF SHORES, Ala., — “Oops,” I said, as I saw a slice of beautifully browned bread leap up and above our toaster and flop down on the table. Yes, it was up to its old tricks. I’d venture to say that it happens at breakfast at least once a week, maybe more. Who knows why it catapults those slices of bread into the air on a regular basis?

When it does, I think of Old Faithful, our Sunbeam radiant heat toaster with affection. Old Faithful was a wedding gift that accompanied us on our moves from army post to army post stateside and to Germany and back. Despite all those upheavals and the frustration of making a connection to a transformer in military housing in Germany, it lasted for almost 40 years. Never did it perform the gymnastics our present expensive, well-known brand of toaster does. It just kept on keeping on, doing its job perfectly.

In fact, we got so used to it that it came as a total shock when I popped a slice of bread in it one morning and nothing happened. That familiar red glow was gone. It was cold. Dead. We stared at it in disbelief. Surely something could be done. I carefully copied down the model number and contacted an appliance dealer. To our disappointment, parts were unavailable for that out-dated model.

I was persistent. I shot off a letter to the Sunbeam company, addressing it to “Mr. Sunbeam” and lamenting our loss. Wasn’t there some way he could revive our faithful friend? I knew there was a chance that letter would end up in a trash can, but I gave it a shot.

Every chance I got, I looked on small appliance shelves in discount stores, large department stores, specialty shops and anywhere else I even had an inkling might stock toasters. I wanted one exactly like our old friend. No luck. They didn’t even make them like that anymore.

Feeling sentimental and being a pack rat, I pushed Old Faithful behind some cans on a pantry shelf. I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away.

One day an answer for my plea for help arrived. I guess my letter never got to Mr. Sunbeam. Instead, it was a nice note from a company representative who thanked me for taking the time to write the company about the wonderful performance of their product. She regretted Old Faithful was beyond repair. Period. (There wasn’t even a coupon with a couple of dollars off on a new toaster enclosed.)

A morning or two after that letter arrived, my eyes fell on the toaster behind some cans. I pulled it out. “Maybe it was tired,” I told my husband as I plugged it in. To our amazement, the wires glowed and Old Faithful gently pulled the bread inside. It worked!

Old Faithful still performed perfectly on our 38th wedding anniversary.

Then some months later, it faded out permanently. I threw it away — regretfully.