The flames of candles are fragile, so Irving keeps barbecue lighters all over the house. This one gets him from his bedroom to the stove. At least the gas hasn’t been turned off. Yet.

Nobody knows how to make coffee in a pot anymore. Even those who grind their own beans (by pushing a button; he turns a crank) use automatic drips and disposable filters. Irving’s heard the latest thing is coffee in pods. Pods! He associates the word with science fiction and peas.

Irving brews in cast iron, drip and whistle, through filters he washes and hangs up to dry.