GOSHEN, IN
A 40 watt lightbulb that burned out in March 1987 has remained in the ceiling of a Goshen area home for more than thirty years after Mr. Hochstetter, 69, adamantly refused to change it. When they moved in, the home came equipped with numerous lightbulbs, but since purchasing the lovely bungalow, the family patriarch has not replaced a single one.
“Change? Change? Everyone’s talking about change these days. Well, I for one, absolutely refuse!” exclaimed Hochstetter. “It’s a slippery slope. It always starts with the lightbulbs. Then we’re marrying our pets. These progressives have got to be stopped!”
Mrs. Hochstetter has kindly suggested on numerous occasions that her husband replace the bulb but, so far, to no avail.
“I don’t know about that woman. Always pushing for change. ‘Change the lightbulb, Henry.’ ‘Change your underwear, Henry,’ she says,” said Mr. Hochstetter. “I had no idea I married such a flaming liberal.”
Mr. Hochstetter did allow the family to use candles for a brief time after all the bulbs burned out, but once those dwindled to nothing, they’ve been stuck in the dark ever since.
“I like it in the dark,” he said. “If you refuse to change, you have to get used to it.”
(photo credit: Anthony Easton/CC)
