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I was never really a fan of “The Office,” because it always created a low-level anxiety in me about the one period in my life when I worked sort-of an office job. It was a creative position, but there were still all the around-the-edges bells and whistles of Office Life that drove me nuts: cubicles, “surprise” birthday cakes, That One Weirdo Named Chuck, etc. The worst thing—and indeed, the worst thing in all the world—was of course the Office Refrigerator and its many mysteries.

We have TWO here at Atlas HQ, two hulking stainless steel things that came with the building. One is in heavy use, the other sits forlornly across the room, the way two Starbucks are sometimes positioned on opposite street corners; one with a line out the door, the other sad and empty. (I thought about mentioning how knitters having a second refrigerator at home for moth-preventative yarn storage would be a good idea, but I know that will make people fret that their stashes would never fit in a single refrigerator, so forget I brought it up).

I don’t use the work fridge much; I’m a morning shift person and usually gone by lunch, but others here in the warehouse definitely do. Jessica Fletcher would have a field day figuring it all out: there are a lot of disparate ingredients for things in there—and not just things that are imminently lunch. I’m pretty sure someone here is making crêpes suzette on a regular basis and I know for a fact there was once a 24-pound turkey in there for a few days, and it wasn’t anywhere close to Thanksgiving. Some things really are just don’t-ask-don’t-tell situations, I think.

Only once has there been a clean-the-fridge-out threat—only in true MDK fashion, it was a nicely worded note. It might be my mind playing tricks on me, but I’m pretty sure it was engraved on off-white Crane stationery and stuck to the door of the Samsung with a wax seal. That’s how we do things. Politely. We had to act quickly, though; after that, the hummus hit the fan.

A Giveaway

Be like a box of baking soda and help us freshen things up around here. The prize? Two buttery-soft cotton Turkish-T hand towels.

How to enter?

Two steps:

Step 1: Sign up for our weekly newsletter, Snippets, right here. If you’re already subscribed, you’re set.

Step 2: Question: What do you say when someone tells you their refrigerator is running? Leave us your answer in the comments.

Deadline for entries: Sunday, August 22, 11:59 PM Central time. We’ll draw a random winner from the entries. Winner will be notified by email.

About The Author

DG Strong took up knitting in 2014. He lives in Nashville with his sister, her rat terrier and a hound dog named Opal. He has a blog of drawings and faintly ridiculous rambling called The Psychopedia—there are worse ways to spend your afternoon.

442 Comments

  • Better go catch it.

    • Mine is also!

    • Me too!

    • You better go catch it. Hahaha

      • Bragger!

  • Yes, but don’t worry, I let Prince Albert out of the can to go catch it. (Am I showing my age or what?)

    • Classics!

    • Ha! My reply also.

    • Oh no! Reminds me of elementary school when we would make prank phone calls. I’m definitely showing my age. (Please don’t tell on me)

    • Oh, no! You took my answer. And here I was thinking I was so clever! I’m sure we’re both showing our age. We could sit and knit together, remeniscing about the good old days 😉

      • My answer too! As for age, my 10-year-old grandson recently called from London to ask me just this question. Classics never go out of style.

    • Not anymore it’s not

      • Go catch it! (followed by hilarious pre-teen laughter)

  • It must be one of the new smart refrigerators processing all of those expiration dates.

  • No problem. My dachshund will catch it and bring it home.

    • Mine too!

  • Tell them they better go catch it.

  • Goodness it’s so quite; I don’t even hear it.

  • give a little chuckle with all the memories

  • Let it go. It was never yours to begin with.

    • ROFLMAO

    • Love,

    • Better stop it!

    • Hahahaha! Brilliant!

  • Congratulations!

  • It better be!

  • Oh you better go catch it!

    • So go catch it, Take 2.

    • I tell them to hurry up and catch it, of course!

  • Great! That means the power’s back on!!

  • I bet it can do 5k faster than me!

  • Did it say where it was going?

  • Great! Something has to get exercise in this house, and it’s not me.

  • LOL! It was never yours….

  • Give it a whack on the left side!

  • It’s just jealous of the washing machine! Because it can really walk, and maybe even jump a little on the spin cycle.

  • If it loves you, it’ll come back.

  • Remind myself to never answer phone calls from mystery callers.

  • You better go catch it!

  • Then you better go get it!

    • So many clever people. We used to do the prank calls back when people had land lines as a kid. We would call and ask Is your refrigerator running? Then say, You better go catch it. I guess I didn’t know how to knit then. Too much free time. Ha!

  • Go catch it.

  • You’d better go catch it!

  • Go catch it!

    • So go catch it!

  • That’s not a bad thing!

  • …as it should be.

  • I suggest that they catch it and then become wistful for the days before caller ID…

    • Is it coming back with lunch?

  • Oh good, that explains that ringing in my ears.

  • I say, Do you read DG Strong’s Atlas Insider? —so fun. Why the other day….

  • Are you going to run after it? Also, our ice making part of the freezer is noisy, so we say it’s little Northern Icemen in there chipping ice off the walls of the cave. The grandkids love that explanation.

  • Catch it! By the way, I know who you are and I saw what you did.

  • You better go catch it!

  • Yes. And it has miles to go before it can take a break.

  • Where to?

  • Yikes! Catch it before it gets away!

  • Better go catch it

  • Let it go, let it go!

  • Well, that makes one of us.

  • Thank God!

  • For Congress? Because it might have a chance!

  • It knows the way home, haha

    • Better go catch it!

  • Well at least one of us is….

  • Maybe it will win a gold medal in the next Olympics, if it lasts that long.

  • I should hope so!

    • Yes but not very fast..

  • No, it’s taking a rest.

  • Better catch it!

  • Training for a marathon

  • Forget the puns, is putting yarn in the fridge really a thing?? I gotta know.

    • The freezer became the permanent home for leftover/repair yarn for a wool, fingering weight Rowan houndstooth cardigan I really loved. All over fairisle. When I repaired the cuff edges a couple of years after making, the yarn kept breaking and seemed quite fragile. There was nothing visibly wrong with the yarn. Some time later I needed to repair a little spot, and the tweedy beige was not reliable for more than a couple of yards, so both colours went into a new baggie and in the freezer. This seemed to stop the problem because several years later I narrowed the shoulders and that yarn was used again.

      I think I’ve done that once more with another Rowan tweed type fingering weight wool.

      The freezer has also been home to drywall repair mix, paint rollers, specialized glues and photographic paper and film near or past expiry date.

  • Yes, thankfully it is running. Catch it!!

  • Is it the one with the yarn in it?

    • Ha, Ha. I have yarn in my freezer right now. After Kay’s recent entry about cleaning up your craft space, I did a clean out of my own and found some kind of little bug infesting some of my yarn! Ick! I’m hoping I’ve quarantined all of the affected skeins!

  • Still stuck on using it for moth proof stash storage…..

    • Freezing an item that may or is moth infested will kill the larva. Then when it warms the any eggs will hatch and if put back in the freezer the larva will be killed. Not really moth proofing but moth killing and a preventative since moths don’t live in cold.

  • Better go catch it

  • How fast is it?

  • Oh well. Lucky me !!

  • Ah yes, she’s training for a marathon, how far do you run!?

  • Electricity is wonderful.

  • Time to go for a run and catch it!

  • Thank goodness!

  • Let it go (sung to the tune of Frozen)

  • You better catch it!

  • Tell them they’re lucky that they don’t need a new fridge in this period of appliance shortages. The last one I bought a year ago was over the phone sight unseen before the retailer had received it.

  • Thank God! The power is back on.

  • You should be able to catch it when it gets to end of it’s leash (aka power cord)! Hehehehe…

  • Better go catch it!

  • Call customer service!

  • Well, you better catch it.

  • You better go catch it

  • from the elephant leaving footprints in the jello?

  • Nope, cause the damn thing is a Samsung. No seriously, they are the worst and it’s barely limping along until I put it out of its misery and finally make a trip to Home Depot and replace it.

    • I feel the same, Cheryl. If ours is running, it is a good thing, but it is fairly new and frequently freezes up so the icemaker won’t work! Though I love my phone, my Samsung fridge is not the same quality!

      • Mine wasn’t a Samsung but I had a similar issue with our previous fridge. It ended up being the drip line from the freezer/ ice cube maker to the evaporation tray underneath (fridge on top, freezer on bottom set up). My handyman friend used hot water in my turkey baster to clear out the wonky frozen stuff that hadn’t defrosted properly and then followed a YouTube video we found to fix it.
        I’d suggest at the very least googling your fridge model number and seeing if yours is a common issue. If it is, there’s likely several videos on how to fix it. If you or someone you know is handy with minor fix it stuff, you can probably solve it without a service call. The maybe hour we spent solved an issue I’d lived with for a few years and it was so nice!

  • Not a word, just roll my efyes.

  • Laugh and then hope it continues running . It’s less than a year old.

  • Rats! I will never catch it! It has a head start. Lol

  • My brother and I used to make those prank calls! “Better go catch it”! Ah good times;)

  • Ya better go catch it!

  • Better go catch it, of course!

  • Oh, does it do any of the local 5Ks !

  • Better go catch it!

  • Your comment is awaiting moderation.
    Better go catch it!
  • A Fun Run or a marathon? ‍♀️

  • I say “Thank Goodness!”

  • I say nothing and stare blankly.

  • Is it? Yes, Darn it! I have to go shopping and cook. Again, and again, and again

  • It ought to be. I ordered it in March and it’s still not here (Suez Canal? Polar Vortex? Pandemic?).

  • Yes, but I’ll let it go. It is only truly mine if it returns on its own.

  • You’d better go catch it!

  • I would say Let’s knit instead of catching that refrigerator. There will be another one soon❤️

  • Quick! Go catch it!

  • Duh! You better go catch it!

    Prince Albert

  • You mean that huge double-door one that was in the basement when we bought this house? Yeah, it ran outta here…piece by piece when Alliant Energy paid us $50 to take it apart and help it escape. I thought it would never leave.

  • I laugh. Better chase it?

  • stop talking and go! run run run!

  • Duh! Why do you ask??

  • “Laps, or cross country?”

  • You are lucky it’s still working.

  • For weight loss or muscle development?

  • “…..And so your mouth!”

  • Hurry, you have to go catch it!

  • I look at them quizzically and say …. “ Do you know where it is running to?”

  • What memories! These old jokes are still the best! Hope you catch it!

  • Well of course the correct answer is “You better go catch it” followed by hysterical laughter!
    Clearly a lot of people remember making those prank calls? Where are the recipients of those calls? Ive never heard anyone say “remember back in the day, getting those prank calls about our refrigerator? “

  • Your comment is awaiting moderation.
    Better go catch it!
  • My refrigerator runs so I don’t have to!

  • Oh THAT’S what that banging noise was. True story, necessitated a visit from the repair man

  • Go catch it!

  • I ask what was wrong with it before. Both my sisters have bad luck with fridges, lasting a year before replacement is not unusual!

  • Running for what?

  • Is it running away? Let’s go with it!

  • So’s your nose!

  • Yes, and if you catch it, it needs a new water filter

  • You better go catch it! (Not very original, but it’s what we used to say)

  • So is your nose.

  • I usually give a sarcastic “haha” with an eye roll.

  • Better that than me!

  • Completely seriously “Oh! Had it been broken?” Because otherwise why would it be brought up?

  • If you love it let it go……it will find your adult children who still shop at your house

  • “Sorry about your luck.” My mom wants to replace her refrigerator for aesthetic reasons but hers is still working so she feels guilty about it.

    • Maybe she can turn her current one into the garage fridge.

  • Better go catch it! 🙂 I’d prefer it to just run and not call my mobile phone to tell me I’m out of milk…honestly, who really needs all those bells and whistles?

  • Thank goodness! Now I can enter the giveaway for yarn to fill it

  • As I chuckle at all the the responses, I’m still stuck on storing yarn stash in the fridge….

  • Be freeeee!!!

  • Yes, and Prince Albert is stuck in a can. (My Grandfathers favorite joke. And brand!)

  • Give it a tissue!

  • If it loves you it will come back to you!

  • I hope it brings back supper!

    PS those towels are awesome. We use ours a lot.

  • I ask them where is it going to!

  • You better catch it

  • To the store, I hope

  • I’d roll my eyes, shake my head and say, ” oh gees.”

  • Yes, it’s training for an ultra.

  • It better be headed to the grocery store to stock up. I bought a smart fridge for a reason.

  • So is my nose.

  • How fast, how far, and in which direction?

  • …running out of food

  • I’ll catch it on the second lap.

  • You better go catch it cause it just ran past my window

  • Must be a very fit machine!

  • Can’t talk – I’ve got to chase it down the street!

  • Better it than me

  • run faster!

  • Smirk!

  • Let it go!

  • Hurry up!

  • I hope you can keep up!

  • Mine is currently running in the living room – it’s running away from the kitchen reno that’s going on.

  • How fast?

  • Thank goodness!

  • No, it’s on the Peliton today.

  • You’d better go catch it…or there will be nothing for lunch!

  • Yes, it does that all the time. we need to replace it, but there’s currently an appliance shortage because of Pandemic. (yes, this is a true story from my life)

    • Mine too – can’t even find a refrigerator in stock

  • Better it than me.

  • better go catch it.

  • Tell them “I know!”

  • No problem. It’s on a retractable leash and also has one of those “find it” digital devices inside. You can track it with your phone (unlike that crochet hook I set down just a few minutes ago!)

    • Hahaha

  • “You better go catch it!” (laughing old joke.)

  • I certsicer hope it is!

  • Well, you better go catch it! snicker snicker

  • I didn’t know there was a refrigerator marathon?

  • Better hurry and catch it!

  • Is it training for the Olympics?

  • LOL – Better go catch it!

  • Better go catch it !

  • Which marathon is it in?

  • Truthfully I never quite got the refrigerator joke. It just doesn’t seem at all funny, but you, DG Strong, make me laugh every single week. Thank you.

  • Well – to avoid the old cliche… at least we’ll all have ice in the bin!

  • Thanks for the info. Excuse me while I go catch it.

  • There’s an app for that.

  • Your comment is awaiting moderation.
    Did you get it jogging shoes? Mine always scrapes the floor.
  • {groan} in the nicest possible way

  • That’s impressive… short intervals or long distance?

  • Not surprised – my sister threatened to put a hamster in it. True story. A long time ago in Minnesota I found an index card case in my sister’s freezer. It held a dead pet hamster to be buried by the kids when the ground defrosted.

  • Where’s it going?

  • After having issues with the dishwasher (fill valve), washing machine (new one coming next week), dryer (new cord), the fridge sprung a leak (hose clamp), my hubby has been hopping lately. As long as the fridge runs, I’ll be happy!

  • Then you’d better go catch it! Takes me back, this does.

  • Hand it a tissue!

  • I’d probably just say, “Huh??”

  • Speaking of aging oneself…do you remember “party lines” on the old land lines? The next step in juvenile fun after prank calls! Lol!

  • A crank call as kids — long before caller ID —

    You: “Hello. Is your refrigerator running?”
    Caller: “Yes.”
    You: “Then you better run fast to catch it.”

    And then we’d hang up and roll on the floor laughing.

    Ahhh, the good old days.

  • Set the fridge free! If it’s meant to be yours, it will return!

  • Let it go, let it go
    Can’t hold it back anymore
    Let it go, let it go
    Turn away and slam the door!

    (works better for a freezer, but it’s the best I have)

  • I say “that’s great, mine keeps stopping when company’s coming, leading me to throw away loads of food and thinking I’d better stop having company.”

  • Hey! Come back here!!!!

  • A 5k or a half-marathon??

  • More than I can say for my exercise routine……. 🙂

    I recall some very entertaining and in some cases slightly creepy refrigerator based stories in past jobs. The best was the all employee patronizing clean the refrigerator email request – to which many many people felt the need to reply all. Any further reply all email incidents were then referred to as refrigerator messages…and I still call them that to this day. Now , the if you use my butter again I’ll sue you — is a story for another day………

  • Yes, we call it the streak!

  • Better than not running!

  • How far do we need to run to catch it?

  • Whatever…(stealing response from my teenage grandkids)

  • Better run and catch it! Or so is my nose (depending on allergy weather) lol.

  • Grady and Rusty, you 2 boys, bring that fridge back if you want to eat. ( my 2 dogs)

  • I hesitate a moment, roll my eyes and exhale, sigh and shake my head …. As I walk away something that sounds quite like “effing moron” escapes me lips……..

  • I’d better go catch it – and also something about Prince Albert in a can – those two jokes go together.

  • Now the stove is hot to trot

  • Its knees are in better shape than mine.

  • I’d say, “Let it go. If it doesn’t come back, it wasn’t mine to begin with.”

  • What a chestnut! We all know the answer, so I’d probably just say, “Oh, honey, did I ever tell you about the time when….”

  • It is. Do you have Prince Albert in a can? Better let him out.

  • Is Prince Albert in the can? (Really dating myself with this one)

  • Don’t worry it always comes back!

  • you better go catch it then!

  • Go run after it.

  • Thank god!!

  • I hope so, I don’t run any more

  • Glad the electricity is on!

  • My 6 year old self just returned as my first reaction was to say “ Go get it !” Not unlike Sir Albert in the can. Asking someone to please let him out because it’s time for dinner

  • “Well, I should hope so!”

  • The science projects in your fridge have become sentient and taken over. You better hope the Men in Black can help you catch it.

  • well, i only catch and release.

  • TMI

  • Better go catch it.

  • Better go catch it!

  • “I should hope so!”

  • Will it Bolt?

  • It is, oh good! Can it stop at the store for me on it’s way back from its run?

  • You better go catch it!

  • Is the refrigerator door open? And if so why are you running up the electric bill?Close the refrigerator door and it will stop running.

  • Thank goodness!

  • It may be running, but the real question is can it knit?

  • Better go catch it! why is that always funny?

  • It means the electric company took my phone call and has fixed the problem.

  • Please ask it to pick up a coffee for me when it comes home.

  • Barely…sigh.

  • I’d tell them I heard that joke a long time ago.

  • Great! That’s proof you remembered to pay the electric bill.

  • I have a greyhound! Rocket Man can catch anything!

  • Up and down hills?

  • You better run after it and catch it!

  • I hope so

  • We are knitters, we know how to fix runs!

  • Honestly, I’d probably just stare blankly.

  • I picture it quickly scooping up it’s voluminous skirt and racing off faster than greased lightening.

  • Running WHERE???

  • Can I come over and stand in front of it?

  • The condenser coils must be dirty.

  • No it’s working. lol

    • Oops read the question wrong. lol

  • Oh the old middle school age phone prank! Better go catch it, of course!

  • It’s getting more exercise than I am. Lol

  • The classic, of course:
    “Better go catch it!”

    Other options:
    What’s it’s mile time?
    Is it faster than Ussain Bolt?
    For it’s health?
    Tell it to take care of it’s knees!

  • I’m not gonna go catch it!!!

  • Glad you still have power!

  • Time to vacuum the vents:-)

  • Great! Can you get me a glass of ice water? Thanks!

  • Let. It. Go.

  • Better go catch it, and make sure none of my yarn is inside!

  • How noisy is it?

    • Better go catch it!

  • “Do your feet smell?” It’s a classic.

    I once left a 26 lb frozen turkey in the church freezer for almost a year. It was a grocery store freebie that I meant to give to the food bank, but I forgot. We eventually cooked it and contributed it to a community outreach meal.

  • Your point?

  • Aren’t you going to catch it?

  • step on it’s plug in to stop it!

  • Which direction did it go?

  • Refrigerators are pretty traditional, not fast – just steady

  • Faster than me these days!

  • It better be!

  • Where is it headed?

  • I see your refrigerator and raise you a Prince Albert in a can!

  • To replace Gavin Newsome in California? Why not run? Everyone else is.

  • Running is good but I’m holding out for the jumping jacks

  • Which marathon is it in training for?

  • I would tell them to check the gaskets. Yarn bombing may be needed to keep things cold.

  • Which direction? Can you head it off?

  • As opposed to jogging? Sprinting? Or maybe a nice brisk walk?

  • “I’d vote for them, because Texas needs to chill the f- out.”

  • I hope it is!
    Thanks for making me laugh. My usually beautiful BC skies are full of smoke and ash.

  • I would say, Oh. nice!”

  • Better go catch it

  • Faster than you can

  • I’d better go catch it!

  • That’s its job!

  • How many miles a day?

  • can’t help myself…I say, well you better go catch it!

  • Grab me a beer!

  • OMG. This reminds me of my silly sister Sharon… she’d try SO HARD to make a prank call, but always crack up mid-way through. Sometimes she’d ask about the refrigerator running, but she’d also ask, “Do you have Prince Albert in a can?” hahaha

    You’d better go catch it!!

    (Or, in the case of Prince Albert, you’d better let him out!)

    • Better go catch it!

  • Just bump it with your hip

  • You better catch it. I made many of prank calls when I was a kid.

  • Good, cause I’ve got the freezer full of frozen foraged mushrooms, strawberries, and wild leek bulbs and greens.

  • I say that the new kitchen aid model is on sale …perfect time to grab a new one

  • You better go catch it ! Lol

  • How fast??

  • It will come back when it gets tired.

  • You’d better catch it!!!

  • I’m so glad to hear your fridge is running fine. With the recent power outages from storms, that’s been such a worry for so many people.

  • Then you better go catch it

  • Hang up an catch it before it runs away. I was on the phone while at my 5th grade slumber party. I was at a LOT of those:)

  • The power is back on! It’s a big deal out here in the country!

  • does it need sponsored for the marathon?

  • How fast?

  • That’s a good thing!

  • I hope it get’s a good workout.

    • Old joke, but still makes me laugh. We used to prank call our “blue hair”, spinster librarian when I was in grade school. She knew it was me and the gang, but she always laughed. Good memories. Now I realize that she probably was a knitter too, as she wore beautiful mohair shawls.

  • No problem, it won’t fit through the door. Seriously though we didn’t have a working refrigerator for six months and that is not a good thing. Also an argument against home warranty companies but that’s a whole novel in itself.

  • You had better start running to catch it!

    • Yes it’s doing a 2 kw run! LOL

  • It’s like when my six yo shows my their art work and goes ‘pranked ya, made ya look’ and falls to the floor in hysterical giggles

  • Oh -I’ll let you go – you gotta catch it!

  • Definitely “you better go catch it”. How many times did we think we were hilarious doing prank phone calls as kids?

  • Quick! Go shut the door before it can get out!

  • And you’re just standing here?

  • Is it also making these weird, loud, cracking sounds like mine does?

  • Crane stationary.
    The Dowager Countess would, I am sure, approve.

  • Yeah, it jogs every day. You know, to keep its figure. You would too if ate that much food.

  • Lucky you! Your power must be back on!!!

  • See, I was going to go all practical on it — better check the seal on the door. Obviously, I have no sense of humor.

    • For what race?

  • Did it get very far?

    This also reminded me of a thing my dad used to say – If your nose runs and your feet smell, you’re built upside down LOL!

  • In this heat? Thank goodness it’s still running.

  • Better go catch it!!

  • Better go catch it!

  • Whelp, you better go catch it!

  • Be thankful, it’s almost impossible to replace them right now!

  • If so, I may vote for it.

  • See if it needed directions, LOL!

  • Go catch it!

  • You’re lucky!

  • Must be a little hard on its knees

  • I’d tell them not to worry and it’s full of yarn anyhow! I literally have a spare refrigerator that stopped working and I keep my yarn in it! I laughed when I read the post above and thought, “ahhh it’s a knitter thing! Great knitters think a like!”

  • Long may she run!

  • It is stalking the celery

  • Which way did it go?

  • That I’m too young to remember that joke! In reality I remember it well.

  • Aha! A problem specified if not solved. I wanted to write a comment here but got an impertinent remark about an invalid entry in the appropriate text box.. Thinking about it for a day or so, I realized this was part of a problem I have encountered several times: my bank login, my newspaper login, and others. I use the Firefox browser and many web sites are not configured to deal with it, especially the text box entry boxes, Note that I have no problem logging into the main MDK pages Just yours. I entered the link address into MS Edge and here I am! Rattling on. Full disclosure: I am a retired data scientist with a Masters in Computer Science and a whole lot of experience designing MS office tools for clients of the international consulting company I worked for., so I actually know what I am talking about. I realize that this is not likely to get fixed (have had no luck with pointing out the issue to the IT people elsewhere. Not their thought universe.) I love reading your column and now I know, that should I want to comment, all I need to do is copy the link, open MS Edge, smack it there and I will be connected to your site, Keep up the good work! (Note – only concerns signing into make a comment.)

  • I’ll go catch it and bring it home

  • You’d better go catch it!

  • My reply to that comment is to my husband
    “Hey Dave!! Your beer is running away from home!!”

  • Wait! I want to run with you!

  • What do I do when someone tells me my refrigerator is running? Usually that someone is the same person who jumps out of her skin in fright when it turns on, who enters my house with an order to do something about my yard, and who tells me my cat is too thin, my dog is too fat, and my other cat is wounded. So I say, “I know.” And I go about making the tea, knitting the row, or putting the cake on the table. Friends are like family, you take what you can get and learn to live and maybe even love them.

  • Can I move some of my stuff into it, please?

  • Then you better go catch it.

  • It sure is!

  • Really enjoyed your ramblings! Nice way to laugh in the morning.

  • Then go chase it

  • My refrigerator lives in Florida. It’s too hot to run

  • Applaud! Power is working and 30 year old fridge is still alive.

  • It’s training for the 10K charity event.

  • Thank goodness, I just had it repaired!

  • Better go catch it! ‍♀️

  • Are the cops in hot pursuit?

  • Oh dear, I thought it was taking the dog for a walk!

  • Is the dishwasher running after it?

  • I’d say, “yay, hope I run the same pace then I won’t have to carry my water and it will stay cool!”

  • I ask if they have room for fridge pickles…since I’m running out!

  • Could I attach my fitbit to it?

  • On empty

  • Slow down and keep your cool!

  • How far did it get before you tackled it?

  • Lucky you! Ours is circling the drain in a dramatic, slo-mo death spiral, desperately clinging to life support until the new one we ordered months ago arrives. Thanks again COVID!

  • As long as it wins the marathon, that’s all that counts.

  • Where to?

  • Where’s it off to?

  • I always say (or at least think) “you’d better go catch it”! And then think fondly of a sleepover in elementary school when we actually did call a few people and ask this. And we thought we were hilarious!

  • I can’t remember the last time anyone said that to me

  • Ask which marathon
    From Margaret Tobin ‍
    Who actually ran a 26.2 mile marathon but not with her refrigerator.
    tobingardens@yahoo.com
    Currently knitting for a baby February 25,2022❤️

  • Go catch it!

  • Ahh, yes. As a kid I thought that was funny and clever. So refreshing to be reminded of ‘the good ole days.’ Thanks for the memory.

  • There’s only one correct answer (as evidenced by so many of the comments here): you better go catch it.

  • Well, I’m clearly late to the “Better go catch it!” party, but what else is there (I see I’m of similar age to someone else in the comments who also though Prince Albert could be let out of the can to help….)

  • My refrigerator is running? Sounds like it’s in better shape than me. 😉

  • Instead of the “catch it” I say “yes, and I also have Prince Albert in a can!” and now you know I’m old.

  • I’d say, if it’s anything like mind, it’s running on empty (we never actually made the prank calls, we’d just gather around the phone and talk about it)

  • Um…okay. (while looking at them like they are bat sh*t crazy)

  • Better go catch it !

  • Yes, it’s going on vacation. It needs a break from all the door slamming of the summer.

  • Yes, a marathon.

  • Ya better go catch it!! – That is truly the only answer or my childhood has no meaning.. 😉

  • I guess I’d ask them where it’s going!

  • Hurry up and you can catch it!

  • oh, and do you also think you have a temperature? (this is courtesy of my mother who always says it drives her crazy when people said this in reference to “running” a fever and she never would, because she’s a too-polite southerner, but always wants to snarkily reply, “well, i surely hope so because otherwise you’d be dead!”)

  • All of the above.

  • “Better go catch it”, of course….

  • Next the Olympics….

  • Uh huh… Then a short while later I’ll shake my head as I finally realize the joke.

  • “I’m certainly not!”

  • There is no better way to wake up on Saturday than to read DG Strong’s latest. Refrigerator as yarn box has got to be the best idea yet. No one would ever guess that you have enough yarn stocked to last out even the next pandmic.

  • you might want to look into it’s AI.

  • Try and catch it.

  • It’s running faster than I can run!!!

  • Yes it’s running! And there’s nothing like a BAD DAD joke! I loved all the replies.

  • I didn’t know either of those jokes. So now that I do, “Better go catch it!” Is Prince Albert’s can the loo or a tin can? Is he actually Prince Albert?

  • Close the door before it gets out.
    I once worked in the home department of a store and we had microwaves. I had a coworker who would tell me that one of my microwaves was running and I had better check it out. (none of them were ever plugged in. 😉

  • Better catch it!

  • You better go catch it.

  • Where was it going.

  • No, it is strolling in a leisurely fashion thinking about its next knitting project.

  • You better go catch it.

  • Omg! “You better go catch it!” Ha! Any 4th grader could tell you that!! What about “Knock, knock?” “ Who’s there?” “Amos” “Amos who?” “ A mosquito but me!” Hahahaha! I love 3rd grade humor!!!!

  • The joke I think had something to do with the refrigerator running down the street….
    I’ve not had the recent pleasure of being the recipient of such jokes though and would likely look dryly at the person and tell them it should be running as I have food in there.

  • Then you had better go catch it!

  • It is probably burning more calories than me as I am Netflix binging.

  • As long as dinner was left on the counter, we can catch it later.

  • What did you do to make it run away?

  • Better catch it, of course.

  • You better go catch it.

  • Good, that means I don’t have to call the repairman!

  • Your comment is awaiting moderation.
    Is it wearing shoes?
  • Then where is dinner?

  • Ha! It was always “better go catch it” — love the Prince Albert comment btw!

  • Congratulations!

  • At least something is around here…

  • Don’t worry, it can’t open doors so it’s not going anywhere.

  • My husband is telling dad jokes again.

  • In addition to the classics: refrigerator running and Prince Albert in a can, we got original and made up one of our own…… “..do you have popcorn? Tell him to hurry home! Mom Corn needs him.” Those were the days before we had TV and had to be very creative for any entertainment. Rapunzel

  • Loving all the comments….

  • Quick, go catch it before it gets away!

  • Shut the front door! Don’t let it get away!

  • Have you caught up with it yet?☺

  • Thank you for the joke reminder…I, alas, am quite serious. An acquaintance who had a severe health problem wouldn’t allow me in to check on her (and her fridge and whatever other help she may need) in person after she said her refrigerator had quit running a few weeks prior, so I sent friends to assist with her garden and gave them the task of asking her that question to then see if she needed additional help. I’ll let you know the outcome in a future post…they haven’t been able to find out yet. Sigh. Sometimes it’s how we creatively get in the door to get our neighbors the assistance they really need that matters. On the more jovial side, I strive to meet my 7-year-old neighbor’s inquiry about whether my refrigerator is running with a belly laugh and invite him in for cookies.

  • Can you stop it?

  • Really? I didn’t know.

  • Better chase it!

  • You better go catch it.

  • won’t get far it’s way too old to be running!!!

  • You’d better catch it!

  • I say “Thank DG Strong it not full of yarn”.

    Or

    ” Yeah, it’s running to the MDK warehouse”.

    Thanks, DG for another thought provoking column…

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