Cleaning the garage

Sadly, there was no quilting this weekend.  Or, needlepoint or crochet or knitting.  This was a weekend for "man's work".  LOL!  As if there was such a thing.  We don't have a separation of chores here by gender.  We both do it all, so when it's time for something big, like the garage, where we both store things, there's no saying "that's the man's job".

Our garage has gotten a bit out of control and we need a garage door and there's not enough space for them to install a door and we can't make the space because everything is stacked three deep.  And, I confess that a lot of it is my fault.  The corner where I store my quilting stuff and the really big pots and pans kind of exploded a little.  Then, we brought in the things we got from Linda.  Then, I disassembled a Kitchenaid Mixer out there (note the capital letters, more about that later).  I could have just carried things to their designated areas and dropped them, but instead decided to actually organize some very disorganized spaces, like where I store my tools...yes, I have a hammer and drill and other basic tools, plus tools to lay tile and wallpaper and repair plumbing.  I told you I'm a renaissance man.

The problem has been that I can never find my tools, so a re-org was high on the priority list.  I got tired of swearing over never being able to find anything.

I got the Kitchenaid repaired and back together.  Then, I taped over all the parts I didn't want to paint and gave it a fresh coat of white appliance paint.  It's going to be like brand new.  The repair turned out to be the carbon rods...the piece you're supposed to repair periodically and the last thing I tried.  But, at some point, the sleeve that one of the rods slides into had gotten "stretched" at one end and the rod could tilt off slightly and made an AWFUL screeching sound.  Soon as I found it, I knew that was it.  Wham-bam and it was back together with new carbon rods.  And, because it purrs now, and I see the value and the difference a new set of carbon rods makes, and because my other kitchenaid makes a "missing" sound, like a gasoline engine with a dirty spark plug (renaissance man) and I believe new rods will correct that, I'm going to order another set of new rods for it, too.  And, it's a two and a half minute repair that costs about $6.

We didn't visit Linda on Saturday.  We split a happy pill and bought new appliances.  There was no arguing.  No one stalked off mad.  It was two men, shopping for appliances and using a tape measure to make sure they'd fit and studying the features and benefits of each.  And, then making an educated guess at what will make us happy.  Rob thinks we got much more appliance than he expected.  I think we reached a good compromise where we got the appearance we wanted in a size that fits and with as many cool features as we could get within that.  The oven heats from the back, not from the bottom, so that's going to be something to get used to.  Food will have to be turned as it cooks.  But, that means I can have two ovens, a small one and a larger one that cook at different temps.  And, when a whole lot of food needs to cook at the same temp, I can turn both those ovens into one really big oven. 

That sounds like a really good idea.  Ask me in a couple months how it works. 

Yesterday, we went to see Linda.  I think she was a little frustrated that I worked and puttered the whole time I was there, so I walked over to the side of the bed and explained that we thought she was going to be gone already, and if she insisted on living, which was fine by us, we needed to get her situated to live in a nursing home.  And, that meant organizing her stuff so the Aids can find it when they're changing her and figuring out what she has and what she needs and getting her name written in all of it.  Because her clothes are disappearing.  And, it looks like she's going to need them.  So, Rob visited and hung a painting at the foot of her bed, under her clock where she can see it.  It's a painting that her best friend painted and the painter and the place portrayed are important to her. 

Her son dropped the painting off on Saturday.  He texted Rob that Linda seems to have a roommate now.  Yeah, since Tuesday. 

I took her some slices of lemon bread.  And, explained to her that it's been a bit like The Great British Baking Show.  Linda, portraying Mary Berry tells me what she wants.  And, even though I've never tasted it before, I go home and try to reproduce it the way she remembers it.  She asked for this lemon bread that's in her personal cookbook, so we bought a bag of lemons and I made it yesterday morning.  Turns out, she'd left the sugar out of the recipe, so it became a Mary Berry technical challenge.  I did some research and figured out how much sugar most lemon loaf recipes use and I used that.  And, it was perfect!

And, then I made dinners for the week, including Birti Beef, an Indian dish of beef in a sauce of tomatoes and onion and garlic and spices and some smothered pork chops.  So, at the very least, we will eat well.  I even cleaned the old stove when I did the dishes.  And, believe me, that's hard when you know that in two weeks, it's being recycled. 

Have a great week!  Keep us in your thoughts.  Lane