Modern conveniences

We have a new microwave. Two weeks ago our old microwave started to turn on by itself, accompanied by a hot, electrical smell. Now, I'm not the most wild and crazy person in the world. I'd be willing to wager that no one has ever used the term "wild hair" and my name in the same sentence. However, even I can appreciate a measure of spontaneity. Just not in my kitchen appliances.

I had a little difficulty with the installation. It turns out that a height of 16.25" just isn't what it used to be. Looking back on it now, I realize my problems likely stemmed from the fact that I never donned my lucky ACE sweatshirt. What was I thinking?

So we have a new microwave. It works well, and looks much better than what was there before. I also think it goes well with our new stove, which we had to buy since one of the optional features of the old stove (namely, cooking) had stopped functioning.

The stove also goes very well with our new dishwasher, which we bought since the old one was full of rust (note: open the dishwasher when buying an existing home).

All three appliances go well with the new refrigerator we bought when we moved in, since we decided to leave ours when we sold our old place.

They also go well with the second refrigerator we bought since the first was too big to fit in the kitchen (feel free to insert your own "just right" joke here).

Unfortunately, this refrigerator does not go so well with our washer and dryer, which we bought since we included our previous machines in the sell of our old place.

I'm beginning to long for the days of wood-burning ovens and washboards.

mw

We named it Steve

"I wouldn't be so afraid of it if I just knew what it was called."
"Let's call it 'Steve'."
"Steve?"
"It's a nice name."
"Yeah, I'm much less afraid of 'Steve'."

I started with pruning the peach tree.

Our new home came with a very productive and woefully neglected peach tree that looked like it hadn't been pruned since Moses first planted it. Saturday morning I grabbed my pruning saw, my pruners, my Boy, and my wife's gardening gloves and went to work. The only problem was that on the one side, there was an overgrown rose bush with foot-long thorns that made it hazardous to prune that half of the tree. After reaching around it for ten minutes or so, I decided it would easier to simply prune the rose bush, then finish the tree. Well, I got a bit aggressive on the pruning of the bush and left about one inch sticking above the ground.

Had that been the whole story, Steve never would have come into being. However, as I was...um..."pruning" the rose bush, a neighboring rose bush kept poking me. Deliberately. Enough so that, when explaining my ensuing actions to Neesha, the phrase "It kind of pissed me off, really," was my sole justification. Seven rose bushes, one shrub shaped like a flying saucer, one ugly tree, two very dusty bushes, and prunings from five other trees later, Steve was born.

mw

Tres hombres y amigos

There is a picture of Mike, Dad and me in the middle of a dirt road with the bikes. I don't recall where it was taken. Once upon a time I seem to recall that it had the caption, "tres hombres y amigos," though I guess I got that one wrong.

Saturday was a good day. Mike and Dad came down to help with some projects around the house. The back door leading from our fenced patio needed some repair work, I needed to replace our water softener, and Neesha wanted to put some trim up in the bathroom. We accomplished each of these tasks with a minimal amount of blood and had a good time doing it. The door now works better than when the HOA first installed it, our water is soft again, and the industrial motif (Simon's phrase) of our master bath has been lessened.

Highlights of the day:

• My efforts throughout the week to ensure we didn't have to make any trips while we were working only served to keep the number of trips down to three. However, we took each trip in a different vehicle, so at least the neighbors didn't realize what was going on.
• Additional materials only ran about $60.
  
• We only spent $25 on the wrong stuff.
• Dad bought us lunch at Cafe Rio.
• Dad almost buried his truck in a 20' snowbank in the middle of the Lowe's parking lot (you had to be there).
• Caleb learned how to cut copper piping.
• Mike came to understand why I shop at Lowe's and not ACE, lucky sweatshirt notwithstanding.
  
• I was able to spend the day working alongside my brother and my father again.
• Neesha was happy.
  

I've included the original "tres hombres y amigos" picture, along with two others in the same vein.


mw

Saturday's chores

Last Saturday I replaced our bathroom light fixtures and all the faucets in our house with a little bit of help. Surprisingly, we escaped with only two accidents, one of which led to the other. At one point, The Boy wound up catching himself in the head with a pair of 12" channel-locks. I was on my back at the time and looked up just in time for that same set of pliers to land on my face.





mw