Kitchen experts talk about the work triangle. This is the distance from the refrigerator to the sink and the stove. It is a 28 ft. hike from the fridge to the sink. Then back past the fridge another 10 ft. to the microwave. I don't know which geometric figure this is. Certainly not a triangle.
Meals are a challenge. The first week we ate out quite a bit. That started to get spendy and we didn't always feel like going out. We've been experimenting with Trader Joe's frozen entrees. We're not big eaters, but some of those meals are too small, even for us. I had one that was mostly sauce.
I'm not a big fan of microwave cooking. Usually I use it for reheating leftovers or precooking potatoes. I did scramble some eggs in the microwave and they came out pretty good. Ending with strawberry shortcake always makes the meal worthwhile. Looks like another week, maybe two, before I can cook on a stove. Oh, a homemade grilled cheese sandwich sounds like a gourmet treat right now. Any offers?
Deciding to paint the kitchen green was the easy part. Deciding which green was more difficult. Spring Lawn, Key Lime, Fresh Pear, and Grasshopper were a few of the choices. There is, no joke, a color named Lettuce Alone. I've always wondered how paint colors are named. Maybe two buckets. One with adjectives and one with nouns, each chosen randomly, and combined to create a unique name for green.
We taped the samples to the wall and observed them whenever we walked past. Lush Meadow was the final winner.One small problem. Lush Meadow was not the paint brand we prefer. We took the sample to the paint department and the store clerk matched it and mixed the exact color.
We looked at the low VOC paints. The colors were limited and too muted for our taste. Sorry, Al Gore. Maybe there's a cap and trade program for households?
Funny thing. While painting, I got a strong urge for pistachio ice cream.
While I'm inside breathing dust, tearing up flooring, and trying to make a decent cup of tea in the microwave oven, my garden is doing quite well without me. The peas are poppin'. So are the poppies, just in time for Memorial Day. The clematis are beautiful as always and the roses are just starting their show. Everything is growing healthy and strong, including the weeds.
Alfie has been an outdoor cat for five days now. He doesn't like the noise and the plastic sheeting hanging from the ceiling freaks him out. I feed him outside and leave a bowl of dry kibble on the sunroom floor. A young scrubjay found the food, but once in the sunroom, he can't find his way out. Two days in a row I had to rescue the poor bird.
Steve wore stilts today to work on the upper walls and ceiling. It reminded me of the crude stilts we made as kids using 2x4's and blocks of wood. He left for a while to work on another job while the kitchen dried. Tuesday, after the long weekend, he'll sand and texture spray. I plan on a thorough house cleaning afterwords. Hopefully, by then, the worst of the dust and dirt problem will be done.
Mick, from Think Electric, spent most of the day cutting holes in the walls and pulling wires through them. He did run into a couple of issues, but was able to solve them quickly.
Large pieces of scrap sheetrock were discovered in the interior wall. It seems some construction workers stash their trash behind walls. Steve stopped by to see how things were progressing. He confessed to having stuffed sheetrock in walls as an apprentice, Of course, he says, he doesn't do that now.
It's the next morning and I'm awaiting the inspector's visit. Nothing can proceed without his OK. Guy, the electrical inspector, was in and out in ten minutes. No complaints about Mick's work. This afternoon, Steve is back to patch all the holes in the walls and ceiling. He works fast. All these guys work fast. We started four days ago. If I was doing the job, I'd still be tearing out cabinets.
As I sit here, writing, it is pouring down rain. Why couldn't Steve, the drywaller work here yesterday when it was 80 degrees? The kitchen is closed off. Sealed off with plastic and tape like the scene of some biological weapon explosion. In order for me to do laundry, I have to go out the front door, around the house, in the garage, and finally to the laundry room. I should've done laundry yesterday when it was warm and sunny and the clothes could dry outside on the line.
Steve is making a big mess with the soffit removal. Old insulation and white dust covers everything in the kitchen. I cringe when I hear him cough. Did I really think that Gary and I could handle that job ourselves? The dust has seeped out into the rest of the house. It's a pain to have to vacuum the dining and living rooms every night. I'll save the dusting until after Steve is done with the drywall.
Potential energy in the kitchen has been extremely high lately. So much so that I felt the need to remove all the cabinet doors. Unfortunately, the doors were mostly removed when I remembered that I promised someone that I would take before and after pictures. Apologies to you, Sam. Tim, fromBuilt To Last Woodworking, came by and, with much effort, tore out the rest of the well-nailed cabinets.
Gary and I have differing ideas as to how we'll adjust to having no stove, oven, or kitchen sink. The weather's turned warm, so I won't mind eating lots of salads, sandwiches, yogurt and fresh fruit. Gary's visions may include restaurant pizza, burritos and burgers. I'm sure we'll work it out.
Now, we have a cooktop, a fan hood, an antique dishwasher and oven to get rid of. Craigslist, anyone?
Another trip to Portland. This time we visited Rejuvenation, purchasing lighting, cabinet knobs, and drawer pulls. All the fixtures we got are retro style new products. Rejuvenation specializes in home parts, old and imitation old. Mid-century, Arts and Crafts, Victorian, they have it all.
The knobs and pulls are emerald green glass. You remember those six-sided glass cupboard knobs? If you do you're at least my age. We thought they would complement the white painted maple cabinets.
One of the light fixtures is called Chase. Hand painted glass cover, kiwi on white. The Cove is a cool looking metal shade to go over the sink. It's a new model so they have to manufacture one for us. It should be here in two weeks. We still need to decide on under cabinet lighting. We're leaning towards xenon. They are cooler and more energy efficient than halogen. Not as energy 'green' as fluorescent, but we've heard from several people that fluorescent light of any color makes granite look bad.
