Still Around

 

After that last big gap in posting, I don’t want to leave you all hanging, wondering if some other tragedy has befallen us.  It hasn’t.  Unless you count house repairs.

Our house was built in 1988, which means just about everything is due for upgrade, repair or replacement.  We’ve replaced all the kitchen appliances, the water heater (twice) and most of the windows.  Next up was the aluminum-framed sliding-glass door in the back of the house.  The screen was ripped out of one corner, thanks to Rosie, and there was condensation between the double panes.  Fortunately we have the number of a talented handyman who’s already done some other work around here.

After waiting a month for the actual door to come in, the day finally arrived last weekend.  And this is how it looks today.

 

When the handyman started to pull out the old door, he discovered that most of the wood around it was wet and distintegrating, from an overflowing gutter (lesson: clean your gutters, people).  This meant he had to take out the top layer of brick steps to get all the siding and wet wood off.  In addition, the door—which he ordered to the exact dimensions of the old one—was too small for the space.  This meant that he had to use the plastic inserts here which were destined for another window he was supposed to trim out.  So the window project has now been pushed back ‘til…who knows when.

It also means the door installation cost more than twice what we’d expected.

As I mentioned, we’ve had this fellow do some other work here before.  Just like when we do our own repairs, he always seems to run into just enough trouble to guarantee a return visit.  It’s actually good thing, since in this case he managed to prevent some really serious damage to the house…but I’m beginning to have flashbacks to this guy…

 

Fortunately, this all happened while Miss Chef was home for the weekend, so we were able to calmly talk it over, sit down and look at our finances, and take a big gulp together.  One step at a time…I still have money for groceries, and even splurged on a pizza this weekend, so I think we’ll be ok.

Miss Chef also had enough funds to prepare supplies for her return to the hinterlands of the Alabama mountains.

 

 

It’s a small town, where she can’t even find a decent amber ale.  The sacrifices she makes for family.

After she left, I stocked up on my own supplies.

I wrote an entire post about the role of tuna casserole in our relationship.  It’s my fallback recipe to feed myself when Miss Chef’s out of town.

However, the casserole only lasts so long…eventually I had to put on my Big Girl apron, and cook for real.

 

Problem is, it doesn’t last very long.  Now I need to go buy some more tuna and cream of ___________ soup!

There, now you know what’s been going on.  Oh, I went into work, too, and did the usual routine there.  But that’s not the important stuff.  The important stuff is whether I’m done with that plate yet.