I woke up at 6:30 AM on Saturday. I got cleaned up and got to work. The Water guy can come anytime between 8-12, so I want to finish up the kitchen (except for the sink) before he gets here. I carried in the kitchen chairs from the living room (first time they have been back since before Labor Day!) and pushed the rolling cart back into place. Other than the sink, the kitchen is now together again!
For a change, I remembered to fill and program the coffee maker Friday night. I had my first cup while working, but stopped to enjoy the second one. I sat on the front porch and watched it rain. It rained (softly) off and on all day Friday, BTW, and when it wasn't raining, it was overcast and foggy here in Redford.
It was still not raining hard, although they said on the weather channel we could get heavier rains today and maybe thunderstorms. What amazed me was that, when I looked out the kitchen window, my whole back yard (which has been mostly brown for all of August) was now a lush green! I took a photo so you could see, but it's a bit fuzzy from shooting through the screen.
He still had not arrived by 9:00 AM, so I went in and printed off this weekend's ToDo list. Other than installing the sink, it's mostly cleaning the rest of the house (which also had suffered and been ignored during the construction). Oh, by the way, if you were keeping track, I had 12 items on my list to accomplish Friday night and I got 11 of them done! I took some pictures and posted them while waiting for the Water guy.
10:00 AM came and went and still no guy! Maybe they don't work when it's raining? That makes no sense, because he was supposed to be working inside. I was dusting, then vacuuming and spit-shining the living room. You would be surprised (well, maybe not, but I was) how much dust doing that tile job created and where it all went!
By 11:00 AM, I was finished with the living room, but still no guy. It's raining a bit harder now, but still minimal wind, so it's coming straight down. After giving my dust mop a last shake on the front porch, I moved into the office. About then, I was wishing I had taken the time for breakfast, but I didn't (I thought the guy would be here any second).
He finally showed up at 11:20 AM. He tried all the easy stuff, but none of that worked. So, he pulled off the old meter and put in a new one. Unfortunately, that meant he had to go outside and replace the external reader, too. I would like to mention and commend him for taking his boots off each time he came into the house, because it was pouring! Sadly, that didn't fix the problem, either. He said that the wire outside had been spliced twice before at some time. So, on the next sunny day, he will return and replace the outside wire. Since its good in the house, I won't have to be here, so that's okay. He took the old meter and said that will be this billings' reading. The new one is set at zero, so I'm cool.
I did tell him the hammock story and he, like me, couldn't believe anyone would go through all that trouble to steal a stupid old hammock (Bastards!!!)
I finished the office at 12:10 PM and went to set in the sink. The adhesive/caulk I am using needs to set for a minimum of two hours without movement, so I might as well get that started. It also can't get wet for 24 hours, so the earlier I get it in the better. I liberally applied the caulk and then put in the sink. The Salesman at Lowe's suggested weighing it with books or something, so I put a full gallon paint can in each side (see Photos). I wiped off the excess caulk and moved on...```````````
Next, while that set up, I finally made some breakfast/lunch. I fried up a can of corned beef hash and topped it with two over-easy eggs. I ate it (with some buttered bread) watching taped TV shows. I finished cleaning my bedroom (except for making the bed. The bedding is still in the dryer) just as my daughter Melissa called. We chatted for while about their remodeling in the house and adding a large garden to the front yard (I KNEW they wouldn't be able to just move in!) I hung up when somebody pulled in the driveway. When I walked out on the porch, they backed up and left (wrong house, or more thieves scouting for hammocks? I admit I'm more paranoid than ever before, here. That's sad...)
The rain had let up enough I could put on a rain coat and go get the mail. So, I did. Then I walked out back and refilled the bird feeder and the suet cage, checked the rain gauge (I have had 2 inches of rain here so far) and picked all the ripe tomatoes (both heirloom and plum), three green peppers, a handful of basil and about the same of oregano (I got a plan).
Back inside, I washed off the veggies and cut the tomatoes in half, until I completely filled a half sheet pan (I still had six tomatoes left). I salted them and let them sit a bit. Then I drizzled them with olive oil and put them under the broiler to char. When I had them where I wanted them, I took them out and let them cool. I checked the clock and it was 5:20 PM, so it took about 30 minutes and I had rearranged them once, BTW. Again, see Photos.
I was amazed (and somewhat dismayed) to see how much the tomatoes had shrunk! I had pictured making gallons of fresh tomato sauce, but after pureeing them in the blender, I only had four cups! So, I adjusted accordingly. I minced up three cloves of garlic, diced one half of a green pepper (I ate the other half raw. OMG! Fresh veggies from my own garden!! You really can't beat the taste!!!) and one half of a yellow onion, diced medium and put them all in a sauce pan. I threw in about a tablespoon of fresh oregano leaves and about the same of fresh, diced basil. I added in the tomato puree, a little black pepper and a big pinch of crushed red pepper (I gotta have my heat!), brought it all to a boil, and then turned it to simmer to reduce a bit.
We seemed to be in a little lull, rain-wise, so I checked the weather map. Lull, yes, but there was still one heck of a lot more rain clouds showing, stretching all the way back to Chicago, so we are not done with this storm yet, by any means!
I went downstairs and washed everything I messed up in the laundry tub. Damn! I want my sink back!!! But, the adhesive/caulk I bought goes on white and then turns clear when it's dry. And, I still see a whole lot of white when I peak under the rim. So, I made an executive decision to let it dry overnight before I start jiggling it around to hook up the one drain, the garbage disposal and the water lines. This really has been a long project, so there is no point in screwing it up so close to being finished.
At 7:00 PM, I taste-tested the tomatoes. Damn! That's good! No, that's great!! A nice, thick, but fresh, tomato taste (unlike, say, canned tomato sauce). It could use a bit more salt, but I'll probably be re-seasoning it when I use it this winter, so I let that go. I pulled it off the burner and let it cool down. I am inspired! Maybe I'll go to that Farmer's Market next Saturday and see if anybody's got tomatoes by the bushel for sale. Don't get me wrong, I still have tons of green ones out there, but who knows how long the weather will hold and if they will all ripen?
But think about it. Sometime this winter, when the Michigan snow is piled deep around the house, and the wind is howling, I'll thaw this out and use it on pasta or a homemade pizza and smile, thinking of this summer! Perfect!! Sometimes, I love being me!!!
But, back to reality (sometimes I really HATE reality). Its time to tackle the last room today: the main bath. Yes, I recently washed the floor, but the counter has been used (and abused) for two weeks now as the fall-back kitchen sink. So, I prepared to wash it all down, ceiling to floor.
But, first I should get dinner on. I had bought the fixin's to make Jake's Kicked Up Kraut during my last grocery shopping trip. His recipe consisted of roasting (in the oven on 425 degrees F.) potatoes, smoked sausage and a diced onion and then adding it to sauerkraut. But, I haven't made it yet, and the stuff been in the fridge for over a week. So, I went back to old school (boring) by putting the sauerkraut in a pan, adding twelve baby redskins (cut in half) and then smoked sausage cut in one-inch slices, on a biase). I brought it up to a boil, turned it to simmer and cleaned the main bath.
I stopped and turned the long-neglected drier back on to fluff up my bedding. I finished the bathroom and left it to dry while I made up my bed. Then I got a plate of sauerkraut, smoked sausage (with some Dijon mustard) and boiled potatoes (with butter, salt and pepper) and, by 8:30 PM, I was watching TV and done for the day. But 10:30, I had opened the window (its was still raining), turned off everything and turned in for the night.
