Poking Away at Odd Jobs

I got the new fridge in place and the old one cleared out and moved to the front hall awaiting it being taken away.

The bottom freezer is significantly smaller than the former fridge so I have vowed to eat down much of the frozen food that is in there.

The other not so great thing about the new fridge was that there wasn't a way to store an open wine bottle or my Brita jug upright unless I removed a shelf.

I do, however like everything else about the fridge. It is 4" less deep than the previous one. Only the doors extend beyond the cupboards now.

It makes a real difference in the amount of floorspace, or at least feels different. The cupboard on the right of the fridge is only 12" deep. 

The 1980s honey oak cabinets will be removed on June 6 and the install of the new cabinets will be June 9. A new microwave over will go over the stove. I'm sure I'll manage over that weekend without the full use of the kitchen. Why not just get the cupboards refaced, you say? The particle board cabinets were deteriorating and I could no longer clean the shelf paper the previous owner had MacTac'd down. At one point, I had to basically rebuild and re-install the cutlery drawer. The whole place just needs refreshing.

I've been working in my craft room/office, trying to create some order out of the chaos. I have a TV in there so am somewhat entertained while I sort, organize, and discard. I need to get ruthless about destashing yarn. I believe there is a local group of knitters that will take it to knit for charity.

Allergy-wise, I have new prescriptions for antihistamine pills and eye drops. I'm hoping with continued use, the itchiness will calm down. My lilacs are getting ready to bloom but I probably won't bring the blooms into the house. Big allergens for me. But they are truly lovely from afar.

The one bit of yard work I've been pretty dedicated to has been pulling dandelions. I do need to start preparing a couple of the garden beds for seeds. I bought a pack of seed mix so it will be interesting to see what all emerges. I also bought a bag of potting soil but still haven't done the indoor planting I had planned to do. I'll continue to poke away at these jobs.

I planted gigantic garlic last fall and it has come up. I have no idea when it should be picked but have learned that the scapes (long, tender flower stems) can be used in many recipes. One that really appealed to me was Garlic Scape Goat Cheese Dip. I must try it sometime.

With the deck all set up, I hope to spend more time out there now that the weather is fabulous. 

We are coming up to the one year anniversary of Skip's death. Thank goodness the sunny days have lightened my mood. I was getting worried for a while there when I was so fatigued and unmotivated to do anything. I miss the big lug terribly but life goes on. I am very fortunate to have so many good things going on and good people to spend it with.