A Cautionary Tale

If this is Wednesday, why am I duck taping my dryer hose?

Melting ice dams.

 

We had ice blocks in our gutters in February. We had melting ice dripping down three walls in our house in March. We had an insurance inspector and a contractor here in early May. Then CA had his knee replaced, his heart issues and successful repair. The painter came late June. This past Monday, we finally got around to having carpets cleaned in our master bedroom and walk-in closet, and study-diningroom.

That's when it all went temporarily south and I ended up in the laundry room, behind the dryer late on a Wednesday night, duck-taping the dryer hose. And, muttering a language I seldom use. Not nice words.

It's the snow ball effect. Everything came out of the walk-in closet in preparation for the carpet cleaners--Ha! I wish it "came." I actually schlepped everything out (by myself) and deposited it in kinda neat heaps in our great room. Heaps with aisles, because CA is limping around, rehabbing his knee; using a walker until yesterday when he graduated beautifully to a cane.

I digress...

Most everything "was also removed" from the master bedroom and study-diningroom. Of course, one cannot just put "everything" back where it was. One must re-position, recycle, discard, and re-shuffle each and every item and piece of clothing. No problem filling this week's box for the charity shop. And, there's still the shoes to sort, so next week's box will have a good start.

Further, if at all possible, one must make strawberry and raspberry jam in the middle of these efforts. Fresh fruit waits for no one. Then, it's important to make a fresh raspberry tart at midnight just before finally getting the clutter contained. And, by all means finish up the evening by utilizing the remaining pâte brisée to form some cinnamon roll for tomorrow's (today, already) breakfast.

Martha Stewart's Pâte Brisée

My before...

My after version of Joy of Baking's recipe

From joyofbaking.com

Pie Crust Cinnamon Rolls.

 

 

Oh, back to the dryer. I'd noticed the laundry room seemed particularly humid lately. With all the sorting and moving things about, I decided the laundry sorter needed to reside in the laundry room instead of in our closet. That, of course necessitated a good scrub-down of the laundry room floor. And, why not poke into that nasty corner between the side of the dryer and the wall. A space just wide enough for my handy-dandy step ladder and a tall bin that holds yardsticks, fly swatters, a duster or two (or 6)...

Ah-ha! Not only do I uncover a city of mouse-sized dust bunnies, but also a shredded dryer hose. Duck tape! Duck tape! Duck tape! I finally need to use duck tape. The dryer is back in commission, the floor is clean, and one more room has fallen victim to the painter and carpet cleaner saga.

Laundry Room floor.

 

Tomorrow, God willing and the creek don't rise, 3 boxes go to Goodwill, I reassemble our bedskirt, and finally get the great room looking "great" again.

The Georgia peaches become available on Saturday, but I've promised CA that we'll skip this delivery and get a bushel at the August 2nd delivery. I will, however, make another batch or two of raspberry jam this weekend.