No Nuking Now

Earlier today dkzody left a comment on my non-fuctioning microwave post, asking if I had been able to get it replaced. Unfortunately, we're making progress, but the project isn't finished yet.

Monday morning Hubby Tony called the Customer Service department and determined that it would not be cost-effective to have a technician come out.

I did an online search and found out they still manufactured the model. Since I liked its style and design and knew it would fit the opening above the stove, I suggested we buy the same thing again. Lowe's had free delivery. Home Depot did not. We headed to Lowe's.

There was only one associate in the appliance department, and he was doing the best he could. We waited 20 minutes for our turn. The store website said we would have to order the microwave, so I was pleasantly surprised when the associate told us he had one in stock. Ten minutes after we started our turn we were the owners of a new microwave.

All that needed to happen was the installation, payed for through Lowe's and done by a third party company. The next day I received a call from the scheduler who offered the option of next Tuesday. I agreed. However, this morning we received another call from the scheduler, saying that our technician had been exposed to Covid and needed to quarantine. Now our installation won't be for another week and a half. 

In the meantime Tony and I are making do. We pulled out the electric kettle to reheat coffee, and I've been cooking more things on the stove. The biggest issue I've found so far is the loss of the light above the stove. The kitchen has ceiling can lights on either side of the stove, but they don't provide enough illumination. 

I thought about buying a cheap puck light to stick underneath the counter, but all I could find at the store were multi-packs. Then I remembered the hands-free headlamp I bought for myself last year to walk in the dark. The band ended up being too small for my head and I never used it. Today I wrapped that too-small band around the cabinet handle and aimed the light towards the stove. The temporary solution is good enough for me.

Five years ago: This Gives New Meaning To The Pose 'Cat And Cow'

Always Something Interesting Online

Yesterday I participated in a boot-camp type exercise class. Today I have so many sore muscles I can hardly move. After lunch I took a nap, then turned to the internet for some mindless silliness. Scrolling from site to site, I was reminded of the autofill texting games that were popular a couple of years ago. Basically, you type in the beginning of a text, then complete a phrase or sentence by choosing the predictive text words or phrases your device offers.

I decided to play with writing my epitaph, following the directions that said: 

Write 'Here lies [YOUR NAME]. [Preferred pronoun] was...'

and started clicking away. I soon found out shorter groups of words tended to make the most sense. The longer I clicked the predictive text the weirder things got. I spent longer than I should have figuring out what I wanted my gravestone to say. My favorites were:

• Here lies Kathy. She was just talking about her phone and said she didn't know what she wanted.

• Here lies Kathy. She said she didn't want to go back to work.

• Here lies Kathy. She is coming back to mail me a new shirt. 
  

Five years ago: Frog Leap

Microwave Woes

Today for breakfast I made myself some oatmeal in the microwave. At lunchtime Hubby Tony tried to use it and nothing happened. The appliance was completely dead. I checked the breaker, which looked fine. (I still turned it off and then back on, because I've been fooled in the past. No luck.) 

This is a standard over the range microwave with an integrated light and fan. The back of the unit is completely inaccessible unless you were to unscrew the unit from the mounting bracket, so there is no easy way to see if something is amiss. Not that either Tony or I would know what to look for anyway. 

Tony searched for the manual online, figuring that would be easier than trying to go through all the papers we got from the previous owner when we moved in.  He found the document. He also found out that our microwave was nine year old, and the average one lasts about seven years. The manufacturer's Customer Service department is closed on Sunday so Tony couldn't call and get any advice, but we're assuming that paying for a service call and repairs will probably cost more than buying a new one.

So we're temporarily without what I consider an important appliance.

We do not have a toaster oven, so any heating up will temporarily have to be done on the stove or in the oven. For the foreseeable future defrosting something will have to be planned out in advance. The dirty dishes will increase, because instead of placing food in its ultimate bowl or plate there will also be a heating pot or pan. At least a pot to heat water for tea doesn't need to be washed-just air dried. Our Mr. Coffee has a thermal carafe which keeps the contents warm for a long time, but it can't work miracles.  I wonder if coffee heated in a pot can just be rinsed?

And then there's a couple of non-cooking disadvantages. I didn't realize how much I rely on the microwave clock until it wasn't there. Even though our range also has a timer, it operates in one-minute increments and I prefer the preciseness of the microwave one. I don't often need to run the exhaust fan, but what are the chances that now I'll produce so much smoke and steam that I'll wish there was something to vent it with?

Five years ago today: Want Some Carbs With Those Carbs?

Destination Unknown

During the week Hubby Tony and I set our own schedules, but we try to keep one day free for an activity together. This week that was today. We decided to try and complete yet another chapter in our scavenger hunt book, this time taking on the city of St. Charles.

It was nice and cool when we arrived a little after 9:30. As the morning wore on it got steamy, and we tried to stay on the shade whenever possible. In the end we figured out 16 of the 20 locations. Most of them were along the Missouri riverfront or in the historic Main Street area. 

Before we started we had some logical guesses and mapped out a tentative route, but the hunt still required walking up and down the streets several times. During the walk I saw a lot of people wearing a lanyard that indicated they were part of some organized group. At one point Tony and I stopped and chatted with two men who were sitting on a bench and learned that they were on a mystery tour. 

A couple of days earlier they had gotten on a bus in Wisconsin with no clue about the destinations or attractions they would be seeing. They had spent time in St. Louis visiting multiple tourist attractions, and St. Charles was their last one before they started back home.

I admired their sense of adventure. I don't know if I could do a trip like that. Could you?

Cup Of Joe

I got multiple emails reminding me that it was National Coffee Day in the United States and Canada. 

Both Starbucks and Panera invited me to stop by for a free cup. The internet told me I could do the same thing at Krispy Kreme, but would have to make some type of purchase in order not to pay for my coffee at Dunkin'. 

As tempting as the deals were, I wasn't motivated to go stand in a line to save a couple of dollars. I also chose not to take advantage of the discount that Mobil on the Run, a local gas station, was offering after the St. Louis Cardinals scored more than six runs in their game last night

Instead, I drank home-brewed coffee twice-for breakfast and with my afternoon snack. The fresh pot of Kirkland brand dark roast Colombian we get from Costco is always good....and usually easier.

 

Five years ago today: Peppermint Patty In A Cup

Shame About The Weather

In the middle of last week the high for the day was in the mid-70s. Today it is predicted to be a record-setting 90 degrees. That's too hot!

The capris I pulled out of the back of the closet have been returned there, and the shorts that I thought I was done with came back out. The condo is closed up, so now instead of the sounds of nature I get to listen to the drone of the air conditioner. Tonight when I go to bed there will be no brisk fresh air to look forward to.

Tomorrow is forecast to be as warm as today, then for the rest of the week each day will be a bit cooler until things are back to where they should be on the weekend. Thank goodness.

Five years ago today: The Price Of Service Was Twenty Dollars

Signs Of A Return To Normal

On Friday mornings for more than ten years I've attended a meeting that starts at 9:30 in the morning. Before March of 2020 the meetings were all in person. Then things shut down and we moved to Zoom. Two weeks ago we started offering the meeting in a hybrid format, with people attending whichever format they were most comfortable with. So far that seems to be about half and half.

Last week I was still getting things put away after vacation. It was easier to skip the commute time and fire up the computer a couple of minutes before the meeting started. This week I decided to show up at the physical location. After 18 months it was strange to allow for the commute time, and I almost didn't make it in time. 

Driving through residential streets, I noticed another sign that things are getting back to normal. Remember last spring when toilet paper was impossible to find? Somebody obviously found enough to decorate this tree and yard.

Hunting For Cocktail Clues

Today Hubby Tony and I tackled another chapter in our scavenger hunt book, choosing to look for the items in the Central West End, a neighborhood that has a lot of turn of the 20th century architecture, including huge mansions on private streets. We had a great time finding the homes of literary notables, buildings old and new, businesses, and cultural institutions.  We're finding out that each chapter of the book contains a couple of stumpers, places that we don't know anything about.

 Today we were studying a building, looking for the small detail in the book's photograph, when a police officer walked by. I wanted to make sure he didn't think we were casing the place, so I offered a quick explanation of what we were doing. He seemed interested, and asked if he could help us find anything. I read him one of the stumper clues. He said he had no idea, but pulled out his phone to research it, saying he wouldn't share the information with us. Three minutes later we had walked down to the other end of the block when the officer found us. He asked if we wanted to know what he found (we did), and he gave us the address.

 The reason the house was notable? It was the location of the first cocktail party in 1917.

Source

We thanked the officer and continued on our way. Eventually we stopped for lunch, but afterwards we drove by the cocktail party house. It was an imposing building, and one that I was familiar with. The book's clue mentioned the house was close to a church. That church would be the New Cathedral, and the house is the official residence for the archbishops of the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

Five years ago today: Password Pain

Walk From The Sun To Neptune In 2,880 Feet

If you're ever in  the St. Louis area and have an interest in astronomy, you might want to visit the Delmar Loop Planet Walk in University City-a scale model of the solar system. 

There are nine stations-one for each planet plus the Sun. (Pluto is not included, because it's not considered a planet any more.)  Each sign has a depiction of the planet at the top and then a list of fun facts about it below.

If you're familiar with the area, the Walk is on the north side of the 6100 to 6600 blocks of Delmar. It starts near the Moonrise Hotel and goes west. Each inch of the sidewalk represents 80,000 miles, and the marker's distance from one to the next is to scale.

Five years ago: World Gratitude Day

A Late Summer Adventure

This morning I was dressed to go to the gym for a class,  but right before I needed to walk out the door I got busy and all of a sudden there wasn't enough time to get there before the class started. I took that as a sign from the Universe that I wasn't supposed to do any organized exercise, so I showered and changed into regular clothes.

I decided to walk up to the grocery store and use the ATM there to deposit a check. Heading north on the main street, I noticed the road work people had equipment completely blocking the sidewalk. I crossed over to the other side of the road and made a mental note to walk home on that side.

We're supposed to have a cold front come through tonight, which will change things from summer hot to fall temperate. I was hopeful the front would be early, but I hoped wrong. There was a nice breeze, but it was hot and sticky. By the time I got to the store my shirt was damp and I had sweat dripping down the back of my neck.

I deposited the check, walked around the store for a while, then started back home. I was more than halfway there when I noticed an organization membership card laying on the side of the road. I picked it up, then saw a loyalty card for a pet store not too far away. Then I saw something that looked like a debit card in the middle of the street. I waited until all the cars had passed and stepped out to pick it up. Before I knew it I had gathered a man's wallet, his driver's license, a couple of charge/debit cards, a little money, and some extra 'stuff'.

I was a sweaty mess, and all I wanted to do was get home, but I figured that the right thing to do would be to backtrack a quarter mile to turn my finds in at the police office. I took a look at the address on the license, figured out the man lived not too far from me, and thought it would be a nice gesture to stop by his place and tell him where to find his valuables.

At the police office I explained the situation . The person I talked to said they would send a patrol car by the house and drop off the things, but I asked for a piece of paper and jotted a quick note to drop off at the man's house in case he wasn't home.  As I passed the original location a second time I found a sheet of paper with a PIN on it and attached it to the note.

I walked past my condo and on to his townhouse (which, of course, was as far away in the neighborhood as possible). The man wasn't home, but his neighbor was outside and said that she would tape my note to the door.

I hope the story has a happy ending. I know I would be frantic if I lost my wallet.

Five years ago today: Go Away, Summer!