Category Archives: four things

four things | two

Posted on by
8

what I’m watching

We have a population of pileated woodpeckers around our area.

We’re not sure if it’s the same family year after year but we love watching them and other birds at our feeder.

what I’m eating

Most days Mr. Aitch and I have a late lunch/early dinner that my brother named “linner”. Our charcuterie board “linner” was fabulous.

Two kinds of cheeses, leftover prime rib bits, fresh veggies, thinly sliced apples, assorted dips and crackers, plus wine.

what I’m loving

My pedicure.

I’ve been going once a month since October. I don’t go for the polish color during the cold months but having someone massage my feet is such a relaxing experience. With the bitter cold temperatures we’ve been having, I went with a frosty, shimmery ice blue. Next month maybe bright red for Valentine’s Day, a different color or none at all.

what I’m working on

Our dishwasher doesn’t completely drain and there’s always a puddle of water (estimating a gallon) covering most of the bottom when the cycle is complete. I know the cycle is complete as I run it mostly at night and it doesn’t take eight hours. I also turn off the heated dry cycle as the dishes are 99% dry in the morning. No point in making our electric bill any higher than it already is!

I got on YouTube to find some answers and what I could do to try to fix it. It amazes me what information is there!

It looked easy enough for me to tackle. Plus I was tired of water sitting in the bottom.

I grabbed a couple of screwdrivers, a pair of pliers, and a roll of paper towels. then I donned my headlamp (a gift from Mr. Aitch), some disposable gloves and got to work unscrewing all the screws and discovered grossness.

Most of this was hard lime scale and some soft gunk. Fortunately it didn’t stink.

A vinegar soak, an old toothbrush, an old turkey baster, some elbow grease, and various other “tools” helped get the parts cleaner, not brand new clean but clean enough.

I found a screw and rivet from a saucepan, a small chard of glass, and some paper from a label. Nothing looked large enough to restrict the water flow to the drain.

After three hours with my head inside the dishwasher, I climbed out, cleaned up the wet mess and turned it on..

The whole ordeal cost me three hours of my life, a gallon of vinegar, and a broken thumbnail.

It still didn’t drain completely. I’m certainly no repair person but I’m pretty sure it’s gotta be the pump. Since this dishwasher is 22 years old, I’ll be looking at buying a new one.

four things | one

Posted on by
Reply

what I’m reading

This month our Book Club is reading The Book of Lost Names by Kristen Harmel. I read it last August for my own pleasure but since I suffer from CRS (Can’t Remember, um, Stuff or sh!t), I am rereading it. Our next meeting is January 27.

The book takes place during WWII and the present day. I’m always astonished by the ways people helped one another during times of crisis be it war, natural or manmade catastrophes, emergencies, personal distress, or other devastating circumstances.

what I’m eating

After we devoured the Christmas ham, I saved and froze the hambone for later. Well, it’s later and we’re expecting some bitter cold temperatures by Monday. I boiled/simmered the bone for a couple of hours then removed the remaining ham from the bone and tossed it…the bone not the ham. I added a bit more water to the broth to make three quarts, a package of 16 bean mix, some seasonings and returned the ham to the ham broth. The aroma is wafting throughout the house and should be ready for a late lunch/early dinner. Homemade cornbread is also on the menu.

what I’m loving

Flannel sheets on the bed in the cold of winter were a luxury I loved as a kid. Today, most of the flannel sheets I’ve used slip off the corners and leave a messy bed. I tried these inexpensive jersey knit sheets a few years ago to see if we liked them. They are soft and warm, very similar to the feel of flannel and we only use them in the winter months. But the most important thing is they stay on the bed no matter how much tossing and turning we do!

The only complaint is that my pajamas stick to the fabric just like the flannel sheets. Last November I bought two pairs of silky, satiny pajamas. I love them! (One note: they run large.) No more sticking to the sheets like Velcro when I roll over. I get a great night’s sleep.

what I’m working on

I picked out some heavier fabric from my stash for my yarn swift drawstring bag. I still need to finalize the dimensions, cut it out and sew it together. It won’t be hard, I just have to do it.