ReStore

This is my kitchen with the new appliances.

These are the old appliances waiting in the garage.

Here comes the ReStore truck, from Habitat for Humanity.

This is Anthony, who works for Habitat for Humanity. He is also an auctioneer. He told me about a trip to Kenya he made with his pastor. Newborn babies there were being treated for HIV Aids with medication from the United States. Anthony told the the bishop about his work with Habitat and about being an auctioneer. The bishop told him he was doing "a good thing" with Habitat, but not such a good thing as an auctioneer. In Kenya auctioneers work for the government to sell off the personal property confiscated from those who can not pay their taxes. Anthony explained the role of an auctioneer here in the United States, and then provided a demonstration for the people there, auctioning off some shoulder bags that the women make from used feed bags. The people were entertained by the fast-talking style, and there was much laughter.

Habitat for Humanity does not place the used appliances in the homes they build; rather, the appliances are sold at a discount in their ReStore stores. The money is then used to purchase new appliances for the homes, so that every new homeowner gets brand new appliances along with their new Habitat homes.

Old Appliances

You buy new appliances. The people from the store deliver them and, if you want, they will take your old appliances away. Do you have them taken away, or do you do something else with them? That's what we asked ourselves recently. Our old appliances were still useful, but they were old and had come with the house when we bought it. We decided to find out if anyone else could use them.

We called St. Vincent dePaul and Habitat for Humanity. They both said they could use them. So, when the installers brought the new ones, we had them leave the old ones in the garage. We asked the installers what the store does with the old appliances. They told us the old appliances are taken to the junkyard, because they don't want the competition of the used appliances on the market. We asked them how many people keep the old appliances. They said only about one percent, and usually to give them to grown children who are moving into their own houses. I was surprised that today's grown children would take old, used appliances. If you watch HGTV, they all want everything bright and new, nothing "outdated".

Anyway, Habitat for Humanity is coming to pick up the appliances today. They have something they call ReStore where they sell or donate appliances that people with few resources need. I am glad they are going there instead of a junkyard.

Into the 21st Century

Today we are entering the 21st century at my house. We are getting new appliances... stainless steel appliances!

When we moved here, the appliances were already in place. They were a color the appliance people call "Biscuit". I call it ivory, or cream. I liked it and didn't see any need to "change it out" as they say now. They worked fine and looked nice with the dark cabinets and ivory colored Corian counters we had installed. (They were green formica when we moved in; that I couldn't live with.)

After six years I wanted a change. One burner on the range had become unreliable and the fridge is way too small for us. Also, it was all over ten years old... time for a change. I never understood the current craze for stainless steel. I'm not fond of an industrial look. However, we have to think about possible resale value now that we are nearing retirement. So, we are finally going with the stainless. We have to be "state of the art". I just hope the craze doesn't change again before we decide to move.

I've been busy taking everything out of the fridge and freezer and figuring how to keep it cold during the transition. We have also called Habitat for Humanity and St. Vincent de Paul to see if they want the old appliances.

Spats

I had to laugh this morning. My husband and I had what you might call a marital spat. it started over an umbrella. Some years ago I bought us each a small, collapsible umbrella to take on a trip to Italy. Since that trip he has kept his in his briefcase and I have kept mine in my suitcase. I bought mine in green with a yellow stripe and his in blue with a yellow stripe, so we could tell them apart. He got the blue with yellow because he's from Michigan (the maize and blue, I think they call it). Well, when he came home from his last business trip, he realized he had lost his umbrella. So he wanted mine. I said I would find him another one because I really like mine. He got angry. HIs exact words were "Gimme it". I started laughing because it sounded like a little boy to me. "Gimme it!" All day, every time I reheard that "gimme it" in my mind, I burst out laughing again. He became angrier because he thought I was laughing at him.

I decided to write about it and I looked up "spat" in Google Images. These are what I found. They made me laugh too!

Do I have a weird sense of humor?

Update: problem solved... later today he found his umbrella in his car!

Carrots

We are getting new appliances on Monday. The installers are coming to replace our stove, dishwasher, microwave and refrigerator. The appliances we have now came with the house and have seen better days. I spent the morning cleaning excess stuff out of the refrigerator and the freezer. I have to make plans to keep the remaining food cold while the switch is being made.

Right now we have ice covering everything outside and it would be nice to think we could just put all the frozen food outside and it would keep. But that's not gonna work, cause it's supposed to warm up into the 50s on Monday. Just my luck! So, we brought up all the coolers from the summer supplies in the basement and plan to fill them with ice on Monday morning and put the food in there.

In the meantime, I discovered I had too many bags of carrots hiding in the produce drawers. i didn't realize I had so many carrots! Since I told my husband we have to try to use as much of the food as we can over the weekend, I had to come up with a plan for the carrots. I am going to make carrot loaf, carrot soup and carrots with pasta.

I am going to be seeing carrots in my sleep!

Out My Window

Yesterday, when we were anticipating ice, I borrowed a photo from Google showing a tree covered with ice. These photos are the real thing; I took them through my own window this morning.

I don't think this ice will last long. Tomorrow it's supposed to supposed to go up to 50-something degrees... then maybe some snow later next week. We are having a crazy winter.

ICE!

"Travel discouraged!" That's what the local news is telling us this afternoon. We are under a winter storm warning, expecting a coating of one-quarter inch of ice on everything this evening. We have food, we have wine, we have the fireplace; we aren't going anywhere. In case the power goes out, we have flashlights, lanterns, candles, radios and lots of batteries. I always have lots of batteries; my husband makes fun of me. But I like to be prepared!

p.s. It's 80 degrees in Hawaii. But I won't remind my husband; he says it's "getting old" (my talking about Hawaii, that is!).