I have a working dishwasher!

My son, Steve, came by today and fixed the dishwasher, so it looks like I won't need to buy a new one for a while. He also fixed some of the cabinet hinges and catches, and though I need a couple of replacements, most of the cabinet doors stay shut now.

He took a look at the roof and came up with a plan to find and fix the leaks that are plaguing me - leaks that definitely aren't related to the windows. When that is done, then he will pull the paneling off from around both windows to see what damage is behind it, and when that gets fixed we can put up new paneling sections and I can finally paint the last part of the interior. It's been a long road. I would still like to replace the windows eventually since they are not airtight and I can feel cold air coming in.

He made it so I could put the microwave in the open space next to where it was sitting on the countertop. I have so little counter space it's a shame to have so much of it taken up with appliances. I think at one time this open space housed an oven.


He also suggested I move my cookbooks to one of the cabinets over the fridge and then I can remove the bookshelf from that part of the countertop. The clutter was getting me down, and this will give me a little more space to work with as well as a cleaner look. It will never look like an HGTV kitchen, but it will look just fine to me.

I started a list of supplies I will need to get at Home Depot. The disposal has never worked, and Steve will replace it plus some of the jury-rigged plumbing under the sink. I will buy the most inexpensive disposal I can find, as I don't like to use them although they are good to have once in a while to get rid of food particles that go through the dishwasher. Mostly I run ice cubes and maybe a lemon peel through them now and then.

Last night I thought about feeding him lunch so this morning before I even ate my breakfast I began chopping veggies and started a pot of minestrone soup. It was coming along nicely, but since I didn't have canelli beans this time I decided to use ourzo (pasta). As you may know, in its dried state ourzo is a tiny little thing, so I put some in the pot and then went back and added more. The result was that the ourzo swelled up with the broth by the time the soup was ready, and it was a very hearty soup indeed - hardly any juice! Steve must have liked it because he ate two big bowls.

A strange thing happened when he called me from about 15 minutes away. I didn't realize it at the time, but Lady got off her bed and moved to sit in front of the door. When his car pulled into the parking area across the street, even before he got out of it, she stood up wagging her tail and waiting for him. I opened the door so she could go out to meet him, and I marveled at the mental telepathy of a dog. How did she know he was coming, and how did she recognize his van?

I am so thrilled that Steve, Meg and Liam will be moving back to Sacramento. They rented their house out for the year they've been in Monterey, and I'm glad they will soon be in it again.

I'm pretty worn out just watching Steve work. He also removed the glass cover for the kitchen ceiling light (minus the fan) and found the problem was a loose bulb. He tightened it and for now I have light in the kitchen again! I hope to have the new light fixture installed soon.