Odds and ends from the renovation

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There is a smell about construction. (We are in the middle of a kitchen renovation.) The smell isn’t good or bad, just distinctive. It’s a mix of drywall dust and spackle, raw wood, lingering take-out food, new cabinets and I don’t know what else. It’s like new car smell. It will eventually go away. I hope.

“End of the month” is a phrase we hear often. So far it means nothing. We are waiting for a new window and a new sink (which I just found out yesterday wasn’t in). Both are coming at the end of the month. The window was supposed to be here by the end of September, then October – you get the picture. When I heard the same phrase used for the sink (which will delay the project) the hairs on the back of neck stood up. The end of the month is next Tuesday. Why didn’t they just say next Tuesday or even next week? “End of the month” has become synonymous with “soon,” that meaningless term my mom used when she meant “never” or “a long way off!”

Without a kitchen, making do with food selection made me revisit sandwich choices. I packed a lunch from grades 1 through 8. My high school had a cafeteria and I never packed again. I rarely eat them unless they were special sandwiches like hoagies (or subs) or hot meatball. The type you don’t pack for lunch. Sandwiches are easy though and I perused the lunch meat section of the deli. They had all the old favorites my mom bought – spiced ham, boiled ham, salami, Lebanon, etc. A stroke of nostalgia made me buy a small amount of Lebanon bologna. It’s good but this will do me for the decade! Healthy eating is on hold for the moment but we will return soon (maybe at the end of the month!).

Potato chips fill in nicely. I call it a vegetable and it adds crunch to the meal. It’s also good as a stand-alone when you are starving and the contractor is still working. I have to remember to put an apple out. Fruit has taken a hit. I usually have some on the counter but with no extra space, it’s residing in the refrigerator often forgotten.

Last night we ordered take-out from our favorite Italian restaurant. The dinner came with a lovely salad, fresh bread, pasta and chicken. It was healthy and good and we have enough for at least one more meal, maybe two. Potato chips will remain in the cupboard until the end of the month. Maybe. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the US and my brother is cooking!

48 thoughts on “Odds and ends from the renovation”

  4. Hope your brother sent you home with some leftovers to make life more bearable. Potato chips are good because, if you’re a texture eater, they are especially nice for all big annoyances in life. I like Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Crackers (Wholegrain) for general annoyances but there’s no snap to them. 🙂

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  14. What clever timing to get out of Thanksgiving cooking! Thanksgiving dinner always sounds good in theory, but I found it tiring and tedious with little to no help. I’m happy that one of my children is hosting this year!

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  20. Just think – one day (maybe at the end of the month..haha) you’ll look back at this whole reno thing and think “WERE WE NUTS” (just kidding) you’ll think it was worth it because it will be. The regular smells of the house will return, you’ll have a fabulous kitchen, and can return to healthy home cooked meals! But keep bags of potato chips on hand – you never know when you’ll really NEED them! Happy Thanksgiving……

    Hugs, Pam

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