CafeChatNoir

Let’s say you needed to go out and buy a fridge. Here are the places that I can think of to shop for one:

Local Maytag shop
Sears
Home Depot
Lowe’s
Best Buy (really, REALLY don’t want to go there)

Is there some obvious retailer I’m not thinking of?

Second, I don’t have a water-line setup for an ice maker. Well, at least I think I don’t. In the 25 years since my parents bought this place, we have never had an ice maker in a fridge, though that could be simply because my folks felt it was something else that could go wrong. I can also find no evidence of a water-line pulled over to the fridge area from the basement. (I can’t be 100% sure until I move the fridge to see if a water line is there, and it’s just too heavy to muck with right now.)

Now, most of the bottom-freezer fridges out there just come with a ice maker whether you want it or not. Is there a way to properly remove an ice maker, or am I just stuck with looking for ones with either no ice maker or the ice maker being optional? (I know I could get a top freezer model with no ice maker for almost nothing, but I’ve really grown to love the bottom freezer versions since I’ve had them.)

I think the freezer is dying.

The drip pan on the fridge is decidedly gunked up.  (Or at least that is my diagnosis after some googling of “What the hell is leaking out of the bottom of my fridge??!”)

I’ve already vac’d the front grill, but I am just dreading pulling that thing out to clean it. I know for a fact it is going to be SO INCREDIBLY DISGUSTING it is not even funny. Of course, at the moment, I’m not even sure how to pull it out – I can’t tell if the grill is snapped on or if the screws that I can see are actually holding it in place. Google keeps saying it snaps off, but I suppose we’ll find out for sure here shortly.

I wonder how much my I can pay my brother to do this task for me?

Ick.

About 20 minutes ago the power went out. At last check there were 3500 customers without power in the area because a circuit breaker apparently did it’s job and broke. Estimated time of restoration? 5:00PM, which isn’t too bad, except for the fact that it is 38 degrees out and it’s a tad chilly to not have heat. Gas furnaces are great, unfortunately the blower requires electricity.

This is why I begged my mother to put in a gas oven/range when she remodeled the kitchen. I could at least reheat my lunch that way. We do at least have hot water, so I can continue to make coffee. (Lunch will be Christmas chocolates.)

The dog is rather unnerved by the silence and has gone outside to look for squirrels to bark at. The cats simply don’t give a damn.

As if that wasn’t fun enough, the handle on one of the toilets just broke off in my hand. I went through the spare parts inventory and it seems I managed to break a piece we don’t have an extra part for.

Maybe it’s just time to start pouring Jamesons in the coffee…

Went out to watch the end of the Jets/Bengals game last night, got home and thought, “Damn, it’s chilly in here.  That wind just comes right through the house.”

Not quite.  The furnace had died again.  Fanfuckingtastic.

Get the guys out today and the limit switch which had been the initial suspect the last time we had problems had in fact finally up and died.  So, we have a new one and warm air coming out of the vents again.

Now, there are some good things to come of this.  First, it didn’t happen while we were out of town.  Second, I discovered my brother has a very nice little space heater which kept me & the kitties warm last night.  (The dog didn’t even notice.)  Third, we have a quote for coil cleaning which was quite a bit cheaper than I expected, and should prevent any future wonkiness with the furnace.  (And even though it isn’t cheap, it’s much cheaper than a new furnace.)

But still, I’m so much better suited to apartment life.

I even slept in this morning in an attempt to ensure it.

First it was the discovery that it was 60 degrees in the house.  Then discovering that the assumed problem wasn’t the problem, but instead an airflow issue and we have to have the ducts blown out.  (This does not shock me, there is likely a dead body in the ductwork.)  That right there took up the bulk of the day.

Then my grandmother decided to just go off the rails.  For whatever reason, she is absolutely convinced that she needs a new photo for her ID, and that if she does not get one, she will not be “legal”.  I do not know why she thinks this, what she heard or what someone may have said within earshot of her that has caused her to have this idea so firmly cemented in her head, but it is there.  (And if I ever find out if it was an actual person that said this to her, there will be an epic beatdown.)  That took up the entire night.

Let’s all hope that today is a quiet day.

It was the pilot light on the hot water heater.

But, now I know where the pilot light is, and how to relight it.

(Yeah, you’d think I would have known where it was, but I didn’t.)

We get to buy a new hot water heater!! (Or maybe repair the existing one. Or maybe it’s just the pilot light and I’ll look like an idiot.) Either way, no hot water round these parts…

I seem to recall that hot water heaters have a lifespan of 10-15 years, and this one is about 12-13 years old, so I suppose it was time. Extra annoying cauyse the outside looks so nice and shiny – I just can’t help but look at it and think, “But it LOOKS fine!”

It is a gas hot water heater, so I don’t know if we’ll have to coordinate between the plumber and gas company, or if the plumbers can just handle it on their own. (It does have it’s own gas shutoff valve, so I would think the plumbers could do it on their own – never had a gas hot water heater before.)

I’m just glad I discovered this before I attempted to take a shower and not halfway through a shower.

We’re going to have a LOT of flowers around here – especially if the dandelions in the yard are any indication.  The rain is also unfortunately bringing in the ants.  So, the ant baits will be coming out this weekend and scattered about the house.  There aren’t a lot of them, and I can’t figure out where they’re coming in – I only find a few at a time, so it’s not like I have a neat line of them marching from a door or anything.

But the weather does have it’s advantages – makes for a good day to finish the taxes.  Or, start some of them.  Figure I’ve got about 2 hours left of work on mine, Donald’s should take 30 minutes once I get it going, and I have one freakin’ line item I have to report for the estate.  Wheeeeeeeee.

I am pleased to announce that I have successfully replaced the shower head in my bathroom and all the water is shooting out of the proper places.

Yes, I know this is a job that a blind monkey can do, however my track record with home improvement and repair projects isn’t exactly stellar, so this is quite an accomplishment.

And the first thing to go was the stupid flow regulator. I do appreciate the fact that in the instructions they say, “By law we have to put it this in here, but here’s how you take it out!”  This house has great water pressure and I will take advantage of it!