Errands and Housecleaning Managed a LOT of Mileage For Me Yesterday

I started the day out yesterday by pulling out the refrigerator shelving, taking off the tape at the end of each shelf that was keeping them in place during shipping, and washing, then replacing each one. I wanted to get a start on understanding how the shelves were assembled, where I had space and where I gave it up, and how I wanted to arrange things. By the end of my "explorations", I had removed numerous pieces of tape, removed one door shelf completely to allow space for taller bottles, and started filling the other two remaining door shelves on that side. I then made a grocery list and headed to my two favorite grocery stores - my local Target for some items, and my local grocery for the bulk. We lost a lot of refrigerated food during the past week, and needed replacements. 

It was a joy to actually be able to purchase fresh vegetables 
again yesterday. After almost a week of eating lots of pre-mixed 
salads for two or three meals a day, the opportunity to buy 
fresh veggies and make my Alkagizers again was happiness. 

It was a joy to purchase veggies again. I pulled out my blender, set it up, and immediately started making a new set of four Alkagizers. I missed my "ogre juice" SO MUCH over the past week. It was a relief to finally have my veggie smoothies again. I made four, then a few hours later, emulsified two and poured them into my travel containers. I'm ready to go now, and my salads are once again reserved for dinnertime only. Thank goodness! 

I had a long list of items that I brought to Goodwill 
yesterday. After I was finished with that and back home, 
I pulled out two large plastic bins of sweaters and 
started culling those for my next trip over. I ended up 
saving seven sweaters. The rest are in three shopping 
bags and will be taken to Goodwill next week. 

I had the back of Minion packed solidly with items to donate to Goodwill. I started a complete list of what I was donating, made sure that everything was secured with rubber bands or in baggies, and drove over, putting them into their appropriate bins, or onto the rolling table. Donations are handled a bit differently now, but that's to be expected. Covid has changed a lot of things. 

I've used Tech Dump for years to recycle old 
electronics. Some things they accept at no 
charge, others are a nominal fee. It's well 
worth it to reclaim what can be reused and 
recycle whatever we can. 

I then drove down to Tech Dump. Tech Dump is unique, as far as I know. They accept all dead computers, computer parts, televisions, etc. for rebuilding or controlled destruction. They have a classroom where they teach computer skills, and a showroom where they sell refurbished electronics. For $15 I was able to get rid of an old printer, a non-functional portable DVD player and a miscellaneous electronic something or other. Well worth the cost to me and much better for the environment. 

Home again, I continued housecleaning. I don't have a lot of time until Sharon arrives, and I'd like things to look somewhat civilized. I made a start on cleaning the computer room, did a bit more in Sharon's room, culled through the two bins of sweaters mentioned above, and started my next box for Half-Price Books. 

DH and I have season tickets for Ren Fest. We usually 
are there every Sunday during the run. Of course, 
everything was cancelled last year, so what would have 
been our 50th annual Ren Fest, is now being celebrated 
a year late. Still - 50 years is something wonderful to 
celebrate and we're looking forward to sharing the 
festivities. 

Renaissance Festival starts today, and it's looking like we'll have really fabulous weather for opening weekend. There are supposed to be thunderstorms, but not until the nights. The temps will be manageable, and I'm really looking forward to getting geared up and out to the Fest grounds on Sunday. I suppose I will continue my hunt for a new corset. My old one hasn't fit me for years - it was from the days of WAY overweight. I'm now at my wedding weight and approaching my High School weight. I need a new corset that actually fits. I'll at least try some one. 

So, my days are filled, as usual. What have you been up to? I know my friends along the East Coast will be flirting with their latest hurricane - Henri. I'm holding all of you in my thoughts, my friends. Please be careful and stay safe. I'll be back on Monday. 

A New Refrigerator Today, and Thoughts On Grocery Expansions

The new refrigerator will be delivered today between 8:00 and 10:00. Of course, we can't just plug it in, load it up, and let it be. No ... the new fridge will take 24 hours to get to appropriate temperatures, so we have to pull all of the frozen food out of the (still functional) freezer of the old fridge, and store it for 24 hours without having it melt. Another challenge, but we will prevail. 

It's going to be lovely to have a new, 
functional refrigerator in place 
when I get home from work today. 

To win this challenge, I went on a major hunt for dry ice late yesterday afternoon after ending my weekly chat with Aearwen. Although the website for WalMart had stated they had dry ice, when I went there, I discovered they actually do not. That left me with D&L and Kowalski's, neither of which were as convenient (although at that point, convenience was very secondary). I went home, grabbed an empty cooler from our storage shed, and set out to buy 4-6 blocks of dry ice. 

Dry ice blocks are usually 10"x10"x2" and can be scored 
and broken against an angled surface with relative ease. 
Gloves MUST be worn to work with them, they're much 
colder than "wet" ice. We used to get dry ice all the time 
when we brought coolers of food out to the Reservation 
for various Ceremonies. We're pretty used to it. But the 
place we used to purchase from is no longer there, so I had 
to hunt for a new source (and prices have tripled!). 

D&L also turned out to be a disappointment. Yes, they had dry ice, but most of it was semi-melted, they didn't have the amount I wanted, and the guy behind the counter was less than helpful. I texted DH that I was heading over to Kowalski's - an upscale supermarket on Grand Avenue, quite a few miles south of home. But they, at least, had the ice, it was in great condition, and I bought four blocks. They re-open at 6:00 am, so if I need another block or two, I can still take a quick dash down there and get them before I have to run off to work. 

I love shopping at Kowalski's. They are a local chain of stores 
which feature fresh natural foods and a lot of quirky 
smaller brands. They've been expanding rapidly in the area 
and will be building a new location at the large mall 
near my home later this year. It'll be good competition 
for my local grocer, but I'll probably shop both places. 

I think we'll be OK with four blocks. At least I hope so. I might still need to buy one more 18 lb bag of regular ice before I leave for work in a little over an hour. So we'll see. DH couldn't sleep, he's been up since 2:45 am, and he'll take his morning shower and start working with the various coolers scattered in my kitchen soon. I should have a "schedule" within an hour or so. 

Huge mega-malls have been fading and more all-purpose 
malls and outliers have been taking their place. My local 
mall, Rosedale Mall, has been weathering the change well. 
Kowalski's will be building along the south side where 
a large, vacant tenant space was just demolished. The 
grocery store will be accompanied by apartments and 
other pods along the exterior boundaries of the old mall 
parking lots. Exciting times for the mall, for sure! 

It'll be lovely to come home to a new refrigerator. Now if I could get any kind of schedule for my oven replacement ... but things come in their own time. I really can't be too impatient. Here's hoping you have a wonderful day. I'll be back tomorrow.