Blender Tales of Woe - But What the Heck, I'll Get New Containers For My Smoothies

I have to buy a new blender *sigh*. I use my blender to make my veggie smoothies one or two times a week ("Ogre Juice" as DH calls them). I have one of those most days for my lunch. I've grown quite accustomed to them, and really don't want to miss a day because of a defective blender. Last week I noticed that the blender container had developed a crack in its side. Although I tried to order a new container from the manufacturer, what they had available wasn't the size or shape that I wanted/needed. So I used some Gorilla Glue and waterproofed the crack. 

It's pretty obvious to see where the bowl cracked 
in the actual vessel. My first glue repair was 
almost invisible, and it worked pretty well. I 
put a second coat of glue on yesterday afternoon, 
just wanting to be sure. But when I looked at 
the entire thing carefully ... 

Yesterday the blender barely leaked at all, but when I took a careful look after washing it, I noticed new cracks in several places along the base, moving outward from the mounting post of the blade. This was NOT good. Although I glued these too, I'm not super confident that the entire thing won't fall apart on me when I whip up my next batch next week. So I started shopping. 

When I looked at the underside, I saw cracks radiating 
from the central pivot, the place where the actual 
chopping blade sits in the interior of the vessel. I 
circled one in white (top) and one in black (bottom) on 
this photo. I glued them, but ... there's also this one ...

I know a Vitamix would work for me, and probably last a lot longer, but I want a 72 ounce container and they feature much smaller bowl sizes. Additionally, it's not the motor of my blender that's the problem, it's the bowl that's cracking. So, rather than spend $300-$500 on a Vitamix, I'm going to pick up a duplicate of my current blender at Target on my way to work. According to their website, they have at least one in stock in the Target I pass by on my way to the shop,.and it's on sale again for only $99. If the manufacturer actually had a new container, it probably would cost me about the same (a ridiculous amount, thinking about it realistically). They only have a "food processor bowl" instead of the 72-ounce container, and I don't want a smaller container.  

There's also this crack on the opposite side of the 
two in the previous photo. I'm lacking confidence that 
I will be able to use this bowl any more. Since they don't 
have a replacement bowl available at the manufacturer's, 
(and it would probably cost $70 or more), I may as well 
spend $99 and get an entirely new blender. I'm quite sure 
a Vitamix would be the better long-term solution, but 
I haven't found one of theirs that I really what either, 
so I'll spend $99 plus tax, get another one of what I
already have, and call it good. Not perfect, but OK. 

It's $100 I'd rather not spend, but I also don't want my kitchen covered with my veggie smoothie if my current container breaks apart while I'm mixing a batch. I'm trying to think if I'll have any use for the old blender. I suppose I'll keep it for a bit, but eventually I'll get rid of it. I just don't want to take the chance of the entire item falling apart on the next blend. 

At least I'll get another two glasses in the set. I've 
been wanting more than the two I already have, so 
that's a win. And I like the blender a lot - it actually 
does a pretty decent job. I'll start saving for a really 
high-end blender, though. I don't want to have to spend 
$100 every six to nine months on a new blender. 

So it's one more thing added to my morning, but it could be worse. I need to take a final read-through on this week's offering for my LJIdol-Light. I'm not getting the visceral feel that it's clicking yet, so I think some definite tweaking is called for. I've joined their regular group, which will pick up after the Holidays, so at least I'll have an opportunity to flex my writing muscles once again. It should be a fun challenge and I look forward to it. I also have a necklace repair I have to get done at the shop that I promised for no later than next week. I'd probably better get going on that one. 

Have an excellent Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow. Meanwhile, please be kind, give unexpected small gifts, spread smiles and think positive thoughts. We all need positive things around to help all of us move through this difficult world. *hugs*

A Tale of Two Blenders - The Old and the New

I had a lovely time wandering the produce aisle of my grocery store yesterday. I wanted vegetables and some fruit for my daily veggie smoothies that I eat/drink for breakfast. I had a few veggies left from my previous batch, but wanted to broaden out my choices and live dangerously. So I picked up broccoli and kale, spinach and arugula, cucumber and Italian flat-leafed parsley, apples and pears. When I got home, I washed and prepped the veggies until I had a large bowl of them, added the celery I had leftover from an earlier batch and mixed it well by hand. Then I put a good portion into my blender, added some water, and pushed the button. 

I ended up with a Ninja 1100 Professional model 
blender. It was on sale for $99, and I could 
handle that. It took one look at my veggies and 
said "No problem", then proceeded to make 
literal mincemeat of everything I threw into it. 
I'm in love - LOL. 

My blender did its best, but it simply wasn't up to the task of these heftier veggies. I tried, and a little bit got blended. I stirred, I poked, and I tried and tried. Finally, shortly before 3:00 pm I gave up. My blender just wasn't up to the task and I needed one that had more power. I texted DH that I was off to Target to get a different blender - he was NOT happy, he thinks we have more blenders in the storage space that would have been able to handle the job. I didn't have the time to spare, though, so off I went. By 3:30 pm I had my new Ninja 1100 Professional Blender washed and ready to go. By 3:50 pm I had all of my smoothies made and in glasses or in the freezer, and was starting to clean up my kitchen. I love my new blender - it's a total BEAST! 

Just some of the various veggies I purchased to have in 
my smoothies and for my salads. There a lot of green 
there - LOL. 

In the ongoing "Saga of the Dryer", the appliance repair department called me. The part has been received and they will be over to fix the dryer next Wednesday. I may push off the laundry until after it has been fixed, or just leave the laundry wet until afterwards. I really don't want to take another trip over to the laundromat. It's NOT one of my favorite places to hang out. It's not uncomfortable - it's clean, well-maintained and very suburban - but it's not home. I want to have a load drying while I have the next load washing. It's more efficient and my "spare" time for my "day off" has been eaten up with lugging my wet laundry over to the laundromat, then lugging the dried clothing back home again. 

The other half of the veggies. The Italian flat-leaf parsley 
is on the right. It's really tasty. I'm enjoying my smoothies 
for the next few days, and the best part is I won't have to 
worry about my blender any more. It can handle almost 
anything I toss at it. 

So all in all, although I didn't quite have the day I had planned, it was successful. I went to bed on clean sheets, with smoothies waiting for the next day, a clean kitchen, and a new blender which will be getting a work-out over the next few months/years. I have a date for my dryer repair and I had a great night's sleep and a good meditation session this morning before hitting the treadmill. I have a wonderful salad for lunch waiting for me in the fridge and I'm pretty happy, in general. Life is good. Now to actually accomplish something today - LOL. 

Have an excellent day. I'll be back tomorrow with another episode of "Days of My Life". In the meantime, please be kind, stay safe, and please wear your mask. 

Smoothies and a Wish For Smooth Sailing For My Dryer

It'll be a busy day, but there are a few things that will rise to the top for "need to accomplish" today. The first of these is reviewing the day's lecture for my nutrition program. New foods to add or to take away are introduced on Friday and take effect on Monday. That gives everyone the weekend to shop, but I'd rather drop by the grocery today, since it's a day off anyway. I'll have a couple of days where I can either start the new food regime, or if I would prefer, I can hold off until Monday. Since one of the items is a morning smoothie (taking the place of my beloved oatmeal - 'weeping'), I'll need to figure out how to make it when I'm not pressed for time. Today will be a practice day. 

I'm not sure about drinking green things. I'm also not exactly 
sure about what the recipe is. I've found a lot of different 
recipes for smoothies to drink later in the program, but this first 
one is rather specific. I guess I'll find out three things: (1) 
what is in the smoothie (ingredients), (2) whether my 
old blender is up to the task, and (3) whether or not I'll 
manage with these taking the place of my oatmeal. 

I have the Dryer Vent Witch cleaning people coming today between 10:00 am and noon. I'm hoping it will go quickly, but given past experiences with my appliances, there will probably be something that will make it more difficult. My duct isn't a straight shot, there's a u-turn in the vent hose. I suspect that will give some difficulty, but hopefully they will be experienced enough that it won't phase them (much). 

My dryer duct hose isn't quite as bad as the goosenecks 
in Gooseneck State Park in Utah, but it still has a full 
180 degree bend it in before it gets to the external vent. 
I hope the duct cleaning guys can handle a bend like that. 

I'm seriously hoping this will fix my dryer, so I'll need to test it out on something. I probably can run a quick load of laundry. I'll have to hang wet clothes around the house if it doesn't work, though. I have no time to hit the laundromat for an in-between load. 

I rather like green vegetables, but I know one of the 
components of the smoothie is celery and I'm concerned 
about those strings of celery in the blade of my 
older blender. I don't want to have to buy a new 
piece of equipment for this program. If my old 
blender works, then I'll be quite happy. 

Of course, I'll be at the grocery at some point, getting what I need for my nutrition course's next week, but I'm also hoping to spend at least a little time seaming up more of my sweater. It sits in a bag next to my laptop backpack and it mocks me every time I'm grabbing my electronics. It's amazing what a loud voice a pile of knitted yarn can have - LOL. 

So, I'm going to wrap this up and start taking notes about today's nutrition lecture. I hope all of you have an absolutely fabulous Friday and I plan on being back (with positive news about my dryer - fingers crossed) tomorrow. Until then, please be kind, stay safe and wear your mask.