Simple stuff for trying times

This week has been eventful in various ways.  Bad health news from friend, protecting their privacy here, just take my word for it. And, much smaller deal, though it seemed big until I got the health news,  the washing machine at the condo finally went.  

About twenty years old, not bad, really.  But, big but, the space to fit in a new one is much smaller than the currently manufactured machines.  Such a first world problem, compared to serious health issues, which I don't have.  So I am keeping the whining down to a dull roar.

After extensive research, online, in person, on phone, in suppliers, with mfrs, all that's available to fit in the immovable space -- wall on one side, water heater on the other -- is either a flimsy looking affordable portable which doesn't plumb in to the regular fittings, and an expensive model, which does.  I may end up having to take the expensive one, about three times what I was hoping to pay.

So far so good.  Then my tenant, Handsome Son, unplugged the washer, tried to remove the hoses, and found that the shutoffs didn't. Put the hoses back on quick, and I got the plumber in to replace the shutoffs, which are ancient, well, 80s, anyway.  

And he started making calls to his suppliers, searching his truck, and broke it to me that the fittings were made specifically for this box, that they are no longer made, and that they won't accept modern shutoffs.  But, inventive guy, he figured out how to solder standard fittings into this off standard box.  It seems to work. Now we can safely take off the hoses, retire the machine, and have a water supply at the condo all at the same time.  

So I'm a couple hundred dollars in the hole before I even shop for a machine. Oh well.  But I now have shutoffs that show you  clearly when they're on or off.  Lever, not a wheel thing. Before the others were clearly off, or so they said, big alternative facts, but in fact had not caught and shut off the water.  Probably the thread was worn out.

This family of plumbers have rescued me several times from flooding emergencies at the townhouse, including a biggie where the main shutoff wouldn't.  That time the older guy took a huge hammer and hit the shutoff, which settled its hash.  And made the old joke about knowing where to hit. And there was the time the dishwasher flooded.  Later I replaced it, and the new one, after a few months, went on fire.  After that I got sliding shelves put in place of the dishwasher, and wash by hand, safer, and not too labor intensive compared to the excitement of dealing with flood and fire..drain the dishes on the shelves, works a treat. 

About that time a friend told me a chipmunk got into the house, made for the dishwasher as it was running, chewed through the live wire, which exploded the dw, causing fire and a flood at once, fire department on the scene, dousing and vacuuming.  Poor chipmunk was pretty much cremated.

So one thing and another, simple comfort food was the order of the day.  A batch of Martha Stewart sugar cookies, half of the dough saved and frozen as you see in the ziploc bag, to make the other half of the batch when I need them. There's lemon juice and zest in the recipe, interesting flavor.  The shape is kind of freeform, but they taste fine

And the pasta you see in the top pic in the small end jar, is now cooked, dressed with carrot pesto, and adorned with a hot Italian sausage. 

The other half of that is up for tomorrow.  Carrot pesto is an interesting addition to pasta.  You just grate or chunk carrot in the blender along with the usual ingredients for pasta.  It's a lovely color and an interesting taste.

So that's where we are. Send up good health thoughts for my friend, please.  And stay away from home appliances.