Tuesday's Adventures

Homemade Gata (Armenian Cookies) from Neighbor S

Last night, after dinner, I did the dishes and ran the garbage disposal.  There was a bit of a whoosh sound and a lot of black debris spurted out!  I assumed it was coffee grounds - my daughter has a metal reusable coffee filter called a phin coffee filter (apparently used to brew coffee in Vietnam) and while I try to dump the coffee grounds into the kitchen compost container when I wash it out, there are still some coffee grounds that get washed down the sink drain.  Later, my daughter was in the kitchen and said she stepped in some water near the kitchen sink and asked me what it was and I said I probably spilled some water when I did the dishes.  She put the kitchen rug over the water and we forgot about it.  Still later, I went to rinse out a dish and afterwards, I noticed water leaking out from the cabinet under the sink!  I opened the door and water was dripping from the garbage disposal and it was all quite wet in the cabinet!  Oh, no!  We pulled out the plastic totes with bottles of dishwashing detergent, and other cleaning supplies I keep under the kitchen sink and put down towels to mop up the water!  I was rather upset to have a non-functioning garbage disposal just days before I was supposed to cook Thanksgiving dinner!  Fortunately, the sink is a double sided sink and the side without the garbage disposal was not leaking and could be used.  And my daughter reminded me that we had two bathtubs if we needed to wash the pots and pans in one of the bathtubs, instead.  Anyway, I decided that I would place a call to the plumbing company I have used before, in the morning.  

I was up relatively early and called the plumbing company at 8:30 a.m.  I explained the situation and asked if they could send a plumber out this afternoon, because I had to go to a doctor's appointment at noon.  They said they could send a plumber out right away and they should be able to repair or replace the unit before I needed to leave for the doctor's appointment.  It was $150 minimum charge and $225 if the unit was hardwired and they needed to replace it, plus cost of the new unit.  My leaky disposal is several years old and I thought it was better to replace it.

While I waited for the plumber to arrive, I brought in the one trash can that had been emptied and accepted the delivery of the second sheet set.  Then, I set about making a cup of tea for myself.

The plumber was here before 9:00 a.m. and took a look at the disposal unit and told me I needed to replace it.  He asked if I would buy it and I asked if he could buy it for me and I will reimburse him.  He was agreeable to do that and said it would come to about $145.  I might have got it a bit cheaper if I had bought it, myself, but, I was willing to pay a bit more for the convenience.  Besides, by this time, I was starting to feel a bit shaky and faint!  I recognized the signs of low blood sugar and I knew I needed to sit down and drink my tea!  

It has been a long time since I last felt the symptoms of low blood sugar, but, I think I have been not as careful with my diet in recent days and my sugar levels probably spiked and dropped rather rapidly.  I rested a bit and felt fine, afterwards.  

The plumber was done with installing the new garbage disposal by 10:00 a.m.  Parts and labor cost $145 + $225 = $370.  I reimbursed him for the parts with cash and paid the rest with a check.

Then, I rested until it was time to go to the ophthalmologist appointment.  The appointment went well.  My eye pressure was fine, my vision was only a little worse than it had been last year, the eye scans for diabetic retinopathy were clear, and my cataracts were still the same size and not ready to be removed.  I was asked to come back in one year's time.

It took all afternoon for my eyes to recover from being dilated.  I lay on the sofa with the blinds closed and my dark glasses on and dozed a bit.  

While I was resting, neighbor S brought over some gata she had baked.  She knows that my daughter loves her homemade gata.  I had a small taste of one, but, I'm leaving the rest of it for my daughter.

Later, I washed all the towels and the kitchen rug that we had used to mop up the spill from the garbage disposal and daughter relined the totes with fresh paper towels and put everything back under the sink.  

Brunch today was half a bagel with cream cheese (me) and a bagel with butter (daughter).  We had leftovers from earlier meals for dinner.

Today, I am grateful for:

- My low blood sugar episode abated after I had a cup of tea and rested
- The ophthalmologist visit went well
- Daughter was here to drive me home, afterwards
- The plumber was able to arrive this morning to tend to the garbage disposal
- The gift of homemade gata from neighbor S

Today's joyful activity was resting all afternoon and feeling better in the evening!

Plans for tomorrow include tending to the garden with M, making the cranberry sauce and cornbread ahead of time, another load of laundry, and tidying the house a bit.

How was your Tuesday and what are your plans for Wednesday?