Kill Switch Part IV. Freezer.

For previous "Kill Switch" posts please see: Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part III and a Half.

We have one of those refrigerators with a bottom-freezer-drawer configuration. A few months ago, we noticed that it was getting hard to close our freezer. Initial thought was that we were simply overloading the poor thing. Upon closer examination, we realized there was a sheet of ice formed at the bottom of the freezer. Like all self-respecting ice buildups, this one was growing in width, depth, and girth. Eventually, it got to the point where the freezer would not stay closed - the seal would not engage. 

We hoisted the contents of our freezer down to our extra fridge in the garage (Yes, we are those people with 2 full-size refrigerators... because Costco and because the climate here is not conducive to storing frozen stuff between the window panes* like we did back in the day on another continent...). We unplugged the refrigerator, opened up the freezer, and waited for the ice sheet to melt. And waited. And waited. Eventually, we got impatient and started using various devious tools to try and chip away at the ice. It was extremely satisfying when we were finally able to lift that ice sheet up and out of the freezer. After giving it a nice wipe-down, we turned the fridge back on and moved the frozen stuff back into that freezer.

Well, that was not fun, we thought. But whatever it was that caused the ice buildup - must have been a fluke and surely would not happen again.

Ha.

Two days later, I noticed a very thin sheet of ice building up at the bottom of the freezer. 

We figured it must be the ice-maker in the freezer that was leaking water. I complained about the dratted thing to a friend of mine who said, very reasonably, "Why don't you turn off the ice maker?".

I didn't even know that was possible. We never turned it off before - I wasn't sure if there even was a switch. Well, upon a deep-dive into the freezer, I did discover that there was a small button - kind of like a light switch - right next to the ice-maker. Happily, I pushed it into the "off" position. I even did a little victory dance, because take that, corporate world, I fixed the problem and I can continue using my fridge happily ever after.

Right.

A day or two later, my daughter said to me "Mom, why are the floor tiles next to the fridge peeling off? And they are kind of wet?"

We have really old vinyl tiles in the kitchen. Apparently, once I shut off the ice maker, the water started leaking under the floor, causing those tiles to become unglued and lift up. 

I turned the ice maker back on. At least this was a controlled leak that we could deal with by defrosting the freezer every couple of months.

Clearly, this is to be continued. I suppose we will get a new refrigerator, eventually. The horrible kitchen floor situation is moving us a few steps closer to actually fixing up our kitchen - a project we've wanted to do for the last 10.5 years, ever since we bought this house.

Dear Reader: what are your least favorite refrigerator quirks and features?

*Long story - maybe in another post.

O Fortuna

I made it to Carmina Burana last Sunday! It was definitely an extra effort to arrange things around kid activities, and I had to give myself a couple of stern talking-to's (because all I really wanted was to read and nap and not go anywhere). My mom and E joined me - so that helped to get me out of the door. As expected - once I got there, it was fun and energizing and relaxing all at the same time. One of the biggest deterrents was the distance - almost an hour drive each way. I was really not looking forward to driving on a major interstate highway. The universe, in this case, has decided to help me along. My map app has unexpectedly decided to take me through some back-country roads instead of the major highway. Driving through the hills, seeing the colorful foliage, cute old houses with wells - so much better! Sometimes it's good to listen to your phone.

 I am reading Tana French's The Hunter - almost done and really like it so far. Will see how the ending is... I am a little nervous about how French is going to bring it all together. Her books have a tendency to pull me in to the point the world I am reading about become more real than reality. I have to make an effort to take breaks from this book and read something else (nonfiction, Meave Leakey's The Sediment of Time or random articles from New Yorker) to counterbalance the effect. If I "dissolve" too much in French's books, the consequence is days of feeling out-of-it, disoriented, and disconnected from my life. That's not a good feeling. I love her books but I have to be emotionally on-guard when reading them.

Other things that happened over the weekend:

• Raking leaves. Lots and lots of leaves.
• It's been very dry - the longest stretch of no-rain weather in this area's recorded history.
• Reading in front of the fireplace. 
• E had his last cross country race - he got his best time so far this year.
• H had rock climbing practice while C and I shopped for food and fun fall decorations.
• Hebrew School
• C had soccer - her team won. (Every time I take her to soccer, they loose. Every time my husband takes C - they win. C has concluded I am bad luck for her team.)

Meatloaf Madness

I made meatloaf yesterday. 

Meatloaf used to be a nearly-weekly occurrence back in the day of toddlers and infants. It was easy to make and lasted for a few meals. And then I went through some bad-luck meatloaves: too dry, too mushy, too weird, or just all wrong. Kids complained. Sad chunks of meatloaves took up space in the fridge. 

I stopped making it. It just never seemed to come out right, and there were plenty of other things to make with ground meat.

During a relatively recent conversation with kids, somehow meatloaf failure came up again. I realized I had 2 options: stay away from meatloaf or practice making meatloaf until I finally figure it out.

I decided to go with the 2nd option: I will be making meatloaf over and over again until I find a version that works and that everyone (or at least most of the family) likes.

Yesterday's meatloaf was a semi-disaster. The favor and texture were actually quite good. I used this recipe as a guideline, but I didn't follow it exactly because I didn't have veal or chili sauce. So there was a fair amount of improv and substitution shenanigans. I must have gotten meat that was far too fatty, because the freaking thing produced so much grease - I have never seen anything like that in my life! 

In all my past meatloaves, I used ground turkey exclusively. This time, I also added ground beef and - well - lesson learned - I need to get leaner beef. 

I will try again.

There are no shortcuts to greatness. Sometimes you have to try again and again until you get the feel for the ingredients, the process, and the correlation between starting materials and the final product. 

We ate about about a third of the meatloaf last night... We will be having it again tomorrow.

The kids, at first, were very suspicious about it: "Mystery Meatloaf" my youngest complained. They are not super-picky but they just don't trust my meatloaves (can't blame them...). They ate it, though, and after I mentioned my plan to make meatloaf again and again until I get it nice and perfect, there was a chorus of "But Mother, it is already perfect! It is delicious!".

Ha. Right. (It was quite tasty... but so far from perfect).

I will let you all know how my next meatloaf turns out!

Dear Readers: do you have a trusted meatloaf method? 

Homecoming, Deer, and Books

Highlights from the last weekend (and more):

• Husband took all the kids to the Homecoming football game at the high school. This was the first time our kids went to a football game. Ever. First time our 2 highschoolers went to see their team play. Everyone had fun. Our son ran into his friends and they hung out and did their own thing.
• Our older 2 kids went to the Homecoming dance on Saturday. There were pre-dance parties with friends (separate for E and H, and neither at our house), and after-dance sleepover for E at a friend's house.
• C's friend came over while the big siblings were away, otherwise the house would have felt way too quiet.
• H is back to rock climbing - she is on the intermediate-level team and is training once a week on Saturday mornings.
• Celebrating Sukkot on Sunday - we all went to our synagogue and had lunch in the sukkah (a temporary structure made of wood planks so that the sky and the scenery around are visible, decorated with harvest-themed objects) with other Hebrew School families. 
• Reading and napping in the hammock!
• We planted some more daffodil bulbs.
• On the way home from H's piano lesson on Monday (15 minutes away), we counted 18 deer (mostly in our neighborhood). It's deer-maggedon. Seriously, those things are a hazard. Not only they eat everything in sight, they jump into the road, and generally act like complete imbeciles.

Looking forward:

• I might go to a concert next weekend (Carmina Burana)
• Halloween Movies: I think I'd like to watch the Addams Family Values again.
• Books, books, books. I put quite a few books I am really looking forward to on my library waiting list: The Hunter by Tana French, Persepolis Rising by James S.A. Corey (part of a series that I gave up on but now want to re-visit), and The Mercy of Gods (same authors, new series - yeah, I know I was just complaining about all the reasons I don't like multi-book series, but the premise looks too interesting to pass by..)
• Part of my renewed interest in James S.A. Corey (aka Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck) is an interview I listened to a couple of days ago - I really liked them! It was one of those things, where I kept nodding and chuckling to everything they said, and thinking I'd love to hear more!

Dear Reader: how was your weekend? What are some of the things you are looking forward to as October is wrapping up?

Are You Serious About Series?

  Neal Stephenson has a new book out! I am so excited but also apprehensive - Polostan is supposed to be the first book in a series. And I've seen reviews mention that it ends on a cliffhanger. 

I really like stand-alone books. I am usually cautious about book series and I get very annoyed if there is a big fat "to be continued" at the end of the book - it feels like the author is twisting your arm, forcing you to get their next book.

Reasons I do not to like book series:

• If it's a new series, I have to wait, and wait, and wait for new installments (hello, Song of Ice and Fire, aka Game of Thrones!).
• Sometimes the author may get bored of the characters, and never finish the series, leaving us all hanging (hello again, Game of Thrones!)
• If it's an old-and-finished series, it can be a pain to figure out the order in which the books have to be read.
• I get sick and tired of the characters and themes (Dune, Expanse, Wheel of Time) and never get beyond the first 1-2 books (but am I missing out???).
• If there are new books still coming out, it can be hard to remember what happened in the last installment from X years ago (and I usually have no desire to re-read stuff I've already read; exception: Harry Potter).
• I may die before the series is finished and will never know how things work out...
• The author may die before the series is finished and I will never know how things work out.
• Books can be uneven - like the first one in a series may be amazing, the next one OK, but #5 is meh, #7 is brilliant, and the final book is just awful but I feel compelled to read it anyway... And perhaps this is the root of my apprehension - picking up a new book feels like a commitment (even if I know it's OK to let it go if it doesn't work for me). Picking up a new book that's a first in a series is a much bigger commitment - I begin to feel a little too invested... and I just don't know if I have it in me.
• Cliffhangers - no, just no. Because all of the above.

Reasons to like series:

• You kind of know what to expect (and that can be a nice feel in a world that's filled with unexpectedness)
• It's nice to hang out with the characters and in the settings you really, really like.
• If it's a short series, like 2-3 books, it feels manageable and allows for a better character growth than may be possible in a single book.
• If it's the author you really like, it's a joy to read them, no matter if it's a stand-alone, #1 is a series, or #27.
• Longer story arc allows for more depth and details.

I can appreciate series that do not go on forever and instead are 2-4 books in length. Ideally, each book would have a clear theme and resolution and the books would be connected by the same characters, or settings, or themes. For example, Tana French's Dublin series - different characters but same settings, and each book has a clear beginning and a well-executed ending. Or, Anthony Horowitz and his Susan Ryeland series - the 2 (currently available) books are definitely connected (and have the same matryoshka-like story-in-story concept) and it helps to read them in order, but each has a clear beginning and ending. Harry Potter - I liked that even though there was a bigger theme that played out through the whole series, each individual book had a satisfying ending.

Dear Reader: what are your thoughts and feelings on stand-alone books versus series? Do you have a favored book series length?

Weekend Report: October Days, Dresses, Apple Sauce

This weekend was relatively slow.

Saturday was Yom Kippur - the kids and I went to the services. I fasted for a good chunk of the day - but I just never seem to be able to keep the fast for the full day. I start getting dizzy and feel like my head is full of wool. I also get very moody, in a scary way. 

I spent a decent chunk of time in a hammock, reading Anthony Horowitz.

I also spent a decent chunk of time cooking. I do like to cook, generally, but sometimes it feels like it just takes up so much time.

C helped me make apple sauce (it is delicious!).

On Sunday, my husband and E went to see a local luthier. They got an estimate on what it would cost to fix up an old family violin and E tried out a few bows (he asked for a new violin bow for his birthday). 

C and I went to a local Arboretum for a very scenic walk. It was wonderful and made my soul sing and made me feel calm and relaxed. 

I took H + C to the King of Prussia mall (I hate that place but it didn't feel too terrible after the morning at the arboretum) because H needed a new dress for Homecoming.

H has a couple of nice dresses she wore for her Bat Mitzvah and the semi-formal dances at the middle school. One of those dresses was a backup plan in case we didn't find anything. We went to 1 store, she tried on about 5 dresses, and settled on a dress that had a very reasonable price and looked very cute on her. Phew - that was easier than expected and everyone is happy. That said, getting new dresses that will only be used once or twice seems... sad. I remember, soon after coming to the US, someone was explaining to me what a formal dance was. One thing they said - you buy a dress that only wear once - seemed shocking at the time. Maybe they didn't mean it quite that literally, I don't know. Thinking back - my prom dress, I don't think I ever wore it again... I kept it and it still hangs in my closet. I am quite sure I will never be able to fit into it, but maybe H or C will use it (even if it's for a Halloween dress-up).

We stopped by another store to look for some winter every-day outfits for H and C - and we could not find anything in the sizes we needed. There were tons of clothing for age 10 and under. There were tons of clothing for adults. But nothing in between! H is very petite and C is tall for her age, so they both need something in the 12-14 range (and sizes run small at that particular store, which is perfect for H). Ugh. I suppose we could have looked harder, or asked a store clerk, but by that time I was all malled-out and was quite ready to get back home. 

The rest of the day was spent helping E study for tests, helping C practice cello, reading, hanging out in the hammock, cooking (yes, again! no matter how much I cook, we always need more food...), doing laundry, playing a couple of board games with the kids, and catching up on work stuff.

Do you own fancy dresses? Do you feel judged if you wear them to multiple events? 

Book Club

I haven't belonged to a book club - I think ever? I've tried out going to one a few years ago, and it was OK but I didn't love it.

I really like reading. I like talking about books. And yet...

I would love to join a book club where, instead of everyone reading the same book (what if you don't like it? what if you are not in the mood for that specific book at this specific junction of life?), you can read whatever you want. People can share their thoughts on books, what they liked, what they would recommend.

There was something I saw about the Silent Book Club - where people get together and read in companionable silence. It doesn't have to be a specific book - just whatever you are reading at the moment. The reading time can be followed by the schmoozing time, if so desired. That sounds kind of perfect...

Also, about books... Do you ever get anxiety about starting a new book? I noticed that now-a-day, I feel an odd sense of discomfort when I'm about to start reading something new. I am not a "finisher" - I don't feel compelled to finish every book I start. I know I can stop reading at any time and look for a new book. And yet, there is this whiny trepidation inside my head: "what if I don't like it?" I guess once you read something, you can't "un-read" it, and the words will be forever stuck in your head - so there's that and one must be somewhat careful about what to put in front of one's eyeballs. There was at least one short story that I read as a teenager that made me want to pull my brain out and scrub it clean. (No, it wasn't that kind of a story... it was science fiction and it was desperate and depressing and without hope... I probably would have loved it as a 20-year old but it destroyed me as a 14-year old).

Do you belong to a book club? 

Coffee & Things

Just like in that song - "These are a few of my favorite things"

• Coffee first thing in the morning, while sitting outside 
• Crisp air, falling leaves
• Anthony Horowitz - I started "Close to Death" yesterday, loving it!
• Watching "Elementary" with family
• Discussing "Rings of Power" with kids - we all agree that it was entertaining but also a bit "meh"
• Watching a completely random Japanese show and experiencing a bit of a culture shock
• Discussing with my son why he likes chemistry and does not like his English class (he likes it when things are clear-cut and concrete).
• Helping my daughters study for their up-coming tests (I love it that they are working hard!).
• Listening to music while working on a puzzle with kids
• Crosswords with C.

Hogwarts 3D Puzzle
Almost done!!!

Dear Reader: what are your favorite things right now?

Happy October!

New month, new hopes, old problems.

Our 14-year-old continues to push us to and past our limits. I can't quite figure out if we have spoiled her rotten and are giving in to all of her demands - or if we are not giving her enough attention and she is just being a normal self-absorbed teen...

I am figuring out how to love, admire, and be absolutely furious all at the same time. 

And this is not just the middle kid. The other 2 also have their moments... But nothing as challenging or rage-inducing.

Work is oscillating between completely unreasonable and slightly unreasonable. Some days are better than others. I am doing my best to keep going and keep my head above water, so to speak. 

I haven't been able to go on any hikes recently - combination of being sick, family obligations, and work madness. I need to get myself to a forest and just wonder around aimlessly for a bit...

So here are a few hopes for this month:

• Go on solo hikes!
• Read
• Hang out 1:1 with kids
• Finish giant Hogwarts 3D puzzle
• Have people over
• Write - something - anything - most evenings

Dear Reader: what are your hopes for October?