They said it couldn't be done...

She believed it was an impossible task. But tonight, after teaching a rowdy bunch of college students, Joanna came home and completed a qulit square in less than 2 hours!

I wish I could show you. It's cute and perky. Maybe you won't even notice that the lines are not perfectly straight, or that the frog in the middle (hey - I think the square now has a name!) could be slightly better centered, but it's done! It helped that I had planned it out completely last week, and that the log cabin design is completely within my ability range: all straight lines. And once I got the technique, it all just went.

One of the hardest things about sewing projects for me is that the actual time spent sewing on the machine is minimal. Mostly it's just cutting and pinning and ripping and measuring. Sewing the seams is the fastest part. And then there's the fear of cutting the fabric. (One of my pieces went missing tonight. Thank goodness I had just enough of that fabric to make another piece. That yellow strip will turn up again, I just know it.) It's such a decisive thing to do. What if you've measured wrong and now don't have enough? But the worst thing for me is the precision required for the square not to look bad. I'm not even aiming for perfect corners, I just don't want to be embarassed by my squares.

Overall verdict: I think I'm sticking with log cabin squares for all time. Maybe a snail's trail thrown in every now and again. And if I feel adventurous again someday, I'll try a fan square...

Recovering

So maybe I am going to get a house after all...

The disaster of yesterday was that I was told at 4pm that I would have to withdraw money from my 401k to prove that I had enough money in my own name to merit a mortgage. This, of course, opened the floodgates... Was I allowed to take out a loan, what were the fees, how soon can this happen, will my employer approve of the loan. And above all, why was I being forced to take out a loan when the funds needed are in place and already in my bank account!

Because they can. Because the market is so volatile and mortgages are such a mess that the companies want to be extra special sure that they will get their money. And what I most fear: that obstacles are par for the course because buying houses is for other people, like being partnered, getting married and having children are for other people, and not me. I can witness, and even partake in other people's joy, but it will never be mine.

Or not. The house part anyway. By the end of the day today, my mortgage person tried a different tack. And lo, I don't have to move any money from my 401k. Tomorrow we will finalize rates and be done with this foolishness, or at least further along.

Don't ever buy a house by yourself, unless maybe you have too much money on your hands. Or unless your hair is already grey.

I am never going to get this house.
My back aches in new and awful ways.
I just broke one of my favorite pieces of pottery.

I hate my life.

Busy, busy, busy

As the February weekends fly by and disappear, not much time to post. Here's the latest:

House stuff continues on: stove purchased, next payment made, certificate of occupancy obtained, temporary porch repair done, electrician met with. Two last big hoops: getting out of my lease, and hoping interest rates go back down so I can lock that in and finalize the mortgage stuff.

My back still plagues me, though I think it's getting better. I got some good advice over the weekend, followed it, and did not have the usual agony getting up this morning. Sleeping through the night is another issue, but we're getting there.

Dancing is ever-present. The Fling on Saturday was lots of fun, with the music in the evening being especially fabulous. The Boston Playford Ball is less than two weeks away. I have a place to stay and anticipate a having a lovely time. I suppose I should glance at the program again soon. Swarthmore goes well, but I'm getting ready for Spring Break!

Tonight I got together with Jennifer. She gave me all kinds of advice about painting, and even gave me paint samples and lots of color ideas. She also gave me a gallon of purple paint that I will use in the bathroom in the new house. And a CD shelf thing that will hold all of my CDs, I think. And boxes! Whee!!! Getting ready!!!

Now I'm going to go to sleep and dream about paint colors! What colors should I use in the house?

Intangibles

Today's wish list is a bunch of things that aren't stuff (not that I don't always want plenty of stuff, but that will come another time...):

• No more back aches. It took me 15 minutes to put on my socks this morning. It was very upsetting. I'm done with that. Now.
• The will to get rid of stuff rather than pack it.
• An easy time packing.
• No broken stuff in the move.
• No problems getting out of my lease.
• The silly sellers to turn on the heat and the gas before my stove is delivered.
• Ultimate powers of organization for keeping track of what is in which moving box.
• The pesistence to keep tracking rubber stamps, books owned, books to read, entertaining serviceware, articles town from magazines, dance music, etc.
• The continued, invaluable love and support of my friends and family through all of this craziness.
• And immediately, several nights of long, interrupted sleep

And now a gratuitous picture of my hero:

If they asked me, I could write a book...

I have to check in the AIA bookstore to be sure, but from what I can tell there are no books on Philadelphia rowhouses/twins and nothing at all published about the style which is not Victorian/Edwardian, but not Bungalow/Prarie style either, i.e., the style of my new house.

Based on almost no research, I think this style of house is a bridge between the two eras, but based in an uban setting, which gives it a spin of its own. It owes more to Victorian styling and sensabilities, but as the Edwardian designs started to do, became plainer, more basic, more focused on white and light than on heavy and dark.

I started looking into this because I wanted some ideas about how to arange the furniture in the new house. I wanted to know what was on the walls and floors. I wanted to know if the woodwork was painted white back then, or if it was natural. I haven't been able to find anything!

I would love to collect photographs of row house interior and exteriors, starting from the turn of the 20th century onward. Philly History has some exterior shots, but not enough by a long shot. And the handful of books that I've looked through focus on those architectural eras as they played out in suburban and single family homes. I bet the Penn Fine Arts Library would have stuff, and even the Bryn Mawr A&A. I'll keep looking.

This would be a fine project, wouldn't it? Would this potential book have an audience? Should it focus on images, or should I attempt to place this type of house in a genre or period? Who are the experts? Jeff Cohen would know... Hmmmmm... So many possibilities....

A pain in the back...

Wonder of wonders, I came home from the dance tonight and found a parking place right away. That's because I left expediently, chasing after Andrew who tried to abscond with my shoe. [Full disclosure: I stole his shoe first.]

I remember Barbara often commenting about how right-hipped ECD was. Tonight, I finally know what she means. Still dealing with this back injury, I find myself compensating in various ways. One of those ways apparently involves my right hip. Not cool. But things are progressing on the injury front. I did some stretches this morning with no pain, and was able to walk to work with a normal gait. Sitting in front of a computer all day does me little good because the muscles get cold, but tonight, Rich gave me an all day heating pack to help keep the muscles warm. I'm excited. I may splurge and buy more!

I fear injury, of course because of the pain, but moreso because it curtails life, and most specifically dancing. Tonight I couldn't leap any where in Nonesuch, nor even attempt to reach the radiators to bang on them. I had to sit out Fandango, and really couldn't stride and make it during Winter Solstice. Bleh. I just want my mobility back. I want to bend down from the waist. I want to be able to put on socks and tie my shoes with ease. Soon. I will dance at the Fling this weekend!

From houses to log cabins...

The quilt square, that is...

Maybe it's no wonder that in my current home-making frame of mind when I have to make a quilt square, I choose the log cabin pattern.

Actually, I have wanted to make a log cabin square for a long time. It was on my list with fan squares and snail's trail and a few others. And it has straight lines, so I think it should be possible, even for me.

The more I make quilt squares, the more I realize I am not a quilter. They require a precision that is beyond me. With paper you can nudge and trim, and if you have to redo, it's not such a big deal. But quilt squares involve the big, bad sewing machine, and tons of time to get one seam right, and almost very little actual sewing in the end. And you have to actually cut fabric, which is the scariest part of all.

I want to keep participating in community quilts and not be embarassed by what I make. I think I'll continue to stick to simple squares and straight lines! But then I'll mostly stick to rubber stamping...

Regaining Equilibrium

Getting in under the wire of Monday...

I'm hoping that the downside of last week is now over. I've had the home inspection. I know some realities. I will still have a house, and it will still be fine. I've also decided that I'm done having a back injury, and if I will it to go away (and finally give in to taking ibuprofen), it will go away.

The best thing that happend over the weekend is that Mom and Deb and Eileen came down to see the house. I was just dying for them all to like it, and, I think they do! I want to have a house that they are happy to come to visit. I want us all to play and plan. It was fun to walk through and think about furniture and which room will be the bedroom, and what could happen and all of that good stuff. It was really good to have their support throughout this crazy process. Mom has already informed me that I get all holidays. Yay!!!!

I'm still a little scared, but I'm mostly back to being excited.

I am also really greatful for my friends right now. Peter and Rachel came on the inspection with me which was so kind of them, and so helpful. After my post of dispair, Fran sent me the most encouraging email ever - Thanks Fran! Tonight I talked reupholstering with Chrissy. Jenny has been great all along the way with suggestions and hard realities of home ownership. Susie and many others have listened to me blather on and on. All and all I am so thrilled that all of you are here with me and helping me not do this on my own.

This week, we just keep going. I'm going to buy insurance and fill out a long mortgage application and go get a cashier's check from the bank for the next payment. And dream about stripping wood and finding new fireplace surround for the first floor, and grounded outlets (how romantic!)

More pictures - these from Rachel Winslow taken on the day of the inspection. The first is the exterior, but shown with its twin (mine is the one on the left). I hope my exterior can slowly migrate toward its twin with details in wood instead of ugly siding, and maybe even the return of the arched window and a reasonable door. The second picture is the leaded glass pane in the upstairs bathroom; Susie Happy Windows, we call them.

Being Blunt

Today's version of the wish list is simple. Horribly so. What I really want most of all is money. Not a lot more, but just a little more. Everytime I feel like I can do this house, it's more money. I know this is true no matter what, everywhere, but it sucks and I hate the feeling of going one step forward and two steps back all the time, like this elusive dream of a house really still is for eveyone else and not me.

This week I found out that:

• I can't get insurance for under $1,000 anually, and probably not for much less than $1,500
• Interest rates for mortgages are going up and not down, damning me to an even higher monthly payment
• I need to have a little electrical and plumbing work done before I move in, and before I attempt to plug in major appliances, or say anything I care about
• Appliances will cost me less than I thought, but still around $2,500 for basic stove, fridge, washer, dryer

And then there are the unknowns:

• How much will it cost to hire a truck and move
• Will I easily get out of my lease here, or will I have to pay $700 per month for the priveledge of not living here until July
• What will my utilities cost

ARGHHHHHH!!! I know I want to do this, but someone please give me some perspective.

In love with house books...

Well, I almost got this post in before midnight...

Happy Valentine's Day!!! It's still, inexplicably a favorite holiday of mine. Mom, with all her wonderousness, once again managed to make her valentine chocolate and note arrive exactly on the day! She's amazing. And then while I was teaching class I got attacked by a ninja valentine. It was very exciting!!!

After class I treated myself to coffee at Borders. I had good motives though - mostly that it's easier for me to get work done there where there are tables and chairs, and space to work. And I did indeed get two of the things on my list attended to. The other questionable motive is that I love to be surrounded by books and in fact look forward to the next free evening I have where I can sit with a coffee and a pile of books and magazines next to me and just browse and leave empty handed. It's like a library, but with a glossier selection. Friday week, maybe...

And what was I looking at in the last 15 minutes before they closed? Admittedly, Old House Journal. I didn't buy it, but I wanted to. They had an article on tiles, and a great fireplace design, and...

Oh, I have this feeling that house books are going to take over. Actually, architecture books are closer to what I am looking for. I really want to do some research into houses like the one I'm buying - urban townhouses from about 1915 (that's the year I'm settling on, because a) I think it's right, and b) that's the year my grandmother was born, so I like the connection) so I can see how they were furnished, what styles of furniture were in then, how were the rooms arranged, what was on the walls and floor, what was painted, and what was papered, how were the windows treated, etc.

It's not that I must be true to that period when the house was born, it's just that I want to begin somewhere, and start to think about how to deal with a space like this when I finally have the leeway to do what ever I want!

What should I be reading? Who wants to help me plan?

On my wishlist at the moment:

Old House Journal (George says he's going to give me old issues...)
Decorating is Fun! by Dorothy Draper
Creating a New Old House by Russell Versaci
Martha Stewart's New Old House
New Old House magazine

Must go to the AIA bookshop...

It was a dark and stormy night...

And it took 2.5 hours to get to Swarthmore this evening... But now I'm home and mostly dry and very sleepy, so only a quick few words this evening.

Tonight, Fran gave me a lovely pair of earrings from Etsy (and Golden Monkey tea, which I can't wait to try!), which got me to thinking about selling crafts. I think I hit on a design for beaded flower earrings. A quick peak at Etsy reveals that there isn't anything quite like the flowers I make (or used to make), not in the first 11 out of 194 pages anyway. This is a thing to check out with a higher speed connection than I have at home, and a possibility to explore once I'm moved and I have a craft room in which to play!

I could make these, right?

Playing catch-up

It felt so renegade to go two days without posting... But life is settling down just a tad. Let's see, where to begin...

Friday night was meant to be a night at home - making my apartment look like a reasonable human lived there, cleaning up crafts stuff from the Valentine party, sorting through the never ending but reasonably up-to-date mounds of paper. But no, George called me and offered to buy me a drink, which turned into dinner and (I no longer turn down any free food), and then two of my Swarthmore kiddos came by for tea. A very nice celebretory evening that did not include much in the way of attention to the household.

Saturday morning brought a caller's meeting (yes, in fact it was my idea to schedule the meeting on ES Ball day), followed by errands followed by scant hours at home pre-ball. I did manage to reorganize the stamps and get them properly stowed (which takes a stupidly long time, but I now will be able to find them again), attack some of the piles, and oh yeah, pick out a dress to wear and iron same.

Saturday night was the Swarthmore English Scottish ball, which is one of my favorite events all year. Yes, I am working the event, but over all, I am overwhelmed with pride in my children. They pulled it together, and pulled it off. They gave stellar talk-throughs. The tea was plentiful, the music was great, and the hall was packed, even in the 2nd half. And I had a lovely waltz at the end...

I could instantly tell that my mood had shifted because of the house. Outside of my delight in this prospective house, the weight of the decision was no longer there, and I could move on to the next phase of practical planning, intense excitement, mingled with some fear about the lage process to come. But overwhelmingly, I am so thrilled. I am looking forward to this next chapter...

The practical house news... I handed over the first check to my realtor - the down payment towards my down payment. We still don't have an official signed contract, so I haven't gone ahead with making arrangements for insurance and inspection. I hope it happens tomorrow.

At J&K's post-ball brunch, in talking to people about the house, Jill mentioned that they have furniture, including a stove (albeit electric) I could have. Hallelujah!!! This will be wonderful. If that all works, I will put my loveseat upstairs in the front room (I think I'm settling on that for an upstairs parlor or somesuch), and move the futon upstairs as a guest bed. I want to see the furniture before I agree to take it, and Dan will help me figure out if I can fit it through the doorway.

I'm hoping that Mom and Deb and Eileen can come down this weekend to see the house. They can all come, but the only thing is whether we can get in or not. I don't know if that's now taboo. I've asked the realtor. I also want to go in and do some derious measuring and figuring out where I want to put stuff and which room should be what in the near term - which room should be the master bedroom, should I have a separate craft room from the office/parlour, which room should be the guest room. This is all subject to change as I start to figure out what changes I want to make - bathroom on the 3rd floor, dressing room for the master bedroom, closets that fit normal sized hangers, larger 2nd floor bathroom... Who knows? Dreaming is fun!

My future bookshelves...

I'll need lots of advice on furniture and artwork placement and possible wall colors, so plan on coming over lots!!!

Done (well, almost)!

It's happening! It's really happening.

The offer on the house is still open. I signed a new agreement of sale. The seller made a verbal agreement today and will sign it on Monday. And if all goes according to plan, on March 13, I will close on the house I hope to live in for a good long time!!!!!!

There's so much to do:

• Arrange for the inspection


• Buy homeowner's insurance


• Amass all of the paperwork for the mortgage


• Buy title insurance


• Pack


• Get rid of lots of stuff


• Buy major appliances for (I hope) very little money


• Keep packing


• Get out of my lease


• Arrange to move services (phone, electric)


• Change my address on everything!


• More packing


• Move the fragile things


• Talk to Arlene about furniture, and hopefully acquire some


• Rent a truck


• Spend very little money


• Do my taxes so I can get a refund


• Still more packing


• Keep working, teaching classes, writing dance programs, going to dances

Did I mention how exceedingly, extremely and completely excited I am!!!! I just want to be there!!! I have to keep talking George down from all of the projects he's planning. Not that I don't want him to plan, but I have to really make sure I spend no more money than I absolutely have to so I can pay for all of the pesky moving things - installation of appliances, truck rental, food for movers, more packing tape than seems necessary. I want to transport as many of the fragile things myself if I can, and save the furniture, books, etc, for the moving party.

Should I plan on moving on 3/22 or 3/29?

Should I have my bedroom be in the front of the house with the bay window and the fireplace, or the back looking out on the yards, and leave the front room for an upstairs parlour?

Where should I put/hide the TV and VCR/DVD player?

Which room should be Bear's room?

What color and what kind of (cheap) appliances should I get?

I'll post a couple of house pictures again - just 'cause...

I can't afford home repair, but I can read about it...

I should not be writing, I should be falling asleep. I am, in fact, falling asleep...

Recently in the Inquirer, there was an article about a mystery author who picked up and moved to Maine and bought an old house which she and her husband are repairing and restoring themselves, one room at a time. The article said that in concert, her mystery series, Home Repair is Homicide, features a lot of practical home repair stuff. Perfect for the mode I'm in you might think.

Alas no. Well, not after reading one of her books anyway. Not only was the writing scattered and a little strange to follow, the heroine is constantly thinking about a home repair project, and making mental lists of supplies for same, but never actually doing anything. Not exactly inspiring. I might try one more of her books, but I don't think the series is a keeper.

This is the beauty of the library book. (I never cease to marvel at things like libraries and washing machines and other simple but useful systems. I mean, you put your clothes in a box, add some soap, and walk away. And then by magic, when you come back, the clothes are clean!) You pick out books. You read them. You like them or you don't. And then you give them back! They don't clutter up your house for all time. And then you can go and get more! It's so beautiful.

What are your favorite home-related books I should be reading. Other than Dorothy Draper's Decorating is Fun! with the blue and white polka-dotted cover, of course...

Today was one of those insane days when I was literally home for 5 minutes. I was in Harrisburg all day, home to change, back in the car to get gas (I had none), run up to Mt. Aity, look at the house, become stressed, and then run back down the hill for the dance.

In particular, I remember another similar day years and years ago, back in the HPI days, when we had to wine and dine some board members, and all I wanted to do was get to the dance. I only made it for the last 3 dances at Perdue's that night, but what an absolute relief to dance King of Poland with Rich and not have to think about a thing. It was an utter return to normalcy after the craziness of the day, and put life back in its proper perspective.

This evening was like that. After the hell of the non-stop day, even knowing there would be more work to do at home after the dance, finally making it to GCD, with that part of my family all there, was a return home. And all it took was a few bars of Freeford Gardens, and catching eyes with the first woman to check in with me that we were covering on those turn singles, and all was well.

This is why, no matter what ups and downs I might have with GCD at any given moment, these dancers are still my home and family. To know that we move the same way, can anticipate reactions, and react to small gestures of warning or reminder to keep us on track - it's an amazing thing. Yes, like family, there are the spats and annoyances and middle children, and plenty to complain about, but at the end of the day, it's a community I'm proud to be a part of.

Valentine count-down

The days continue to be long and full of upheaval. The English Scottish Ball is mere days away. I think I told people to breathe, use command language and add pauses to their talk throughs more times than I ever thought possible.

House. Ugh. I drove by the smaller house tonight, and though I only looked from the outside, was not pleased to find no parking on the street. And though I am still really eager to see it, well, what if I like the bigger house better???

And I have a bunch of non-work work to do, and I have to be in Harrisburg teaching all day tomorrow which requires dressing professionally, and having a voice, which I don't really, and, and and...

And what I really want to talk about is crafts and Valentines. I was worried this year. I had a bunch of images, but no good idea I could run with - just disjointed thoughts that were being troublesome. I think what it comes down to for me is that I need time on my own to play and come up with that idea, that I can then reproduce during a party. I need to have all of my stamps around, and all of the papers and tools, and not be in company. The latter I think is key. I feel equally distracted by other people's ideas, and at the same time pressured to produce something wonderful. When I'm on my own, I can work, and not worry about how fast I'm coming up with something, how many ideas end up in the trash, or anything else.

And sure enough, when I sat down to play with the few images and see what I could make out of them, almost none were salvageable. But then, after flipping through my stamp catalog, and thinking about some of the ideas I was getting out, there it was - this year's valentine. Right there. Easy, and red, and now finished!

One of my other challenges this year was to make valentines I could sell. It turns out there there are a ton of rubber stamp angel companies who know you're not going to make much, if anything, selling stuff with their images on it. So my cards are quite saleable this year, and in fact, I think I've sold a few.

Wanna buy a greeting card? I do birthdays, weddings, bar mitzvahs...

Stay tuned for electronic images of this year's valentines.

So, you think you've made a decision

So there I was, about to look up Septa train pass prices, just to make sure. About to write to the realtor and say (deep breath), ok, let's go for it. When...

He wrote to me first saying there's a house a block away, 2 stories, 3 bedrooms, 169,000. How soon can you look at it. I want to shout - how about now!!! Heck, I'd cancel longsword tomorrow night for this.

No pictures, alas (or you know I'd post them), but here's what the blurb says: All new kitchen with wood cabinets and new appliances (Refig, D/W, Range, Microwave oven), refinished hardwood flooring, first floor laundry and small fenced rear yard. Second floor complete with Remodeled bath with tiled tub/shower and three full bedrooms.

And there's laundry, and a dining room. I wonder if it has a bay window. Only one bathroom, alas, and the fireplace is an unknown (but I'm hoping for a mantle in the living room - if they don't work, they're sometimes not a part of the listing), but the price is right, and maybe, maybe...

ACK!!!!

A whiff of Spring

Did Phil see his shadow? (I just looked. He did. He always does. You would want to go back into your hole too if they dragged you out first thing in the morning when you could be napping. But really, I'm sure Phil just wants to get back to his nice, warm indoor habitat in the town library...)

Well, Phil be darned! Today was beautiful in town. So much so that when I finally finished my shopping and stopped in front of the house to unload the groceries, I left my coat inside, rolled down the windows in the car, and proceded to enjoy the air for the next 45 minutes as I looked for parking.

Days like this make me think of spring, and sunny days and flowers. I quoted Jenny in an earlier post and her comment about my collections of small things. I even like flowers that are clusters or cascades of small buds - lily of the valley, lantana, sweet pepper bush, and my all time favorite, lilacs.

We had a lilac out back in the house where I grew up, and they were Aunt Evelyn's favorites. It's the scent. It's just heaven. I can't get enough. And the blooms don't last when you cut them, so the best thing is to bury your face in someone's shrub, and hope they don't mind.

I learned just now that there is an annual lilac festival in Rochester, NY. I'm going to Rochester in May, so I wondered if I would be there on the right weekend. Alas, no. I will be a weekend too early. I wonder if the lilacs would accomodate me and bloom just a bit earlier.

In my house hunting, I'm looking for a house with a little yard. Not that I'm such a big gardener, but I need one for two reasons - summer cocktail parties and lilacs (well, and probably lily of the valley. And peonies. And maybe a rosebush. An orange azalea in front of the house?). I want one of the beautiful deep purple ones, but of course it's gotta have that scent. I bet I'll end up needing more than one...

Just like Mother still makes...

It's Saturday, and I've just looked at a few more houses - and then back at Durham Street, where we're hoping that interest rates going down this week might just make all the difference... More on that tomorrow.

As I've been sick this week, all the get-well advice I've received has centered around two things - drugs I can't afford, and chicken soup, the cure-all.

My mom's chicken soup is, of course, the best ever. I know it's the cooking time that makes the difference, but I'm convinced that the parsnip has a lot to do with it. And the whole onion (which Mom should never throw away, she should give it to me.). Someday I will even be brave enough to make it myself.

George just fed me soup for lunch. It's basically an Indian version of chicken soup (but with only trace amounts of clove and curry so it's not so icky), and has the same affect of making you feel better.

Hmmm.... I wonder if I should excavate the freezer tomorrow, and see if that parsnip soup is still alive...

(George just gave me a bag of chocolates for a tea contribution for later. He's precient. I am the luckiest one ever!!)

It's electric!

This Friday, my domestic wishlist turns mechanical as I think about - appliances...

As I'm doing my third load of laundry tonight, and getting to the bottom of my formerly endless supply of quarters (see, when you spend no money, you get no change), I keep thinking that wouldn't it be beautiful to do laundry in the comfort of your own home without having to save your quarters. To have the option of a gentle cycle, or the opportunity to throw something in the dryer for only 10 minutes more. It would be so beautiful. Some day...

I also dream of a frost-free freezer. See, I have one of those ancient refrigerators with a laughable freezer compartment that turns to a block of ice in a heartbeat. Even when it's empty of icebergs, it has room for in ice cube tray, two packages of frozen vegetables, and maybe one other thing. That's it. I periodically excavate and feel victorious when I rescue the ice cube trays, (the other stuff is often too scary to salvage), but I admit that I have let the arctic breezes have their way for a while. But some day, some day soon, I will have a freezer that keeps things frozen, without expanding its walls. Just think, even I could put a whole half gallon of chocolate ice cream in my freezer.

I have a gas stove now. It's fine. But some day, I'm going to have one where you can put a cookie sheet in the oven sideways! You know, with the long side facing in. It will be wide. Like a grown-up stove.

I actually have a fair number of countertop appliances for someone with no counters. I have a drip coffee maker (Aunt Evelyn's), a blender (Mom's), for making mousse and fool, a food processor (Mom's), for making latkes, two hand mixer's (one Grandma's, one new one from somewhere, you know, just in case. I also have two irons, but that's another story), and two waffle irons (yay, Freecycle!!!). Some day I am going to have counterspace, or at least ample, convenient shelf space at counter-ish level so that these things can be out and ready to be used, or at least easily fetched, without having to take apart the whole kitchen.

I'm sure there are many more things I need, though I can't think of any. I would like an immersion blender so I could more easily make recipes like that parsnip soup (Yup, I think that's now one of the ice pops in my freezer). Oh, and a bread knife, though I guess that's not really an appliance. I don't really want a bread-maker, kitchen-aid or ice-cream maker. I have a microwave. (I realized tonight that one of my faviorte wooden mixing spoons is cracked. I may need one of those soon, but I'll get one from Mom.

What am I missing? What other kitchen appliances are indespensible to you?