Life's a Shiputz #3 Living With a "Half-Full" Loo 🆏 Shower and Better Hot Water Than Before

No doubt, we've all heard the advice to look at a glass of water that only at 50% as "half full" and not "half empty." So due to the Jewish Holidays of Succot-Simchat Torah, which last over a week our contractor has taken off for a holiday break. 

I understand and I'm not complaining. He made every effort to leave the house as livable as possible. A couple of days before Succot he replaced the plumbing in the laundry room and returned the washing machine to its corner. So I no longer had to launder at the very generous neighbors. 

The best thing he did was to make one of the bathrooms usable. The toilet was hooked up to the plumbing, and the shower works. There's even a small faucet next to the toilet, so we can wash our hands. We do have a second fully functioning toilet by the front door. We didn't renovate that part of the house. 

I'm glad that we have a usable toilet and shower. Also, did you notice
that my old accessories match to the new colors?

Considering that we're only two people in the house, and we're not doing any major entertaining, we have all we need. There are lots of families with only one toilet. Here we have two plus a nice shower. OK, I brush my teeth in the kitchen or the sink near the front door. There are worse things. Right? 

And yes, as I wrote in the title, the hot water is better than before!

Probably the worst thing about how this house was built was the plumbing. The pipes weren't well insulated, plus they were strangely routed. Three showers could have been taken with the cold water that came out before we felt something hot. And even though we supposedly had a very large hot water tank there was never enough even for just two of us, and the solar panels only seemed to work in the peak of the summer. 

One of the things that the contractor has to do is to get the electric water heater reattached. Now, even though days are getting shorter and it's getting chilly, the water isn't freezing. I usually had it on for a couple of hours in this sort of weather.

Thank Gd, we're surviving, and I really can't complain. Gd willing, the workers will be back in under a week, and then just a "few" more workdays and both bathrooms will be fully renovated. 

As I've said over and over:

"It's just a bathroom, not someone's health."

Thank Gd we're all healthy. That's all that counts. 

Life's a Shiputz #2 Keeping a Sense of Humor

Major "Surgery" in The Plumbing Department, Update #1

Life's a Shiputz #2 Keeping a Sense of Humor

I made a decision early in the planning of the bathroom renovations aka the "shiputz." It's important to remember that this is only a house, not a human being. It's a shiputz, not medical treatment, not an operation nor cancers diagnosis. I had also decided that I'd go to one store and find tiles and flooring I like in it. I wasn't going to travel all over searching for what either doesn't exist or something extraordinary. In a convenient store in the Shiloh Industrial Zone, Ceramics Depot, which I can even walk to though walking home is much harder, I found tiles and flooring I really like. OK they were the only tiles in the store that I like, but all who have seen them agree that they're gorgeous. 

To do this sort of renovations, there's lots of destruction before the construction and tons of dust, dirt and more. Even those things can be seen with a sense of humor:

I've decided that these ties coming out of the wall of a bedroom must be some
avant-garde modern art "installation." Please don't worry. On the other side of the wall is the laundry room, and totally new piping has been installed. When the cement closing the piping in the wall dries, these wires will be removed and the holes sealed up. 

Isn't it obvious that Triangular composition is a Still Life? I see it. Do you?

There's still more work to go until this project is finished. I'm doing my best to keep smiling.

Major "Surgery" in The Plumbing Department, Update #1

 Like many of our friends, we're redoing the bathrooms. It seems to be the home renovation for the 65+ crowd here. 

• widen the doors
• replace the tub with a shower
• get those non-slip floor tiles

In the process, we've, or more precisely our plumber son and the professional he anointed to work for us, discovered that most of the house pipes need to be replaced. 

This is ending up being more complicated and time consuming than the hip/knee replacements many friends have signed up for. Nowadays people almost walk off the operating table, and many are home the next day. While body parts have become bionic, renovating the bathroom is for those who like to break things up and play in the dirt.

This isn't a time to wear my hearing aids. You can't do it silently, though the boys who did the "destruction" worked quickly and were very polite. Honestly, I can't complain. 

After Day #1, we still have water, though I wonder how long that will last. There's also a working toilet by the front door, and the kitchen is still business as usual. 

Today's plan is to take apart the laundry room, so the "final" wash is in the machine as I write this.

B"H, thank Gd, a neighbor has invited us to stay by her, so I was there last night. It was so nice to be out of a building site. But as you can see, I returned bright and early to the computer. Today's cold brew coffee is waiting in the fridge.

More updates to come, Gd willing.

bathroom laid bare, stripped of tiles, sink, etc

container parked across the street for the garbage

Our New High Tech Door, Worth The Money

When we renovated our kitchen last summer, we also decided to change the door going to the mirpeset, balcony/terrace.

It was wood with a glass window, and after over thirty years being exposed to the worst of the wind, rain and strong sun, the time had come to replace it. Draughts and rain snuck through, and if I tried to clean the window panes, it was clear that they were very loose.

A few years ago, when I had first been concerned that the lower section was about to separate forever, my son-in-law insisted he could fix/replace that part. That repair didn't solve all the problems, just one. But when the door became so warped that the lock mechanism was misaligned, and keys broke, I lost all patience with it.

The time had arrived to get a new door, something that would upgrade our home. My daughter highly recommended in internal blind, inside the double panes of special insulating glass. Considering how much we were spending on the kitchen, I didn't think it was wise to go "cheap" on the door.

For years I'd been drooling over a door of new, modern materials, neither wood nor aluminum. I wanted top notch insulation. It has always been important to me. I had planned and built the house according to the principles of passive solar heating, and it is as well insulated as was possible to build at that time.

Basically, we had a choice between ordering from an American company via a friend of ours, who is their agent here, or buying from a more local company headquartered in nearby Sha'ar Binyamin. And we know the owners of that company, also. The deciding point was that the American company didn't have a possibility for internal blinds. So, I called Chaim Briskin of Hi-Tech Windows in Sha'ar Binyamin, 02-656-5575, email info@pvcwindows.co.il.

I chose what I wanted when visiting their showroom factory, and then later on, they came to my house to measure and take a look at the doorway. Not only did we get a door with a large glass window that has the inner blinds, but we also ordered a simple screen door. By having a screen door, we figured that we can save money in the summer, especially in the evenings, by being able to keep the door open and the screen closed. That way we wouldn't need to use the airconditioner for cooling all that much.


Since the door didn't arrive until the weather had cooled, we can't say how much it will help in the summer. But we're overjoyed at how the door is increasing our winter quality of life. No longer are we suffering from the cold draughts that had plagued our dining area.

It's also a great savings in heating costs. The heater goes off frequently, since heat isn't being lost. During the previous winter, the heater never seemed to go off.

When we built the house, custom designed and built, we ordered double windows. The inner window frames are wood, and the outer ones are aluminum. The planning was rather primitive by today's standards, but despite the numerous imperfections cold stays out.

I firmly believe that it's worth investing in the best possible insulated doors and windows, and today you can get top notch doors and windows from Hi-Tech Windows. I recommend them for all of your window and door needs. You'll save on heating and cooling, especially if you don't skimp on screens. They work all over the country, not just around here.

My New Kitchen, Am I Happy With It? Is It Worth The Expense?

For those who have followed the saga of my new kitchen and those who are wondering if it's worth going through all the hassle and expense, I must say that I'm really glad that we did it.

We moved in this house over thirty years ago, and although it was custom designed from head to toe in every way, I must admit that there were elements in the kitchen that were problematic from day one. I did have some really good things which I enjoyed from day one until the very last day.

We have a strictly kosher kitchen, so two sinks on two different walls were a necessity for me. Yes, there are people who manage with side-by-side sinks and double sinks, which I had until then. And when we were living in London on shlichut (doing Jewish Zionist youth work) we only had one sink, for which I needed bowls and had to be more organized.

Another really good thing I had in the old kitchen was a "table" jutting out of the wall, large enough for all the kids to sit around. In the middle of it was a raised section with heat-proof tiles, the same as we had on the walls. And instead of table legs, there was a closet where I kept tablecloths and other kitchen items. Today, that's my heat-proof cabinet for candlesticks. We just had the "table" part sawed off. This piece was my design, so I'm really glad that it could be transitioned and used even now.

In addition, we had plenty of closet space. Another of my demands/requirements/designs was a wall of closets, not very deep, with bookshelves on the side. And that remains in use to this day. The only change is that I got rid of all my cookbooks and sundry books that had been gathering dust. Now, I have mugs and coffee accessories on the shelves.

There were some basic, serious design/planning mistakes in the old kitchen. The refrigerator is on the far left, while refrigerator doors open to the left.  Decades ago, it wasn't a problem, because one could easily have the door switched. Nowadays, unless you have plenty of space and money for a four-door model, it's extremely hard to find one that can have the door switched. Ours is now over ten years old, and it was almost impossible to find one. Our refrigerator is now on the right side of a wall.

One really bad mistake our contractor did was to order the kitchen cabinets to fit our old appliances, the ones we had when building the house. I caught the mistake before the kitchen cabinets were brought to the house, and we gave the refrigerator more space. That's because I had already bought a new wider one. But we ended up with the super small niche for the stove/oven, which was awful. First of all, by the time we had to replace the old one, they don't last forever, there were very few that size still on the market. And in all honesty, I was getting very frustrated baking in super tiny ovens. My dream was to have two full-size (by Israeli standards obviously) ovens, one for meat and one for parve/dairy. BTW, the meat oven hasn't had any chametz, so kashering it for Passover isn't problematic. And the second oven has never had dairy baked in it, so it's really parve.

In addition, the original kitchen was designed for a young family with five children and lots of visiting kids and family. Today, we have an "empty nest" and entertain mostly for Shabbat meals.

Luckily I was able to save a bit of money by not paying a professional kitchen planner. My son-in-law and I planned it, with one little tweak by the guy I found to "do," or more accurately be in charge of all aspects of the renovations.

The old kitchen had upper cabinets to the ceiling on all the walls. Now we have almost none, and amazingly we have more storage space. The lower cabinets are drawers, except for the "island." And instead of an awful impossible to easily access corner cabinet, we have the meat sink there.  And under the sink there's space for the large meat oven trays and the "platta," the large electric food warmer used on Shabbat, plus the covers for it.

I replaced the old "children's table" with another custom designed piece. The new island has the dairy sink and facing the dining room table is a cabinet full of Passover dishes. That island also has a spot to sit and countertop space for dish-drainer and food preparations. 

Of course I now have two full-sized ovens. They are on the left, where the refrigerator used to be. And the fridge is where the old stove used to be. I feel like there's tons more counter space than before, although it may just be an illusion.

The color scheme, wall tiles, formica etc are attractive, as far as I'm concerned. I haven't seen this combination anyplace else. But since aesthetics are very individual, that's not important. I also liked the old kitchen, and the wall of closets that remain blend in all right. There's an option to replace the doors, but I decided that the expense wasn't worthwhile.

Two things my husband kept asking people before we got started was:

How long did you have to suffer without a kitchen?
And did you have to move out of your house while the renovations were going on?

So to answer those questions, it took two weeks until we could begin using the new kitchen, and we never had to move out of the house.

During the two weeks we didn't have a kitchen, we managed without really cooking in the house. I prepared more sandwiches than I had for a long time. We ate out and at neighbors. I also heated and cooked a bit at neighbors and brought the food home. I also used the electric "hot plate," which had been my "stove" for two years. Since it was precarious when mounted on the laundry room sink, I used it only when very desperate. Two weeks aren't forever.

Now cooking is such a pleasure. And I love baking in my new ovens.

Yes, getting a new kitchen was certainly worth the expense and the hassle. 

Following are a variety of photos taken in my new kitchen.

The plug/wire for the light has been fixed since then.

Here's my recycled closet

Kitchen Chaos, Almost in Order

Here's just a sneak view of how my kitchen has been progressing. I am not finished setting it up and cleaning up the mess. And there are still a few things for the "kitchen guy" to complete or tweak.

But the great thing is that it already functions. Yes, I have a stove with four burners, including one large one with a double flame. And I have two large, by Israeli standards, ovens. Actually, the outer size is considered standard, needing a 60 centimeter cabinet, but I got Electrolux, because the actual oven capacity is a bit larger than the other lower priced ones. My previous ovens were tiny, like the size of a large microwave. I had always had a small, about 57 centimeter "one piece" stove that had double-ovens.

When we moved into our Jerusalem apartment in 1971 that was standard and considered very modern. Unfortunately, our "old kitchen" was planned around those stove measurements and there was no way to upgrade to a larger stove/oven without redoing the entire kitchen. It took quite a few years of misery on my part until enough of the old kitchen deteriorated to warrant these major renovations.

The sinks are also a teeny bit larger than I had before and much prettier and better quality. I have almost no upper cabinets compared to our previous kitchen, and the lower ones have drawers, except for those in the "island" for Passover.

Before the new kitchen had actually been built and until I started putting things away, I kept vacillating between confidence that there would be plenty of room for everything and fear that there wouldn't be enough room. As a consequence I had decided that if there isn't enough room I'd just give things away or throw them out. In the end, I've discovered that I have tons of extra space, especially the high shelves, which we didn't need to build at all.

Gd willing, next week I'll blog more about the kitchen with pictures and explanations.

PS I must say that thank Gd we survived the two weeks sans kitchen pretty well. It was easier than I had thought it would be. The first week I was in shock and had trouble functioning, but after a few days I did better. My neighbors were very helpful and generous. We also spent an entire Shabbat with our daughter and her family in Ofra.

Is There a "Jetlag Special?"

Last night I didn't get enough sleep. That happens a lot after Shabbat, especially in the summer when I've dozed off a bit too much in the long lazy afternoons. My body doesn't need tons of sleep, so my brain just refuses to turn itself off at a normal hour. I then get up in the morning feeling awfully jetlagged.  Think about it, Jetlag sans the expense of a flight abroad.

Last night was one of those nights. As we Gd willing draw to the end of My New Kitchen Saga and all the added stress it involves, falling asleep is even more difficult than usual.

awfully early
didn't sleep enough last night
coffee to rescue
#morningcoffeehaiku

To add to the kitchen renovation stress syndrom, when we arrived home last night I discovered that the freezer door had been left slightly open over at least 30 hours. Thankfully the food was still cold,  B"H. But it took until I woke up in the morning for me to see signs that things were refreezing.

Gd willing I'll be off extra early to the pool, in order to be home for the kitchen workers.

I once requested a "jetlag special."

Kitchen Chaos Meltdown → Happy Ending

Yesterday was "Kitchen Chaos Meltdown Day." I'm pretty sure that almost every renovation project has at least one day for the homeowner when things hit a crisis mode and hysteria reigns. I got there yesterday afternoon when due to a misunderstanding one of the necessary "pieces" of my new kitchen wouldn't be available at all.

The exact details aren't important, but my first reaction was "mild" hysteria and then that I'd have to make an unplanned trip to Jerusalem to buy a replacement. Then all of a sudden I remembered that in the Shiloh Industrial Zone there are two stores that sell the product. OK, maybe not the exact one or the fantastic price I had expected to pay, but if I could buy it here and have much easier delivery logistics, too...  Also, the missing product wasn't something that needed the "wow factor*," so once I had calmed myself a trip to Jerusalem seemed totally unnecessary.

So, I quickly called my "kitchen guy," the one whom I hired to do this daunting project and told him about the unexpected complication and my solution. That solution meant that he had to quickly drive over to my house from whatever/wherever he was, drive me down to the two stores and help me pick out the missing product.

Apparently crises like these are part and parcel of renovation projects like mine, so he wasn't phased by the little emergency. And I was perfectly calm by the time he walked in. He drove me down.

I went through one store's showroom, and although I easily found a perfectly suitable replacement, the prices were too high. So we went to the other store. Again I quickly found something nice, and there the prices there were extremely reasonable. I definitely recommend the large hardware/building supply store in the Shiloh Industrial Zone. There's no need to go to a city to shop. That is one thing I've learned now. The product was ordered, and we're on track, B"H, thank Gd.

Here's how my new kitchen looks as of right now:

*To be honest, if you have a good eye for design and color you can easily "wow" from this simple local store.

Kitchen Chaos Break for Shabbat

Ever since my friend treated me and some other friends to a day at the spa on Wednesday, I've had renewed energy, and have gotten out of the paralysis caused by Kitchen Chaos aka the necessary renovations to make me a new kitchen.

Thursday morning I woke up extra early and began rinsing all the dust and grime from the floors, Israeli style, before the workers came in. And then on Friday before Shabbat I took the dust-filled covers off of the couch, laundered them, dusted the leather couches and then oiled them. Afterwards I recovered them, changed the filthy dusty tablecloth, swept and washed the floors all over the house even better than the day before.

That way as Shabbat began the house felt more like a home. We were invited out for Shabbat meals, which was great. I spent most of the afternoon with a neighbor. And the two of us attended the special Shiloh 40th Anniversary events together, which was fun.  Gd willing the kitchen renovations will be finished by next Shabbat. Before using the new stove I will need to get it attached to the gas canisters. I'll keep you updated.

Pre-New Kitchen Chaos #1

No doubt that over the next two weeks I'll be posting lots of pre-kitchen chaos posts. This entire undertaking is terrifying, and I can barely keep track of the things I must do, buy etc.

I hired someone who is responsible for dealing with all the professionals, from the carpenter to the painter to the plumber, electrician, plasterer, general workers etc. He even does a lot of the dirty-work and professional stuff himself. Besides that, he tweaked the plan I had come up with with my son-in-law, sketched it professionally enough to bring it to the carpenter, etc, etcetera.

I'm keeping a wall of old cabinets, so the colors we've chosen all have to tie in together.

When he said that next Sunday he's planning on coming with the sledge hammer to break up/down the old kitchen, I could barely breathe. Yesterday I picked up a few boxes from the grocer and filled some. I emptied a few closets and threw out lots of stuff. This is only the beginning.

Somehow by Sunday I must get the place ready and set up a temporary kitchen around the house. We are grateful for invitations and excuses not to be home. We'll move the fridge to the AC outlet. There's a full-size sink in the laundry room. We are anyhow using an old electric cooking thing and no oven. It will be chaos, and then...

Updates to come, Gd willing.

Arguing Over a Couple of Inches, Few Centimeters, Kitchen Saga

One of the reasons I didn't go for a less expensive, store-bought modular kitchen is that I wanted things that you generally cant find in those more standardized kitchen places.

When we ordered the kitchen in our house just under 35 years ago, it was dakva our contractor who suggested that I have the upper cabinets 50 centimeters up, rather than the standard 60 centimeters. Because of that I can easily reach both lower shelves. If the cabinet was five centimeters higher, I'd have a problem. So I told the kitchen guy I need 50 centimeters, not a drop higher.

He brought me the plans from the carpenter, and I noticed that it said 52 centimeters. And there were only three upper shelves instead of the four I expect and require.

I said: "No!"

I made it very clear that at my age, one gets shorter, not taller. And if 50 centimeters was OK for the past thirty plus years, if anything, I need lower not higher for the future. And I want my four shelves.

He explained that the height must take into account easy use and cutting of the wall tiles. They are 15 centimeters by 15 centimeters, so a trim of 5 centimeters won't work.

"Great! Make it 45 centimeters."
"Nobody does 45; I've never heard of it."
"אז מה Az mah? So what?"

Off he went to the carpenter for a new plan. They have to give me what I want; it's my kitchen.

Yes, the saga continues...

New Kitchen Progress, Gd Willing, After 9th of Av

For months, I've been working on getting us a new kitchen, and for years I've been talking about it. Honestly, I had no idea how complicated it could be. Somehow even building our house seemed easier. Then there was nobody around  to tell us that we were doing it wrong. We didn't comparative shop in terms of architect and cablan, builder. We just chose professionals who made us feel comfortable, neighbors, then planned and trusted them.

We didn't do that awful a job. None of us were terribly experienced, not the architect, nor the builders and certainly not us. Davka, the house has held up rather well. But to be honest, the biggest mistakes were in the kitchen planning. That's one of the reasons we need a new kitchen, and the other is that the plumbing needs replacement. Actually I'm keeping an entire wall of closets from the old kitchen and not changing them at all. The planning of those closets was mine alone. At first I thought that I'd get new doors for them, but then to save money, we're not. The formica on the new part of the kitchen goes well with it. Wherever we can save money, we will try.

A few months ago I thought I had it all wrapped up with the right plan, builder, color scheme etc. Then at the last moment, I canceled. One of my daughters helped me find someone else to do the work, and I'm much happier with this one, even though it'll cost a bit more.

The new kitchen contractor "tweaked" the plan in a great way. He's not pushing, which is good.

I took a couple of trips to Jerusalem to look at ceramics, colors etc, and things have changed enormously since my first plan.

Now since the 9th of Av is so soon, nothing gets signed until afterwards.

Bye, Bye Books

It may have been years since I have looked at any of the books here, mostly cookbooks and natural health books.

In my new kitchen, Gd willing, these shelves will be recycled and doored to hold percolator, French press, mugs and other thins I use daily.

If anyone wants some books, now is the time to come and take or arrange delivery.

Kitchen Update #1

A few months ago, I blogged here that we're in the market for a new kitchen, since ours is over thirty years old and just doesn't provide what's needed, besides the fact that some closets haven't held up all that well.

Besides talking about it and starting to look carefully at what friends have done recently, I hadn't spoken to any kitchen stores or carpenters until yesterday. Finally, I found myself in the part of downtown Jerusalem that has a number of kitchen specialty companies. Unfortunately, as it was Tuesday afternoon, a few were closed.

The first place I entered was a big showroom on Shlomzion Hamalka Street which had something I really like!

I don't know how clear these pictures are, but the things that excited me are the "handles," or lack of them. In Hebrew they are called yeddi'ot integraliot, and from my guess -confirmed by the young woman working there- in English they are probably called "built-in handles."

Especially in a smallish kitchen which doesn't get cleaned much, I think that these are much better than regular "handles." I think they're safer, too. Handles can injure and damage things. And sometimes they are awfully difficult to clean. So, that's one new feature I'm going to request.

Since I had time, I entered a few more stores. For some strange reason, I was ignored. As many of you know, I worked in a clothing store for almost six years, and I always made a point of greeting everyone who came in. Some Israelis did find it "peculiar," since it isn't the norm here. But honestly, I think that these high-end places would do much better if they were friendlier.

Actually, in the last store a young woman did ask how she could help, so I mentioned to her that I have a basic idea of how my new kitchen should be planned. I just didn't see one of the features in the store. I want one of the two sinks in a corner. I asked if they do it. She told me that it was an awful idea and that she had a lot of experience. So I replied:

"I have a lot of experience. I'm married forty-seven years." And between you and me, that's close to double her age!

I also explained that I need two separate sinks, not side-by-side or attached. She argued about that, too, trying to tell me that it makes more sense to have them together "and we even have a very large one which I will show you." I think I should get an award for self-control on that one, since her suggestion was so awful. The "sink/sinks" was just one with a very low divider. I told her that it was totally unacceptable.

She then gave me a business card and told me to contact their designer and "be open-minded." Well, I won't be back there.

As an experienced salesperson, I know that one of the keys to a successful sale and happy customer is listening. I had made it clear that I had a basic plan, but she considered her job to tell me what would be better without caring what my needs are. That was ZIV KITCHENS on Corush Street, Jerusalem.

Big Reason I Need New Kitchen

My plans for this summer is to, Gd willing, design/order and enjoy and new kitchen. Besides the fact that after over thirty years of constant and even heavy use, things are falling apart, I find my two mini-ovens totally unsuited for my present way of cooking. The "stove-oven" niche is much too small to get any decent-sized replacement. It's so small that my present "stove-oven" blocks the sliding door by a fraction of an inch. The good news about that is that since we've survived fine without using that doorway, I will have it filled into part of the wall which will give me more closet/appliance space.

As you must know if you read my blog and the recipes I post, a great amount of my cooking is done in the oven. At present, I can barely bake/cook one thing at a time. That means that even preparing food for one meal can a be a complicated logistical, long drawn out waste of time.  

I dream of two large ovens that can work simultaneously. That's an efficient way to cook. And for years already, I've had trouble with my stove top. Not only haven't the burners all worked, but there would frequently be a gas smell. So now we're using a small two-burner hotplate. At least it doesn't smell.

Gd willing...

Time for a New Kitchen

Our kitchen, like our house, is over thirty years old.

It's a mess. I didn't clean it up for the photo at all.

The tiles on top make this a
giant hotplate, and by having a
bench along the right side, the
entire family could sit around
this "table."

Things are falling apart, and some of the crucial planning is totally out of date, like the size of the niche for the stove/oven. When we got our latest refrigerator, our son had to raise the closet over it, since the new one is taller, and a bit slimmer than the old one. Luckily the cabinets were constructed in sections, and he's very talented, so he did it himself. I'm really lucky that he was living with us at the time or we would have had to spend on a carpenter/handyman.

I remember the design time for this kitchen as my not being terribly involved or "fussy" about details, but when I mentioned it to my daughter, she told me that she remembers my very innovative demands and requirements for the kitchen and rest of the house. That has given me a bit more confidence.

 It's taking me ages to get my act together and actually fully plan what I want. In order to help me, my friends took me on a "field trip" to a "kitchen store" to show me what's new. I have seen some of it in people's homes, but not all.

My mind has been buzzing with ideas and images of how it should look and even solutions to possible problems. One of my really crazy ideas is to produce some of the "tiles" as family-designed mosaics. Yes, that's how much I enjoy my "new hobby." I'm sure that the rest of the family would, too.

Kitchen construction has changed enormously since our kitchen was done. And since ours is open to the dining area, which is at the end of the living-room, some styles aren't all that appropriate. Luckily, things have changed a lot in the past thirty-something years.

No, that's not me.

I still feel like I haven't a clue how to go about it all. Besides the basic design, which I feel is getting closer, I need to find the right workmen, carpenter, plumber and someone to close off the doorway we haven't been able to use for about a decade.

One of my sons actually works for a company that does these things, but they won't go as far as Shiloh, sigh...