When I was cleaning the parent’s house to get it ready for sale I took several things to put in my home. A lot of it came from the kitchen, which was ironic because Mom was not a cook. Her idea of cooking was canned and box food. Her Mom also could not cook. Where I inherited the ability to cook from I don’t know.
To give you a couple of examples back in the 70s my then fiancé gave her a spice rack. When I moved in to take care of her I realized the spices hadn't ever been opened. She also had a something spice that was labeled 1986. I was afraid it would start glowing in the dark so I got rid of it.
When getting my coffee I mused about the things that make up my kitchen. Some of it came from the time I was stupid enough to marry my ex-husband. A few things I have had for close to 20 years. Several things in the kitchen were Mom’s.
I am lucky enough that this place actually has the shelves over the cabinets and I have room to store several of the cooking things. Starting from the right is my 20 year old crock pot. It is so old it doesn't have a removable insert. Down on the other end is the crock-pot I got from Mom that has a removable insert and has a choice of HI, LOW, or WARM. I use it for soups and stews. I have a wooden salad bowl that Mom never used that I need to clean and season. I have a large stockpot that I got 8 years ago. My niece and her family were really struggling and sometimes there was no food. I got the pot and large cans of tomato sauce and diced tomatoes and made a huge amount of sauce. I then would add to the sauce so the had barbecue, Asian, Italian, Tex-Mex etc. and I bought big bags of noodles for them.
One of my favorite things is my electric wok. I purchased it 20 years ago and it is still going strong. Stir-fry is so healthy I do it at least once a week. I also got the bamboo steamer for it. I use it to make Char Siu Bao, which is a favorite of Reid's.
I never buy new stuff if my old stuff is working fine. I like plain things that go off and on without the bells and whistles. In the last years I had to replace by 20-year-old microwave, which couldn’t cope with warming up another cup of coffee. I discovered that what I could lift at 50 I struggle with at 70. I got the smallest, easy to use microwave that I could because Reid is not tech savvy. My waffle maker shorted out and I got a new one for $10.00 dollars. I love shopping at Target.
Mom always expected me as the only girl to take care of my four brothers. As I wrote a couple of days ago I wasn’t able to save Mike from his Vietnam demons. I do take care of his daughter and grandchildren.
I am caregiver to Reid and in the few years he has been here he has been in and out of the hospital. After a month and a half he should be home on Thursday. I do my best to take care of him but he let his diabetes get out of control and lost a leg because of it. Still when I hear “I miss my Sissy" it breaks my heart.
I am selling my art, jewelry and scarves. Everything is Pixie approved. As it always has been and always will be all the proceeds will go to pay medical bills.