Life with Kermie: Welcome to 2021

Life With Kermie

12 Jan

Here’s a pic of a great looking truck that has absolutely nothing to do with the following story – but as you’re here, you may as well read on ….

Hi everyone and a belated welcome to a New Year. I hope you were able to take a bit of time off to spend with family and loved ones.

Our Christmas dinner came early as my boys were due to spend Christmas day with their mother this time around. For the first time in like forever, Rita didn’t have to cook for the family as Tom and Laura invited us to theirs and Tom did all the Chef-ing. No arguments from Rita on that front.

He did himself proud with a top quality cheese platter to start. Then came Oysters Kilpatrick and Oysters Japanese style, together with a kilo of Japanese style scallops and mini pies filled with fetta, spinach and semi sun-dried tomato – these for Rita who’s not a seafood fan. Except she was brave enough to try a scallop and loved them – depleting my share. (Angry face!)

Main course was 18 hour slow cooked Moroccan Lamb with every baked veggie imaginable and a range of salads of his own concoction. Dessert consisted of Lemon and Myrtle muffins with home-made ice-cream and berries. Would you believe that this is the first time Rita and I have sampled Tom’s fare? We can see why the restaurant he Chef’s at is so popular.

Oh, and the whole lot was washed down with multitudes of cocktails made by our Laura.

By ourselves on Christmas Day, we packed a picnic and headed up to Lake Mulwala on the Murray and watched the world go by. A couple of days later, Nick, Tom and Laura came up to MooTown for a few days and we continued the holiday festivities – as you do.

Nick spied a 1.8 x 2.1 metre aluminium window I had sitting up the back yard (me being a hoarder) and mentioned how his wooden framed one had rotted away ( and that half the glass was gone – temporarily replaced by some tautliner offcut for the past two years. That was good enough reason to reframe the one I had, throw it on the trailer and take it down to Hooterville. Three hours later he had a window that provided a view! It’s great getting your hands dirty with your kids. It’s been a while since I’ve had the opportunity to do that.

Back home and I pulled apart a Westinghouse Fan-Forced Double Oven that we found on the local Buy, Swap and Sell for $80. This was a bargain as this particular model was top of the tree in its day and people were asking anywhere from $300 - $900 for them. Everything worked fine but it had been sitting outside for some time and bull ants had nested in it along with we don’t want to know. Long story short, I replaced all the insulation and we now have an oven that cost us $220 all up, as against a newbie from Harvey Norman for $2,500.

Along the way I discovered that this oven is 2nd of four updates to the model. The only thing that has changed since they began this model are the doors and switches. If I replace those we have an oven ‘straight out of the showroom’.

The other thing I learned is that ovens are made out of metal equivalent to a tomato soup can. Couldn’t believe how flimsy they are. Anyways Rita is very happy with both the savings and an oven that cleans itself (sort of).

One more thing I discovered in this process was when I pulled out the old oven that I reckon had been there since the house was built. This one had a heat escape vent in the top (???). Also the wall cavity in which it was placed had never been lined! The shelving above the oven was about a millimetre from being burned through. It’s a miracle the whole joint hadn’t gone up in flames. Needless to say, that cavity is now fully lined with cement sheet.

The rest of my time “off” has been spent sorting out my garage/workshop after three odd years of never being able to find anything. This is a work in progress and I should have it finished by next summer if I’m lucky.

Meantime it’s back to trucks and trucking for another year. Thanks for coming along for the ride. I really appreciate your support and words of encouragement over the past six months.

Take care of You.