Camping out

So life without indoor appliances or a kitchen sink is a bit like camping out.  In the last week we've seen 80 percent of the cabinets get installed, which means I've put most of our kitchen goods back into the kitchen where they belong.  But there were snags with both the microwave cabinet and the sink cabinet, which means for the time being, those cabinets remain empty and our countertops cannot be installed until the issues are resolved.

Sigh.

When this whole renovation started, I had grand illusions of cooking in my solar oven, washing dishes outside, and playing pilgrim as we made do with no inside kitchen water and cooking appliances.  In theory that was a good idea; the truth is I do use my solar oven a lot in summertime, and while we may not have a kitchen sink, we do have running water elsewhere in the house.

But that's not how things shook out, due to a failure to plan on my part.  You see, everyone who lives in this house is on different meal schedules, with me eating around 5 pm, Big Ag eating whenever he comes home (usually 6:30 - 7 pm), and then Groceries usually eating last and loading the dishwasher, usually at about 9 pm.  But you can't do dishes outside at 9 pm.  And using the bathroom for dishes got gross really fast.  After all, who wants to leave dishes in a room where you perform, well, other tasks, shall we say?

So what it's come down to is having food around that can be easily prepared and cleaned up after, like sandwiches, salads, bbq, and pre-prepared food.  Oh, and eating out.  That part actually makes me feel quite European, as we head into town for supper and then walk around, looking in shop windows and stopping in for some post-dinner gelato at my favorite gelato place.

And even with the dining out, I've still lost 3 pounds since we started, and Big Ag is down a few as well.  Not a bad thing at all.  Apparently all my home cooking really was too much of a good thing.

I can see it now...the next diet sensation:  The Kitchen Renovation Diet, or How to Lose a Pound a Week -- just by destroying your kitchen!

I may not have a working kitchen, but I DO have a pantry now!

It's a work in progress.