Stay Home Day, Inside Construction Required, Working, Cooking, Heating Oven

The Ridge

Bill was up first on Tuesday, Sept. 24^th and after lounging and enjoying the comfort for a while longer, I joined him downstairs. I wanted to go for a walk but looking outside sure changed that plan. The surrounding area was white all around so Bill made my tea instead. We were surprised when the sun made an appearance, fighting the fog, but soon disappeared again to another bout of thick blanket. It was 9 before we saw any clearing.

Good morning

After a first tea and coffee, Bill set to work on the area for the microwave. The problem being that the oven is a bit bigger, top to bottom and front to back, than our old one which means he has to make some adjustments for it to fit under the cupboard. We were hoping to do this without having to cut ceramic tile from our back splash. Al at CanAm gave him a couple of special bits for his drill and instructions on how to do it if it came to that.

No walk this morning, can't see the road

Bill decided to remove the upper cupboard to see if an adjustment could be made there instead. Unfortunately, the opening in the back wall for venting the old unit was not situated in the right place to match the new vents. Of course not! I stayed out of the way, physically, only offering opinions and help when asked for. I worked on finishing yesterday’s post and after it was published, we brought the oven in from Ptooties. It wasn’t as heavy as I thought it would be but lifting it up in place will require more muscle for sure.

Removing the top cupboard first

Top shelf removed but the vent hole is in the wrong place

There was nothing else to do but remove some of the backsplash. Bill began cutting the grout below the row of tile that would have to come out so he could secure the metal bracket against the solid backing. 

The back of the new unit and the vents are in a different spot

so he had to cut tile to enlarge the space available

This bracket will hold the oven in place with two approx. 2” wide lips, assisting the two heavy duty screws that attach from the top cupboard shelf. The process was going well but the true test would be whether he could cut one piece of tile or did the whole row of tile need to come out.

With one layer of tile removed, there is a backing that we decided to work with
and attached the bracket to it

I worked away on my book until BookWright/Blurb needed an update before publishing. What next? So, trying that it seems Bookwright was ‘not responding’. I love doing these books but their site is not user friendly. You do need a lot of patience, which thankfully, obviously I have. I decided to go for a walk to see if the mail lady left anything and as soon as I stepped out, the cool air hit me. Brrr. With only a light hoody, when the sun went behind one of the regular heavy clouds, I had goosebumps.

Finally, no fog

No mail, so I kept on walking making it to the corner at least. Busy road today! 4 vehicles passed me in that short 20-minute walk. I picked an apple off of the smallest apple tree that I’ve ever seen and what a tasty little delight it was! So, I picked a second one for later. Tomorrow. You know the story, an apple a day….. Back home, Bill was making some progress putting the cupboard back up and by this time he had the new metal bracket/plate installed onto the backing that was behind the tile.

and still variable skies

The rest is history. When he was ready, we lifted the oven up off the floor onto the stove counter top below the open space. I said a couple of times, “I don’t think I can lift it that high and hold it” but by golly, we did it! Once on the metal lips (for lack of a better word) I held it steady while Bill screwed from the cupboard shelf down into the oven. With a level, he applied just the right amount of pressure to the two screws and she was installed.

And the shelf is back in place

Once he cleaned up his tools, I wiped things down and put things back into the upper cabinet. This was good too because I was able to rearrange some things and extended the wire shelf to accommodate the items better. Then, I washed down the oven removing finger prints. I think I’m going to like the new oven as much as the old one and she looks mighty pretty too! We were done and I give Bill so much credit for going non-stop since 10 am this morning.

And it is ready to work!

He’ll be sore tonight/tomorrow, I’ll bet, and perhaps my upper shoulders will be tender as well. It was worth it! We wanted it done asap and this way we didn’t to ask or wait for anyone else to be available to help for a 10-minute job. The day has certainly warmed up, but still only 63F and that is the forecast high. The sun is brilliant in an all blue sky, those heavy clouds have shoved off to the eastern horizon.

The old unit is outside ready for Re-Store drop off

For supper tonight, we will have leftover lasagna and garlic crescent buns. Now, I can warm things up! We sat for a while and watched our reruns and set up the pvr for tonight’s multiple programs. With Bill going to be away during the week for the next 3 weeks, I will need to record them for him to watch on the weekends. I’m making notes! Some we don’t mind missing, others are a must to watch. This oven is obviously going to be a learning experience. I’ve already spoiled something!

The sun was nice but the clouds still ruled at this point

An interesting fungus

And my flowers are making me proud

A tomato is ready again today

The lasagna heated up fine but the rolls were a different story. I won’t go into detail but they just had to be thrown out. ☹ So, we just ate the last of the lasagna and then I warmed up a 4” peach pie that Joan and Jeff brought us. We split it and it was quite yummy. 

yummy dessert

We did dishes and New Amsterdam started so the timing was perfect. Then it was the NCIS premiere and you know how we love NCIS! I’m not worried about the ruined rolls; I’ll figure all the new buttons out as I go but I must tell you that this is the quietest microwave oven we’ve ever owned!

And an overdue pond picture
Good night!

This was a good day ending with a good night too. Thank you for stopping by. Your comments are always welcome.