Sunday, June 28, 2020

Skinny Cabinets

It has been a long week. The freezer did not survive. Had to toss about $300 worth of ice cream. Managed to save almost everything else by stuffing the freezer over the fridge and other freezers.

The part to fix the commercial freezer would have cost about $100. But one could not be found. Then I began a fruitless search for a chest freezer. Tried to buy one lately? The guy at Lowes summed up the entire search by telling me that the most optimistic delivery date would be over 60 days.

Freezers are no longer made in the USA. Everything is held up with customs. There is a Whirlpool plant near St. Louis that is said to be opening back up. With that nugget of info I headed towards Kaminskis.

What is this place I speak of? I have seen it every time I zip down the interstate running errands. Family owned and operated, I thought it was just a furniture store. Out in the middle of nowhere. I have wondered how they could stay in business and now I know. The nice man, who turned out to be the owner answered the phone when I was calling around in search of  freezer. He suggested that I buy a used side by side refrigerator/freezer and that would offer more freezer space and get me by until I can locate a chest freezer for the ice cream in the store.

HeWho was playing on the Bobcat, clearing a space to put the 40' shipping container I ordered to house all his junk. So, I grabbed up Mr. Bojangles and went to look at the used units at Kaminskis. I just tell people he is my body guard. If you could hear his growl, you'd believe it!

There was a nice array of clean units to choose from. Right away I eliminated the black one. I made the mistake of buying a black stove and they are too hard to keep clean. There was a really big stainless one, but it was an off brand. I chose the off white Whirlpool for $450. Very clean, no dings or dents. Water and ice dispense through the door, but I really chose it because of the brand. In case it tries to die on me.

HeWho plays on the Bobcat thought I was just going to look, but I purchased it and the free delivery happened about 15 minutes after I came home. HeWho was impressed at my quick decision and I was armed with ammo in case he questioned my purchase without having discussed it with him. I was disappointed that he didn't bat an eye. I was all set to remind him that he bought a dump truck (with no brakes), a lawn mower that cost more than my car, and a tractor without so much as warning that these would be coming home with him. 

I hate it when that happens! After telling the delivery men to just leave the new appliance in the store, the fun began. First the old refrigerator had to be moved. I measured and realized the new one would not fit. I lost a tall skinny cabinet. You would be surprised at how much one can house in a cabinet only 8" wide.

I put the brakes on HeWho and the hand truck while I painted the wall behind the old fridge and cabinet. Then I looked up and decided to paint the ceiling, as well. The yellow bench paint had just completely worn off Mr. Bojangles. Now he is sporting a gray ear. He likes to follow me every where.

The next morning, we began to move the new fridge. I told HeWho that it was not going to fit through the door with the handles in place. They took the handles off to get it into the building. He insisted that he had measured and that it would fit just fine. Yes, we got stuck in the door way. He had to call for help. I said to push it back into the store and take the door off the hinges …..

He did not think much of my idea until Craig said it. From now on I will tell another man to give my ideas to him. I spent a good bit of time transferring food from old fridge to new fridge. While I did that, the men tackled the commercial freezer. I managed to have them take out anything useful, the strip lights, the shelves, the fans, the wheels. Then they buried it in the far field, the land of dead mowers and such.

Then I had to grab the paint and paint the wall behind the old freezer before we put the old fridge in that place. After I cleaned the inside and outside and threw out all the food and condiments I no longer recognized.

By then Friday was here and I was exhausted. I managed a nap of about an hour and 8 phone calls. I could hear the phone, I could hear the birds outside, but that was the best nap in a long time!

Today I am still trying to find new homes for my cookie sheets and such. I miss that skinny cabinet.

5 comments:

River said...

You buried the old chest freezer? it could have been a great storage space for little used items like Christmas decorations. Well, that's the way I think anyway. I remember years ago my mother half buried her old bath tub and turned it into a fishpond.

Val said...

You are a go-getter, and a git-'er-doner! I'm sure that paint makes Mr. Bojangles even cuter.

ellen abbott said...

I have tried to buy a small freezer lately and from Lowes. got pretty much the same answer. as for the 40' container, my neighbor bought one and had it put on her property next to mine at the back to store some antiques and other stuff in. bad idea down here in our hot Texas sun and long summers. I imagine it was blisteringly hot inside that big metal box. she had two whirly vents installed on top last year.

Linda O'Connell said...

Glad you and your little growler accomplished so much. Hubby called Lowes for a freezer. Guy said they had two. We were there in a jiffy and asked the salesman where the freezers were. He claimed they were sold out. We explained we had just called. He had one on a dolly ready to be delivered to someone else who had "just called." We said, "We'll take that one." He wheeled it out to our car. I hope the other guy got his.
I thought sure you would repurpose that old one.

Joanne Noragon said...

Whirlpool is a good choice for service, at least in my experience.