I put the frozen solid baggie of chicken broth on the counter to thaw, then I went to the store. When I returned, I noted that everything I put down on the counter came away wet. What's this deal? The freezer bag has a hole in it, and my chicken stock is leaking all over the counter.
I put the leaky bag inside a larger bag and wondered just where I went wrong.
Then I decided to go for a bike ride. It was a nice day, the exercise is good for me, and I think it helps my mental outlook. So because I'm a really cool bicyclist and all that, I'm going to add a little air to my tires before I take off. I hook up the good old bicycle pump and realize the connector won't fit the valve stem on my bike. Well, no problem. I have another pump, a foot operated model. I hook that one up with no problem and start pumping away. Air is really whooshing around, but there doesn't seem to be much resistance to the foot pedal. I pump for a while, and it doesn't feel right. I check the tire.
No air. Completely flat.
It turns out that there's a hole in the tire pump.
Discouraged but determined, I put the bike rack on my car, strap the bike on the rack and head over to The Bike Route, where I get my tires inflated and buy a new tire pump for about $40. Well, it was on sale and it's a good pump.
Old Chainsaw |
I picked up my saw and left. I don't know quite why, but this whole business left a sour taste in my mouth. I feel like I got hosed somehow, I just don't know quite how. I don't expect the man to work for nothing, but to drop $40 just to find out it's going to cost a lot more to fix the chainsaw, and then the fix might not work seems to be a bit much.
I called my neighbor Margie and asked if she had a chainsaw I could borrow. As it happens, she did, but she didn't have any bar oil for it. No problem, I'll go out and get some at The Andersons. I must have walked the length of the store three times before I found the bar oil. All I can say is that I was following a customer service guy, and he was in worse physical shape than I'm in and he couldn't find it either. Well, I finally found the oil, bought a giant size can of it and went home.
I like chainsawing stuff up. It gets rid of a lot of frustrations... until the saw gets jammed in a tree limb and I have to dig out a dull trimming saw and work for a solid hour getting it unjammed.
Margie's Saw |
So me, not being too bright, offered to take it over to Janney's and let them work on it. I'm sure I'm going to get hosed again, but since the cursed thing was working earlier, the fix can't be all that bad. So I've got that to look forward to.
But dinner was a success. I've never made etouffee, although I've got several recipes for it, including one given to me by a professional chef from Wisconsin, which came with explicit instructions which emphasize keeping a fire extinguisher close at hand. And yes, the man was serious. Very serious.
I didn't use the recipe I got in Wisconsin, but the one I used was a civilian version of the same thing, and it turned out great. In particular, the recipe called for 14 ounces of chicken broth, and I discovered that only two ounces had leaked out of the bag, leaving exactly 14 ounces behind. Divine intervention, I think, played a big part in this one.
I think I'll have a brandy and hit the sack. Tomorrow starts a new week and a trip Memphis, where I'll enjoy barbecue and Beale Street. Here's how!