Lifestyle Upgrade!

Today the nice handyman kind of guy moved my washer and dryer to the far end of the back patio. This required installing an electricity cut-off switch, removing a plastic water supply line, moving an external faucet to the place where the water supply line was attached, drilling a hole in the concrete for the electrical ground, cutting the plastic drain pipe and installing an elbow and upright so it will hold the drain hose, attaching the washer hose to the water supply, placing the drain hose, putting on the new dryer vent hose, and of course the actual moving of the washer and dryer.

He did a fantastic job, even removing the old ground point because it stuck up from the patio and pulling out the old brackets for the removed water supply and drain lines. Total cost? 800 baht including parts, or just under $24.

I now can shift clothes from the washer to the dryer while standing in one place instead of having to walk around both appliance doors. I now have room to walk around the patio table and chairs, making them easy to use. The patio looks nicer and feels nicer. I may sit out there this evening and have a glass of lemonade with my sweetie.

A bonus today was the successful giving away of some old Tupperware containers. They had been on the dining room table since the Great Ant Infestation when I removed everything from the kitchen to allow the use of chemical warfare. There’s hope I may have a cleared off table by mid-week. Then I can lay the pretty table scarf I bought to match the new throw pillow covers in the living room.

Salsa!

Today I made salsa. I used canned whole tomatoes because the fresh tomatoes here make the hothouse tomatoes in the US seem flavorful. I chopped up a small onion and three peppers that looked a lot like jalapeno peppers but probably weren’t. I used salt, pepper, garlic, MSG, and a bit of vinegar. I sauteed the onion, garlic and peppers in a bit of olive oil, then added it to the chunked up tomatoes. I added a bit of cornstarch to thicken the juice and simmered it a while. The initial taste tests were very promising, but we’ll know more later tonight when we try it with tortilla chips.

Broken Camera

Jim’s camera has stopped working. This is one reason why there have been no posts for a month. Posts with pics are so much nicer. I think we ought to take it in to the camera shop in the basement of The Mall.