Category: House & Home

New Microwave

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Thursday I noticed our microwave was humming when not in use. I thought that didn’t seem normal and found out that it was an indication of something failing internally. It’s 23 years old, purchased back in 2002 at Walmart when we were still in our apartment, so it’s the only microwave we’ve ever owned and it has worked flawlessly. It even looks great after more than two decades of use. The idea we’d have to part with it was bumming us out.

Due to its age many parts are unavailable, but a door sensor still is, so we ordered that from Amazon on the off chance it was the culprit. Joe switched it out on Friday and sadly it did not stop the humming. We came to terms with the fact that we’d need to buy a new one and for the past few days have been unplugging it when not in use since it’s something we use daily and was in fact still working fine, but was now a fire risk.

Normally I would have done a ton of research and plugged all the data into Excel to figure out the best model to get, but with the way I’ve been feeling I just didn’t care that much. I was originally thinking of getting another GE, but I read on Reddit that the Panasonic inverter ones were better so I focused on those. Plus GE pissed me off after we bought our refrigerator and learned they designed it so that only their expensive water filter would work and therefore couldn’t buy third party ones for much cheaper, so I didn’t want to give them my business anymore. I found a Panasonic microwave at Costco that I was considering since the price and features were right, but I wasn’t crazy about how it looked.

This morning we went to Target to pick up a prescription and decided to peek at their microwaves and there was one Panasonic left that was the same style as Costco but with a different color scheme (Costco was black around the door with stainless on the control panel whereas the Target one was stainless around the door and black on the control panel which I liked better due to all the fingerprints you’d see on the stainless). Target’s price was $10 more than Costco but we had just gotten a $10 off coupon at the pharmacy for Joe getting his flu shot, so it ended up being a little less with the Target card 5% discount.

It’s similar is size to the old microwave – about an 8th of an inch shorter in width and slightly taller, but capacity wise it’s slightly larger (1.2 vs 1.1 cubic feet) and a little more powerful (1250 watts vs 1100). I don’t love the split color scheme or the reflectiveness of it, but oh well, I will get used to it like I had to do with our refrigerator. Sound wise I find it to be a little deeper, and it was annoying me this morning, but the old microwave was irritating my ears lately too.

Other things I do not like about the new microwave:

— The keypad is so dark yet reflective it’s difficult to read the text on the buttons.

— Because the door is stainless steel, fingerprints quickly accumulate. We will have to adjust how we handle the door, but using the bottom or top so as to not leave marks. I’m glad we didn’t get the Costco version where the stainless steel was on the buttons (although at least those can be read easier).

— The cooling fan is so powerful you get a cold breeze on you if you’re standing in front of the unit while it’s running. Unlike the old microwave where the vents were on the left side but toward the back of the unit, this one is closer to the front. There must also be fans on the bottom of it because the breeze seems to be coming from the left bottom half of the unit. It’s quite weird. I don’t recall ever feeling any air on me when the old unit was running.

— The unit is very lightweight compare to the old microwave so every time you use it, it shifts on the stand.

— The inside is dark which makes it feel less inviting.

— The bulb is a white-light LED which makes that cold and uninviting feeling more noticeable.

— The running time on the display is shown as a decimal instead of a colon. The colon only appears for the clock.

— After pressing the 30 second button, you still have to press start (old unit would start after a brief delay (to make sure you weren’t going to press the button to add more time)).

— After cooking is complete, a zero remains on the display for a minute before going back to the clock even if you’ve opened the door to remove the food. No one thought to program it to reset once the door has been opened.

It does heat up things more evenly than the old unit, though, so there’s that. I just wish more thought was put into the design. Everyone is trying to make appliances look sleek yet forget about the user experience.

We are slowly going from all white appliances in the kitchen to stainless steel. Personally, I don’t care for stainless due to how easily it is to see fingerprints and other marks on it, but there are more options in stainless appliances than in white these days. In fact, I couldn’t find a Panasonic white microwave with an inverter or I would have considered it.

Oh and in case you weren’t aware – “inverter microwaves offer continuous, graduated power for more even cooking, better preservation of food texture and nutrients, and improved energy efficiency compared to traditional microwaves, which use a full-power, on-and-off cycling system”.

Hot Water Heater Installation

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We had our water heater replaced yesterday. Unlike last time, we planned it. While it hadn’t failed, it was 14 years old, so it was just a matter of time. We chose ABT since they have good prices and employees. And while I liked our installers (D and R), once again I’m reminded why I get so anxious about such events.

Things started off poorly when I was informed by the head guy, D, that the wall cabinet had to come down for them to do the work. I was rather dumbfounded, because that wall cabinet was there in 2007 when the last water heater was installed and I don’t think the plumber touched it, and he was working by himself! Now, I could be wrong, but if he did, he certainly treated it better than these guys did (more on that in a bit).

Shortly thereafter, I was also informed that due to the existence of a check valve on the line, ABT was required by code to install a thermal expansion tank (I believe the check valve was installed a few years ago when the village put in a smart water meter). However, ABT didn’t have one with them and would have to come back to install that part at a later date for cost ($50). When I told Joe, he asked if he could swing by Home Depot to buy one and have them install it and they said yes and showed us what to get (which just so happened to be what Joe was looking at). Within a half hour he dropped it off (one of the perks of working so close to home). We saved $20, but more importantly, having to empty the laundry room a second time (although I confirmed the cabinet would be able to stay put on the second visit).

After the old heater was removed, the head guy asked if I wanted to clean the area so I used the Shark handheld to get rid of 14 years of cobwebs and dirt. The water was off by then so I couldn’t mop the area, but I did have a spray bottle of just water that I used to wet some paper towels and do a quick wipe of the floor. It was by no means perfect, but you can’t really see anything back there once the new heater is in place anyway.

As for the cabinet, I did not realize that the way Joe put it up originally, using something called Molly Bolts, hindered the guys’ ability to reinstall it the same way because they didn’t say anything to me. Apparently, once disconnected, the bolts fall into the wall so you have to use new ones. I’m guessing either they didn’t have any, didn’t want to do it that way, or felt it would be better to use screws into the studs. Regardless, I wish they would have at least ASKED me! Because I would have told them to leave it alone and Joe could have put it back up later. Now it sits a bit to the right and higher than before. I’m short enough, so I don’t like that. Not to mention the wall looks bad around it, and they left a misplaced screw in the wall which also looks bad. Oh and the bins I had sitting on top of the cabinet barely fit and scrape the ceiling. UGH!

In addition, the linoleum tile was scratched to shit in some places and one tile in particular has a very dull spot on it now. Whether Joe did that when moving the washer and dryer, or the installers did, I’m not certain, but this is why I hate having work done. It’s like no one is careful with the surrounding finishes! I’ve made notes for any future work in that room since people cannot be trusted to be careful in other people’s homes.

Oh, and the new water heater is louder that the old one because of course it is. All appliances seem to be louder these days because they’re made with cheaper parts and less insulation to equal more profit for companies and less contentment for consumers.

October Recap

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10/02 (Wed) – Discovered the deliciousness of pork schnitzel.

10/04-10/06 – Extended Weekend Recap

10/06 (Sun) – The first dark-eyed juncos of the year were spotted behind our house.

10/08 (Tue) – Started using eBird checklists which can be fun, if not a bit frustrating when entering species into the app. I like being able to add my photos to the checklist later on, though. I’m very much into documenting things, so I’m not sure why I didn’t get into birding checklists sooner. It’s like Pokemon Go, but with birds!

Finally saw the Northern Lights, aka Aurora Borealis.

10/09 (Wed) – Updated my iPhone to iOS 18. Liking the new photos app in particular. I think it’ll be time for a new phone next year as I heard this is the last iOS that will be available for the iPhone 11. I haven’t had any issues with this phone, but I am looking forward to getting one with better cameras.

10/10 (Thu) – Pulled out my newest Halloween decor purchases. The ghost solar light (Dollar Tree) ended up being a cool white LED which I didn’t care for, so no more were purchased. The towel (also Dollar Tree) was hung from the oven handle, and the bat (from Old Time Pottery) was hung from the left side of the fireplace mantel.

Shared a photo on Facebook of the orange mums from Meijer still looking good, with an owl I added to the hanging basket.

Took another stab at photographing the Northern Lights with my phone.

10/11 (Fri) – Decorated for Halloween inside.

Went to Mallard Lake after Joe got off work and spotted this beautiful juvenile bald eagle.

The sky was also pretty at the end of our walk as the sun was getting closer to setting.

10/12-10/13 – Weekend Recap

10/15 (Tue) – Got a halfway decent photo of the comet Tsuchinshan–ATLAS.

10/16 (Wed) – Lincoln Marsh

10/19-10/20 – Weekend Recap

10/20 (Sun) – Started practicing standing on one leg to see how long I could do it since reading it’s good for one’s mental and physical health. Proud to report I was able to go a full minute on each leg and only 40 seconds was needed in my age group.

Also saw my first ever Blue Jay behind the house. It was eating some of the bird seed I had put by the tree. I could not grab my camera quickly enough to get photographic evidence.

Went to Aldi, only to find they rearranged the majority of the aisles. Nothing makes sense anymore!

10/21 (Mon) – Got our first male downy woodpecker at the suet feeder. He has a spicy attitude and will peck at any sparrow trying to access the feeder, so we named him Loki. Our talkative female downy is named Lulu, so we are doing L names I guess. We haven’t yet named what we think is a second female downy.

10/22 (Tue) – We had a hawk sneaking around out back looking for a meal.

10/23-10/27 – Anniversary Extended Weekend

10/28 (Mon) – Spent a lot of time sitting out on the patio knowing the last nice day was coming soon. I don’t know how I’m going to make it through winter.

10/29 – Air Fryer review

10/31 – Halloween

New Food & Beverage Recommendations

7-UP Shirley Temple.

I’m not sure what it’s supposed to taste like, but I liked the flavor, so I plan to get more.

Trader Joe’s Sesame Honey Cashews

A little pricey at $8, but very yummy! We only eat a small handful at a time.

Notable movies this month:

We watched 1-2 horror movies every night in October, and these are the ones we had never seen before which I thought were the best.

Don’t Hang Up – I had some issues with the killer’s motive, not to mention a few plot holes, and I wasn’t scared by this, but it was interesting enough to keep me off my phone so that’s a successful movie in my book.

Gonjiam Haunted Aslym – Actually creepy, if not predictible.

Late Night With The Devil – Very unique premise that kept us glued to the TV trying to figure out where it was going on.

Tucker & Dale vs Evil – Horror comedy that kept us entertained.

August Recap

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08/04 (Sun) – We attended Carol Stream’s annual charity dog show. I was disappointed that our vet and former groomer didn’t have booths this year as it would have been nice to see them. We watched a few events but it was quite hot out without much shade so we didn’t last longer than about an hour.

That evening at 11:30 pm I was in bed when I heard what I thought was hooting. I thought I was hearing things since I’ve never heard an owl in the summer before, but sure enough, it turned out to be a Great Horned Owl in the pine tree behind our house. I sure hope it makes this area part of its territory and has babies.

08/07 (Wed) – I started feeling frustrated with the guy who was temporarily staying with our neighbor in order to attend said neighbor’s son’s wedding. In fact, he got married on the 3rd but the guy was still there. The problem – he would sit out on their patio all day smoking, effectively ruining my ability to relax out on my own patio because the smoke smell is disgusting. He’d be in and out all day long. Just when I though it was safe to go out there, he’d be back lighting up another cigarette.

One day I was already out there and had to leave when he lit up. I feel like if you see someone sitting that close you should go somewhere else to smoke, but I guess not everyone thinks about or cares how their actions affect others.

08/09 (Fri) – I noticed a distinct size difference between the cherry tomatoes growing on the plant in the planter (left) vs the cherry tomato plant we planted in the ground (right).

The in ground plant is smaller and took longer to produce tomatoes, but they’re much larger. They’re both the same exact plant too. Very interesting.

08/10-08/11 – Weekend recap

08/12 (Mon) – Joe replaced all 4 dampening straps in our washing machine. This is the second time this year they’ve needed to be replaced and the frequency is only increasing. I told him we need to bite the bullet and get a new one – the current one is 14 years old now.

08/13 (Tue) – I made Mexican cornbread casserole for the first time since spring of 2019. My weird health issues began one night after eating some leftovers of the dish so I couldn’t stomach making it again for years. Luckily I was able to eat it with no ill effects.

We found some unique canned coffees at Dollar Tree, like this Twinkie flavored one, that are actually really good (although it just tastes like vanilla, not a twinkie) and have some respectable ingredients which was surprising.

We also tried a Snickers flavored one which actually does taste like a Snickers. I’d buy them again.

08/14 (Wed) – I finally set up the RAID system on the NAS Joe bought last month and tested it by transferring over some files. It’s going to be a big project to get everything on there but luckily I started a spreadsheet a few months ago to track where certain files are stored and backed up, plus I cleaned up a lot of folders on my hard drives as well as Google Drive and Dropbox, so it could be worse. I think I will relegate that project to late fall when it’s too cold to be going outside much.

08/16 (Fri) – After much research and frustration, I ordered a new GE washing machine from ABT. I didn’t want another GE appliance, but they were the only top-loading machine (front loaders don’t work in our space) that could comfortably fit in the space we have and still offer the features I wanted (most notably, being able to choose the water height instead of relying strictly on auto-sensing). Most manufacturers have increased the physical size of their machines while keeping the capacity inside the same. They also have made them so tall that most don’t clear the wall cabinets when you open the door, so GE was our only option. That being said, it’s actually bigger inside than our old machine and has a lot more features, but didn’t break the bank ($500 after price match, Rakuten rebate, and manufacturer rebate), so hopefully it lives at least as long as the last one. I considered a Speed Queen but the price was more than double and the capacity was actually smaller than what we had so that killed that idea.

08/17-08/18 – Weekend recap

08/20 (Tue) – My friend C came over and we were able to enjoy the patio without any smokers (that guy finally went home) or landscapers (who lately just show up on any random day they please instead of the days they are supposed to be here) interfering. The hummingbirds were quite active, putting on a show of quarreling and even buzzing around us in curiosity. The weather was perfect too! I just feel awful that my friend is having a lot of cognitive issues. She’s in her late seventies and has been having severe memory issues to the point where she had to stop driving, so her husband drove her to my house and we drove her back home later once Joe got off work. She forgets what she’s saying mid sentence and gets understandably frustrated. It’s scary to witness because the same thing happens to me and I’m like 31 years younger than she!

08/21 (Wed) – At the end of July I ordered $300 worth of swimwear from Kohl’s because they barely carry anything in store. Out of the nine things I ordered, two worked out – a pair of swim shorts and a top that looks like a sports bra – which will replace my swim skirt that annoyingly floats up and my bikini top that was murdering my neck having to tie it tight enough to keep things in place. Now I have to return $220 worth of the rejects to the store and I’m not looking forward to it. I would much rather try things on in store and walk out with only what I need. Crazy concept, I know!

08/22 (Thu) – As soon as Joe got home from work we headed to the grand opening of the new Bibibop.

Luckily at 4:20 pm the line wasn’t too long. Outside there was a booth with a Plinko type game with prizes; I won a bubble pop fidget bracelet/keychain. Once we got to the front of the line outside, we each got scratchers and won a free cookie and a drink and then were ushered inside. They were also giving away free Bibibop for a year, which two people won while we were there, but we weren’t so lucky.

Everyone was really nice and the whole event was very well organized. I was impressed! You could tell they were prepared, and we only waited about a half hour total.

08/24-08/25 – Weekend recap

08/30-08/31 – Labor Day Weekend recap

June Recap

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06/01 (Sat) – Put out the new welcome mat we got from Walmart. The dog related one we got years ago, also from Walmart, was discolored and faded, so it was time.

We also decluttered and organized the garage, mostly the tool side since the storage bin side was still in good shape.

Tried Taco Bell’s limited time Big Cheez-It Tostada.

Was it good? Yes! Is it worth $4? I don’t think so. I did enjoy it, though. They took my favorite item off their menu so a trip to TB is rare these days.

06/06 (Thu) – Finally got window treatments installed on all the upstairs windows. It hasn’t been a priority, and I was feeling decision paralysis because I wasn’t sure if I wanted them to all match or not. Plus with the new windows installed they cannot be mounted on the inside of the frame, which I prefer, so I just wasn’t excited about anything. Finally just went with a blackout cellular shade in the workout room / Joe’s bedroom (yes, we sleep separately, and no, it has not ruined our marriage *), light-filtering cellular shades in the office, and room darkening vinyl pull-down shades in the main bedroom (because there’s already curtains installed as well). All of them were obtained from Lowes and are not the highest quality but they look nice so I don’t care.

* When I was sick in 2019 we started sleeping in separate rooms because I would toss and turn all night long and Joe needed his sleep since he was the only one working. Then when I got better we decided it made more sense for us both to get quality sleep by not sharing a bed. He snores and I’m a fairly light sleeper in general.

06/07 (Fri) – Discovered our cherry tomato plant, which we bought less than a month prior, had tomatoes growing on it. Then the next day they were gone, eaten by something.

06/08 (Sat) – We went to K’s house to hang out with her and her friend, J. We’ve met a few times but this was the first time we really could talk extensively. I really like her, and it was a fun day.

06/10 (Mon) – Next door neighbor got a puppy – a black lab & Saint Bernard mix named Hank. We’ve never really spoken to the neighbor until later in the month when she was out with her boyfriend and the puppy. Since then we’ve gotten to play with the puppy a couple of times. He’s super cute and is gonna be a big dog.

06/16 (Sun) – Learned that they’re opening a Bibibop (Asian fast food place) close to home. There are two about equidistant apart from us but still a half hour drive. The new one will be less than 10 minutes away. I’m happy because our preferred location shares a parking lot with the emergency vet we took Wookie to right before she passed so I can’t bear to go back there now… and for whatever reason didn’t want to go to the other location, so I haven’t had my fix in months.

06/22 (Sat) – Put out the memorial garden stone my mom sent us for Wookie. It’s by the front door where its less apt to get stepped on by any of the landscapers.

Went to see Joe’s daughter’s new condo and had lunch with her and her SO at Pepe’s near their new home. We haven’t eaten at a Pepe’s in years and it’s not nearly as good as I remember so I doubt we’ll go back.

06/27 (Thu) – Watched the presidential debate. Boy was that a mistake. How have we come to this? Our choices are between an evil piece of shit or a guy with dementia. We’re screwed unless both these guys drop dead before November. One can hope!

Went to Old Time Pottery to look for some inexpensive garden décor and found these items for 25% off.

Spent less than $20 and that includes a large pinwheel I plan to place in the front by our tree. The one I got from Dollar Tree a few years back looks frayed already even though I didn’t use it until a month or two ago. It’s fabric, though, and the OTP one is plastic, so it should last longer.