Thanksgiving Leftovers: And It Was Good

Ma and Pa MJ were visiting the Sow's Ear for Thanksgiving. As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, we roasted our first turkey, plus trimmings, etc.

We also taxed our small, dim 90's Civic kitchen heavily, what with three cooks making food for 20. Ma MJ, a modern day Prometheus of fluorescent light, decided to make an improvement in the situation. She decided to swap this (imagine a dingier, dimmer, painted on version):



For something brighter and more up to date. So did we rush out to Tyson's Corner or Montgomery Mall or Georgetown for Black Friday? Hell no. We went to Home Depot.

Ma MJ took the old fixture down by herself, early-ish one morning:



(I like how she gets all dressed in her cute clothes to do projects.)

She revealed big holes and the remainder of an older light fixture/connection in the ceiling.



She then enlisted helpers. Among other things, we held our arms in the air for really long stretches of time, struggled with previously used toggle bolts, and used a quarter-inch drill to make a 3/8 inch hole.



Finally, sometime in the afternoon, the new fixture was up. But it would not turn on.



We decided the ill-conceived and ill-placed (although hand painted green to match the tile!) rheostat knob was to blame. After another trip to the hardware store (an hour before closing time), we were installing a proper switch.



Rheostat remnants:



With the light now working, we struggled to snap the cover in place (arms in air for another long period of time).



A day's worth of work later, our new light is brightening up our kitchen like our own personal sun.



Now if the dishwasher would actually wash dishes instead of coating them in soap scum, we'd have a revolution on our hands.

(Photos here mostly courtesy of Pa MJ (not pictured)).