I Only Have a Kitchen Because It Came With the House

Something mystical and magical has happened in and around the domain of our kitchen the past while. The aroma of food cooked from ingredients has been wafting through the air much more than usual.

This all began in and around the time I took off at Christmas. I had twelve consecutive days off of work from all sources. I had few demands on my time and rarely had to leave this little sanctuary I like to call home. In order to stay put, I had to stock up on a few groceries.

The groceries I selected were easy to assemble meals. But they were meals which consisted of meat, potatoes, vegetables &/or a salad. I picked up a little fruit. I topped off any needed grocery items. Then I stayed home and hibernated.

It was a hibernation which included eating food, but it was hibernation none-the-less. I had to cook to survive.

This was the beginning of a time of subtle change.

I did very little more than soak up the solitude and better food choices. I pumped myself full of everything I needed to get through the longest part of winter. I shored up my reserves, set a few new intentions and headed into the new year in a better mind set than I've had for a while.

I made very few changes other than taking care of my feet, writing daily and eating a little better. A little self care + some writing therapy + healthier food choices = a more grounded "me".

This grounded version of myself has been able to make decisions, do hard things, endure tough days and walk forward from whatever life has had in store.

And ...

The reason I write all this today is because this grounded "me" is not using kitchen renovations as an excuse to indulge in take out food choices. I am cooking.

I had this conversation with the repair person I spoke to when I couldn't get our new-to-us oven to work yesterday (we now have a white fridge, microwave AND stove!). "I had planned on using the oven this weekend ...". I didn't add the part about hoping to heat up frozen pizza, but I did not tell a lie. The friendly repair guy gave me enough direction to figure out the puzzle of turning on the oven and voila! We were all ready and set to go.

This new-to-us stove is probably the oldest stove I've had to date. I don't want new "disposable" kitchen appliances. I want the old stuff. Appliances that were built to last (which come with a six month guarantee):

I'm loving the look of our new-to-us appliances!

I always like to show off my newly cleaned oven because one never knows when it may look like this again (unfortunately, our new-to-us oven came with the previous owner's cooking debris).

Guess what is in that pot on top of the stove. Homemade turkey soup. Yes! Sustenance for today and maybe a day or two beyond.

That is ... if it isn't too "sagey". I couldn't smell the aroma of sage and "turkey soup" so I thought I'd sprinkle just a little bit more sage. Only the lid wasn't firmly attached and 1/4 of the can of sage I just opened fell onto the top of the soup. This is what I was able to scoop off:

Despite the unfortunate sage incident, soup is still on and I will not fret about cooking today. I've done enough for one day. 

I am already enjoying puttering in our new kitchen and renovations are still underway. A new kitchen and I'm cooking in it too?! 

At this rate, I may need to find a new place for this: