Sticky shelves and science projects

It all started as I was trying to re-arrange the shelves in my refrigerator to make room for the thawing turkey and to assure that I would also have room for the desserts that I will be baking this week. I began to move things around and open up containers to see what was inside. My first clue that there was a problem came when I had a hard time actually moving items on a shelf. When I finally did manage to pull the item from the shelf it brought a string of goo with it. Someone had spilled something sticky in the fridge and hadn't cleaned it up. Definitely time to clean out the fridge. I removed items shelf by shelf and opened containers. I love my Tupperware containers, they are great for storing leftovers. However, when these same containers are forgotten or shoved to the back of the shelf, they make great vessels for holding science experiments. You know, the kind where you see how much mold you can grow, or the experiment in fermentation where the gases from the fermenting material causes the container to swell and expand, sometimes causing the lid to come completely off. I located several experiments of the mold growing variety, unintentionally created I can assure you.

By the time I had finished cleaning and re-arranging my refrigerator I had located several "missing" Tupperware containers and the science experiments that they held. I also managed to free up quite a bit of space so that I was able to place my turkey on a shelf to thaw. I washed every shelf, even removing the two crisping pans and wiping down the bottom of the fridge. I can't remember the last time I did this, so it has been a while. I now have room for my desserts as well. I will bake my pumpkin cheesecake today and tomorrow's baking project will be pumpkin roll. I try to time my baking so that I will have the room available in the fridge, but it doesn't help matters that I also have to thaw the turkey in the fridge at the same time.

Jacqueline had a function that she had to attend last night. She is in the chorus at school and they had to sing at a "community" Thanksgiving celebration last night. It was held in the cafeteria at the school. Since we were unsure how long it would take, I stayed, rather than dropping her off and having to go back to get her. I did not go into the cafeteria, but rather stayed in the band room. I had taken my cross stitch with me to pass the time. I am almost done with it. I am doing the outlining and I am so pleased with it's appearance. One of the girls, Consuela, came over to look at my cross stitch and to ask questions. She commented that I was so talented. She is also aware that I made and donated scarves for the band to raffle off as a fundraiser. It's a sad state of things when today's kids are so easily amazed by such simple skills.

I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised by Consuela's amazement. After all, some of the younger people that I work with were amazed to find out that I make pickles and sauerkraut. So many skills are being lost because this younger generation has been taught to just get it from the store. There are certainly times when getting it from the store is easier, but there is a lot to be said for the feeling associated with using something that you have created yourself. Speaking of creating........I have to go make cheesecake.