“Remoted” – Day 68 (Saturday)

Another leisurely (some may say wasted) day in the four-day mini staycation. It was nicely paced with no strenuous activities and quiet time reflecting on recent events and non-events including substitute graduation ceremonies, the weeks-long procrastination of tidying up the enclosed front porch for summer use as a seating area, and the incident of the salad dressing cruet.

Between a garden salad on Wednesday and Thursday’s kale, farro, and roasted squash salad, the dressing cruet was emptied of the house made red wine vinaigrette. Somehow, with the ensuing food scraps in the disposal and dishes in the sink, the cruet stopper also found its way into the garbage disposal. This was apparent when it was run and the abnormal sound was heard. The stopper was fished out, a bit scratched, but seemed ok.

The stopper danced with the disposal.

The rubber end piece was cut the last time the stopper danced with the disposal, causing it to collect and retain water when washed. The rubber end was removed for washing. The stem was broken inside and glass bits bounced into the sink. With a rubber glove clad hand, a fork, and a flashlight, bits were retrieved. The disposal was tested. It makes a sound like it wants to run, but doesn’t. The two metal spinny parts move freely, so clearly there is a piece of glass in there somewhere jamming up the works. 

Now the garbage disposal can be added to the fix-it list with the washing machine, which is not level and has been limited to the hand wash cycle for about two years. There is also the need for new, secure deck rails, as the ones currently installed are loose and not anchored to the ground. Then there is the fence project, needed because guests of the party-house neighbors backed into it and knocked it down. Today’s entertainment and distance socializing included a visit from a fence guy for measurement and pricing.

The easiest fix on the list was the salad dressing cruet. An Internet search delivered an overwhelming number of options. Some were just silly. Twenty-five dollars for a glass cruet that used to be part of the Seven Seas dressing kit? No thanks. But there are stoppers aplenty. Crystal, cork, stainless steel, silicone. Dozens (nay, hundreds!) of styles in a variety of colors and quantities. Some of the product descriptions offer amusing English translation efforts including “with grip top for keep the wine fresh” and “utilize wine stoppers to serve yourself well.” 

After a journey down the online shopping rabbit hole that consumed between one and two hours of mini-staycation day one, the “Buy Now” button was pushed. Top contenders in silicone included a set of eight stoppers in four colors, six stoppers in six colors, or five red stoppers. The prices were great, but the quantity was overkill. At best, two stoppers are needed at any time – one for the dressing cruet, one for a wine bottle. 

The ultimate winner in stopper shopping was a set of two wine bottle openers with silicone grip handles and two silicone stoppers. This solves the obvious stopper issue, and the other issue that is top of mind for about thirty seconds when uncorking a new bottle. The wine bottle opener owned since a brief stint working in a hoity-toity private dinner club immediately after graduating college hurts my hand. But once I’m done and toss it back in the drawer, it’s forgotten until the next bottle. The new wine opener has a nice looking grip, and luckily, the wine opening hand is different than the hand cut Friday while bagging a broken ceramic planter for the trash. Friday was a rough day with sharp objects.