The Refrigerator

At dinner, sitting across from the refrigerator, I found myself thinking about what an ideal refrigerator would look like.

First question: Is there such a thing as an ideal refrigerator? I think not. I speak from experience having spend most of my teaching career looking for the ideal briefcase. Never found.

Second question: If there was such a thing as an ideal refrigerator, what would it look like. I like my refrigerator to be in order at all times. Now don't be thinking "alphabetical" but at least in order by category. And be thinking room enough to accommodate our food needs.

Here are some of the qualifications for meeting the criterion of ideal. The cheeses and lunch meats need to be in their drawer and the vegetables and the fruit in their various drawers. The butter needs to fit in its keeper.

The large door shelf holds the gallon of milk and the Soy Moo. In turn, the other door shelves hold, each their own category: jams; condiments like mustards, catsup, mayo and relish. (I was very pleased when I found pickle relish in a plastic squeeze bottle so it could live with the mustards etc.) Next are salad dressings, yogurts, fruit cups, and cooking sauces. I think that is eight door shelves in all?

The inside selves must contain upcoming meals, melons (too big and too heavy for the fruit drawer,) breads, eggs (wish there was a dozen scooped tray but what would I do when I had a few extra eggs and a new carton waiting?) Dairy like cottage cheese, sour cream, and cream cheese must live on the shelves. Each seem to have their own geographic location on the inside shelves.

The rack holding the soda cans does well but since there are only two rows, I have had to narrow it down to diet coke and LaCroix Water.

I hate, having returned from a shopping trip, having to stuff everything into the cold box just to make them fit, so I guess the ideal would be to have a refrigerator that would be large enough, and compartmentalized enough to meet our needs and possibly room for expansion and variations.

I am aware that I continue to narrow down what kind of refrigerated food we need (read "What I buy.") so that everything will fit where it belongs. For example I cannot add one more variety of mustard as there is no room in that door shelf. Another example, recently Gregory asked me to buy little cups of Tapioca and Rice Pudding. I gave in since I love him but am anguishing over where to keep them in the scheme of things.

So there you have it. I could make you feel better and say that I am NEUROTIC but I'll bet you think about (or don't allow yourself to think about) the same things.

Next time, the FREEZER and the following time - PANTRY SHELVES.

Fire, Fire, Fire!

Was in the middle of reading an e-mail when our emergency alert system announced that we needed to evacuate the building. Helped Gregory get himself together, shoved the cat in her carry box, threw on my coat and filled my pockets.

Loud horn wailing, pulsing. Lights flashing. Recorded voice announcing. Wailing, pulsing, announcing. Urgent.

Felt the door for heat, opened it carefully, proceeded to the escape stairwell across from our unit. Checked there for smoke. Walked down four floors, out of the building into the street and around the block to the condo entrance. 

Within less than a minute of the alarm the fire department arrived. Firemen running into the command center of the building to determine what the problem was and what further action be taken. By now the alert stopped ringing and we reentered the building.

The alarm was prompted by a problem in the mechanical room. A water leak was from coming from the building humidifier (which was just turned on with the heat yesterday) and easily taken care of. 

Back now and cat freed from her carry box. I am always amazed that here in our condo of 250 units on 25 floors, I can feel safe and protected. The system works. And if it didn't we live one floor above the roof top garden and I have a folding escape stair under the kitchen sink that would easily allow us to escape over the balcony and to freedom.