Wednesday, December 14, 2011

ACK!

I have a small pile of new paintings (or, conversely, a new pile of small paintings) but I can't post pictures of them today because Derek took the camera to Whitefish.  So I will just tell you what happened to me last night.

I have a part-time part-time job.  Our friend Viki owns a shop -- Viki's Montana Mountain Classics.  She makes vinaigrettes and preserves and flavored vinegars and pies and truffles and fruitcake.  Viki hasn't been feeling so hot lately.  Chemo will do that to you.  So I went in to pour vinaigrette for her last night.  Two buckets of huckleberry, one of raspberry and one of honey poppyseed.  This is the routine:  first I get cases of empty bottles out of the shed, then fill a big flat bucket with water and a pinch of something that sanitizes the bottles.  In they go for a rinse.  Pour pour pour pour pour pour pour.  This involves stirring the vinaigrette with a whisk so, for instance, all those little huckleberries don't settle to the bottom, filling a pouring bucket, pouring almost three bottles, whisking again, filling again, pouring again, until the big bucket is empty.  Lids go on the bottles, then nice green paper toppers get shrinkwrapped to the top of the bottles, then labels.  The bottles hold 13.5 ounces, there are 12 bottles to a case, and I poured five cases of huckleberry.  Cleaned the whisk and the pouring bucket, then out to the shed for more bottles.  Poured a case and a half of raspberry.  Cleaned up again, and poured a case and a half of honey poppyseed.  The honey poppyseed pours like a dream!  With the huckleberry, I always end up with splatters everywhere because of the berries - I had huckleberry vinaigrette on my glasses, on my forehead, and probably in my hair.  But the honey poppyseed is smooooooth.  So here I am, ending the night on a high note.

Then I carried the flat bucket of water back to the sink, dumped it in, and flooded the whole kitchen.  ACK!  I saw water pouring out from under the sink, realized what was happening, and instantly had one of those brain-freeze panic moments.  I couldn't think what to do!  Water, water, everywhere and not a drop to drink!

When I came to my senses, I got it cleaned up and all was well.  But today my hands are killing me from excessive wringing out of a wet towel.  Lesson learned:  slow and steady wins the race.

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