Wiped out

It took some doing to find a fridge in-stock that fit the small space I have, but I did eventually find someone who had one, and it was $30 off, too.

Because whoever removed the fireplace didn't remove the chimney, the only way to fit even the smallest normal-size stove and fridge into the space next to the chimney was to make the doorway narrower.  After some negotiation and measuring, the guys did agree that making two right-angle turns was easier than going in a straight line and trying to squeeze through a door a hairbreadth wider than the fridge, so it came in the back door, like every other appliance. 

To do that meant rearranging the back porch so they had enough room to make a three-point turn.  Fortunately, (knock wood) this month I haven't been getting light-headed when I bend down, so I could actually pick stuff up.  And discovered how many times over the past 7 years someone was told "put that in the basement" and just tossed it out the back door, hidden behind something else.  Even some of my expensive tools were out there, and rusted because the rain does come in through the screens (duh -- they aren't glass windows to keep the rain out).

This morning, I unloaded the old fridge.  With all the rest periods, it took 2 hours, and then I collapsed on the couch with severe back pain from all the bending and lifting.  Luckily, they were running late, so I had 2 hours to lie down before I had to put everything back in the new fridge. 

My arm muscles were already so weakened from overuse that I could barely lift the shelf to move it to a position that would accommodate a container of milk.  And that was before I started loading the fridge.  :( 

By the time I was done, I had to lie down before I fell down, with pain level through the roof.  Fortunately, I had a couple spare pain pills so I could take some this afternoon.  I was so exhausted that I slept a couple hours, and am still horizontal.

At that, I simply stuck things in the fridge the fastest way possible and figured I'd organize them when I feel better.

Some of the things in the back of the freezer, that I wasn't able to farm out, still had chunks of ice on them when I put them back in!  Mom always said that when she was working for the electric company in the 1950s, they told customers that in the case of a power outage, if they left the door closed, things in the freezer would stay cold for four days.  There's your proof.

Since the ice cream was the first thing to go when the freezer malfunctioned, Brian was nice enough to bring me some choc chip mint on his way home from work, so I had a hot fudge sundae for dinner.  I wasn't up to fixing anything that took more time, and choc chip mint is safer to mix with the pain pills than margaritas! ;)

Any bets on how many days I'll be in bed after this exertion?