Kitchen Update

       It's way past time for the 1951 kitchen to be updated in this house.  I've been talking/thinking updating the kitchen since 1990 but never felt like I really wanted to commit to the mess and inconvenience of a remodel.  But since I have been retired and spending more time at home, the kitchen has been bitching at me and asking for a facelift.
     The rust peeking out along the edges of the kitchen sink, the lack of counter space, the broken tiles constantly clattering to the floor from the overhang on the counters, the claustrophobic feel of the space when more than two people wander in to fill up their plates  and the fact that I have NO DISHWASHER...
     The dishwasher is a big thing for me.  Before moving into this house, I lived in my Grandpa Joe's house.  Before he passed away, he had a small apartment size dishwasher installed in his kitchen.  I and my two young kids moved into the house after my Grandpa died.  The apartment sized dishwasher was a perfect size for our little family.   
     When Randy and I married, we needed a bigger house as we were planning on another child.  The house that suited our needs was the house I currently live in AND it had no dishwasher.  But that wasn't a problem... because Randy promised me that he would do the dishes. 
    Randy also wasn't too whoopee about updating the kitchen... he used to say "the kitchen is just a room we walk through on our way to the restaurant."  That was mostly true.  By the time the two older kids were out of the house and it was just Randy, me and little Ramie, we had our favorite restaurants we frequented on a regular basis. 
   We would go to Andy's on 1st because of the trains (and the food).  Ramie would hear the train whistle and Randy would grab her and off they would run to watch the train whiz through Fremont.  This would happen several times during a meal.  Marci's on Broad Street was another favorite.  One time we were driving down the street and Ramie spotted the owner walking on the sidewalk.  She pointed at him and shouted "Eats."  We tried to tell her his name was Paul but it was a long time before she would call him anything other than eats.    Valentino's had a great buffet, Happy Inn was our place for Chinese and we had a couple of great places we liked when we craved breakfast for supper.  The thing is - I didn't have to cook all that much and Randy didn't have to do dishes all that much - the kitchen just wasn't a big deal.

     But like I said... I retired and the kitchen has been speaking to me.  Randy passed away 14 years ago and I don't walk through the kitchen on my way to the restaurant as much as I used to.  And I have to admit, the dishes pile up considerably before I attempt to wash a bowl or two for breakfast cereal or some soup.  I know - I am pathetic... but a dishwasher would be nice in my old age.  I think Randy would approve.
     Since I have been thinking about this remodel for three decades, I have had a chance to refine my ideas and formulate a plan.  I watched a gazillion episodes of horrifying remodeling episodes on HGTV and of course I lived through some epic remodels implemented on our  four family homes by my late mother, Alyce.  She is and always will be my inspiration as she spent a lifetime devoted to DIY home improvements.  
    I imagine Randy is fretting a bit about the money I am spending, Dad is chuckling as he asks him if he really thought I would leave the kitchen alone and Mom is smiling as she looks down at this growing mess from on high.  I also imagine her saying a little prayer and a validation - "Very good grasshopper." 
​    And so it begins...

​(My beautiful Mom - Alyce Mae Green - Smith pictured in the Greenhouse)























​










​
​