circuspeanut, I didn't think it was possible to improve one of my all-time favorite kitchens, but you managed! That hood looks fantastic. pllog, your kitchen always makes me smile. I love the beauty and creativity. gsciencechick--fantastic fridge! cooksnews and firsthouse, your kitchens are also beautiful. I could easily see loving working in them every single day. holligator, definitely, we need pictures of that wonderful pear! I expected to feel ho hum about our kitchen after 5+ years and I can't believe that my heart still sings when I'm in it or when I look at it as I head up the stairs at night. If I had to pick one thing that gets my heart singing it would be the hutch-style cabinet we used as a separator between kitchen and table. The upper portion is glass on 3 sides and I adore it every time I look at it. I'm not big on ambient lighting but I love the way natural light (or even the light from the ceiling fixtures) streams through it and the privacy the hutch allows the 2 rooms while keeping them connected (I love separated rooms rather than open plans so this helps satisfy that desire.) The things I STILL often actively tell myself that I'm so glad we have/did are the much improved layout with lots of storage, prep sink (a biggie for me), 48" wide range (I love the room it allows for a 2nd cook--but I still really appreciate the expanse when I'm cooking alone), the warmth of our wood cabinets, lots of windows, and local stone counters. I also still really appreciate the way our dish drawer dw functions...and I still smile when I tuck our little tv into the cabinet over the fridge. And our improved mudroom, closets and powder room are also still well appreciated. It's great when things work out the way you hope.

We don't have kids or pets to deal with so our situation is easier. We haven't made many adaptations: I change towels and facecloths every day, (used to be twice a week), and I have a supply of cheap faceclothes in the kitchen for drying hands, wiping counters, etc. We are obviously washing hands and cleaning surfaces more often than usual but I haven't set up a disinfection station as such. I do now unpack groceries on the laundry counter (adjacent to but not in the kitchen), rinse the shopping bags there, and hang them outside on the line to dry in the sun. We don't have a freezer, and may have to think about finding a small one and squeezing it into our garage at some point, but where I live, supermarkets are still open and still delivering. We already have a small study, and a bedroom with exercise equipment, so those kinds of needs are already met as well. The guest bedroom is ready and waiting should one of us get sick. There's not much else we can do but wait it out and keep clear of oeople.

#1 Any germies on the mask came from you. I have one mask in my car I wear only when inside a building. Don't make this a prison. Calm down. Getting over paranoid is a waste of energy. #2 Yes you are safe to play with your dog. You always were. If you encounter a neighbor's dog and wish to pet it--do. Upon return to your home it is always good practice to wash your hands and keep them away from your face. #3 It is an airborne virus. It is virulent before people have symptoms. Wear your mask. Wash your hands. Stay home as a matter of lifestyle. Business have to start up..but that does't mean we should be willy nilly about leaving home. #4 Remember we stay home to slooow down who gets ill. NO ONE said this would save lives, they said they wanted to flatten the curve meaning decrease who is sick at any given time, so hospitals can deal with the worst cases and not lose people due to not being able to treat them. People spreading this I hope are unaware they have it because they are silent carriers or they aren't yet feeling ill. Which is why EVERYONE ALWAYS should wear a mask when inside a building. It helps all of us!!

I am low on stamina, but a few clicks here and there help us out. Unfortunately, the Yahoo Groups FreeCycle has closed down, but there is still Craigslist. Dallasannie, while I do get a lot of what you are describing, overall, I have to disagree while agreeing. But I sure do get the desire to find a best fit home for some things. Our mom would drive us a tad bonkers with her seeking perfect matches in various realms. I think you might have burned yourself out. And I truly understand how that can happen. I have had up and down medical woes and many commitments over the years. Then we inherited a lot of family things as our parents “aged out” of housing all sorts of thing. Huge collections of family photos and professional photos. Tools, furniture. Then there is the “our” stuff. On the other side, I have given great stuff away ($2500 organic natural/real, barely used queen latex mattress in a protective covering. Too firm and it took up too much real estate. I probably could have gotten some real useful cash for it, but pre Marie Kondo and with fatigue and aches decided just to give it away. Lots of calls and it went to a nice couple who’d been sleeping on the floor. They were thrilled, I was happy. When we need something, I keep watch on Craigslist etc.. Free pretty new good brand clothes dryer Free, nearly new KA white dishwasher. Guy said the grinder/disposal made a noise. We bought new crumb grinder. Nothing was wrong with it. Quiet unit, 3 years now. Purrs. Free. The couple really just wanted stainless, not white. Yay. Our smooth top kitchen range with convection fan oven broke on the top. Part not available. Found a free one, used it for a year, but burners were without enough OOMPH. One day, I looked for a used convection oven. Bada Bing! Local, nearly new. Spotless. Not white, but stainless-black. $200 versus $900 to $1600 for DW new. It had barely been used. Super clean. Shiny. Manuals online, for free. Score! I’ve given plants, shrubs, whatever away. Met a good buddy or two. Alisand, I have a colorful, not drab large oval braided wool rug that my sweet late MIL made. Needs to be repairs and resewn a tad. I have pure wool — kilt from Scotland, a navy pea coat, and some wool challis I bought decades ago before I came to understand that orange, spring leaf green and soft brown (paisley) were not the best colors for me. And I was never doing to use that otherwise wonderful fabric. I can use some of the (3-4? Yards) fabric to fix a few braided rugs, but, instead of my searching high and low for the one or two souls who might find it useful, I want to offer it to you. And, I always figuredI’d have time to get around to creating “painted” hooked rugs with nuanced shading, not “by number.” Who knew life is rich and jam pack with “To Dos?” PM me if you like it or want to see pic of fabric. And that doggone wool plaid short kilt, about size 8 or 10. Pleats stitched down at waist to hip. Looks cool with leotards or opaque stockings and kicky boots. Above knee length. Circa 1968. Too sweet to tear into strips for a rug (read Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar — remember the comment on her boyfriend’s or MIL’s rug? All that labor and care by a woman, only to have men’s thoughtless shoes trod over it. Wonder if that help conclude her decision to head toward the gas oven. Incredible sad. What a talent losses. ~~~ I love, collect, fix up vintage sewing machines. They take up time and space. Sometimes people give machines to me. I tune up machines for others, give some away. Help people resolve problems via online. Never worry about finding the perfect recipient who will appreciate something. Even a working vintage sewing machine (usually) will migrate to an appreciative new owner. Some don’t. One point A to point B efficient acquaintance just chucked a lovely Singer Redhead (“red eye”) treadle into the trash without even bothering to look for a taker. (“Free at curb...”). She’s a ismissive sort who Is e known for decades. A bit defensive, cold. Well, lo and behold surprise, a few weeks ago, she got into another psychological projection snit and hung up on me. Truly. What tha?! I am not surprised and don’t miss walking on eggshells. But, jeepers. Upshot: life has depth, connection, meaning and challenges. Give thoughtful fairness and decency. Don’t fritter time away over “stuff” you no longer want to fuss with. Share love, peace, goodwill, passion, fun, creativity. Don’t fret over dusty possessions or shallow, imperious people. There’s a lot of important real connection within your walls and beyond your threshold. Peace, stuff and beyond stuff ;-)