Hurricane Cocina Makes Landfall--Category 5

Hurricane Cocina, as I affectionately call my kitchen remodeling project has finally made landfall! All weekend, the contents of cabinets were being evacuated to the living room, being sure to take shelter in their cardboard boxes. For the past two weeks, the kitchen has been category 2: in remodeling terms it means that the appliances have been functional and that most of the kitchen has been in working order. The installation of the new appliances and countertops (at right) went relatively well. I may have one small tweak with the microwave--something about flipping the breaker every time I run it longer than 45 seconds. But other than that small disruption, life has been relatively normal.

That peaceful order was disrupted this weekend when the call to evacuate finally came. The cabinets are now a ghost town, the wallpaper is peeling and we are in final preparation for the eye of the storm to hit! Meteorologists predict that the eye should pass through on Thursday, when the white paint will actually hit the cabinets full force. At this time, the unsightly floral wallpaper will be replaced with a much less busy coat of paint and texture. Until then, we are battening down the hatches, securing any loose debris, and don't worry, we have appropriate quantities of drinking water (but where did I pack those cups?).