Grill-icide

Last Saturday evening the plan was to have a couple juicy steaks, medium rare, sizzling happily on the grill. Many years ago, back in my apartment-dwelling days, I had purchased an electric grill at Service Merchandise. It was an awesome little thing, dark red and black, standing at the same height as a normal-size grill, but smaller capacity. It grilled burgers and steaks to perfection. It was easy to clean and was used many times every week during the spring/summer/fall seasons.

So on Saturday, I removed the cover, patted it fondly on its little lid, plugged it in and turned it on. It replied with a huge surge of heat and an explosion of sparks - - ka-POW! Needless to say, it committed grill-icide…

Half-expecting the poor little thing to be nearing its untimely demise after so many years of dutiful service, Lola and I had been to Wal-Mart at the end of the summer season last year and purchased a new grill, at an insanely low sale price, just in case something like this might happen. I had looked high and low for another electric grill, but was not able to find one. Instead we brought home a small free-standing gas grill. It patiently sat in its box snug in the garage through the winter and after the event on Saturday, Lola and I were anxious to assemble the new grill and fire it up for the season. Unfortunately, the new grill requires COMPLETE assembly, and since it was so late in the evening (8pm) and our tummies were hungry, I decided to put off the grill project until later in the week, and we broiled the steaks in the oven. They didn’t have the wonderful ‘outdoor taste’ but were good just the same.

Perhaps tonight we will have a nice rainy-day project. Lola is excited to help put the grill together. She likes putting anything together. Most of my furniture is that which I have assembled. I actually find it to be a relaxing (although sometimes frustrating if the only instructions provided are crudely-drawn stick-figure diagrams only understandable to the individual who drew them) hobby. Lola and I put the computer desk together. I have assembled sofas, dressers, chairs, desks, and bookcases. My next project (after I have saved the money to buy it) is one of those huge IKEA wall wardrobe units where the bed nestles in between the closet sections and has overhead storage with lighting and shelves and drawers. Most people I know who like to assemble things do it as quickly as possible. I find that it’s much more fun if I take my time. A 45-minute project like this grill may take me 1.5 hours just because I like to enjoy what I’m doing! And of course the cats have to supervise and Lola has to help and the phone will have to ring a few times during the process and it’s all good - - I wouldn’t have it any other way~!