Mumble, Mumble, Toil and Grumble

It's just whine and wise-cracks today so if you don't want to hear my complaints, run now!
First up, the weather. Two days ago it was warm and dry. Last chance BBQ weather, I thought. So I pulled a steak out of the freezer. I get up this morning and there is so much frost on the ground that it looks like it snowed. Now how am I going to get the grill hot enough to cook? Hah! Beef stew again.
Next, small appliances, big food. I have a toaster that is forty years old and works just fine except that the slots aren't big enough to accommodate modern bread. A few months ago, I got tired of cutting slices in half before toasting and decided to replace it. I couldn't find a basic, two slice toaster that was smaller than a Volkswagen. Modern toasters are huge, roundish things. Not only ugly, but space eaters. I have a big house, but I don't intend to use any square footage for a toaster.
I would have forgotten the whole thing except in a little while I am going to shop for a new mixer. Again, my mixer is very old, but I only use it three or four times a year for whipping cream, making frosting, or mixing paint. It is small enough that when the blades are off, I can store it in a drawer.
At Thanksgiving, I noticed a clanking noise coming from the beaters that makes me uncomfortable. I went to the store last week expecting to replace it, but again found that although my television could fit in a small suitcase, modern mixers are bigger than my sewing machine.
But Jerry assured me that he saw a normal size appliance at the mall the other day, so I am going to shop today, one of the most frantic shopping days of the year. Not because I need a mixer that desperately, but because Jerry loves dodging through crowds of grumpy Christmas shoppers. It's as close as he comes to dancing.
I never enjoy shopping, so it is all the same to me, but with the mood I'm in, that mixer better be there.
Nancy Sherer