where not to put metamucil

Don't think like that. This isn't that kind of blog.

So. In my first attempt at new homemaking, I decided to start with the pantry. Not a bad idea. It's one of the most-used areas of the house after the refrigerator, and it isn't organized in a way that really promotes organization. I made a pretty good go of it. Old food went down the disposal, other items found their way to the recycling or garbage. Down to the very last thing, the huge canister of Metamucil.

I have this pharmacist friend who insisted that I start taking it daily, but 3 years later and the darn thing was just standing sentry in the back of the pantry. I knew just the thing to do with it. I brought the 2+ lbs. of powdered mess over to the garbage disposal, dumped it in, ran some water, and took Ace outside to play with a neighbor girl while the water worked it's magic.

And this is what I returned to (if you have a queasy stomach, perhaps don't look too closely):

That is a 2-inch layer of almost solid---way more solid than old jello---Metamucil.

I tried the disposal, and it died. Yikes. So I started scraping it out. 2 hours later, I was still trying to scrape and dump. Check this pretty little thing:

I know, gross right? Thankfully, it smelled like orange popsicles. But I tried everything. Pouring hot water down (turns out this is not a good idea---it can thicken substances and cause more resistance against the blades). Trying to move the blades with a spoon -- probably not the smartest idea. Finally, I called Mom Hawk and she said, among other things, see what you can find on the web.

Good idea. Why didn't I think of that? I'd already looked to see how much a replacement cost (around $60) so I knew I had to fix this myself rather than call in professional help. Good. That means I can fix it myself. And after all, I'm a homemaker now. No better time like this moment.

I found a great site, but shux, I can't find it in my history so I can't post it here. If I do, I'll update this post. The guy was great. I learned two major things about disposals. First, there is a red button that acts as a safety switch, so when I heard mine die I was really hearing the switch power it off to save the motor. Second, if you have a hex wrench, you can turn the blades. I had no idea. None. So I found the right hex wrench and twisted the blades back and forth from this little hole in the bottom of the disposal. Soon I could feel them loosen. The next time I tried to run it, it worked!!! Everything drained right down and that nasty goo was finally out of sight.

So raise a pint to the first almost-slight-catastrophe remedied. I am one event closer to understanding our home and helping it coexist peacefully with humans.

Hope your week is off to a great start!

icj,
~j

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