Pantry Problems

            It’s not too hard to guess what Mom’s project will be when I’m gone next week, and I have no one to blame but myself.

            It’s the kitchen pantry.  The last time I traveled to Oklahoma, she organized it.

            Since that time I have allowed the pantry to run amok again.  My messes start out innocently enough.  I started by gradually putting everything back in that she had taken out and placed on the counters.  Then I bought groceries, some of which go in the pantry.  Along the way, I dug back to find the random items she had neatly lined up, and I didn’t bother to replace them in their random order.

            Earlier this fall, when the countertop microwave died and John installed the over-the-stovetop model, I dreamt of open counter space.  I have in mind a reorganization of the nearby cupboards to make a beverage center.  I envision all of our coffee and tea supplies, my nutritional supplements for healthy shakes, the pitchers, the blender, and the Magic Bullet stored in the same area for handy use right next to the refrigerator.  The thought of brewing my morning coffee and fixing my breakfast shake in one place without having to navigate the cramped space around our kitchen table is downright intoxicating.

            Perhaps I gave up my dream too quickly, perhaps not.  My best ideas have to be tempered by the frustration factor:  how upset will I be when Mom rearranges my work?  I spent a morning moving everything to wipe down and rearrange all the counter space. The empty space I created didn’t last much more than a day.  I figure the frustration factor is at least twice the sum of any cupboard-rearranging efforts.  So I continue my side-step shuffle in the morning as I gather needed items.  So far I’ve been able to control the impulse to kick the kitchen table.

            And by the time I get back from visiting my kids, the cupboards and pantry will be rearranged anyway.  But I guarantee that the kitchen table will still be in the way.