How One Thing Always Leads to Another

     OK, so the hinges to the cabinet door on the built-in pantry broke off.  Two of the four snapped. I'd noticed a bit of a sag the other night and had discussed what could be the issue with guru of all things mechanical and otherwise. We did not see anything strange, nor did we hear any rumblings from the pantry door.
     Never did we hear cries of dismay, "Madame, can not continue to load tons of cans and boxes, bottles and bags into our shelving, You must not realize the door itself weighs 60 pounds. The load, after years and years, is too heavy for us hinges." Not a word. I guess the "sag" was the warning.
     The other night I heard "Snap." Not an excited snap, but the kind of crisp snap metal makes.  "What on earth!"  I opened the pantry door with caution and saw two metal hinges broken, screws popped out, lifeless on the pantry floor. With great determination and super strength, the remaining two hinges held the entire door's weight,
     Hubby and I sought replacement hinges, knowing we could swap some out if worse came to worse, as all the hinges in the house are the ones mounted inside the cabinet doors, like the two that snapped. After a phone call to the manufacturer, Marvin tells me that they will arrive "within a few weeks."  None of the modern hinges at Lowe's, don't ya know, match this design. They look somewhat the same, but are not the same and are made of much lighter-weight metal. Drat.  So much for a simple fix.
   

     Whatever the steps to repair, here's the bottom line:  Unload the shelves on the pantry door. Take the pantry door down.
      That task does not take too long. I sort and organize like items as I go and look at expiration dates. Yikes. Get the garbage bag - some of this stuff was around when Nixon was president.  Like Praline Liquor that I kept because the bottle was so pretty.
      Now that the shelves are empty, they appear a tad smudged.The shelves need wiping down with Clorox wipes and Spick n' Span.
     

The other cabinet door/shelves probably are close to collapse, so I'd better unload them. I'm not quite as worried with these shelves because of the boxes of baking soda and the number of sugar-free, fat-free Jello boxes.
      I've gone this far, might as well unpack the entire pantry, arrange it more efficiently, and use some sliding baskets.
     And I do. I scrub down the shelves and throw away plenty of "save this little bit"...like dried out raisins and mini-marshmallows.
     
   I learned these things about myself:  I affirm the medicinal qualities of chocolate. One can never have too much chocolate hanging around. You never know when you might need a chocolate pie or batch of brownies, a plate of fudge, or a handful of morsels. You might be called upon to make chocolate rolls.
     I also have a tendency to buy extra, whether I need it or not, for the same reason:  you just never know.
   

And, plenty of  Pam  is always good to have around.