Kitchen Catastrophe

It was supposed to be a quiet Sunday afternoon.

I was sitting at the desk, puttering on the computer with the game in the background. Then I heard a crash in the kitchen. A real dish crash, like the dish rack had toppled over or some such. I hopped up and went to the kitchen door. It all happened in slow motion.

The far corner cabinet had come off the wall and was pitching forward as it came off the wall. That one held the glassware which was cascading onto the tile floor. The crash I heard was the 'nice' dishes on top of the cabinets beginning to smash on the tiles. The first cabinet was bringing the others with it. The small cabinet over the sink came next, carrying the rest of the 'nice' dishes. This was followed by the main large cabinet, containing all the rest of the dishes. The sound was deafening. It ended with half the next cabinet coming down, dumping a cadre of cookbooks onto the counter top.

When it was all said and done you just kind of look at the mess and take it in a bit. Glad I wasn't in the room at the time, but wondering if I could have 'stopped' it if I were in there. Although being barefoot and in shorts that may not have been the best place to be. Called the LL who said he would pop over. He said it had happened before; but when he came over he confessed he hadn't seen it that bad. From the looks of things the screw came out of the wall with the first cabinet, and since they were all screwed together the rest of the screws couldn't handle the rest of the weight...

LL and I picked the cabinets up and brought them outside. He took some measurements for new cabinets, which I may get before the week is out. Given the opportunity I've asked him to install a microwave over the stove. That'll let me get a larger fridge when the time comes.

Took a few hours (on again off again) but the mess is cleaned up. Some bread crumbs had opened up and a bottle of vinegar had smashed, which made a sticky mess of things. Have several trash bags of shattered dish ware. Must have been quite a smash, as there was a lot of glass pretty much ground to dust. Broom, vacuum and damp mop has taken care of everything and kitchen floor has returned to clean. I think the most annoying part was the neighbours never came down to see what the crashing was. nice to know people care...

The final tally of survivors - one drinking glass, three mugs, and four 'nice' bowls. Interestingly enough, almost all my 'every day' dishes survived. I got them at a supply sales place - they're dishes that would be used at a diner. Guess they make those a little more durable. Oh, and because all the cabinets pitched forward, a piece of stemware that was on the dish rack was completely untouched.

Guess I get to do some shopping...

You can find a few more photos here