Distractions

I've been working on distracting myself today.

I did some filing. Cleaned the kitchen. Shipped a package. Balanced my checkbook. Took Chappy for a walk.

I even cleaned silver.

Why? Because my Dad is at the hospital with a kidney stone. He and Mom left around 9:00 this morning. (It's 2:30 now.) Of course, they had to detour to get there, since there's a parade through the center of town today. But they've been there all day. Rumor has it that, since the cat-scan showed a small kidney stone, they'll be sending him home, but they need to hear it from the actual doctor, and apparently there was some other emergency, so . . . they're still waiting.

And my poor mother left the house without even a magazine. Or breakfast.

The silver-cleaning, though? My new favorite use of basic chemistry. Basically, you take hot water (boiling, really), add salt and baking soda, and then pour it into a pan lined with aluminum foil. Through some kind of chemical reaction, this removes the sulfur from the silver-sulfide (aka tarnish), leaving the silver, well, silver again. (Click on that link above for the science behind it.) We don't have a ton of silver, mind you, but, this is something I've wanted to try for a while, and this seemed like a good time to do it. It worked better on some pieces than others--and there were a couple that would benefit from some old-fashioned silver polish--but look at this? This is a little silver-plated creamer that I picked up at a garage sale. It's been sitting, getting darker and darker, for years. I had to do it in two stages because it was too tall to stay underwater in the baking pan I was doing this in . . . You can clearly see the water line--tarnish/no tarnish.

One thing I thought was interesting? As the silver got cleaner, the foil in the pan got more tarnished looking. Which makes sense, really, if you're chemically pulling the sulfer from the silver to the aluminum, but . . . This was a fun (and distracting) little science experiment! Here, if you're interested are some other tips. (Like, for example, that Washing Soda apparently works even better than regular baking soda . . . I should have read that sooner!)

Oh, and here's some Saturday Sky for you. It's a beautiful day out there--which makes this trip to the hospital for Dad that much more painful. It was really a perfect late-November day for golfing . . .

Okay . . . gotta go find something else to do . . . Hmmm . . . I haven't written out my Christmas cards yet . . .

Edited to Add: Mom and Dad got back from the hospital at about 3:30. Dad's feeling fine--well, tired, but no longer in pain--and they've both had something to eat and things are more or less back to normal. Phew!

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What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Literate Good Citizen   You read to inform or entertain yourself, but you're not nerdy about it. You've read most major classics (in school) and you have a favorite genre or two.
Dedicated Reader
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Book Snob
Fad Reader
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz

Comments

[Beth]

I hope they can get home soon and that your dad is pain-free. I've heard those buggers are awful.

[Carrie K]

Oh no! I hope your Dad is all done with that kidney stone today. Those are some mean symptoms. Good luck on keeping busy! My Great Aunt Pearl used to polish the silver whenever she flew into town. She was the original gadabout.

[Julie]

I hope all is well with your Dad. Kidney stones are no fun no matter what the size.

Nice job on the silver :)

[Kathy]

Hope your dad is feeling better.

[Jessica]

Not a great way to spend the day. Glad your Dad is back and doing well.

[Laura]

I need to try that. We're having company for Christmas, and it would be nice to get the silver clean in a less messy way. LOL

Ooooh. Your poor dad. Give him a big hug from me, please. I've had kidney stones. I *know* how much they can hurt. Ouch.

[Anita]

Oh, your poor dad! I hope that the stone doesn't trouble him too much!

[Paula]

Sorry to hear of your Dad's troubles. Hope he recovers soon. The silver looks good.

[Chris]

Not a great way to spend the day, but I'm glad he's doing better.

[Renee]

I'm glad to hear your dad's ok - what a bummer!

[minnie]

glad to hear your dad is ok. there will be more golfing days.

and, i'm, um, an obsessive bookworm according to this quiz. yeah. and so are my kids, lol. even liam has a TBR pile, lol, with all his homework!

[amanda]

Bummer about your dad but thankful it isn't something serious!!! And if you ever need more distraction, my silver has your name on it!

[kt]

Happy was I to read to the end of your post and hear that your dad is ok! Always so stressful when the parental units are not in the pink.

Toothpaste also works well on silver--great for little crevices when used with an old toothbrush!

[Chris]

I'm glad your dad's doing ok!! My dad gets kidney stones, too, so I know that they are really painful..

Hmm, I'm a dedicated reader. Whew - I was afraid I'd be OCD. ;)

[JessaLu]

I'm glad to hear that you're dad is doing better!! Kidney stones can hurt like hell - my ex had one once...he deserved the pain, though ;o)

[Carol]

Cool! You've been busy! Really glad your dad is OK :) Don't know if I dare take that quiz, I have not read a real book since my second girl was born;)

[Jenny Raye]

So glad your dad is doing better. Kidney stones are the worst. My dh has had one or two small ones and a huge major one--took two lithotripsies to totally smash the thing to passable size stones. Make sure your dad drinks plenty of water.

[CindyCindy]

I'm glad your Dad is feeling better. Kidney stones are hideously painful from what I've heard. Maybe it'll go away on its own (I hope). At least you got the silver cleaned. I did that as an experiment. It really works in the crevices of the silver. Much better than polishing alone.

[Kat]

It was gorgeous in NJ on Saturday. Glad your Dad is feeling better.

[Madame Purl]

Oh thank goodness!!! Just stopped by to catch up and saw this. Best wishes of good health for your Dad.

[MeBeth]

So glad that your dad is home and feeling ok!

[Julie]

Glad to hear your Dad is feeling better!

[Rebekah]

Very interesting on the silver, I can't think of any silver I have in my house though, other than jewelry. Hmmm.

Glad your father is feeling better. Hope he continues pain free.

[Teyani]

I am so glad that your Dad is okay - thank goodness for modern medicine.

[Gracie]

I'm glad that your dad is ok! I need to do that with my silver, I am sure it is a lot faster than polishing by hand!