Life is full of those little annoyances that we all put up with and rarely do anything to remedy because that’s precisely the nature of little annoyances: not irritating enough to fix. Leaky faucet, squeaky door, mirror that’s hung just a smidge too low and cuts off the top of your head and you can’t see what you’re doing and it’s really really really annoying. Okay, maybe that last one is just me.
Well, on the morning of a particularly humid day here in SC, I nearly threw my back out (admittedly not that difficult to do) trying to pull open one of my dresser drawers. That drawer had been giving me trouble for a while, but not quite enough trouble to transform me into The Fixinator. Apparently all I needed to trigger my superhero transformation was some Grade A Swampy Southern Weather.
I see you, sticky drawer.
Luckily, fixing a sticky drawer can be a relatively simple process if humidity is the culprit. All you need is a bar of soap or some wax, but I imagine most of us have a bar of soap handier than we have a hunk of wax.
Procedure:
- Take your sticky drawer out of the dresser and unburden it of all its contents.
- Flip it over and rub the bar of soap all over the rails, which may be down the middle or on the sides. You may want to hit all the edges that make contact with the inside of the dresser as well. (A smaller/narrower bar of soap would have been helpful in my case.)
- Rub the bar of soap on the tracks inside the dresser as well.
- Reload your drawer with your nicely folded clothes (or whatever) and appreciate the little victory.
If the soap isn’t enough to get your drawer moving smoothly, you can try sanding down extra sticky spots. Soap was enough for me and it has made such a difference in my day to day life that I do a little happy dance every time I open that drawer. Little victories, indeed.
The Paloma
This cocktail is a bit of a stretch for why it makes sense to go with this project, so stay with me. “Paloma” means “dove” in Spanish. Lots of furniture joints, including my dresser drawers, are done with dovetail joints. See? Dove, dovetail. Totally works.
Or maybe I’m just really in the mood for a grapefruit-flavored cocktail. Cold(er) weather makes me crave citrus and moving to South Carolina has only put me closer to the source. Pro tip: peel your grapefruit like an orange and then keep peeling until you’ve liberated each segment from its white, bitter prison. Once you’re down to the meat of it, no sugar needed.
(Adapted from Saveur.)
Ingredients:
- 2 oz. tequila blanco
- 3 oz. grapefruit juice
- juice of half a lime
- 3 oz. club soda
- pinch of salt
- lime wedge for garnish (clearly optional)
Add all the ingredients to a highball or Collins glass, add ice, and stir to combine.
I made this with my habanero tequila from a few weeks back and wowsers, guys. It’s going to be a difficult transition back to regular tequila after that stuff. If you’re grapefruit isn’t at its best, I would recommend adjusting the sweetness in this with agave or simple syrup. I had to add a teaspoon or so and it balanced everything out.
You can also use grapefruit soda in place of the juice/club soda combo. Might take care of the overly tart taste you sometimes get with fresh juice.
Hooch & Home 