The Peppermill

It could be said that sometimes I don't go about doing certain things the "normal" way.  You want ice with your margarita?  OK, but the ice cubes haven't frozen yet so here, I'll just add some icy water to your drink. It's the same thing.  And apparently pulling the stone out of an avocado is easier than cutting the fruit (or vegetable) away from it.  And if you smell burning then you're probably not imagining it and the tortillas really are turning black in the oven.  We may have had Mexican the other night and margaritas may have been consumed before dinner....

Anyway.  On a non-Mexican themed note, I had an incident with the peppermill the other day.  Or should I say an almost incident.

Some of the shelves in our kitchen are quite high and when Mystical Roos are not in the area, Little Stalkys have to think of other ways to get things from the top shelf.  More often than not I give up and wait for Mystical Roo to come home.  But in the middle of cooking dinner for the aforementioned Mystical Roo, I needed pepper.  And where was the pepper? On the top shelf of course.

So I stared at it for a while.  Stared at it and wondered if I could make it move with my mind.  Impossible.  I don't have those kinds of powers yet.  Then I decided to grab for it.  Sneak a stretch and somehow trick my body into thinking it was taller.  I was on my highest tiptoes, my arm stretched, my fingers reaching, reaching. And the peppermill was almost within reach.  I could just graze it with my fingertips.  It was infuriatingly close.

I decide that the next sensible course of action is to incorporate a spatula into my plan.  So I find a spatula and use it as an extension of my too short arm.  I hook the spatula around the back of the peppermill and start shuffling it towards the edge of the shelf.  I figure if I can just inch it a little closer to the edge then I'll be able to reach it.  But I can't.  It's still an infuriating inch out of my reach.

My next idea is pure genius.  If I can't get to the peppermill then I'll get the peppermill to come to me. What if I just push that peppermill right off the edge.  What if I use the spatula to shove that peppermill into my outstretched arms.  I'm a good catch.  I've got good reflexes.  What could possibly go wrong?  Yes, the peppermill is made of glass.  Yes, there are several pots bubbling on the hob below.  Yes, that is chili (maybe this was a Mexican themed note) bubbling away.  What's that you say?  Is that a white top you're wearing.  Why yes it is.  Recipe for disaster?  More like recipe for massively impressive Little Stalky act of awesomeness.

Definitely a recipe for disaster.  But what's impressive about this is I actually recognised the imminent disaster.  I stopped with the peppermill on the brink and I actually decided that my plan was silly.  Look how mature I am!  I also imagined being both laughed at and scolded by Mystical Roo.

So I used that spatula to push the peppermill away from the brink.  I put on an apron.  Then I grabbed the footstool and used it to give myself the extra height needed to grab the peppermill.  Easy.  I just don't know why it took me so long to think of it.  Normal just doesn't seem to be the Little Stalky way.