A taste of Global Warming

When we moved into our apartment in August, we needed to defrost our freezer. It was over come with ice on all four sides of the freezer. As usual, I put off defrosting it and just purchased frozen goods and had them add to the artic that is better known as our freezer. I finally had it this weekend, with our freezer, when I pulled our bag of ice out for some water and it had freezer burn on it, like everything else. Ice was taking over the freezer. I thought to myself, "Self, you can defrost this. How hard can it be? It will take 20 minutes."


Minutes 0-5: Empty freezer and put into cooler. Fill cake pan of hot water and placed in freezer. Take sharp knife and start chipping away at the ice at the top if the freezer. Hm....nothing is happening.

Minutes 5-10: Empty water and refill with more hot water. Change in sharp knife for butter knife. Worried I would hurt myself with a sharp knife. New thought comes into my head "what if ice chunks break off and hit me in the eye? Should I be wearing glasses?" See no change and I should be half way done.

Minutes 10-15: Water started to freeze in cake pan. What is going on? This can not be right. See some change in the ice. I think it is starting to separate from the walls. This must be right after all. Still not wearing glasses. I am living on the edge.

Minutes 15-20: Water was frozen again. This can not be right. Only a small chunk of ice has come off. I was right though; it bounced down onto the freezer and broke off into smaller pieces that flew every where. Don't worry eyes in tact.

Minutes 20: Call Kath Kath. Explain the urgent situation. Hear nothing but laughter. "I did not tell you hot water in a cake pan, I told you BOILING water in a POT! Just the door after you put the water in so the steam loosens the ice. Another thing, put the knife down and get a rubber spatula. You are going to hurt yourself."

Minute 21-25: Correct the problems. Realize this is now going to set me back. Lesson learned.

Minutes 25-30: Kath Kath asks me if our freezer was a self cleaning one. Is she kidding? It is from the 70s. Did they have self cleaning freezers then? "Did you check to make sure water is not dripping down into your fridge?"

Minutes 30-35: We have a problem. Water is now in my fridge. Bread...wet, egs....wet, water dripping onto the floor. What a mess. Am starting to see a difference in the ice. It should be over soon. Right?

Minutes 35-40: Ice cubes are starting melt all over my counter. Cake pan is starting to fill up in the fridge. Thank heavens that was not all over my food!!! Getting more impatient then normal. This is the job of some one who has patience.

Minutes 40-45: Manage to get chunk of ice down. No fear, it stayed in large chunk, danger avoided. This is it?!?! This is all the ice that was at the top of my freezer? Where did the rest go? Remove pot and get rag to clean freezer. Found the water. It is sitting at the bottom.

Minutes 45-50: Get piece of paper towel to wipe up extra water. This is going to take a lot of paper towels. Should have listened to my grandma and kept some rags around. Now I understand what i would need them for. Find washcloth to use, water is starting to disappear from the bottom.

Minutes 50-55: Wash pots used for boiling water and put frozen goods away. Make more ice. Go to grab cake pan out of fridge. Uh-oh, we had an over flow! Where is all of this water coming from? Take care of over flow and wash cake pan.

Minute 55: Call Kath Kath. Tell her apartment was in tack. We did not float away. "Think that was a lot of water? Imagine if the ice around the world starts melting!" Thanks mom!