I killed it.....

.... my poor little toaster oven.

It just couldn't handle being on at 400F for half an hour .... and then again a second time.
It was pretty tiny and old.... and, I had to do two separate bakings to use the muffin mix I had made up.

But, look at the first batch....they were great...

Quite a bit tinier than I'm used to baking...but, eh ..  ...I found some foil containers that fit the oven exactly ...so they had to do....

How I miss my kitchen and doing some proper baking....

Yesterday... instead of hanging out in the stinky, smelly garage ...cuz it was even worse in the house and basement than it was out in the garage ...I went shopping.  Bought a new toaster oven...on sale for $49.... down from $79....  the cheapest thing I have bought in the last 3 months.  There just aren't any bills that low in Reno Central, believe me.

We were forced to evacuate the premises (even had to stay in a hotel for a couple nights) by the eye watering fumes of the lacquer they were using for door and window casings..... how do they stand it, those poor painters?  And...they don't even wear masks!  NOT a good thing.  That stuff has to be totally toxic.  It doesn't seem to bother anybody else quite as drastically as it does me..... and I know my sister has the same problem with horrible odours ... she declared that the two of us are like the canaries of the world.... others should take heed if we begin to feel faint...or drop off our perches......

Here is the story for those who may not know about such things.

"""Life for an actual canary in a coal mine could be described in three words: "short but meaningful." Early coal mines did not feature ventilation systems, so legend has it that miners would bring a caged canary into new coal seams. Canaries are especially sensitive to methane and carbon monoxide, which made them ideal for detecting any dangerous gas build-ups. As long as the bird kept singing, the miners knew their air supply was safe. A dead canary signaled an immediate evacuation.

Even as gas detection technology improved, some mining companies still relied on the canary method well into the 20th century. Other animals were used occasionally, but only the canary had the ability to detect small concentrations of gas and react instinctively.

Today, the practice of using a bird to test the air supply has become part of coal mining lore, but the ideology behind it has become a popular expression. The phrase "living like a canary in a coal mine" often refers to serving as a warning to others. The actual canary had little control over its fate, but it continued to sing anyway. In one sense, living this way indicates a willingness to experience life's dangers without compromise."""

poor little birdies....  I bet it wasn't meaningful to them.... 

and... I don't know about the willingness to experience too many of life's dangers part either ..... especially without compromise......that just seems plain silly doesn't it? .... but, then what do I know?  I'm just a canary.