I don't know how true that slogan is for the U.S. Navy, but it is definitely true for defrosting my upright freezer.
Conventional wisdom says frost-free freezers don't keep stuff as long as a traditional freezer, because they cycle through defrost periods, so the temperatures don't stay consistently cold. That makes sense, but defrosting must take place from time to time, regardless. So with a non-frost-free model, it's a manual (or in my case, WOmanual) task to occasionally remove all the contents of the freezer and try to keep them frozen while heating up the interior enough to melt the ice off the coils and shelves.
Defrosting isn't all bad; it forces me to take inventory of the freezer's contents, dump out anything that is getting of a certain age, and organize the remaining contents so I can see and remember what I have, and use it up before defrosting time rolls around again.
This defrosting was hastened by a sticky mess on the door. Apparently a fruit pop - strawberry or cherry - melted enough to dribble down the door. (Why is it always the red stuff that makes the worst messes?) Since our freezer is in our laundry room, it was also a good time to pull it out and mop behind and under it, vacuum the coils, and sanitize the inside. In the past I've risked frostbit fingers to hasten the defrosting process. I'm either getting wiser or lazier, but I've found a heater blowing into the cavity works just as well and fast, and all I have to do is sop up the water and melting ice out of the bottom.
Two turkeys of undetermined age were chucked into the empty lot behind us for the coyotes and other wild critters to feast on. It'll take 'em a while to thaw out, but I suspect it won't take the "wild beasts of the field" long to devour the carcasses.
P.S. In the category of "adventures," I'd like to add my own special,heartfelt wish for Mr. & Mrs. Lane Kiffin to have a great adventure as they head back to California - don't let the door hit y'all on the way out, ya hear? Your return to the golden state is just one more reason we can all wish that Las Vegas will someday become an oceanfront town.
