at least two weeks ago I started to clean out the kitchen junk drawer…
started, as in I took a bunch of stuff out of it and left all of it on the kitchen counter…
finally, today I finished the job… yay…
some things went into my toolbox in the basement… some went into a box to go upstairs to the computer room… and some went back – neatly – into the drawer…
I even tidied up the next drawer, which mainly has my collection of technology in it…
the counter looks much better as well;-)…
happy to have that done, although apparently I wrote about it before, lol… not sure what happened;-)…
interesting weather today… I took pictures between 8 and noon as the snow came and went on the deck, lol…
actually got dressed… put on a long dress that I picked up on Maui last April…
flowers and turtles brightened my day…
I also ordered dinner in… this is the first time I’ve done this since I got home in January… was very careful when I brought in the bag and removed the food… this is what I had for my dinner…
since then I have washed my hands many times and been very careful not to touch my face…
I ordered a couple of items so will have four or five meals to take me through the next week;-)…
was also able to order groceries that will come in about a week and a half… the system is overloaded so I am pleased to get on the list at all…
I’ve noticed a few things during this time of social isolation…
but I do think that shelteringinplace – words used in the US by many – feels like a kinder description, although maybe not as clear for those who are not paying attention to the seriousness of the situation we are all in…
I have been isolating since I returned home from Ottawa in January as I recovered from a very intense final six months before I retired… of course I was still able to go out, but mostly I stayed home…
I did get to see my boys a few times, so that was lovely…
one of the things I’m pleased to see is a family that has been playing street hockey in front of my house a couple of times… haven’t seen kids (and their parents) out on the street getting some exercise for years;-)…
the other thing is about being told to stay at home and how it makes you want to go out… this reminds me so much of times when I’ve been told what I should and shouldn’t eat, and how all I could think about were those things!
when our girls were little I had to have access to the car, although I rarely went out in it… just knowing I could made being at home much easier…
along with every other theatre, PTE had to cancel their current and upcoming performances…
we got an email advising that they were going to send us the archive copy of the performance for us to watch… what a kind gesture on their part… it was only available until the last date of the performance…
on Saturday, at 3 pm (the time we would have gone to see the show), my friend and I connected by phone and watched the show together… it was a bit of a giggle because the two computers were just off a touch, so it did sound a bit strange;-)…
I had my snacks ready – two of the shortbread cookies my friend had made for me – and a couple of pieces of Lindt 70% dark chocolate… we often bring a snack to the theatre, lol…
we had a fun time and a good conversation once it was over…
after a conversation yesterday I had an urge for popcorn…
I love theatre popcorn a lot and sometimes eat the entire bag before the movie even starts, lol…
I used to have the bags that were nuked, but now I make it in the microwave in a glass measuring cup with a cover and put a tiny bit of oil on it when it is popped…
last night I decided to make some and poured butter on it as a treat…
you have to pay attention when it is cooking… if the popping slows down too much the popcorn burns…
as I was preparing it, I remembered doing an event with my dad at his work… I was maybe twelve… he had arranged for a popcorn cart and we made the popcorn fresh for the guests… it was fun…
recently I watched a commercial on tv that talked about how money has changed… it made me laugh as it has gone from being something that went into a piggy bank, to being paper you saved, to not being visible at all…
right now more and more places are not taking cash… it is becoming the new normal as stores do not want unsanitary money passing through their system…
I pulled out some old money; some of our current cash; and credit and debit cards…
I didn’t even dig out a cheque… something I used for many years, but barely do now…
I think about how we can put cheques into the bank by taking photos of them… how we pay bills and receive money electronically… how we send and receive money by eTransfer…
is this the final step to us becoming a cashless society…
after yesterday’s odd day, I decided to make some comfort food…
things that have always made us feel good, or remind me of special moments;-)…
the first thing I made was a batch of cornmeal muffins… I’ve never made them before, but the idea of a tasty – bread-type – food sounded good… they were delicious and went well with the Thai Shrimp Soup that I had for lunch…
then I made macaroni and cheese… this has been a family favourite since the girls were small… I packaged it up into containers and will bake it when I want to eat it…
finally I made bacon, mushrooms and croutons… I remember my mom and dad making this for supper… it was usually served on toast, but I’ve adjusted the recipe and add croutons at the end as I don’t usually have bread in the house… the crunch is a perfect accompaniment to the soft bacon and mushrooms…
it really was comforting to spend the day in the kitchen, making these reminders of family times…
recently read a quote on my Seize the Day calendar that said “Peace begins with a smile”…
brought a few things to mind…
a woman who I worked with for a number of years always smiled before answering the telephone… she felt, and I think it was true, that the smile made her sound more friendly and caring to the person on the other end of the phone… she credited her mother with the reminder;-)…
my daughter used peace love and happiness as her logo for many years and when I would see it, it always made me smile… found this on one of her old greeting cards…
it is hard to be angry with someone who is smiling…
herbiggirlpants 