Shades of Essential

Essential has become a topic of interest during Shelter in Place. Essential for whom? For what? Food certainly is essential, but are Twinkies? And given we don't know what our future will bring as we battle the pandemic, are tomato stakes? And garage doors?

Today, these things were essential for my peace of mind. The last rainstorm that blew through had stripped the side garage door of it's last semblance of security. It had been weathered almost beyond redemption, and the storm was the final blow. I ordered one online to pick up, and since I was there I grabbed the tomato stakes we needed, and some soil to bolster the potatoes that are growing. I only knew I needed that from watching Grow, Cook, Eat on a 'free to me' xfinity channel at some point last night while not sleeping. We had planted some sprouted potatoes on a whim, accidentally at exactly the right time of year, and the timing of the show was perfect. Our plants were about 6" high or so having been in the ground a few weeks, and this is when you push dirt up around the leaves, covering all but the topmost greenery. This forces the plant to keep reaching up, creating a longer stem, resulting in more potatoes. I'll do this a couple of more times over the next month or so and the potatoes should be ready to harvest come October. Next year we'll plant them in a raised bed instead of a container, now that I have the skinny on proper planting.

So M is in the backyard replacing the door. It was a testament to my strength and fortitude that I figured out (with a little handyman help at Lowe's) how to fit it in the car, and had a bungee cord on hand to hold the back gate closed on the drive home. It feels good to know we are being productive, and it's such a beautiful day out.

Side Note: yes I wore a face mask, disinfected my hands at the store, changed clothes and washed up once home. New normal and all that.

Those are the good things.

While looking for the items on my list at the store (caulking, shims, hand set) I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirrored door. In aisle 45. At least I think it was myself. A grey haired frumpy woman leaning over the handle of a shopping cart and slumping along. Obviously tired, looking beat. It wasn't how I felt. While the glow of having lost 20 pounds is fading, I feel so much stronger that I forgot how much farther I have to go.

Time to get off the maintenance I have slid into and back in to losing mode. There are a couple of things I have been thinking about. One, the more energy I put into thinking I need to do this, the worse I do. I have come to the conclusion that the energy I am generating gets eaten up by both wolves. I need to go back to the beginning when I just did what the book said. No cheer-leading, no fan fare, just doing. Plain and simple. Luckily I do begin each day Bright, so it will be easy to continue.

Back to one day at a time. I can do this today. I can keep my Bright Lines today. While the pool may not open this Summer, I expect there will be hot days on which I need to take my turn supervision in a wading pool out back. I will be ready.

Love in the time of Covid 19

Today I took an early lunch and spent my hour divided between showering and eating; I can't do that at the office! And it was lovely not having to face the chill of the morning or the lethargy of the evening to get clean. Such a very small perk in the face of global disaster.

I listened to the news a bit today, and did a little googling to see how we (the world) is doing in the face of Covid 19. I think my take away is that this is an awful way to shine a light on the fact that Americans are stuck with a liar instead of a leader in a time of crisis. I have an enduring belief in the hard work and brains of most people, and I know that one way or another humans will survive this. If we weren't already focused on replacing trump in the coming election, this certainly would have rallied the troops for such action. At least one could hope.

Naturally my biggest concern is my little family, and how stressed the kids are about taking C into hospital for his monthly treatment - an infusion of chemo into his spinal fluid that is considered essential for his recovery. We are always entrusting his medical team with his life, but this adds an element of risk and trust that is stressing everyone to the max.

Love each other every day. Take the time to play and laugh. Be grateful for what we have instead of worrying about what we can't get. One day at a time. And pray for common sense to spread faster than the virus.

It's been a Bright Line day; taking care of myself has never been more important.

Food and Fun

Serendipity can be a good friend, and often plays a roll in developing a new favorite dish when cooking. Yesterday I was using chicken sausages for my protein, and was craving chowmein veggies. I sauteed onion, bok choy, and celery together in a little sesame oil for my veggies, and at the last tossed in the mushrooms I had sauteed the day before. weighing this mixture out into four servings I proceeded to add the chicken sausages. But they were each about half an ounce light, and since I know better than to skimp on measurements I added half an ounce of sliced lite pepperoni to each of my four glass containers to bring the protein up to weight.

Today at lunch I discovered I had something wonderful. I forgotten how much I love cooked celery (al dente please) and combined with the everything else it was simply delicious. So good in fact that I had it again for dinner tonight after my salad.

While it was nice to get out of the house and work in the office today, it was very quiet and I missed the hubbub of the house. I am tired this evening, and ready to call it a day two hours earlier than polite company would call for I think. I do need to wait for my pan of veggies to finish roasting anyway. In about half an hour I will have a tray of roasted carrots, onions, and potatoes to divvy up into containers. We are trying to make sure we use up all of the fresh produce first; knowing we have another delivery next Thursday almost compels one towards due diligence and not wasting anything. And saving the frozen veggies in case fresh becomes hard to find, there's that too.

After work today I was able to find a tub of toys and puzzles in the newly organized garage to bring in to the house. The kids have done two puzzles in the past week and a half, and now there is a new 1000 piece Snoopy puzzle we hadn't even opened because it looked too challenging at the time. Now it is a godsend for those going a little stir crazy.

Finally, something I am good at; staying home!

We watched Onward yesterday, and I was pleasantly surprised. Finding family friendly options while browsing for movies to watch has been a challenge; you know that sweet spot where children and adults are both entertained.

Time to sign off and make tea, rest my back, and cuddle some grandchildren. Which all sounds rather contradictory, but each in it's own time makes it work.