Quarantine Day 48

Let's see....what new and exciting things happened this week?  It's been so action packed around here that it's difficult for me to remember all of the fun that I have been having.... locked up in my house.

We rented a stump grinder and RT went a little crazy.  See!  I do let him out of the basement once in awhile!   We tore out quite a few of the bushes in front and in the back of our house.  It sounded like a good idea at the time.  After all was over, not so much.  So, next up, we will have to plant some trees and bushes to make things look a little nicer (you know, curb appeal). 

I told you this was going to be exciting!

I bought another gallon of paint.  My life as a painter is never ending.   Fortunately we do have quite a few rooms in our house.  I'm sure I will eventually run out of rooms to paint (I hope).   For this painting job, I will have to kick RT out of the office.  Luckily, it isn't a huge room and should take me one day to complete so RT can be locked up  back in his office in no time.  I have two or three more rooms that are on my "To Paint" list.  Of course, I will have to see if I can get these painting projects approved from the board (RT).  Stay tuned.

My weird dog  Pippen got a bath.  It was much needed and the world is a much happier place because of his sacrifice  bath.

The Stay At Home order was extended.

Wait!  What did I just write?  The Stay At Home order was extended?   So, we are now going into the month of May with this whole quarantine thing? 

Ugh! 

This is really getting old.

Quarantine Song List

I thought I would put together a list of songs that you can listen to during the quarantine nightmare.  I mean, as long as we are all stuck inside the house, why not have some music to listen to, am I right?  And, not just any music, songs that really touch on our whole quarantine situation.  I'm surprised I didn't come up with this list sooner!  We could have been listening to these songs for the last six weeks!  On the bright side, with a lot of states extending the quarantine (like good ol' Illinois), I think we all still have plenty of time to sit back and really get into these songs.

Let's get started, shall we?  Here's the list:

Livin' On a Prayer - Bon Jovi
Problem - Ariana Grande
Should I Stay or Should I Go - The Clash
Doom and Gloom - Rolling Stones
Let em In (Someone's Knocking on the Door) - Paul McCartney
HELP - The Beatles
Don't Stand So Close to Me - The Police
Land of Confusion - Genesis
A Day in the Life - The Beatles
Another One Bites the Dust - Queen
Gimme Shelter - Rolling Stones
Don't Come Around Here No More - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
The Way You Make Me Feel - Michael Jackson
Yesterday - The Beatles
Stay  Away - Nirvana
Time is on My Side - Rolling Stones
Live and Let Die - Paul McCartney
In the air Tonight - Phil Collins
Inside - Van Halen
Home - Phillip Phillips


If you feel like you have been home too long, you might want to consider adding these songs to your playlist:

Aqua Lung - Jethro Tull
Man In The Mirror - Michael Jackson
Cry, Cry, Cry - Johnny Cash
Feeling That Way - Journey
Delirious - Prince
Somebody Get Me a Doctor - Van Halen
Scream  - Michael Jackson

If I missed any songs that you feel should make the list, leave me a message in the comments.

Happy Listening!

Bagel Hoarder

When this whole quarantine started, it frightened a lot of people.  People got scared and they started hoarding toilet paper.  I'm not sure how that relates.  Fear somehow turning into hoarding massive amounts of toilet paper.  I must have missed the memo on the whole fear / toilet paper life lesson.  I was one of the few that did not purchase toilet paper until we were about one month into the quarantine (oh the horror!).  When I finally made my toilet paper purchase, we still had quite a few rolls of toilet paper left in our stockpile.  Here we are, six weeks in and we have 6-8 rolls left from our original stockpile (and the new rolls are left untouched).

I'm usually the designated grocery shopper in the family.  During the quarantine, it's been pretty much up for grabs.  OK.  That isn't true.  I have a running list that I keep on the side of the refrigerator.  It's out in the open for all to see and they can add items as we run out.  I recently found out that RT has been keeping his own secret  grocery list.  Unfortunately, these two lists never seem to get together for coffee  communicate and strange things happen, like, us ending up with four packages of bagels. 

Four packages of bagels can be reasonable if you are feeding an army  quite a few people.  Or, maybe everyone eats bagel sandwiches at every meal. 

I look at it as having too many bagels.  RT looks at it as being prepared (meaning, not having to run out to the store for food).  "We will never go hungry because we have four packages of bagels we can eat."  I'm thinking maybe we have moved to the part of the quarantine where everyone hoards bagels? 

By the way, if you need any bagels, let me know.  I may be able to set you up with a few hundred.

Soft Ginger Cookies

I have been doing quite a bit of cooking and baking the last month and I'm thinking about creating a link on the blog and call it Quarantine Cooking and Baking Recipes.  Of course I will only put recipes on it that I have made during the quarantine, making sure to include all of the ones that disappeared quickly.

Cookies were requested and I decided to make these Soft Ginger Cookies.  I know, Ginger Cookies are usually made around Christmas time, but, I'm the one baking the cookies and I love Ginger Cookies!  Luckily we had some Molasses on hand.  Although, I'm pretty sure it's easy to get your hands on a jar.  I don't think anyone is hoarding molasses at the moment. 

Here's the recipe:

Soft Ginger Cookies

ingredients:
1 cup softened butter
1 3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cups brown sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup molasses
2 3/4 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 TBSP cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
sugar to coat outside of cookies

directions:
Oven to 350F.  Line cookie sheet with silicone baking mat (parchment paper works, too)
Cream butter and sugars.  Add in egg and molasses.
Mix dry ingredients into a separate bowl.  Pour into wet ingredients and mix.
Scoop out cookie dough (about 1 TBSP) and roll into a ball.  Roll into raw sugar and place onto cookie sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Let sit for a few minutes on cookie sheet before moving them to a cooling rack.
Store uneaten cookies in an airtight container.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

*I used half the amount of sugar and they came out delicious!
*I use a cookie scoop (think old time ice cream scoops) to measure out the dough.  Makes cookie making so much easier.
*and, yes, that is 1 Tablespoon of cinnamon.
*notice I said to store uneaten cookies....that is if there are any cookies remaining after they have been cooled.  Yes.  They are that good.

If you make these Soft Ginger Cookies, let me know what you think!

Enjoy!

Quarantine Day 41

Is it over yet?

Another week has passed.  Time goes by.......so slowly when you are in quarantine.  Have you noticed that too?  I don't even know what day it is, nor do I care.  I think I have hit an all time low. 

On a happier note:  I have stopped whistling "Jingle Bells."  It only took 4 weeks for me to finally stop and I lived to tell the world about it.  That's just about the time when RT started to whistle "Rhinestone Cowboy."  I told him if he started that 6 weeks ago, he wouldn't be here today to tell his side of the story (yes, he stopped).

I finished painting the basement.  I should say, I started painting the basement and I finished painting the basement.  It took two days.  I'm getting pretty good at this painting thing.  I might have to add it to my resume (along with able to whistle annoying songs for long periods of time).  I might need it since I'm on "furlough."

Online school is still happening through the end of the school year.  There will be no Odyssey trip or "Moving On" ceremony (also known as 8th grade graduation).   We will have to plan something here in the yard to mark the occasion. 

RT is still locked in the basement  working at home.

Alex is still confined  in his room.

And, Pippen is still happy everyone is at home with him.  Well, everyone, meaning me.

I'm still hoping there is only one more week of this craziness  isolation nightmare stay at home time.   I would like to get out of the house more (besides my two hour walks around the neighborhood and my hours of yard work).  I should clarify that, out of the house, meaning not doing work in or around the house.  Out in the world, actually experiencing things. 

Here's to hoping this is the last week of quarantine! 

Cheers!

National Card and Letter Writing Month

April is National Card and Letter Writing Month.  I talked about this in an earlier blog post (click here to check it out) and thought I would remind everyone again.

We are stuck in quarantine for another two weeks, why not spend a few minutes and write some letters to friends and or family members and drop them in the mail?  People love getting happy mail!  I love handwritten letters!  That's the first thing I read when I get the mail!

Don't know what to write?  How about:

an uplifting message
a funny (happy) memory that you share with this person
what you have been doing during this quarantine
what you want to do when this quarantine is over

This would be a great idea for your Girl Scouts.  Our Girl Scout Troop is making some cards for Seniors.  Since we can't visit seniors during this time, we thought we would make some cards for them and drop them off at the retirement community.  I have contacted the homes that we normally visit and have organized our card drop off with them.  This might be something you can have your troop work on at home.  If you want to take this a step further, maybe your troop would like to be pen pals with some seniors?  Check out this article on Becoming a Pen Pal to Seniors.  You can contact your local retirement community and see if they would be interested in having Girl Scout Pen Pals.  Once the quarantine is over, the girls can visit their pen pals.

Don't tell me that you don't have any time.  I know you have plenty of free time!  So, grab some paper and a pen and start writing!

Food Line

Last week I went to the grocery store to pick up a few things.  I don't go that often, only when it's absolutely necessary (you know, after I've given myself a good pep talk).  To my surprise, there was a line in front of the store.  So, I did what any normal person would do, I hopped in line and waited.

While waiting in line, the image of a food line in Communist Russia came to mind.  People waiting in a long line for bread to feed their family.  The same people reaching the front of the line only to be told that there is no more bread available and the person thinking, "How am I going to feed my family?"

I realize these lines are supposed to keep us safe and healthy, but, they do create these not so nice  strange  weird  images in our brains.

During my time in line, I noticed an elderly couple walking up to the store.  They were having trouble walking and were leaning on one another.  They bypassed the line and just decided to walk into the store.  I think the majority of us in line were OK with them going ahead of all of us.

It's a weird time.  People hoarding food or other household items.  Stores running out of food or items, like toilet paper, and then there are the people who have to go without certain foods, household items or other necessities.  And, of course, people waiting in line to enter stores. 

I know that this is temporary and am thankful that there is enough food to feed everyone. 

Christos Anesti

Christ is risen from the dead
trampling down death upon death
and to those in the tombs He has granted life.


Christos Anesti ek nekron
thanato thanaton patisas
kai tis en tis mnimasi zoin
harisamenos,

Two Easters

Growing up, my parents sent me to private (religious) schools.  During Holy Week at school, we would talk about:  Jesus entering Jerusalem riding on a donkey and how the people lined the road with palm branches (also known as Palm Sunday), Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, The Last Supper, Judas' betrayal of Jesus, Jesus trial, the Crucifixion, His death and burial and Jesus rising from the dead on Sunday.

A lot of thinking and introspection go on during Holy Week.  When you are a young child, you focus on the whole death part of Easter.  Jesus dying for you because of your sins.  It makes you think about (especially as a young child) all that you have done wrong in your life and why does he have to die so violently?  And, why did they choose crucifying?  That image for a child is pretty gruesome.  Jesus dies (a very violent death), everyone is sad and then three days later he is alive and everyone is happy again. 

I grew up celebrating Orthodox Easter with my family.  The two Easters were usually one week apart.  Every once in awhile they would be on the same day.  Going through all of that (Holy Week and Jesus dying) once a year is hard.  It makes you think, reflect and pray and you come out of it on a happy note.  But, to go through all of this whole Easter cycle twice a year can be very depressing. 

Orthodox Easter is one week later this year (this Sunday).  This year will be a little strange since I won't be able to celebrate with extended family.   Once again, I will be experiencing Jesus second death and His second resurrection from the dead.  I'm not sure if I should feel like I'm special or that I have a lot of explaining to do? 

Quarantine Day 34

Hope all of you out there are hanging in there.  I think (and hope) we only have a couple more weeks of this insanity  craziness  nightmare   isolation  quarantine.

RT is still working in the basement.  Haven't seen him in weeks.  Just kidding.  I let him out every once in awhile. 

Alex is still self isolating in his room.  He is allowed to does come out for food and water.

Bella is attending school (online, of course) that takes about an hour of her day.  She is also taking some dance classes (remotely using zoom) which use up one to two hours of her day a few times a week.  So, she has a full schedule going on.....

I have been trying to use my time wisely.  I still go on on my long two hour walks every morning.   I have been baking quite a bit.  You might be seeing a few recipes posted here in the coming weeks.  Know that they have been tried and tested and probably didn't last very long here  and are safe for you to try out on your family.  I also decided to paint my bedroom.  I enlisted the help of Bella (if you ask her, she will tell you that she had no choice in the matter) and we finished the job in a couple of days.  We left the trim for RT (I'm sure I will end up doing that in a couple of weeks).  I also have another fun painting job in the works (I even have the paint).   So, I guess you can say that it's been a pretty productive quarantine for me. 

My weird dog  Pippen is getting used to having me home all of the time and will probably go through some major separation anxiety when this is all over. 

Cheers to another two more weeks of quarantine!

My Clock

For those of you who were worrying about me living in quarantine without a clock in my bedroom, worry no more!  I'm happy to report that we have a new clock! 

After some serious thought, I realized that I can't go three weeks without a clock in our bedroom so I hopped on Amazon.com, did a little research and ordered a clock (that's some pretty quick decision making for me).  The funny thing is, Amazon said that I wouldn't receive this clock until the beginning of May, about one month from the time that I ordered it!  I figured, at least I ordered it and it will arrive....some day.  To my surprise, I received it within one week.  Yes!  It arrived yesterday!  I was so excited that I unboxed it and set it up in our bedroom. 

The story should end there. 

Me.  Living happily ever after in quarantine with my new bedroom clock.

Unfortunately, that's not the ending we all had in mind.

Last night, we turned off the lights and....there was this really bright light coming from the clock.  Almost like there was a big bill board or neon sign in our bedroom.  The light was so bright that I could see every single thing in our bedroom.  I moved the clock over a little, but, now the light was towards the middle of our bedroom and we couldn't see the time.   I wanted to unplug it, but RT said to keep it on so we could tell the time. 

Lets just say that I didn't get great sleep last night.  I felt like a kid that slept with the light on in his/her room. 

So, back to doing my clock research.  I didn't realize it was this difficult to purchase a digital clock for a bedroom! 

Home made Soft Pretzels

What have I been doing during this quarantine time, you ask?  Baking, baking and more baking.  I'm planning on getting everyone here to gain some weight.  I think it might be working.

I thought I would try making Soft Pretzels again.  I used to make these back in the day (before kids) and now I'm wondering why I never made these when the kids were little?  They aren't really difficult to make.  The sad part is, they don't last very long.  The batch that I made lasted less than 24 hours.  That might be a record for home made soft pretzels. 

These are great to eat plain or, if you are feeling adventurous, you can try them with mustard or a cheese sauce. 

Enough talking, let's get down to baking these pretzels....

Here's the recipe:

Home Made Soft Pretzels

ingredients:
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 packet dry/instant yeast
1 tsp salt
1 TBSP brown sugar
1 TBSP butter, melted
3 3/4 cups - 4 cups all purpose flour
coarse sea salt

1/2 cup baking soda
9 cups water

directions:
Whisk yeast into water with a little sugar and allow to proof.
Whist in the rest of sugar, salt and butter.
Add 3 cups of flour, one cup at a time, mixing with a wooden spoon until the dough is thick.  Add 3/4 cup (or a little more) until the dough is no longer sticky.  When you poke the dough with your finger and it bounces back, it is ready to knead.

Place dough on floured surface and knead for 3 minutes.
Shape into ball and cover with towel and let rest for 10 minutes.
Get water and baking soda boiling.
Preheat oven to 400F and line 2 cookie sheets with silicone baking mats.

Cut dough into 1/3 cup sections.
Roll dough into 20-22" rope.  Take ends and bring them together so dough forms circle.  Twist ends and bring them towards yourself and press them down into pretzel shape.

Put baking soda and water in a large pot and bring to a boil.  Drop 1-2 pretzels into boiling water for 20-30 seconds.  Use a slotted spatula to lift pretzels out of water, making sure to drain excess water off pretzel.  Place pretzel on baking sheet. 
Sprinkle each pretzel with coarse sea salt. 
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until they are golden brown.
Remove from oven and serve warm.

Pretzels can be stored in an airtight container or ziplock bag for up to 3 days.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

*This recipe makes about 12 pretzels
*Can be served alone or with mustard or cheese sauce. 

If you make the Soft Pretzels, let me know how they turned out!

Enjoy!

My Clock

It all started with my hair brained idea of painting my bed room (I'll go into more details about THAT  crazy  nightmare  idea in another post).   I got the paint, moved furniture, washed walls, unplugged my bed room clock (yea, I still have one....don't make fun of me!) taped (the trim) and got to work.  When I was finished for the day, I moved the furniture back and plugged in my clock.  I tried setting the clock but it just buzzed and flashed numbers.  RT told me that I'm going to have to buy another clock.

I think you remember my story about Old Faithful.   The clock that my dad recommended I purchase.  That was my $7.00 clock that lasted over 30 years.  I know.  I got lucky on that one, thanks to my dad doing the field work for me.  After that one died, it took me three weeks to finally take the plunge and buy a new one .  That was roughly three years ago.

How long do clocks last?  I feel like three years is not long at all.  Am I asking too much to buy a clock that lasts longer than three years?  I'm not asking for another 30 years, how about 5-10 years?

Once again, I'm on my own because my Dad isn't here to do the research and make his recommendations for a new clock purchase.   Since the stores are closed, I will have to do all of my research online and probably wait several weeks (or months) before I can get a new one.

Your prayers (and any recommendations) are desperately  needed at this time.

Self Isolation or Quarrantine from the CoronaVirus or COVID-19 Day 27

I think these lyrics sum up my feelings about being in isolation for the last 27 days and the Coronavirus  or  COVID-19:


And so I wake in the morning
And I step outside
And I take a deep breath and I get real high
And I scream from the top of my lungs 
What's going on?

What's Up  by, 4 Non Blondes

My Weird Dog

Now that I have a little time on my hands (thanks a lot, Coronavirus!) I noticed that Pippen is very picky about his food.  When he starts to eat, he grabs some dog food in his mouth, eats a few pieces but spits the rest out onto the floor.  When he spits out the food, he acts like it tastes really bad.  I'm not even sure he knows he's doing this when he eats.  I think it has become a bad habit OR he thinks someone is trying to poison his food.

Well, we all know that someone is out there trying to poison his water.  You can click here to check this post out for a little back story on water bowl poisoning.  He is still a little weird about his own water bowl and sometimes refuses to drink out of it depending on who filled it last.

I thought he was doing great with food up until now.  Once I realized his spitting habit, I started thinking about Pippen and food.  Most dogs will take any snack or morsel that you give them.  Our last dog, Newton, would eat just about anything you gave him.  He would lick the kitchen floor clean after a meal.  We even had a cat that ate green beans and pizza.  And then there's Pippen.  Toss him a tortilla chip and he will sniff it, maybe lick it and then walk away.  He does the same with pretzels (of course, once I say this to someone, Pippen will automatically eat one from that person).  He will eat weird things like avocado or beans.  I like to say that he's vegan, but, he will eat meat.  He knows when RT makes sweet potatoes and eggs and will stare him down hoping to get a small taste. 

Pippen now has a time limit set for his meals.  If he does not eat during that time, his bowl is picked up.  Don't worry, he does get a second chance meal in the afternoon and, he isn't starving to death.  Somehow he decides that the food tastes better at the second serving and finishes his bowl.

Vegetarian Diaries - Beer Batter Cheese Bread

I thought I would post RT's famous Beer Batter Cheese Bread that he makes in his cast iron pan.  This bread is a family favorite.

I'm sure that I've mentioned on numerous occasions that our house is full of bread snobs.  Good, homemade bread doesn't go to waste here.  In fact, it disappears rather quickly.  RT doesn't make this bread very often so when he asked the other day if he could make a loaf, I told him to go for it! 

The recipe is pretty easy to follow and you probably already have all of the ingredients on hand.  If you don't have Gruyere cheese, you can always substitute for cheddar or mozzarella cheese.   If you try any other cheese, let me know in the comments!

Oh, and the loaf that he made, disappeared in less than 24 hours.

Here's the recipe:

Beer Batter Cheese Bread

ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup minced fresh chives
2 TBSP sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
8 oz Gruyere cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
1 1/4 cups mild lager
3 TBSP unsalted butter, melted

directions:
Put oven rack to middle section and heat 20 450 degrees.  Grease 10" cast iron skillet.

In a large bowl, whisk flour, chives, sugar, baking powder, salt and pepper.  Stir in 1 1/2 cups of cheese, breaking up any clumps, until coated with the flour.  Stir in beer and melted butter into the flour mixture until just combined.  Batter will be heavy and thick.  Make sure not to over mix.

Scrape batter into greased skillet and smooth the top.  Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. 

Place skillet in the oven and bake until the loaf is a golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (that's about 20-25 minutes).  Making sure to rotate halfway through baking.

Use potholders to transfer skillet to wire rack.  Let the loaf cool in skillet for 10 minutes. 

Carefully remove the loaf from the skillet and place on wire rack and let cool for at least 20 more minutes before serving.


If you try making this Beer Batter Cheese Bread, let me know what you think!

Enjoy!

Self Isolating - Quarantine Day 21

Still walking as much as I possibly can in a day.  Anything to get out of the house.  RT finds projects that "he"wants to do during this time.  All supplies somehow appear in my sight and I end up doing  his the project.

We were told we are to quarantine for another month.  With all of these "projects" magically appearing, prayers are going to be needed.

I know you are rooting for me but remember, RT has his own problems to deal with during this time.  Working at home, being quarantined (with me) and, oh, yea, listening to me constantly whistling "Jingle Bells" for the last three weeks.

Cheers to another month of fun!

National Card and Letter Writing Month

April is National Card and Letter Writing Month.

I mean, who doesn't love getting a handwritten letter in the mail?  I know that's the first piece of mail I open.  A handwritten letter is a lot better than opening up a bill.

And, with all of this extra "free" time during the quarantine, what better way to spend it than by keeping in touch with friends and family members?

It's time for you to get out all of that pretty paper and cards that you are saving for a special occasion.  Now is the time to use it!  And, don't worry if you don't have pretty paper.  Grab some paint, stickers, washi tape, crayons, or markers and create your own artistic paper.

Letter writing is also a great way to practice your penmanship (I think we all need the extra practice). Don't worry about bad handwriting.  Loved ones know you and your  bad  handwriting and they still love hearing from you.

Don't know what to say?  How about starting off with "Hi" or "Hello"?    Maybe tell them what you have been doing with your time during this quarantine.  Instead of wishing a friend or family a happy birthday on social media, how about sending them a physical card?  You can write a few lines in the card wishing them a happy birthday, letting them know that you are thinking about them.   You can even send a "just because" note or card letting them know that you appreciate them.

What are you waiting for???   Grab your pens and paper and start writing!