Merry Christmas to All

CHRISTMAS DINNER 2020

Baked Spiral-Cut Ham

Scalloped Potatoes 

Steamed Broccoli

Cabbage Salad

Sourdough Bread

Hot Mulled Cider

Pumpkin Pie with Eggnog

First Figs

 

Brown Turkey Fig

When I went out to throw something in the trash can, I scared a bird out of the  near end of the fig tree.  So I investigated and found half a dozen ripe, or nearly ripe, figs.  This is the ripest and was delicious.  I need to check the rest of the tree and hope I will find more before the birds get them.

This “tree” is espaliered along the fence on the east side of our property.  So it extends for maybe 20 feet but is only 8-10 feet high. This makes it easier to pick the fruit plus it doesn’t cast shade the way a regular tree would.

Another Twitter-Free Thursday

 I was successful last Thursday, so decided to try it again. In fact, I’m tempted to stop looking at news completely. It just seems that things get worse every day.  It’s possible that Europe is entering the second phase of COVID-19, our sitting president is suggesting that he won’t leave office if he loses (his rationale being that, if Biden wins, the democrats must have cheated), wildfires continue in the western states, and there is unrest in our cities. I can’t change anything by reading about it and reading about it just upsets me, so maybe I should just opt out, cast my vote as soon as possible, and hope for the best.

Last Thursday Mr B had an early afternoon appointment so, on the way home, we decided to be brave and stop at Smashburger to but lunch.  First fast food we've had in over 6 months and the first time we have been to this place.  Mr B says his burger was excellent, as was my chicken sandwich.  However the fries, both regular and the Smash fries, left a lot to be desired.  We didn’t get drinks as we were planning to eat it at home.

Another 1 pm appointment today, so I think we will try Chipotle this time.  One of my favorites and only recently opened here.

Twitter-Free Thursday

 I’m going to try.  Usually I look at Twitter while I’m eating breakfast but this morning I got interested in an article on HuffPost about OAN TV, the conservative news channel.  Then I needed to get moving because I have an eye doctor appointment this morning.  I’m hoping for a new prescription because I have not been happy with the one I had last year.

Anyway while I was in the shower I realized that I hadn’t checked Twitter and that I was still alive, so maybe Twitter isn’t so necessary.  Then I came up with the alliteration, so there it is.  I’m sure my family will be happy not to get the occasional forwarded Tweet from me.

Watch this space for a further report as to success or failure.  I’m not betting either way.

A Walk in the Park

Last Saturday afternoon we decided to brave the heat and smoke to drive to a small park a few miles from our house.  The temperature was in the upper 90s but we thought we needed to get out of the house.  As we had hoped there were no other people there and we were able to manage about 15 minutes before we wilted.  Rusty was so happy, he stopped every few feet to smell and mark. 

This may be why there was no one else around:

But, on the plus side, there was this. 

Some of the cans looked a bit elderly but the intention is a good one.

Since the weekend our temperatures have been moving back towards normal.  Late yesterday afternoon I even thought about wearing a sweater when I went out to pull an onion for dinner.  Nighttime temperatures are back in the low to mid-fifties, which is our normal.  We still have hazy skies and the occasional smell of smoke, probably from the Monterey County fires, but could be from the Santa Cruz or the Santa Clara fires.  I can’t remember that we have ever been surrounded this way.

Second Hottest Day of the Year

 Maybe the century.  Yesterday we topped out at 113° and today 109°.  Our county tweeted a warning that this heatwave is expected to last until Friday 8/21.  We are hunkered down indoors, with all the windows closed. No TV since Thursday because our big screen plasma just pours out the heat.  Nice in the winter but deadly right now.  We sat on the patio after dinner last evening and watched the Giants' game on my iPad.

                           Even Rusty is too hot to perform his usual guard dog duties.

One Month Later

We are still living under stay-at-home orders, seems like there is no end in sight.  On the bright side, we are both still healthy.
Mr. B walks Rusty most days, even though April has been cold and gray, with some rainy days in the early part of the month.
I had thought I would be spending a lot of time in the sewing room but that hasn’t happened.  I seem to be planning meals and cooking a lot more.  I’m also being careful about not wasting food.  I’ve always kept a pretty well-stocked pantry and the freezer is full,  but I can’t help worrying about running out.
The first weekend of the lockdown our son drove down here to get the pickup truck running (needed a new battery) and did some shopping for me at Safeway.  No eggs except for duck eggs at $1 each in a carton of six.

One duck egg is equal to 1.5 large chicken eggs but I couldn’t tell any difference in taste.  We usually have two eggs each for Sunday breakfast but I tried cooking only one each, since two in the pan would have been too crowded.  Not quite enough, so the following week I cooked two each which was really a little too much.
Son did not come in the house when he was here.  He put the groceries on a table in the garage and then stood in the driveway and talked to Mr B who was sitting in the garage.
Nob Hill market does not deliver in our area so I had placed an online pick up order.  The earliest available time slot is ten days away.

Life from inside the 2020 pandemic

It’s Day 3 of the Shelter-in-Place order in our county.
On Monday Mr B and I drove to our local Nob Hill supermarket because we needed bread and eggs plus corned beef and cabbage for St Patrick’s Day dinner.  The bread selection was skimpy and the egg shelves were totally empty.  We expected the toilet paper and hand sanitizer shortages but eggs?
The meat shelves were spotty but fresh vegetables seemed to be in good supply. And our check-out line was fairly short, although the store was much busier than is usual on a Monday, lots of elderly folks as well.
Our county has had 5 confirmed cases of the Corona virus with one death, a person in his sixties with underlying health conditions who had recently traveled to Thailand.  Apparently 911 was called but the first responders could not revive him.  So now three firefighters and two ambulance people are in isolation for the next two weeks.
Mr B still walks Rusty most days but I’ve been content to stay in the house.  I’d like to be in the garden pulling weeds so I can plant veggies but it has been rainy and cold lately.  I seem to be feeling the cold a lot more this winter.  I guess old age has finally caught up with me.

This was our dinner last night.  I cooked the corned beef in the oven but boiled the vegetables on top of the stove.  The Irish soda bread is mostly whole wheat and I used raisins because I don’t have any currants.  That I could locate, anyway.

For Pi day on Saturday I baked a lime meringue pie using a lemon recipe.  We have a bumper crop of limes this year.  I thought it had a slight off-taste but Mr B and our daughter didn’t seem to notice it.  Could have been the cornstarch in the filling or the shortening in the crust.  Both have been around a while and should probably be replaced.
Cold and gray again today, makes me want to cuddle up on the couch and read my Bosch novel.  Thank goodness I can borrow kindle books online through the Santa Clara County library.  Our local library also has this capability but not such a big selection.