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Quarantine Tuesday Reading Kaffeeklatsch: 3/31/2020
Theresa wrote: "I really miss my cleaning lady! I'm going to have to introduce myself to my mop soon. I made up with the vacuum cleaner yesterday. It forgave me for not remembering how to open the attachment compartment. ..."I'm handling the Clorox wipes in the kitchen and bath. Hubby is doing the floors. So he's in charge of the vacuum ... I bought him a newer mop (the only one we had was the old-fashioned string mop with a giant bucket with wringer attachment ... just too heavy for us now). We each do our own laundry. We're not using the family room, dining room or study at all these days, so that reduces the amount of cleaning required.
I remember a conversation I had with some colleagues at a business luncheon decades ago (I think in the late '70s or early '80s). We were talking about cleaning and someone commented that we learn to clean from our mothers. I agreed: "MY mother always had a cleaning lady, and I do too!"
I just finished The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast-and honestly, it felt like it took me forever. I kept comparing the current situation with our inadequate government then and now. Very depressing. But I wanted it off my nightstand and into the massive pile that has to be given back to the library. They have extended our due dates to April 30th.....
Theresa wrote:I also realized that there is no way I am leaving this apartment to go into a grocery store or anything
Well, yesterday and today I tried 6 times to order grocery's from Meijer our Big Box grocer, After the 5th time of having my virtual basket full I would try to check out and I would get the message my basket was empty. On try 6-I actually made it to pick-up date, and there are no available slots. I do have an order into another store, with a firm pick-up day of April 6th...We are actually fine until then and my Meijer basket on the 6th try stayed full. Now I just have to keep re-loading to get a pick-up day and time.
Theresa wrote: I highly recommend a good crying jag!
I have not had mine yet, but I feel it coming
I finally finished The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism all 900+ pages of it. It was good, but that's the last serious book I plan to read for a while. I'm really looking forward to a list of sci-fi titles.I had a scare Friday and Saturday when I started to feel ill. Nausea, weak, achy ... but no fever. I live alone. I haven't been anywhere but the backyard in more than a week .... so a bit scary for a while. I've consulted with two online health services thru my doctor and my insurance company and I feel fairly certain that it was food poisoning. Milk on my cereal was probably spoiled although it had not reached the sell date. There's a proverb in this somewhere, something about spilled milk ....
The upside of this was phone contact with my adult children. They were wonderfully calm and supportive. I didn't need or want anyone coming to my rescue, just the caring support. It was so nice to see what mature adults they are. So all's well. It never amounted to much. I feel completely normal now.
And last night I made some delicious rosemary bread! Such a shame that I have to eat it all by myself.
Joanne wrote: "Theresa wrote:I also realized that there is no way I am leaving this apartment to go into a grocery store or anythingWell, yesterday and today I tried 6 times to order grocery's from Meijer our B..."
I've had the same problem with ordering groceries. I've tried delivery from 3 different grocery chains in my area. Two of them offer a curbside pickup, but the pick up time is a problem. My plan B is to hire my son's best friend who's out of work, just a month after closing on his first house. Not that what I could pay him will make a dent in his house payments.
I also decided that I deserve something special and ordered from Omaha Steaks. (I sent an order to my sister for her birthday next week and decided that I should have some steak in her honor. )
Living in NYC delivery is very much available and being left in lobby. I just go down when they buzz and collect from table. I really wznt and like to cook but I succumbed to Chinese food the other night and I feel a pizza craving coming on. I can also get groceries orderec onlibe and delivered. Problem is supply and delivery slots. So i make do. I will have to visit my office at some point. My plan is to include stopping in grocery and drugstore with a list on way home. Takibg all precautions but limiting exposure to one mega-jaunt.
@BookConcierge - 😅! My sisters and I were my mother's cleaning ladies. Dang! I should have considered having children!@JGrace - glad you are ok and how lovely your children sound. I am having an awful time with allergies, often waking up with a headache and sore throat from breathing through my mouth when I get congested at night. I started taking my temperature every morning just as a way to reassure myself it is only allergies. I am someone prone to high fevers when I get viruses. Taking temp daily is a good indicator for me.
Someone here is in some year long Diaster and Epidemics reading group or challenge? Dude! I cannot imagine! I have trouble imagining reading The Scribe of Siena now, which is fiction set in plague ridden Siena and London, or even The Weight of Ink set in Restoration London during plague right now. Both are superb books.
Theresa wrote: "What most of you don't know is that at the end of last week I found out a colleague with whom I've shared a client for 20+ years died from complications of COVID-19. ..."I'm so sorry, Theresa.
Theresa wrote: "Someone here is in some year long Diaster and Epidemics reading group or challenge? Dude! I cannot imagine! I have trouble imagining reading The Scribe of Siena now, which is fictio..."The year-long is Disasters.
Epidemics and Famine is only the March theme.
Regardless of what else is happening in the real world, I am fascinated by disaster stories.
These are our themes:
January: Fires
February: Invasions
March: Epidemics and Famine
April: Riots/Uprisings/Sieges
May: Geologic Events (earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, landslides, avalanches, meteor strikes)
June: Man-Made
July: Weather Events (hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, floods, droughts, heatwaves)
August/September: Transportation and Maritime
October: Pre-1900
November: Outside Your Home Country
December: Technology/Industrial
Theresa wrote: "Living in NYC delivery is very much available and being left in lobby. ..."I want to support the businesses, but I've been trying for a while to cut back on the money I spend, and I am using this time at home to cook more (I hate cooking, but much of that is the time it takes and I just don't want to take the time... but being home all the time helps), and save money.
I'm not going overboard with cleaning the house, as we haven't had anyone else come in, and we rarely go out. My husband did the shopping. He used gloves in the store and used a new pair in the car. He stripped his clothes off in the garage (which was very funny), and we wiped down the groceries before putting them away. I miss the plastic bags that we can toss away. I need to launder all the cloth bags. We're not going shopping again anytime soon. We'll make do with what we have. I might have to learn to drink my coffee black. 😫Mail and packages are quarantined in the garage for at least a few days.
My mom and I both need blood tests (they come to the house for hers). she's on warfarin which requires monthly blood tests. I'm going to see if I can switch her to Eliquis so she won't need the tests. I have a doctors appt Monday, and they said they can do it by phone or Telemed (or Telehealth?) I really don't want to go for a blood test. If I do I won't sit down in the waiting room.
My son's restaurant is takeout only now and he said they're as busy as ever. Mostly pizzas. I worry about all those employees working together in the kitchen. It's impossible to keep 6 feet apart. His area hasn't had a lot of cases yet, but you know it's coming.
All this talk of cooking ... what was for dinner?We dined on Chicken picatta (thinly sliced chicken "cutlets", pounded to an even thickness - dredged in a seasoned flour mixture, sauteed till golden on both sides, then adding lemon slices, capers, lemon juice, white wine and a slurry of chicken broth and seasoned flour to thicken ... heated through till sauce thickens and is bubbling. Garnished with finely chopped lemon zest and parsley); zucchini and noodles. Our salad was the "spring mix" greens, with diced fresh pear, gorgonzola crumbles, and walnuts, dressed with homemade raspberry vinaigrette. No dessert tonight. No wine either (I had iced tea; hubby had ginger ale). But we DID have a lit candle, and the roses I bought nearly a week ago are still nice.
Book Concierge wrote: "All this talk of cooking ... what was for dinner?We dined on Chicken picatta (thinly sliced chicken "cutlets", pounded to an even thickness - dredged in a seasoned flour mixture, sauteed till gol..."
Yum!
I'm not much of a cook but tonight I did make an effort and made one of our family favourites: https://www.waitrose.com/content/wait...
Book Concierge wrote: "We dined on Chicken picatta (thinly sliced chicken "cutlets", pounded to an even thickness - dredged in a seasoned flour mixture, sauteed till gol..."Ok, although I'm cooking more, that doesn't mean I get fancy! LOL! I did spaghetti the other night (giving me lots of leftovers). I plan to make a veggie chowder either tomorrow or Thursday.
I had spaghetti with the last of the meat sauce i m ade on Sunday. Yum. Kept it simple because I had an 8PM conf call sceduled for work.BC - I am coming to your house to eat when this is over! I will bring fresh roses.
Great news... it’s all over!April Fools!
I loved this day when I was a kid.
I don’t know if this is a national thing, but we’re putting stuffed animals in our window for kids to spot while they take their walk for “recess” this week.
@BC wrote: We dined on Chicken picattaI must have smelled it, because I woke up this AM and decided that is what I wanted to make-alas, I had no chicken in the freezer, but I do have some boneless pork, so I am improvising with that-one of my all time favorites (love it made with veal, no matter how Un-PC that is.)
Theresa wrote: "I had spaghetti with the last of the meat sauce i m ade on Sunday. Yum. Kept it simple because I had an 8PM conf call sceduled for work.BC - I am coming to your house to eat when this is over! I ..."
You are welcome any time, Theresa!
Joanne wrote: "I must have smelled it, because I woke up this AM and decided that is what I wanted to make-alas, I had no chicken in the freezer, but I do have some boneles..."I also love it made with veal (that's how I originally learned this recipe). Living in Wisconsin we have lots of good veal. (Fact of life ... you can't get dairy cows producing milk without calves. The males become veal.)
I may make the traditional white veal stew from France - Blanquette de Veau - for our Easter dinner. I've made it exactly twice before ... and it's a chore, but well worth the effort.
By the way, we don't dine like that every night. Several times during our "social distancing" we've eaten cheese & crackers.
Book Concierge wrote: "By the way, we don't dine like that every night. Several times during our "social distancing" we've eaten cheese & crackers."LoL! Here too-PBJ, cheese and crackers, my afternoon announcement when I am not cooking..."go foraging in the pantry"
Was just thinking about making chicken piccatta. Like a pre passover treat.
Book Concierge wrote: "Joanne wrote: "I must have smelled it, because I woke up this AM and decided that is what I wanted to make-alas, I had no chicken in the freezer, but I do have some boneles..."I also love it made..."
I too love veal and especially veal piccata. The Blanquette de Veaux sounds divine. And you have the time to make it. Even if work has not slacked, everything else that pulled us away from home is suspended.
My husband is the cook in our family and he has been taking care of me. I made a resolution to cook at least 1/week at the beginning of the year and I am mostly holding up my end of the bargain in quarantine. I can tell he is getting stressed out constantly having to think of things for us to eat because normally it's just dinner.
Like Theresa, I am also leaning toward escapist fiction.
I just finished The Deep and now I am reading The Overstory and Recursion. Recursion is especially gripping right now.
Meli wrote: "My husband is the cook in our family and he has been taking care of me. I made a resolution to cook at least 1/week at the beginning of the year and I am mostly holding up my end of the bargain in ..."I definitely am not used to providing 3 meals a day just for myself out of my kitchen. I actually did some modest menu planning a week ago and it really helped. I made an eggy bread savory bread pudding and baked it in individual ramekins which I heat up in the microwave to eat either for breakfast or lunch. I have sandwich makings. I made spaghetti and also chili which last me a few days. I still have a few dishes 'planned' that I will make once I finish some of what is made. It's worked - I always have something quick to eat and I limit the 'cooking' to every few days.
I subsisted on bologna sandwiches for lunch the first week. I noticed we eat a lot of eggs!
Eggs are going to be on the table more than a few times. Last night I made an oven roasted red pepper quiche with a side of broiled pineapple slices..probably omelettes or French toast one night this week. I just happen to have a lot of eggs on hand when we shut down.
Welp, my hours just got cut again, down to 20 per week. Eek. I've filed for unemployment (can't believe I have to say that, and feel comfortable enough sharing it here), but shit didn't really "get real" until today for me. Dinner is a REAL THING!! I'm trying to be creative, but cooking 10 days in a row is something I've never done before. Plus sometimes being a little more creative with ingredients, substitutions with what we have in the house so we don't need to go to the store unnecessarily. We're getting really into couscous right now.
Thinking of doing chicken picatta this weekend, we have all the ingredients for it already. I'm finding my Mediterranean staples are good to have around- capers, sundried tomatoes, olives, feta- they can go with anything- chicken, meatballs, rice, pasta, pizza, wraps, couscous. Greek everything right now, lol.
I guess now that I'm home more I'll have to start thinking about lunch- at work I eat the same thing every day (sandwich and salad), but who knows now!?
On the upside, you folks will probably be seeing more of me around here now that I have less work, only a virtual social life, and less things to do!
Joi wrote: "Welp, my hours just got cut again, down to 20 per week. Eek. I've filed for unemployment (can't believe I have to say that, and feel comfortable enough sharing it here), but shit didn't really "get..."Oh, no. :-( I'm sorry, Joi.
Damn, Joi, that's rough, sorry to hear that :(
Thanks guys. Sorry, didn't mean to be a Debbie Downer. We are lucky that we both are still working. I'm trying to think up new hobbies to get into with my spare time...-Yoga. Doing this now, about an hour a day. It's definitely helping keep me sane.
-Sewing? I keep seeing people making their own masks, I could get my sewing machine out, but all my fabric, whatnot is not at my parents house which I can't visit right now. My table currently has a puzzle, but I could quit the puzzle to put my sewing machine up.
-Tap dancing -is this crazy?! I found tap shoes on amazon for like $35, and could get old flooring to dance on. I live on the ground floor, so neighbors won't hate me for this...
-Reading, obviously.
So sorry Joi. This is happening all over the place. You cannot imagine how happy I would be if you decided to dance! Please do it!
I say go for the Tap Dancing Joi! What fun and we all need fun right now!
Joi wrote: "Thanks guys. Sorry, didn't mean to be a Debbie Downer. We are lucky that we both are still working. I'm trying to think up new hobbies to get into with my spare time...-Yoga. Doing this now, abou..."
Tap dancing is definitely NOT crazy - I've been doing an adult beginner class for almost 2 years now, and it's carrying on using Zoom and it's one of the highlights of my week. There are LOADS of videos online to help you learn new steps too. (Pro tip: watch them at half speed until you've got the hang of them...)
Tap dancing sounds cool!I am not doing anything really different than before. I read, browse the interwebz, watch TV, clean, do laundry, rinse, repeat. These ambitious people with their bread and sewing projects, freaking puzzles!? I commend you all.
I did tap when I was a kid, and I don't know how many years ago, I found a second hand pair of top shoes that I picked up, wanting to try again. Never did find a class to take at the time, though. I wonder where those shoes are...
Meanwhile I have been nursing a bit of resentment of all those who have time for baking, puzzles, needlework, cleaning out the closets....as I struggle to stay on top of work while still not having my home office as well set up as I need. And some minimal housework (wonder what smells in the fridge? And why is the bathroom sink looking scummy? I miss my cleaning lady!). I actually would love having time for some of that. And when am I squeezing in rescheduled to weekdays webinars for the CLE needed to renew my license August 1? Can I just squeeze in a nap? Please?
Then I hear from other lawyers who don't have any work ... I'm over it. I am having one of those needing work do some drafting for me, thus easing my work. And I am being firm with others and myself about building in time - to cook meals and do housework, take walks and naps at least - because this is hard, stressful and anxiety-provoking. Dammit!
So keep sharing what projects you are taking on so I can live vicariously. Love the tap dancing. Or even consider flamenco. Here's a link to buy really fun fabrics with NYC themes: http://www.cityquilter.com/shoponline...
Or if you want non-nyc options:
https://gothamquilts.com/
I didn't have a chance to read much of this fascinating thread - but before I go back to work (form my kids' room), here's a project from earlier today that might amuse you.My 8 year old loves her comics. We made a comics library in the living room (collected any comics we could find in the house) and she can borrow books and stamp her 'card' and give stars rating upon returning. aaaaanyways...
She's been reading Lumberjanes: Up All Night (finished all her comics books few times and ventured to her sister's) and they are some sort of scouts - with badges etc.
So today, we made a scouts' sash from green felt, and started making badges. So far she has a 'kitchen hand' badge and a 'safety first' badge (a huge googly eye).
We added a pocket to the sash for tools, and have empty badges ready for whenever she feels creative.
Thank goodness I hoard craft materials just as badly as books
Idit wrote: "I didn't have a chance to read much of this fascinating thread - but before I go back to work (form my kids' room), here's a project from earlier today that might amuse you.My 8 year old loves he..."
Just like books, one can never have too many craft supplies.
Love the ingenuity, Idit!
@Idit, I love hearing about your young daughter having fun with earning badges. She's at the perfect age for this.
This post popped up on my Facebook page yesterday, from Getty Museum. I laughed til I snorted at some of them. And so my daughter and I decided we are going to do this-we are searching for a painting and scouring the house for propshttps://www.sadanduseless.com/recreat...
Theresa wrote: Meanwhile I have been nursing a bit of resentmentI am smoldering here too Theresa, but for other reasons. We had tickets to see Gordon Lightfoot tonight.....I hardly ever get out for a special evening, and I was so looking forward to this. I will probably have my own private concert tonight...Also our annual Springtime to Northern Michigan is cancelled....I have anger issues right now.
Joanne wrote: "This post popped up on my Facebook page yesterday, from Getty Museum. I laughed til I snorted at some of them. And so my daughter and I decided we are going to do this-we are searching for a painti..."OMG ... I was laughing so hard, Hubby came running to see "WHAT'S going on!!!"
I loved that too a Joanne! Theresa, I think too for those of us who are working from home, and many of my patients are, there is serious FOMO about all of the puzzles, games, movies, and baking. I too worry that if I don’t see a free broadway show online or take a virtual tour of a museum, I will be missing out. As it is, keeping up with work and attempting to homeschool the kids, I am behind on reading, not to mention calling loved ones to check in. And still haven’t been able to get to the taxes or clean out one closet. But I did complete a fourth puzzle... Have about 5 patients a day and try to get out for walks. But it’s tough.
Book Concierge wrote: ..OMG ... I was laughing so hard, Hubby came running to see "WHAT'S going on!!!"The bologna is what set me off, and then I could not stop laughing
Joanne wrote: "Theresa wrote: Meanwhile I have been nursing a bit of resentmentI am smoldering here too Theresa, but for other reasons. We had tickets to see Gordon Lightfoot tonight.....I hardly ever get out f..."
Glad I am not alone although so sad you are missing out on things you were so looking forward to. I have a few of those also...and processing refunds just rubs it in deeper.
Play Book Tag
Books mentioned in this topic
Remembrance of Things Past: Volume II - The Guermantes Way & Cities of the Plain (other topics)Lumberjanes: Up All Night (other topics)
The Deep (other topics)
The Overstory (other topics)
Recursion (other topics)
More...
I just first have to make a comment on what everyone is reading: I cannot believe the serious, heavy, dark reading so many of you have been starting and finishing this month! I can barely manage to focus on a cozy mystery, a cowboy romance and a few pages of Proust here or there (which is not unlike reading a regency romance). I absolutely cannot give attention to non-fiction or fiction on the subjects I'm seeing reviewed. Heck, I can't even manage a memoir or biography of a celebrity. [This may in part be due to the serious reading I do for hours daily as a lawyer which has increased not abated. Those Governor Cuomo Executive Orders: are such fun to parse- not].
So cudos to all of you who are but how the heck are you doing it???? All I want is total escape into a world with happy endings and maybe some hot steamy sex between the characters. Note: I live alone. 'Nuf said.
On another note, you all saw that I posted about my client who recovered sufficiently from COVID 19 to be back home and slowly progressing. What most of you don't know is that at the end of last week I found out a colleague with whom I've shared a client for 20+ years died from complications of COVID-19. I was so upset by it -- and clearly just emotionally from these last few weeks - well I went through a hell of a lot of tissues for a day. It was a necessary release and I settled down quickly. I'm that person you want to see everyone through a crisis, who then falls apart afterwards. I also realized that there is no way I am leaving this apartment to go into a grocery store or anything other than to get some sun, take out the garbage, do laundry in the laundry room, and pick up deliveries from the lobby. It's working fine, I am handling the various legal matters I need to handle, and that constant knot of anxiety in my stomach has disappeared.
I highly recommend a good crying jag!
Special thanks to all my Jade Dragons who pushed me to read His Majesty's Dragon for Poll Tally even though I'm not much for fantasy, YA, or dragons. I adored it! And it was the first book I really have read in what felt like an eternity. Long live 🐲🐲🐲and alternative history fantasy!
On another note, I don't know about all of you but I've got enough food in the freezer, fridge and cupboards to survive probably a month easily. It helps that I know how to cook and bake - actually pretty good at it. It's led to cleaning out long long long expired items from the back of the cupboards, opening cookbooks, and leaving my pots and pans on the stove as they are being used every few hours. Why put them away?
I really miss my cleaning lady! I'm going to have to introduce myself to my mop soon. I made up with the vacuum cleaner yesterday. It forgave me for not remembering how to open the attachment compartment.