Recipes Galore

In Jan 2020 I had a rather aggressive goal to try 100 new recipes this year. I knew in my heart there was no way I was ever going to hit that number. It was my attempt to motivate myself to cook more and eat out less. 

Then COVID happened. In an odd way, I have COVID to thank for me not only hitting my goal but exceeding it by quite a long shot. Yesterday I posted my 132nd recipe of the year. I might hit 150 new recipes by the end of the year. 

I started wondering about how many recipes per year had I done on average. Over on the cooking blog I could find that answer. 

I suspect there are recipes I've tried that are NOT on this blog. I wasn't overly diligent about adding them back in the early years. In fact, in 2020 I added a couple of recipes that I love that were not on the blog. 

I have a similar goal for next year to cook more. I think I'm going to leave it at 100. Who knows what next year will bring? 

I was asked the other day why I was so interested in cooking. There's not really an easy answer for this. I was raised in a house where dinner was always home made. Dad was the one who started looking through cookbooks to find new recipes (this was back before the Internet bombarded us with recipes and the like on a regular basis.) Mom eventually got into it as well. So we designated Wednesday night as "New Recipe Night". When I was about 12, the parental units also designated Thursday night as MY night to cook. I could try something new or something old. It didn't matter. The rule was to have my grocery list to them by Saturday for the weekly shopping day.

Over the years I dabbled in cooking. I knew how, but never really wanted to become a "great" cook. Then when I dated this guy in the early 2000's who also like to cook I got a bit addicted to it. My project manager self realized cooking was just one big project. 

In 2005 I lost a bet and had to start this blog. Not too soon after I decided I also wanted a cooking blog. But, as I mentioned, I wasn't really great at being diligent with posting recipes. It was harder then because not many were on the net. It was "real" typing in the recipe. (Such 1st world problems).

Later I'll do a post about my favorite recipes for this year. There aren't as many as you'd think. 

Books, Books and More Books

I'm a prolific reader. I'm fond of books. I read all the time. I read a lot of different genres. Reading allows me to escape, for a moment, and live in a world the book I'm reading created. 

Each year I have a  reading goal. Some years it's a bit of a stretch. Other years it's just a number. This year my goal was 50 books OR 15,000 pages. In early December I was at 45 books and pretty sure I wouldn't make it. Then I buckled down and read 3 books in quick succession. 

I don't have any qualifiers on the type of books I read. Meaning, I don't try to force them to be literary masterpieces. I read everything from deep, thought provoking books to smut novels. Sometimes you need a little smut. 

I thought it'd be fun to do a quick review of my Top 10ish Favorites this year. These aren't in any order of favorite. Though if I had to pick one favorite I think it would be a toss up between Orphan Train and Where the Crawdads Sing, but I can't pick a favorite...don't make me do it.

Flowers in the Attic Back Story Books (V.C. Andrews):
We all read the Flowers in the Attic series back in the 1980's. We all loved it and we all secretly wondered how they got to that point. Well, turns out V.C. Andrews wrote several back stories of the characters. I found them this year and devoured them. If you're a Flowers in the Attic fan, you will love these books. 

1. Garden of Shadows
2. Beneath the Attic
3. Out of the Attic
4. The Shadows of Foxworth

Becoming by Michelle Obama

This was a book club selection. I'm not sure I would have read this book without it being a book club selection. It's one of those books I would want to read, but I'd never make the time to read it. It was a good book. It was interesting to read about her entire life and how she (they) got to the White House.

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

Probably one of my most favorite books this year. I didn't have a clue about the orphan trains back in the day. This books follows a little girl who's orphaned through her experiences and how her life turns out. I highly recommend this book!

The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony

This was also a book club pick (my work book club). I would never have read this book...ever. It wouldn't have been on my radar in any way. I was completely taken in by this book and felt the urge to go on a safari. The book is written by a manager of a game reserve called Thula Thula. He's asked to adopt some rogue elephants for his reserve. He agrees and the book is his story of how he "tamed" these elephants. It's a great book and such a clear look into the world of conservationists when it comes to endangered animals. 

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewel

Such a great book. Captivating! It's a great mystery that unfolds nicely. I hate mysteries that leave it until the very end to give the the "who dun it". Instead I like mysteries that unfold and allow you to slowly put the pieces together. 

The Hundred Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais

Oh my goodness. This book popped up because of my book bingo. I had one slot left to get a bingo and the box was "book with food as a theme". This book was beautifully written. The story of a young Indian immigrant who finds his passion in French cuisine. The movie is also fantastic, but misses several pieces of the book. I'm glad I read the book first then saw the movie. 

The Last Boleyn by Karen Harper

This is the story of the "other" Boleyn sister. We all know about Ann Boleyn, but almost nothing about her sister. In fact I think my exact words were, "She had a sister?" This was a Vines & Spines book club selection and I'm so glad we read it. Research I did after uncovered that there was some historically inaccurate parts of this book, but then I had to remember it is fiction. If I wanted to read about the actual facts, I could. 

When Time Stopped: A Memoir of My Father's War and What Remains by Ariana Neumann 

Ariana was a classmate of mine at TASIS. We didn't pal around together, but we knew each other. Or at least I knew of her. We ran in different circles. When she started promoting her new book I had to read it. Its the story of her father's family in German occupied Czechoslovakia. WWII stories are among my favorite. So much suffering and so much understanding I feel we must have in order to not repeat those atrocities ever! Her family's story was heartwarming, sad, and so well told. She's a true story teller. 

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

I think this was THE book of 2019 and 2020. I was thrilled when it was selected for Vines & Spines book club. This story was so fantastic. I had heard some murmuring from others who read it saying it wasn't very sophisticated and more like a young adult level. Ok? I like young adult books. It was also criticized for much of the court room part saying it was pretty unlikely. I didn't care about any of that. I read it and loved it. 

Hideaway by Nora Robert

And in the "smut" novel category, I give you Nora Roberts. Her stories are exactly the same every time and I love that about her stories. I know two people are going to meet, have something that will keep them apart, some danger, a little intrigue and finally happily ever after. It's perfect. This book had me captivated from the beginning all the way to the end. I read it in a day. Super interesting story line and the mystery kept me engaged up until the end. 

Thankful

 Here we are! The end of November. The pandemic has reared it's ugly head again and the stupid people of this area aren't doing what's being asked of them, and so we're in a bit more of a lock down. 

The message given is to limit your family time for Thanksgiving. Which, as it turned out, wasn't too hard for us. 

Originally, it was to be Janet, The Niece and the Niece's girlfriend. So, being ever organized, I bought for 6 people - 4 to eat and then leftovers for everyone. 

The next day, literally, we find out the Niece has to work and the girlfriend isn't off her ship yet. So it'll be just Janet and I...with LOTS of food. 

I managed to find a 16 lb bird. It was so hard to buy a small bird. For as long as I can remember we've bought a 22 or 24 lb bird. So that's what I buy...regardless of the 3 of eaters at the table. Ahem. This time, there was ONE turkey left, so I grabbed it up. 

Day of Thanksgiving I get a call from Blueberry and her plans fell through and could she join us. Lord knows we had enough, so come on over. 

And so we laughed. We talked. We ate...and we ate some more. As is tradition, we had clam dip as we waited for the bird to cook. Checked the bird after about 2 hours (of the 3 it was to be in) and it was DONE! So we hopped to it and got the sides going. 

I spent some time the Friday after thinking about the Thanksgiving we had now 7 years ago. When we were in the hospital with Ric. It is one of those Thanksgivings that is the worst and the best all in one. The day of Thanksgiving I had run to Fred Meyer to buy something dinner ish. We sat in the waiting room eating in silence. All knowing that in the next couple of days we will have to say good by to Ric. Our hearts were breaking and there was nothing we could do about it. We all already felt the loss. 

We ate. We didn't talk. We waited some more. 

Then Friday evening we were still greeting people who were coming to say their goodbyes to my brother. The elevator dinged, a sound we had been conditioned to turn and look at the door when we heard it, and the door opened. We expected to see one or two people at most. Instead we saw a FULL elevator. Each person in the elevate carrying food. Ric and Janet's friends had brought us a FULL Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings. They had tables. They had table clothes. They had decorations for each table. They had plates and silverware. They had wine. They had thought of everything. Even now I tear up just thinking about it. So much love in a room full of people who were all grieving. 

Phew...gotta go get a kleenex. Man. Still makes me cry. I miss that guy so much. Tomorrow will be 7 years since we said goodbye to him. He's missed every day and thought of often. 

And so here we are, about to start the last month of 2020. It can't get over soon enough. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving whether you were with family or not. 

Happy Birthday Mom

Mom would be 73 years today if she was still with us. We all miss her like nobody's business. I think of her daily and honestly, sometimes I hear her come out of my mouth. 

She was often the life of the party. She spoke her mind with no remorse. She loved with everything she had. And if you crossed her...look out! She was mom to so many. Grandma to many more - you didn't even have to be blood. She loved her pets, and loved anyone's dog. If she was missing, find the nearest dog and you'd find her. 

She was brave and courageous in her career. She taught me that women can do anything with a little hard work.

Overall, she was my best friend. And while we would often debate over politics, which I admit I'd poke at her to get her going, I knew she would always, ALWAYS be there for me. 

I miss her with my whole being. 

October Currently

Well, here we are a week before the election. The number of folks who have voted is off the charts. I think people are finally waking up and realizing they might have a say. Regardless of which side you fall, voting is a privilege and everyone should get out and do just that. 

Because everyone is likely tired of politics, let's do a "Currently" list for October. 

Loving: Fall. Fall is my favorite season. The colors that tend to explode here in the PNW is always so beautiful. In addition, I love to see everyone's photos from around the world of their beautiful fall weather. What is different this year is it's like we skipped fall and went directly into winter. It's been a cold couple of days. But I wouldn't expect anything less from 2020. 

Watching: I'm late to the game, but am binge watching Chicago PD. I stumbled onto it on day and watched several episodes in the middle of a season, then decided I needed to know what the heck was going on. So I started from the beginning. 

Listening: I've finally moved into my office in the new place. And by "office" I mean my scrapbook room. In unpacking, I specifically set it up so half my desk is work related and half is scrap related. Since I've moved up here, I've been listening to Pandora's Eagles Rock station. Basically 70's music. It really is less distracting to have music going in the background instead of the TV. 

Eating: New recipes. I had a goal of trying 100 new recipes this year. I just cooked my 87th recipe. 13 to go...I should have no problem hitting that between now and Dec 31st. We also just did the the annual Hunting Wives dinner - chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes&gravy, and corn. The usual suspects were here to enjoy it. One of the usual suspects suggested that we don't have to do this mean only once a year. I like the way she thinks. 

Drinking: Oddly, not wine. I've not unpacked the bar yet. Still waiting for it to show up this week. Instead, I've been a wee bit addicted to the Crystal Light Peach Ice Tea. Though I only really make one packet a week and when that's gone I do water. Lots and lots of water. 

Going: No where. We're still a bit locked down thanks to Covid. Though we did just take a brief trip south to visit some cousins, but that's it. No plans for travel. Which sucks really. I just hope we are in a good place to take our big trip next May. If you would have asked me in April when we were debating on whether we should go or not (ultimately it was decided for us), I would not have thought we'd still be in a position where we might not get to go. 

Reading: I'm not going to hit my goal of 15,000 pages (around 50 books). I think I wasted too much time watching TV while being locked down that I missed an opportunity to read. Still, I've kept up on all the book club books and have been able to read about 38 books so far this year. I mean, maybe I can get 12 in 9 weeks. I am taking time off in November and Dec. Huh? Maybe I can hit this goal after all. 

What I'm actually reading now is Notorious RBG. It's a book club book and I'm loving it. What hit me the most is how audacious she was in the 60's and 70's to have so much confidence to push against what was considered traditional woman roles. Man, she was something else. A true pioneer for woman rights (and men rights actually).

So there you go...all caught up.

Fun, Food, and Family

 Being in a new house I feel like I'm getting back into some of my more useful habits...you know, like sleeping in my bed (instead of the recliner), taking a shower in the morning, doing dishes before bed, etc. It feels good. It feels right. 

This weekend was busy and relaxing all at the same time. 

On Sunday, I focused on getting the scrapbook room/office unpacked and ready for use. The room faces south and has a big window. A ton of natural light and will make it my happy place. It feels bigger than the other room, even though it's technically smaller. I feel like everything has it's own place now, which makes a big difference. 

Standing at the door looking in. My desk fits nicely against the wall and window. 

A view from standing inside the room towards the desk.

Standing at my desk looking behind me. The colorful box on the floor is the "cat" box. Meaning Lucy has claimed it for her sleeping while I'm in the office. 

I'm really happy about how it all came together. The shelf with the crab wasn't in the last room and I think that shelf made all the difference. More flat space for my crap. The only thing missing now is photos on the wall. Those are on order and will be here soon. 

I also found my dining room table this weekend. I love the dining room here. It's bigger than the last one for sure. I'm still waiting for the bar I ordered to come in to finish unpacking that stuff (they say October 28th delivery). Once that's here and put together, then that'll be everything. I can then move all the boxes downstairs and make this place home. 

The Niece and the sister in law and I hopped in a car on Saturday and headed to visit some family in Lacey. Every year we say we're going to and every year goes by and we don't. So this year we purposely put it on the calendar. Because if it's not on the calendar it doesn't happen. 

On our way to see them we decided to stop at a Diner, Drive-Ins, and Dive location in Tacoma called Southern Kitchen. It's what you think it is...all southern, deep fried goodness. The place is definitely a dive, but a clean dive. The waiter was so happy and friendly. He was busy though as he was the only one. If you go and expect fast service, you will be disappointed. 

We ordered our sweet tea first...and MY GOD was it sweet. It was like drinking syrup. But man it was good. The next thing we know these little corn bread pancakes were delivered to our table. 

Now a little something about corn bread. Mrs. Braspir makes the corn bread in our family. She has a special pan that she swears by and a "special" recipe (it's not special it's a family joke now that she uses Jiffy). Her corn bread is the BOMB. It never occurred to me to EVER put corn bread in the form of a pancake...but y'all...it was sooo good. Crispy on both sides, fluffy in the middle...a little butter and orange marmalade ...man. So good. Mrs. Braspir will still hold the title, but she's got competition now. 

Next came our meal. Which after eating a corn bread pancake we knew we'd not finish. Sister in law had catfish, cornbread stuffing (that was dynamite!) and mac n cheese. The Niece had BBQ Brisket, mac n cheese and corn. I had fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy and corn. It was all delicious and, of course, way too much food. 

But we couldn't stop there. The waiter, bless him, told us what they had for dessert and one of the items was Peach Cobbler. Which is one of my all time favorites. So we ordered ONE to split between the three of us. We figured we'd have plenty of room for a couple of bites. Instead...THIS showed up. 

I wish I would have put a spoon in this photo for scale. Suffice it to say that's an entire serving bowl of peach cobbler! Ugh. We took half of it home. 

After gorging ourselves on southern food we headed off to visit the cousins. It was so good to get caught up with them. I used to see two of them every Christmas when I'd go to Tucson. But since I haven't been going to Tucson I've not been seeing them. They aren't getting any younger, and neither are we. 

We also got to see their daughter who made a pumpkin Bundt cake for us to share. I was sure we couldn't eat another thing, but when she said pumpkin, cream cheese and caramel...well, it'd be rude to  not at least taste it. 

The only other exciting thing that happened this weekend was the smoke detectors started chirping at 4am on Saturday. Why do they always go off at 4am? At any rate, I couldn't figure out why when I changed the battery it didn't stop chirping. So I left it until I could hear from the Property Manager. I posted on FB too and so many people told me I had to reset it. Finally, I got brave and hit the reset button for 15 seconds...which makes the alarm go off for 15 seconds ... and it worked. The cats were so far under the bed I didn't think I'd ever see them again. But oh...the fun of getting to know this place. 

Ok...that's it. I'm going to take my cup of coffee and head up to my new office space and get to work! 

It's kinda coming together...

It's been just over a week since I moved into the new place. The amount of boxes that came into this house left me doubting I'd ever see any dent.

Slowly, very slowly, boxes have been unpacked and taken out. I've had helpers for sure. Janet, Blueberry and the Niece have all put in plenty of time helping me unpack. 

The kitchen is 98% unpacked. There are still a couple of things on the counter I'm not sure what to do with. I suspect I'll just cram them into a cabinet and be done with it. I need to use the kitchen to determine if the stuff is in the right places. I'm sure I'll reorganize at some point. 

I've gotten in all the extra items I needed so I can unpack more. Bought a pantry and had it put together by a guy from Task Rabbit. What a great service that is! It has people willing to help you with just about anything...for a fee. 

Once the pantry got put together then I could unpack several boxes. Had to wait for new canisters to come in so I could finish it up. Now the coffee/pantry "nook" is ready to go. The boyfriend (the Keurig) awaits visitors. 

The Niece came over last night to help me put together the new shelves for the living room. She's a good kid and is always willing to help, so I take full advantage of it. It usually costs me dinner, though she often protests that. Yesterday it cost me frozen yogurt AND dinner. 

I got to thinking about the items I put on the shelf and why I chose to display them. Then I thought about how so many items I brought home from Mom's house had stories to them that I didn't know. I wanted to know why she bought some of the things she did. Where she bought them? Why did she buy them? What were her and dad doing when she bought them? I felt like she probably told me at some point, but I neglected to write them down, and or I wasn't paying close enough attention. 

So I thought it might be fun to talk about the items on this shelf. 

Top Shelf: 

• Photo of Mom: She had professional photos done in 2015 I think it was. Some person came to the Voyager offering to take photos of people and their pets. Mom jumped at the chance and got a great set of photos of her and Beau. She sent me this 8X10 and I had it up in the den at the old house. That is until mom passed. Then it became part of the downstairs. Now she's part of this house. I realized I need a photo of dad now too. I'll start searching for that as soon as I find my hard drive in some box upstairs. 
• The brass camels: Those guys came home with us from Saudi. Mom and dad had them in their houses in Washington. When they moved to Odessa mom was over them and gave them to me. Now they are on display from my friend The Pantry Goat to rearrange every time she's over. 
• The Pineapple: That is a gift from Queen PopUp. After our trip to SC where we learned a pineapple was left on a porch banister when the host was ready for people to leave, we joked about that being my signal to let people know Sunday Dinner was over. 
• The fake books and Tall box: No story at all. Just two items I liked the look of. 

Second Shelf:

• Blue Elephant: That little guy I bought in the airport in Barcelona. I thought it'd be a perfect gift for Blueberry (old college story about her soul animal being an elephant). Then when I got him home I realized I thought he was pretty cool and that I should keep him. Sorry Blueberry.
• Traveler's Notebooks: I've been converting my 12X12 albums to these little Traveler's Notebooks. I love how clean and organized they look on this shelf. One year is done in the wrong font...I'll need to fix that later. 
• Greek Vase: This was another treasure I brought home from Mom's house. And yet another item I have no idea what the story is behind it. I'm sure it was bought in Greece, but what island? 

Third Shelf:

• Purple bowl: That bowl sat in Mom's guest bathroom in their house in Catalina. I don't remember where it was displayed in the house in the Voyager, but I do know I brought it home from there. I always loved it. I think she bought it in Tubac, AZ, but I can't be sure. I remember seeing them there when she took me there one day to visit. It's a fun little artisan place where you can find some unique items for purchase.
• Stacked Camels: These little guys I bought on the Canary Island cruise Janet and I went on. These were bought on Lanzarote, Canary Islands. We stopped in a small gift shop area and I saw these guys and debated, then decided to buy them. They seemed like a grey souvenir for me. Unlike the blue elephant I never thought about buying them for anyone else. 

Bottom Shelf: 

• Owl: The owl is actually a coin holder too. I found him at a garage sale and for some reason decided I needed him. I brought him home, cleaned him up and started putting coins in him. He's not full and I have doubts he'll ever be full. 
• Travel Books: So my travel books. Every time I go somewhere I buy a book on the place. I love to look at them and see all the places I've been fortunate enough to visit.  And now as I look a them I can revisit the trips in my memories and plot where I want to visit again.
• Mojacar Vase: In the summer of 1986 Dad, Mom and I went to Spain. A friend of dad's had a little villa on the costal town of Mojacar and offered to us to stay in. We visited Madrid, Grenada, Sevilla and more while in Spain. But the little stay in Mojacar seemed to be one that I have some of the fondest memories. First, the beach was right there, so we could go layout all we wanted to.  Then there's the memory of dad finding this Rioja wine in a jug that was like 99cents. For the first time I tried red wine and loved it. 
• Aztec Mask: The mask was a gift from Blueberry after one of her trips to Cabo...I think. I can't think of any other trip to Mexico she's taken, so I'm sticking to Cabo. 

That's it. Aren't you glad you stuck around to the end. Now that I've wasted time typing all that out I think I need to go unpack another box. 

Move #28 in the bag

When I turned 40 I did a Trivia game at my 40th birthday. The winner would get a 5 course meal made by yours truly. One of the questions I had on the quiz was how many times I had moved in my life time. The answer was 27. Yes, in 40 years I had moved 27 times. I counted the moves back from college each year, I counted the move across town to a new apartment, and all the times we moved states/countries as I grew up. I have to admit, I was a bit stunned at the number. 

When I moved into the townhouse in Redmond, that was move #27. I figured I'd be there for a couple of years and I'd move on. That's what I do. That's what's in my blood. I swear somewhere in our family tree is a gypsy. I hadn't a clue in 2009 that I would stay there for almost 12 years (I count the year of 2009 because I moved in January). Go on...do the math..I do it with you...2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020. IF I made it to January 2021, that would be 12 years...so I'm rounding up. 

Now as I sit on my davenport (do people call it that now? My grandmother always called her couch the "davenport" and for some reason that word sticks in my noggin). Ahem... anyhow, as I sit her looking around the chaos that only a move after 12 years can bring, I realized this was move #28. 

As for the actual move...what a nightmare. Naturally, the well laid plan I had made (and the plan B I had made) didn't really come to fruition the way I had planned. Which I knew would happen. I couldn't stop thinking all day on Wednesday why I ever enjoyed moving. Yuck. 

My move window with the movers was from 8am-10am. I selected the morning time on purpose. I wanted to get it done then have the afternoon to start unpacking. I only took Wednesday off, so I had to work on Thursday. I got a call on Tuesday from the Movers confirming my window and did I have any last minute questions for me. Nope, I said, all is good.  They said the "team" would call when they left dispatch. 

On Wednesday at 8:05 I got a call from dispatch with a story to end all stories. The first issue is they would not be making it to my house until noon! NOON! The "team" didn't finish the job the night before and had one last run for the previous customers. All I could think of is, "this is my problem how?" I mean, I resource people all day every day. You have back ups. You have a second plan. Ugh.

Then about 10 the dispatcher called again. "You see", he said, "the last customer is a couple who's getting divorced and when the truck got there the two couldn't decide who was getting what, so they send the team away." And lucky me they were on their way to me, AFTER they came back to the office. So my new ETA was 12-12:30. 

I had reserved 3 guys and I got 2, so the move was going to take longer than anticipated. They estimated 6 hours. It took 4 hours to unload the old townhouse! I knew it would take the same amount of time to unload at the new place. 

One of the movers wasn't in the greatest of shape and was struggling with the stairs. It slowed them down a bit. At the end of the whole day, I was charged for 9 hours - apparently you have to pay for breaks and travel time. A very expensive day!

Since then I've been unpacking slowly. I've managed to throw my back out and so it's taking a bit longer. That and I needed to have my new pantry put together and other new furniture to arrive. I have a book shelf and and a bar that are still pending delivery. Once those are here and put together, I can finish up the unpacking. 

The demons are settling in well. There are some new noises that freak them out. Linus appears to be freaked out if ANYONE rings the doorbell and then comes in. He's very unsure about people it seems. Meanwhile, Lucy is in the middle of the fray and wants more attention than normal. 

This will be a good home for me. I'm looking forward to the memories that will be made here. 

4 More Sleeps

 Here I am. Packed! Oh the horror that awaits me as I try to unpack in a new location. 

What happened to me in the last 12 years? I used to love packing and moving and unpacking. I used to see it as a new adventure. A new opportunity. A clean slate. 

I realize I'm older now (and lazier) and that impacts the spirit a little. But man, this packing thing has sucked. I have so much stuff it seems, and yet  I know that I have what I need. When did I "need" all this stuff? 

The other thing is I never really loved where I was living. Nor was I attached to it. So moving was easier. I loved this place and I'm very attached to it. Twelve years in one spot! Definitely a new record for me. This place had everything I wanted 12 years ago and still want today; good light throughout the house, gas stove, room to groove, great location. It really has been a wonderful home for me. 

So that has been my attitude for the last week. Just meh about moving. I think it's the exhaustion and the month of unrest with boxes everywhere and total chaos in the house. 

But Thursday that all changed. I got the keys. THAT is what got me excited!

SIL Janet met me and we did the walk through with the property manager. Seeing the place, clean versus the disaster it was when I originally looked at it, really got my excitement up again.

This new place has everything I want NOW; good light, hard wood floors, a garage; and an open concept which will be good for entertaining. The only bad thing about it is it doesn't have a gas stove. It has a flat top, and I'll need to learn how to cook on that again. (And seeing it during the walk through disappointed me a bit; it's not really in good condition, but it is what it is). 

Having the opportunity to walk through by ourselves once the property manager left, I could really look to see if my plan of where I was going to put what would work. Turns out, we may have some problems. In most rooms, the heater blower thingy on the wall is in the middle of the wall! How are you supposed to put something against that wall with the heater blower thingy on it? Ugh. So we'll just have to see what happens. 

The other big difference about this move and all the others is that I got to buy some new stuff! I can't wait to get it all set up and learning to live in a new house. 

The cats however are going to be freaked out. My old cat Pookie moved with so many times he didn't even bother worrying when the boxes came out. These two have known no other house but this one. Lucy has followed me everywhere. She makes sure she can see me at all times. Their view of the world is going to drastically change. They won't as as much Kitty TV as they have now (way fewer windows). But they'll get on just fine. As soon as they see that their food and poop box made the move, they'll be fine. 

And lastly, the other thing that has, oddly, bothered me is Mom.  I had a small, and I'm aware irrational, break down the other day. I suddenly realized, or thought, what if Mom can't find me. Mom only knows this place! She'll never see the new place! This place has the memories of her, not the new place. So yah, I had to get through that. Again, I know it's irrational and makes no sense...MOM is with me, not anywhere else. I mean Jesus, I'm mostly her anyhow.

So yah. The move is upon me. Today I'm meeting the Niece and Blueberry up at the new place to do a little Wraspir cleaning. The property management company "cleaned" it, but it needs a Wraspir scrubbing. 

Assuming I can sleep, there are only 4 more of them before the big move! 

You've Got to Move it, move it!

 Almost 11 years ago, I packed up my 2 bedroom apartment in Lynnwood, Washington and moved to Redmond to rent a townhouse from friends. I planned on being here for about 2-3 years. I mean I was so used to moving, it seemed that in 3 years I'd be ready to pack it up. 

Now almost 11 years later...I'm moving again. The landlords want to sell by end of the year so I had to start looking for a new place to live. I knew I didn't want to live in apartments and figured if I didn't find a townhouse or condo by end of year, I'd settle for an apartment. 

But the housing Gods smiled upon me and I found this fantastic townhouse in my old stomping grounds of Lynnwood. 

Its smaller, but it hit EVERY single priority for me:

1. Hard wood floors
2. Useful/nice kitchen
3. Garage
4. Parking for guests

The kitchen had me drooling immediately when I saw it. It's perfect for all the entertaining I do. I get to be in the kitchen AND chat with people in the living room. 

It has a nice big deck off the back and I can have a BBQ, so there's that. The living room is smaller than what I have here and my current couch/love seat combo won't fit in it. The couch will, but not the two together. I'll be getting rid of the love seat. I went to Lazy Boy on Friday with Blueberry and bought two new chairs to have one on each side of the couch. 

I've never had a chair that had a pattern on it. There was a couch near by that had pillows in this pattern so I took the pillow to the couch set on the floor that is exactly like mind to make sure it  matched! And it did. These are recliners, but not like the recliner I currently have. I'm super excited. 

That's the living room. Hard to see the size of it, but you get the picture. I also bought a new coffee table. I'd been wanting one but knew I wanted to wait to see where I moved to in order to figure out the size of it. 

Now the current house is in total chaos. I forgotten how much work it was to move. I've only just started packing and I'm already exhausted! 

The demons are a bit out of sort because they aren't sure what's going on. Pookie was the master of moving. If boxes came out he knew we were moving. These two have never moved and seem a bit out of sorts. Lucy keeps hopping on my lap as if to remind me to bring her with me. 

Move in day is Sept 30th. I'll do the walk through and get the keys on the 24th. They're giving me a free week to paint if I want, which is nice. 

It's bittersweet to be moving from here. I've enjoyed living in this townhouse for so many reasons. I'll miss Redmond and my favorite grocery store across the street. All my favorite restaurants will miss my business I'm sure! 

But Lynnwood has really grown up in the last 10 years. I'm looking forward to getting to know it again. A fresh start. New house. New furniture. 

Poof! August is gone!

 I feel like I'm repeating myself this year about how stunned I am when another month flashes by! It's the COVID affect I'm sure. Every day feels like the last so you don't realize an entire month has flown by. 

Let's see, what did August bring?

1. More work. Lots more work. It feels like our customers are ramping up for training to be done in Q4. That just means we're busier than normal, which I'm ok with. The days of working 16 hours a day are behind me, and even being as busy as we are, I'm only working about 10...

2. We surprised Janet for her 60th birthday last night. She thought she was coming over to go to a new restaurant with me. She didn't have a clue we were hiding in the house waiting to yell SURPRISE! I was bummed when we realized she couldn't have a big part for her 60th, so The Niece and I figured out a way to do something. 

3. I finished my 2000, 2006 and 2007 Travel Notebook conversion. It's been so much fun walking down memory lane and using up all my stash to recreate the pages from my 12X12 album to the smaller Traveler Notebook. Also finished Boston from last year. Can't do anything else, so might as well scrapbook. 

4. The demons are doing fine. They still seem to love that I'm home and take full advantage of the lap.

5. Book club had us reading The Chain - a mystery Sherrie picked. It has this bizarre plot that a kid gets kidnapped and the mom is notified that she has to kidnap another kid so she can get hers back. Turns out she figures out who the bad people are and saves the day. Pretty interesting to think about what you would do. 

6. Started walking 2-3X a week. Want to get it up to at least 4. Found my fitbit and now I need to charge it and get the band fixed. 

7. Had my annual mammogram/ultrasound fun. Everything was fine. No need to come back for a year! Woo hoo. But what an odd waiting room experience. An older Indian lady was waiting and she struck up a conversation with me that ended with asking if I was married and then she started thinking of single men she knew. 

8. Sunday dinner at Janet's. We did "bring your favorite appetizer and bottle of wine" as a theme. It's good to actually see people again. Though we realize that the next Sunday dinner may be the last we get to do outside. 

9. Chris Muncy from high school was in town. He, Todd Kruse and I met for coffee on morning and get caught up on life since the last time we'd seen each other like 20 years ago. 

So I'll pretend I'll write more here, but we all know that around the end of Sept I'm going to be shocked and stunned that Sept is over.

A Little Bit of This...a little bit of that

And **snap** July is almost over. 2020 is not going to have very much to show for it. Washington was in Phase 3 for a hot second, then the numbers went back up. Too many crazy people not paying attention, wearing masks, and not social distancing. The restaurants opening ever so slightly caused our numbers to go up too. So the governor today announced that he's putting some more restrictions around eating out. 

Meanwhile in the Wraspir household, every day feels like the last. Nothing real exciting to look forward to. So... it's a good time to do a round of CURRENTLY...

CURRENTLY:

Loving: Street Tacos. It's officially an addiction.

Eating: Street Tacos. I've rediscovered this little restaurant here that make the BEST street tacos I've had in a very long time. And now that I've tasted them again, I feel like I can't get enough of them. It's the craziest thing. Wroamin' just drives there. 

Reading: You wouldn't be surprised if I said the menu at the street taco restaurant. But alas... I'm reading our book club book ... The Chain by Adrian McKinty. And by "reading" I mean I started it tonight. I've been reading several books of the Flowers in the Attic series. I hadn't realized V. C. Andrews had written so many in that series. I remember reading Flowers in the Attic when it first came out. I'm not sure I really understood the story as well as I understand it as an adult. 

Watching: I binge watched The Alienist yesterday and today (the fun of working from home). It's a dark murder mystery set in the late 19th century. The main character is called an "alienist" which, back then, were people who studied the human behavior behind murder and other odd things. It's dark. But very interesting. 

Listening: At this very moment, listening to the cats go at it. Lucy has been in a mood today and poor Linus isn't smart enough to leave her alone. 

Creating: I'm working on the scrapbook from Boston. I changed up the format for this one. I traditionally do a 12X12 layout format. I've decided to give the 8X6 size a go. It's harder for sure, but it's turning out to be really good. 

In other news, I finally broke down and bought myself a new office chair. The one I have I have had for 15 years and let's just say the padding is a bit flattened. The cats helped me put it together and then scanned it. 

And that's me all caught up. Now...I gotta get this chair upstairs before it becomes a piece of cat furniture. 

Happy 4th!

Even as I type that I'm shocked it's the 4th of July. A good friend has started calling every day "blursday" and she's right. My grandmother used to say as you aged time flies by because your daily life doesn't change much. You get up, you go to work, you come home, you sleep, and you start it all over again. Occasionally other events punctuate the time, but it doesn't slow it down. If she only knew how true this would be in today's world. 

Most my days are the same. Every now and then something outside the house, or someone comes to the house happens. Today is the 4th of July and Janet and Cammie are coming to dinner. People. I get to see people. I can't hug them and that makes me sad...

Yesterday two of my friends came over and we set up outside and drank wine and ate appetizers. Spending the whole time getting caught up on what's going on in their house and what was going on in mind. You'd think we'd run out of things to talk about...but we didn't. In fact, this is the friend who calls every day Blursday. 

Most of my days are filled with work, cooking, reading and catching up on Facebook. Facebook has become a source of amusement by how many people are arguing over face masks. It's annoying and amusing all at the same time. Both camps have reports that proves their point. Both camps won't change their minds and yet both camps continue to argue. In fact, people are arguing more about face masks than politics right now. I'm unsure which is better. 

Thursday I went to an actual restaurant ... and ate in. GASP.  I met my boss for lunch and we decided to "risk" it. This restaurant was so darn clean. I didn't feel unsafe at all. 

I also got a shit town off my "honey do list" Thursday/Friday. I took a bunch of packages I've been meaning to send to the Pony Express. I sent my sister a bunch of family photos. I scanned them so I have them and thought she'd enjoy having them. I included a number of Mom items too that I thought she'd like. The box has only been packed and ready to go since January... 

I also sent a cousin a yearbook type thing that was in Mom's stuff. Thought he'd be the only one still in Colorado and still from that side of the family who'd like it.  It's funny going through stuff and deciding what to do with it. It broke my heart to throw out so much of mom's stuff, but there was no time to do anything else with it. All this stuff we amass as we live and then it gets tossed or sold. It reminds me, yet again, that I need to really lighten the load.

Finally, the last thought for today...I've decided to look into buying a condo/townhouse. I've been pretty adamant I don't want to, but conversations with several people has me thinking I might be able to do this. I am meeting with the bank on Monday to see what I'm worth and what I need. Nothing is sure at this point, but at least I'm starting to think in that direction. The down payment is going to be the hard part. Anyone got $20K sitting around they don't need or want?

In my perfect world this is what would happen.  I'd be able to rent my friend Joe's house next year for a year. During that time I'd start stashing away the money. Then by the end of that lease I'd be ready to buy and have a decent down payment. That'd be perfect. But I know my luck and I'm pretty sure that won't be happening. 

I've also been looking to see what's out there. I've been shocked at how reasonable condos/townhouses are in the area I want to live. That's a plus. The big problem is properties go so fast...it'll be a roller coaster of yays and nays. oh goody.

Anyway...happy 4th of July everyone.

Money Money Money

I'm sure everyone, at some point, has thought about what they'd do if they won "the big" one. The lottery that would make you a wealthy person who wouldn't have to think about $$ for the rest of their lives. 

My mom and I used to talk about this all the time. She had a laundry list of who she'd take care of, who she'd buy houses for, who's education she'd pay for etc. She would, of course, do something for herself, but only after she took care of her kids and grand kids. 

In fact, I remember one time we had a specific amount that she won. She gave all of it away and then some. 

For my part, when we played this game I was always happy to take care of her - buy her house, buy her care, send her on a trip, set her up with $$ for fun. Then I'd do stuff for myself. I rarely found I needed to take care of nieces and nephews etc. 

Now with mom gone, I have to think about what I'd actually do. I find I'm thinking more about taking care of others as well. 

Here's what I'd do...though I reserve the right to not do any of this if I win the big one. <insert snarky smile here>:

1. Buy a home - house/townhouse/condo - whatever.

2. Buy a fancy pants Mustang...I mean a REAL Mustang that growls. 

3. Donate to an animal charity

4. Put some $$ aside for education for any niece or nephew who wanted/needed it. This money would come with a string attached though. I wouldn't want to just give it. I'd pay for education quarter by quarter...not one LUMP sum of money.

5. I'd give each niece/nephew/greats a bit of $$. They'd all get the same amount. No strings attached. They can do whatever they want. 

6. I'd travel... ALOT. I might even bring random people with me.

And it should be stated that if this ever actually happened, the first thing I'd do is get me an accountant and lawyer. I'd want to be more responsible with the money, but it's always fun to pretend you don't have any obligations. 

What would you do?

Mom's Gray Box

I think most my friends know I love to cook. I get that love from my parents. Both mom and dad loved to cook. Both of them also loved to collect recipes - which I too do a lot of! 

When mom passed I brought home her gray recipe box of old recipes. They are handwritten, typed, magazine clippings, etc. Some of them are so amusing that I feel like I have to make them just because. 

Many years ago I came up with a goofy system that would get me cooking a lot of those recipes. I took my spreadsheet of recipes (yes I have a spreadsheet) and printed the recipe names, the cookbook and the page on a piece of paper. I cut them into strips and put them into a jar. 

Weekly I'd pull 4-5 recipes out of the jar. The jar (ok it was a HUGE brandy glass) didn't include anything like appetizers or desserts/cookies. Only items that would be for dinner. 

It got me to try a lot of new recipes, but the maintenance of it was a pain. Every time I added recipes to the spreadsheet, I had to find a way to add them to the jar. Finally, I gave up. I never gave up the spreadsheet though. 

Enter the app Paprika. ALL my recipes are in Paprika. Since most of them are from the Internet these days adding them to Paprika isn't that difficult. I still have the spreadsheet, and now the spreadsheet has the Gray Box recipes and all my recipes are in one place. Gone are the days of cookbooks. 

In order to select recipes, because I like having them random, I turned to friends and asked them to select a number between 1 and whatever the line item is in Excel (somewhere above 1000). That got to be complicated...so I finally realized that there MUST be an app for a random number generator. And sure enough there is. 

So the day before I go shopping, I randomly select 5-7 recipes and then determine which ones I will likely make that week. If it lands on a number of a recipe I've made before, I choose another number. If it lands on a dessert or cookies I make it that week. 

It's fun. It means I try a lot of new recipes. Each recipe I try goes on my cooking blog for others to enjoy. 

It might sound complicated and confusing, but it really does get me to try a bunch of new recipes. My goal this year is 100 new recipes. I figured two new recipes a week on average. I've made 33 so far - and the year is half way over - which means I'd better get on my game and fast. I need to make 11 new recipes a month to hit my goal. 

This week's recipes are all new and I hope all delicious. 

Decisions. Decisions.

You ever wonder how different your life would be if you made a different decision?

I do all the time. I don’t have regrets about my decisions. In fact, quite the opposite, I feel proud of them. But there are some very poignant times in my life where it could have gone the other way.

I’m watching this show on Investigative Discovery (yes, more murder and mayhem) and one of the survivors of this serial killer made a last minute decision to go out that night. She hadn’t planned to. She just decided she wanted to meet up with her friends at the bar after all. Obviously that decision changed her life.

While none of mine are that drastic, I do spend a decent amount of time thinking about the What Ifs.

What if I had decided to not join my friend Christy at the youth group in the early 1980’s? Dad was so sure that being a part of the church back then really helped keep me on the straight and narrow. Admittedly I had been hanging out with a “friend” who I followed into a bit of trouble (vandalism of all things). Mom and Dad, of course, put their foot down. And that was the last time I did anything with Anna DeGuzman.

What if I had chosen to stay in Seattle and go to Lake Washington HS instead of going to boarding school?  This one his huge to me. Not only would I not have some of the best friends I currently have, but I am pretty sure I wouldn’t have the travel bug. I’d probably be content just sticking close to home. Hard to say, really.

What if I had said YES to a young man who wanted to marry me? Would I still be married? Would I have had kids? I certainly wouldn’t have the life I have now. Is it better? Don’t know. Would I be any happier? I certainly wouldn’t be living here in Seattle – he went the military route, so chances are high I would have moved all over the place.

What if I had not left Boeing and wen to work at Microsoft? Would I still be there? Would have had all the work experiences that I’ve had? Would have gone down the Project Management road? Probably not.

With each of those decisions, my life would be different. Maybe better, maybe not? That’s the great thing about decisions…you make the best one you can with the information you have. Or if you’re making a decision with your heart, you hope for the best.

I think of all the things that define my life now, cooking, photography, scrapbooking, closeness to family, constant attempt to lose weight…would ANY of these be a part of my life had I made any other decisions?

One decision that has plagued me and that is a big regret with me is not going to Tucson in December of 2016. Granted, the blood clots stopped me, but what if I had made healthier choices earlier in my life and learned to love eating healthy…I wouldn’t have the blood clots and I would have been able to spend one last Christmas with mom. I can almost guarantee we would have eaten out almost every night I was there, we would have had dinner with so many friends she has down there, we would have gone shopping, we would have talked and chattered for hours. We probably would have had a great time cooking Christmas dinner – which could have been anything. I would have left before my birthday because I liked to be home for my birthday. I would have left telling her how much I love her and that we’ll talk soon. She would have told me to text her when I made it home. Would I have noticed something was right with her and made her go into the doctors? Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t really linger on that thought too much thankfully.

As I start thinking about my future and decisions that are going to need to be made I wonder whether I’ll look back on them with any regrets. Or will I feel confident that I’m doing the right thing for me at the time? Probably the latter.  

Suddenly we're at day 80!

As I sit and type this I cannot believe we've been sheltering in place for 80 days. I've not been in my office or seen my work peeps for 80 days. 

I am not alone when I say that it feels like we're in the movie Ground Hog's day! Every day seems like the last. Nothing differentiates the days. 

What's happened in the last 20 days...well...here's a list:

1. I finished some great books. The Elephant Whisperer, Where the Crawdads Sing, and The Last Boleyn. All great reads and certainly long books that is helping add to my goal of a certain number of pages. 

2. I've been cooking like crazy. Since I'm home, I figured I might as well focus on new recipes. I want to try 75 new recipes this year. I'm well on my way and think I can make it. I've had some good ones. You can find them on my cooking blog if you're interested.  

3. I've been watching a ton of TV. Too much TV really. It's on almost all day as noise in the background as I work. For some reason working in silence distracts me so I just have the TV going. I've recently been watching the 3 part mini-series on the History Channel on Grant. Pretty interesting to me. Funny how the older I get the more interested in history I become. 

4. Seeing people has been hard. I met Blueberry last Saturday for Pizza in a Parking Lot. We sat in our respective cars and ate pizza and chatted. This weekend I'm meeting some colleagues at work for a tailgate lunch...again in the parking lot. I miss people. I miss entertaining. I miss hugs. 

5. Traveling has, of course, stopped. The Niece and I, though, managed a quick trip to Eastern Washington to clean up the headstones in prep for Memorial Day. As always it was a fun, but fast, trip. Harder to do when bathrooms aren't nearly as available as they are when restaurants are open. But we survived. 

In a couple of days, I bet I could copy and paste this blog ... the same will be happening. Over and Over again. 

Day 60...can you believe it?

Yesterday was day 60 of quarantine. I never would have thought when I was sent home on March 9th that'd we'd still be at home in May. Yet here we are! The governor has us on a 4 stage plan to get back to the new normal. He says there will be 3 weeks between each phase, which means that puts us into Sept before we can get back to a normal...it won't be "normal" like it was. No, it'll be a new normal. I can't wait to see what that looks like.

Cammie and I took off yesterday for our annual Odessa or Bust trip. We missed last year because she was working. She pinged me on Monday and it was an immediate YES. We took off at 9am with blue skies and what promised to be a warm day. First song on the playlist? On the Road Again! Mom and Dad used to play this song every time they set out of one of their new adventures. I figured, why not keep that tradition.

The sun stayed out all day, and in Eastern Wa it got up to 71 only.  It was actually warmer in Seattle than Eastern Wa, which isn't normal.

We stopped in Cle Elum to pee and get some breakfast. While we were there we decided to see if Owens Meats was opened to get jerky. It was! It was packed, and I have to say people were not social distancing like I had expected.

Jerky in hand...off we went. The "tradition" is when we get off the freeway to get onto Hwy 21, Cammie gets to drive. The first couple of times she was nervous to drive, but this time she seemed to approve and even enjoy the way Wroamin gripped the road. There's a section where the road gets a bit curvy. The "joke" her dad told her when she was learning to drive is she couldn't use brakes... ahhh, sure... I told her...go ahead. She couldn't. She wasn't comfortable enough with the car. It would have done fine, but I appreciated her being aware of her insecurities and not doing it.

We finally got to the cemetery, drove Wroamin in and took a deep breath. This part of the trip is always the most difficult. This time though it seemed worse, the Bohemian Cemetery looked horrible. It doesn't look like anyone is keeping it up they way it had. It looked like it hadn't been mowed for awhile. The weeds were calf deep.

We did what we do...cleaned the headstones, removed old flowers and put in new ones (we take the old flowers and put them on other family member graves who might be missing some), had a moment of silence, and just existed with our loved ones. We miss them so much.

Our next stop is the German cemetery where we stop to see our cousin Cindy. Every single time we forget where Cindy is. We "think" we know, but we always end up parking and walking the rows until we find her. THIS time we both made a note that she's back by the far corner, so maybe next time we won't forget. We will. But we like to pretend.

Back in the car and off for home. We slathered up more sunscreen - because we've learned our lesson. Stopped in Moses Lake for lunch and sat in the parking lot eating our cheeseburgers.

Our last and final traditional stop is the scenic view over the Columbia River. The wind is usually blowing like mad so we take crazy photos of our hair all over the place. Yesterday, not so much. Pretty calm considering.

The day went by too quickly. I do so enjoy these days with her. Thrilled she still wants to spend time with me. We barely talk in the car, she's a pretty quiet person, but just being around each other and then when we do talk it's usually pretty worthwhile conversation.

The fun I like to have is putting together a playlist that I'm SURE she will not approve of. She knows my taste of music tends towards 80's and she tolerates it. I personally think it's her "pretending" to tolerate it. I see her singing along. After every song, you can almost feel her wait with baited breath to see how bad the next song will be. "Bad" being all relative.

The other thing that happened is Wroamin flipped over to 19,000 miles. I leased Wroamin - though always planning to keep it - and the lease gave me 32,000 in 3 years - which is July 6th. If I were to turn this car in, I'd be well within the lease parameters. We were 2 miles from home when it flipped over so I had to pull over and take a photo.

Now, I'm back home. By myself. Well, me and the cats. They were a bit put out that I was gone all day yesterday. There was a lot of cat cuddling last night just to settle the two down.

36 days and counting

We're now on the 36th day of Shelter in Place. While I agree 100% with this plan, it sucks beyond belief. Though, to be fair, I don't have to deal with entertaining children and trying to keep my sanity, so there is a silver lining. The demons are getting restless too. I think they're tired of me being at home.

I've been having some knee problems for a couple of weeks and decided to take a chance and go to the doctor on Friday. I avoided WebMD at all cost because if I had looked there I'm sure I would have determined I needed to amputate... :-(

Doctor said it's my old pal Arthur Itis. That I can deal with. He gave me some exercises and stretching to do while I'm sitting at home. It was better yesterday, but today is oddly sorer than before. I can't explain it.

After the doctor visit I figured I was out I might as well do some grocery shopping. Had to get some staples and other items to make lunches/dinners with. I should be good for a week or so. 

As we all practice these new rules - social distancing, wiping down shopping carts, being kinder to our neighbors, I can't help but wonder if we'll continue when this passes. I'm sure we won't, but it's a nice thought to think that this will teach us all some decent human kindness. The fear now is how all these folks who are out of work are going to survive - then how is our economy going to survive. So frightening to think.

So, this blog speaks to how "exciting" things are these days. In my more bored times, I'm making lists of the things I want to do when we can. People I want to see and places to go just exist.

20 Days in Captivity

Today is the 20th day that I've been stuck in the house. Working from home, not going out, not seeing friends and family. It's stinks! People keep calling this our "new normal" and I'm like "I hope not".  Life will definitely be different AFTER this crazy, but I hope this isn't our normal.

Billie sent me a funny text this week that made me smile. She said, "You know what's funny? Dad would be saying, "I told you so! This is why I hoard food.." He and mom would be so set for this." And you know what...she's totally right. Though Mom, god love her, would be Queen Hypochondriac with this.

Since I've been stuck at home I thought it a good opportunity to the a "Currently" review.

Loving: The fact that the weather has been so nice. Loving that spring is on it's way. I hope we can get out of the house by then!

Hating: This Virus! I hate it more than Brussels sprouts!

Eating: Not healthy that's for sure! I have felt the need for comfort food this week. Did a tator tot casserole and Hunter's Stew

Reading: Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine. It's our book club book this month. It's good. Amusing and well written. Looking for a quick read? This might be your book. Vines & Spines will be doing a virtual book club on Wednesday...first time ever. Should be interesting.

Watching: I just binged 9-1-1! I started watching 9-1-1 Lone Star and found I loved it, so figured I'd check out the original series. I love it too!! Back in the day Mom used to LOVE the show Emergency with Randolph Mantooth and Kevin Tighe. That was the one night we were allowed to eat dinner in the "living room" (we were on base housing. There wasn't really any more rooms in the house besides bedrooms.).  Each episode of Emergency they'd find themselves saving someone and in crazy situations all the while calling...literally calling into Rampart Hospital.  Well 9-1-1 is the newest rendition of this type of show and I love it. I watched the first two seasons and am caught up in the 3rd meeting.

Listening: Nothing! The first time I've listened to music was during yesterday's Virtual Happy Hour for the company. About a dozen of us showed up and the theme was "What's your Job Theme Song?" I've known my theme song theme song since the second week on the job. It's never changed...Crazy Train by Ozzy Osborne.

Creating: Today I took the day off - not because work is busy - but because I just needed a break from the routine. I plan on being in the SB room all day. I tore up the San Diego 3Day last weekend and think I'll finish the Traveler's Notebook today. I'm trying to get as many 12X12s converted before I move - so I don't have to pack so many big 12X12 scrapbooks.

So that's it! These blogs are likely to become more boring than normal since I'm not actually doing anything. And guess what? I've got 4 more weeks of this. We're not going back to the office until the end of April!

COVID - what?

The world has learned a new word.... COVID-19. It's the ONLY thing people are talking about these days and it has the world, country, state, city, neighborhoods on edge.

COVID19 is a flu virus. A deadly, horrible flu virus. It started in China and found it's way to the US and the world now. Thousands have died and Seattle appears to be the epicenter of it in the US. We have a rehabilitation center for the elderly that has been hit the hardest and then it just exploded.

That was 2 weeks ago. Two weeks when the company told all of us to go home and WFH until the end of April. EIGHT WEEKS of WFH. Oh Lord...I am just not sure I can do that. I miss my work peeps.

The answer to stopping this flu is also a new term "social-distancing". The way to stop the spread is to not interact with people. Stay at home. Less likely to pass this along. Makes sense! Yet people are not getting it. So many people are out and about NOT practicing social-distancing.

The other weird thing that has been happening is hoarding of toilet paper. Why? No one is sure. It's not like this is a stomach flu and - well - you may need the TP. It's insane the amount of hoarding of TP and hand sanitizer has been going on.

For me, when this first started I didn't take it as serious as I am now. It felt like it was something that the media got all hyped up about and it moved on. Turns out, that's not been the case. Instead, it's getting worse before it gets better. I'm literally forcing myself to not be fearful, but be safe instead. It's easy to get anxious about this type of thing...the unknown. We do know that COVID19 is a bad flu - respiratory bad. Mostly elderly and folks with compromised immune systems are the most likely to get it and have the worse of it. The rest of us, if treated and paid attention to correctly, will survive it. 80% survive.

This will impact my trip in May too. 100% sure that Janet and I won't be traveling to Europe in May. In fact, we've talked about post poning until Sept / Oct - hoping this will be over by then.

Th economic impact of this is also significant. Restaurants are closed for dine-in. Many are still doing take out, many have closed all together. This will be a huge impact on several employees income. It makes me sad for small businesses and people who run them. And this economic impact will last for a year or more easily. The stock market is low, and crashing all the time. This feels like a HUGE recession on our way again. Oh goody.

So...the world has learned some new terms and are slowly learning a new way of life during these social-distancing days. I'm not a fan. But I'm also not a fan of being sick, or passing on any germs so I'm being diligent at keeping myself at home.

Oh March...

Maybe I should make an annual goal of writing in the block at least once a month. That seems to be my speed these days, so it's a goal I'd hit for sure.

I'm feeling a bit meh today. Yesterday I didn't feel great - felt like maybe a cold was coming on.  Today I just feel exhausted. I'm wondering if it's more allergies now than a cold.  At any rate, I know it's NOT the corona virus.

Since I wasn't feeling overly energetic today I decided it was a good day to start research on my next big trip in May. Sister in Law and I are going on a Viking Rhine River cruise and we're starting in Lugano, Switzerland - home of the boarding school I attended - TASIS.

Before every trip I feel obligated to research and learn of all the things we may or may not see. The history of the country we're visiting, the history and what not of each town, the churches in the town, the politics etc. I find it prepares me for what I'm going to experience. Some people think it takes the surprise out of the trip, but I'm not one for surprises on a trip. I have an overwhelming feeling of missing something, that I can't help myself but to be prepared.

And so today I reviewed all the excursions on this cruise. Viking includes an excursion at each port of call. They also have "extra" ones - many of which are at the same time as the included ones. When I first looked I thought there may be some extras I wanted to go on, but today I found that I'd be happy with the included ones.

Day 1: Breisach Germany - The Black Forest
I've been through the black forest after graduation in 1987 as we traveled up to visit our foreign exchange student in Muchengladbach.

Day 2: Strasbourg France - Highlights tour
These are always my favorites. You have minimal time in one location and a highlight tour really does a good job showing you just that.

Day 3: Speyer, German - Walking tour
Gotta get my exercise somehow. Why not walk through the old town and see things up close.
Speyer is home to the largest of the three Romanesque imperial cathedrals. And I love me some cathedrals.

Day 4: Koblenz, Germany - The Fortress of Ehrenbreitstein
Koblenz is what's known as the middle rhine. It's where you start to really see castle after castle. I'm 100% sure we drove through, past or around this area in 1987 since I have a photo of one of the castles. At any rate, the included excursion is a fortress and this is like a castle.

Day 5: Cologne, German - Walking tour
Something tells me a 2 hour walking tour isn't going to be enough here.

Day 6: Kinderdijk, the Netherlands - Kinderdijk Windmills
If Don Quixote wasn't from Spain...he'd battle his giants here. These beauties are iconic and I cannot wait to see them.

We're still figuring out what we're going to do in Lugano. We have a walking tour booked and know we want to, obviously, see the school. We've got time, we'll figure it out.

We'll also be spending two days in Basel - which is where the cruise begins. They have some walking tours and a hop on hop off type of bus tour...

I'm getting excited for this and it's only a mere 70 days away. Which reminds me, I'd better get to the gym more often than once a week so I can keep up with the SIL.