A Different Life II

[Lily&Me]

It has started to snow here, and is an otherwise grey and cold, wintry day.

Lily has had a walk, choring is done, I’m about to make some tea and take a breath.

I decided to make an early run to the store this morning, putting latex gloves on because I had them, washing them and my hands thoroughly when I got back. Anything nefarious that may have ended up on my car door or steering wheel will be long since dead before I next have to go out.

I needed fresh things, milk and butter, and was getting low on cream for my coffee.

Few cars on the road, few people in the store and lots of empty spaces on the shelves.

Found everything thing I needed, if not the brand I usually buy, also a couple of splurges...just because, we’re hunkered down and a little self nurturing is in order.

Jumbo frozen shrimp, peeled and deveined, $8 off, and Prosecco off about 30% as I recall...to make myself a glass of Kir after awhile.

I’ll have to recork and then will lose some fizz before I can drink it all, but


I saved this old fashioned French Bread recipe, first published in 1708, before leaving on my trip, and having an abundance of eggs and some milk nearing its expiration point it seemed like a good day to make this.

I am at the “ Cover and set aside in a warm place to double in size. ” phase.

I’ll let you know how it turns out.

https://www.motherearthnews.com/real...e-zm0z16djzqui


I am grateful for the decisive and proactive actions our Governor has taken to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus here in Illinois, and for immunologist Anthony Fauci and other medical experts who speak the truth, are clear, concise and unequivocal on what is happening, and what needs to be done.

We need a North Star in this, and our medical experts are providing that.


Some in our communities are in a cold panic over what’s happening, worried about paying bills, feeding their families, and just survival in general.

I cannot imagine especially in my single parent days facing a crisis like this.

I had an email from Liz Rice at HistoriCorps Friday afternoon, that due to the coronavirus and subsequent loss of projects they are going into hibernation for at least a couple of weeks, all staff being furloughed.

One organization of thousands affected.

Already there are spots on our local news about how to help the less fortunate, and I’m going to take this opportunity to urge all of us who have more than we need to cast about visually to see where a little help might be given...then do that.

Stay safe,

Maggie

[Hittenstiehl]

Nice bread article from MEN.

I absolutely love that magazine although I've never really planted anything but flowers and trees.

For a couple of years now I have been reading a blog by farmer Joel Salatin who writes for them quite frequently and was on the cover recently. Joel and his family own a farm called Polyface Farms. The farm is the location of this years Mother Earth news's annual outdoor community fest this summer. Although it hasn't been mentioned yet I am afraid it will likely be canceled due to the world's ongoing health crisis.

Joel has an interesting perspective on many world topics that I'm not versed in.

I have learned so much reading both the magazine and his blog about planting, agriculture, self sufficientcy, nature and nurture.

[Lily&Me]

It came out beautifully, tho I don’t own the 10” bread pan it called for two smaller loaves are better for me, anyway.

I think this will make delicious toast, with a little cinnamon sugar on it.

I mean, three eggs.

[Lily&Me]

Absolutely delicious.

[Lily&Me]

Shrimp from my bargain purchase yesterday, to be consumed with cocktail sauce later today.

Going to cook some spinach with garlic, and call it a meal.

[Lily&Me]

I subscribed to this History newsletter last week, and this article popped up today...

12 Times People Confronted a Crisis With Kindness

https://www.history.com/news/crisis-...cks-hurricanes

Do what you can.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

When I wake and turn over in the night, the first thing that comes to my mind is “I wonder what’s happening in my community, my state, my country, and the world.”

I resist the urge to get up and check silenced alerts received, and my news pages.

Tho it’s the first thing I do in the morning.

So much evolving and happening, every single day.


This article was in the Washington Post this morning, and it nicely articulates the “what can I do, what do I have control of?” that helps to ground us and tether us to the earth during times of chaos and extreme uncertainty.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...rus-isolation/


I especially liked these bits...

“The big parallels to what people are going through right now is that there is a big unspoken danger out there that is not clearly defined,” said 60-year-old Hadfield, a retired Canadian astronaut... There’s a constant elevated level of danger, and it’s sort of nameless and quiet.”

“rule No. 1 is that people should research the risks of the novel coronavirus in their immediate area. Then, they should understand how it affects and constrains them individually.”

“Become experts on the thing that is threatening you,” he said.

Next, is to “be your own task master” — developing mini missions for every day.“


During personal times facing internal or external threats of whatever kind, big and small, I found that researching and understanding to the extreme whatever it was I was dealing with proved extremely helpful to me.

The old saying “knowledge is power” is true.

I pay close attention to the scientists, particularly Dr. Anthony Fauci, and have become an even more omnivorous reader of what this virus is doing locally, around the country, and around the world.

Having information calms and helps center my thoughts, leading to an informed mini-strategy for how to keep myself safe.

I really identify with developing mini missions for every day.

I keep a to-do list on my kitchen counter, and sometimes mini lists added to that on post it notes.

I’m fixin’ to start some work on the yard, also the spring cleaning chores that can be done while the wood stove is still burning.

Controlling what you can, putting a small bit of structure in place...it’s a good thing,


On another note...I have discovered that my local Food Pantry allows you to make donations via PayPal, as one time, weekly, or monthly occurrences.

Thinking about where needs are going to really increase, with so many people out of work and separated from steady income, this is a good way to help.

Do what you can.

Stay safe,

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

I have just finished this book, about nurses and the medical corps in France during WWI...during which time both my maternal grandparents served.

https://www.amazon.com/Falling-Snow-.../dp/0143123920

It is very good, and rich in detail, tho one of those that goes back and forth in time and between characters, requiring more focus and concentration than I have been able to give it.

I’ve left it in my “to read” library, and will go back to it.

[Lily&Me]

After days of rain and overcast skies, yesterday afternoon sun and wind began to dry things out, and we have a forecast for the week that will be very conducive to outdoor and indoor chores.

There’s just something about having sunshine.

I’m making progress on my to do list, baked a loaf of bread on Saturday and have a chicken roasting as I type.

I chore awhile, check the news pages, chore again, watch a briefing, chore again, and repeat throughout the day.

I try to catch Dr. Fauci whenever he has been interviewed, and watch Andrew Cuomo and our Governor Pritzker’s daily press briefings most days... clear, factual, informative, take a few questions, get back to the business of managing a crisis.

I like that.


Yesterday I called Amtrak and discussed the state of the nation/world with a customer service representative, and my planned trip with the grands to Glacier in June.

The agent I spoke with actually recommended canceling, and gave me a full refund on our tickets.

When I had looked online, their website told me canceling of the Premium tickets that are a sleeper car brings with it a 25% cancellation fee.

I was prepared to argue that, but didn’t have to do anything more than say the pandemic was not something customers could anticipate and control. Whew.

I can’t envision a scenario where it will be safe to spend two days each way on a train in June, if trains are even running and our country is able to fully open up by then. One of the possible scenarios with this virus is that it will come in waves, and at the very least I believe we are at minimum months from an all clear.

Until we are able to do more widespread testing, we won’t even know how prevalent the virus is, and will have to have a period of no new cases before things can get back to normal...it seems to me.

We need a vaccine, which doesn’t seem possible until late into 2021.

I FaceTime’d with the kids, told them I would put the money from the tickets into savings, we can look into other means of travel if it is even safe to go by June, or take a different kind of trip, then or later in the year, just play it by ear until this is over.

They were disappointed, but it’s all we can do.


We’ve had a lot of rain here since we’ve been home, and as sometimes happens with a lot of rain wild animals begin looking for drier dens in higher ground.

Was sitting checking the news and having a coffee the other morning when Lily alerted me to a possum coming thru the tree line at the rear of my property.

I watched it amble thru, thinking if it kept on going I would do nothing, but when it came around the front of my shed where we’d come home after a summer trip to a possum den a few years back, I let Lily out the back door...and that was the end of that.

She didn’t catch it, but ran it off...hopefully for good.

If you look at this picture, the possum is just to the left of the base of the tree.

Maybe a mama possum about to have some wee babies.

Just what we would need, a possum family in the back yard.


Not much going on here, adjusting to our new normal in Normal, and hoping I don’t run out of toilet paper before I can find some more in the stores.

Stay safe,

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

Seeing this ship arrive in New York City is almost unbearable.

What a horrific situation.

[rmkrum]

Maggie, try looking at it this way:

The Navy has arrived, and is there to help.

The other ship is currently docked in Los Angeles and already is taking patients.

[Lily&Me]

I do know that, but thanks for stating it.

It’s just such a strikingly profound and intense image.

It reflects the level of assault on our country by this virus, and reminds me of 9/11...but in relatively slow motion.

Stay in and stay safe, all.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

It really warms my heart to see how people are stepping up to do whatever they can during this crisis.

This morning on the news, the huge response to Governor Cuomo’s call to arms for health professionals to help on the frontlines in their hospitals.

Governor Pritzker has done the same thing and received the same response in our state, as particularly the Chicago area hurtles toward its own crescendo.

[Lily&Me]

The Airstream factory, groups, entities and individuals all over the country are making masks and gowns to aid frontline medical personnel in this crisis.

Businesses are repurposing their factories and equipment to print face shields and make ventilators.

Our military, National Guard and Corps of Engineers have been mobilized across the country.

And a Russian military transport plane loaded with urgently needed medical equipment landed at JFK Airport in New York City today.

What a time we are living in.

May we all live to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Stay safe.

[Lily&Me]

Baking bread, for me, has for decades been a comforting, centering experience amidst and amongst good times and bad.

I baked a loaf last Saturday, sliced up and frozen to be consumed a slice at a time...it’s there in my freezer, for toast with peanut butter or cinnamon sugar, melted cheese, etc., a meal per hefty slice. Yum.

The Chicago Tribune ran this article yesterday, which includes a recipe for Dutch Oven Sourdough Bread, done with the overnight, no knead method I have been enthralled with for about 6 1/2 years.

I’m feeling the urge to get a starter going, to make a loaf of this, because having that starter bubbling and growing on my counter top will, I think, will be another small bit of comfort in this terrible time.

We have had some beautiful sunny days lately, birds are chirping, the grass is greening up and daffodils, hyacinths, etc., are coming up and starting to bloom.

All of which seems to fly in the face of an ongoing worldwide public health emergency where thousands of people are dying and that has so much of the world shut down.

But, while under stay at home orders you can bake a simple loaf of bread, infusing your home with the incredible aroma and giving you a gorgeous item you have produced with your very own hands.

It’s a good thing during a difficult time.


https://www.chicagotribune.com/dinin...ldu-story.html

(This is their picture, not one of mine)

[Lily&Me]

How to make sourdough starter...

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/83...dough-starter/


I’m going to get one going today.


Maggie

[Lily&Me]

I made half of the starter recipe, with 1 cup unbleached white flour, 1 teaspoon yeast, and 1 cup lukewarm water.

Years back, in the before, I carried on our travels in the Interstate a small sourdough starter, and once or twice a week, I would make a small skillet of sourdough biscuits for breakfast that I would then bake on the stovetop with a lid.

They were delicious, but I truthfully tired of the mess of mixing biscuits, then feeding the starter, so went on to using Rhodes frozen roll dough.

In the before, I cooked a lot more, period, now if I cook 3 times a week that is a good week.

Leftovers or MRE’s from my freezer are my main meal most days.

But, I am going to dig out some of those recipes and play with them a bit.

Because, why not?

[OTRA15]

I was just trying to date our family's possible exposure to folks infected with Covid-19, and recalled the following Post #6186 from January 27, 2020, among other clues.

[click on orange arrow to go there:]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

. . .
Obviously any center of international travel [like Paris] could become a much riskier place to visit soon IMO. Given the incubation period of this virus, and the lack of overt symptoms in the early stages, any contact with a carrier of the virus would not be good.

Not sure when your flights are, but the sooner you go the better IMO. In a week the maps and data linked above could show a profound change.
. . .

A little over 2 months ago. Needless to say, the world has changed quite a bit since then.

Stay safe,

Peter

[Lily&Me]

Yep, there were still just a handful of cases in Paris when I left there for home on February 10th.

After working on the yard this morning, I’ve been crocheting, drinking tea, and watching “Pandemic” on Netflix this afternoon.

Yikes.

It’s a documentary, made last year, and absolute spot on to what is happening around the world right now.

We’re in for a long haul through this.

I still have the box of masks I bought before I went to Paris, have shared a few with my neighbors and am going to start wearing one when I have to go to the grocery store.

44 cases in my county as of yesterday.

Stay safe,

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

In addition to Governor Pritzker’s daily briefing, I try to catch Governor Cuomo every morning, as well...my daughter and son in law are out there, both safe and working from home, but I like to keep up with what is going on.

Both of these men have been decisive, proactive, compassionate, and just all around excellent leaders throughout this, bringing clarity, focus and a feeling of being in good hands to an out of control situation.

I would follow either of them out of a burning building.


I gave my starter a small feed this morning, and it is bubbling and doing it’s thing on my kitchen counter...I am going to start a loaf of sourdough tomorrow or the next day.


Stay safe out there,

Maggie