Provisions

Saturday we had to be out for a quick bit (another drive-by), and when we got home I told Dan to leave the car out as I wanted to find out just exactly what was lurking in our freezer.  It sits in our garage right in front of the car, and while I can get the door open and get what I need, it isn't conducive to a large inspection or rearrangement.  

Dan volunteered to bring out a folding table so I had a place to sort and that helped immensely.  So, what exactly was in there?  More than I thought!  I even unearthed a box of Skinny Cow fudgesicles! Score!! Underneath the bacon I found two vacuum sealed bags of three pork chops each.  Oh yes, I remembered them. The ones I used from the larger pack they came from were tough, and I mean tough.  No matter how I cooked them, they were awful.  Dan appeared about the time I found them and suggested that maybe they'd make pulled pork.  Hmm, didn't sound like a bad idea so I said I'd try.  

Further rummaging found an extra bin of pork roasts and lots of stew meat.  Yay! Meat for dinners that will stretch over a period of days.  We are good to go for many a day, especially with the bread flour he found last week.  

As I finished up my mind drifted back to the early days of our marriage and the first freezer we bought.  It was the summer of 1973 and the oil crisis was nearing its height.  Freezers were hard to come by as were canning supplies (this situation lasted for well over a year) but we somehow managed to score a large freezer from Sears.  (Side note:  It was a self-defrosting model which wasn't supposed to be good for the food stored, but it was absolutely the best freezer we ever had, lasted the longest, and gave us the least freezer-burned food of all the freezers we've had. And we've had to defrost all the rest of them!)

Yesterday evening I decided I'd see what was available on Costco.com as it doesn't look like it's worth making a trip out of town to our nearest one.  The lines, the time, the availability of goods, it all sounded like an exercise in futility.  So, I opened up my computer and went shopping.  Turns out Costco.com is out of many, many items, too, but I did manage to get some more almond milk (I use it in my smoothies and for our oatmeal), Ghirardelli  brownie mixes, and the all important evening TV snack, Pub Mix. I got some other things, too, of course, but these will help make the days a little more palatable.  

Oh, and the pork chops?  They did indeed make great pulled pork! We had it Saturday and Sunday nights and I froze the rest.  Another meal in the freezer for when I am not in the mood and that's a good thing for certain! ♥

Day 500 of Quarantine

Or so it seems.  Hmm, even for a homebody like me, these days are getting a little weird.  There were always things we did each week that helped us keep track of the days, but now we don't even have church on Sundays. We gathered in front of our TV last Sunday and using my computer and our Chrome-cast, watched "church" live-streamed via Facebook. Somehow, it didn't seem like Sunday. . .

One thing that has helped me pass the time besides the laundry (haha!), is Ann's reminding me that I could download the Kindle app on my iPad and get books through Amazon Prime.  I've rewarded myself with several interesting/fun reads over the last couple of weeks which has been very helpful because the library is closed.  One was recommended by Ann and I found it interesting because I could remember many of the names featured in it.  It's Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies by J.B. West who was Chief Usher during five presidencies, Roosevelt through Johnson.  

Of course, meals are a constant and keep me busy. There's no eating out because all the restaurants are takeout/delivery only, and somehow I can't bring myself to eat something made by someone who may have the virus and not know it yet.  While I'm trying not to dwell on the reason for this quarantine,  I don't want to be imprudent.  So, all meals by Chef Moi.  This morning I thought I would upgrade our breakfast and decided to make Ann's recipe for scones.  Oh yum!  We each had two, I froze four, and tomorrow we'll feast on another four.  

I'm thinking of other things I can make and freeze some of.  Stocking the freezer seems like a worthwhile endeavor during these must-stay-at-home days.  ♥

Crazy!

Well.  

What a day it's been.  Four snowstorms, sunshine, a virus version of a birthday party, and an earthquake.  Yes, that's right, an earthquake.  

So, to back up, we got up early this morning and my husband daringly went out in search of some items I longed for in my kitchen.  Specifically, King Arthur bread flour, and cream cheese.  There were other things, of course, but those were tops on my list.  He scored!!  As I told one of my nieces, I feel like the richest lady in town.  

And then it snowed.  Really, really snowed, and everything turned white.  And a while later, the sun came out.  Repeat three more times during the day.  

And then the birthday "party."  One of the dearest ladies I know, a friend from the first days we moved here, has a birthday today.  Her daughter came up with a genius idea for a way to celebrate Gill's (she's from England, so it's pronounced Jill) day.  She emailed a few people, asked them to email others, and so on.  We were all to drive by Gill's house at 2:30, bring a flower, and honk our horns.  They would have Gill on the front porch.  At the appointed time, I found myself in my car, down the que about five cars, and it began as more and more cars showed up.  As we got to the front of the house, Gill was on the porch and her daughter had a bucket to gather the flowers as we drove by.  I am allergic to most flowers so I took some of the quilted potholders I made before Christmas.  They did have flowers on them!  Gill was absolutely overcome as car after car drove up. What a wonderful gift for her!

And then, the earthquake.  About five, I was sitting here at my computer when all of a sudden things seemed to start moving.  Was I dizzy?  No!  The curtains were moving, Dan's empty recliner was rocking, the whole house was moving!! I realized what it was and shouted to Dan who was in the basement.  It turns out it was a rather large quake situated in the center of our state, fortunately where there's not much of anything.  

What a day.  March is definitely not going out like a lamb.  ♥

Greetings from the Last Outpost

Ha!  At least I think that's how my poor husband is feeling these days.  At least the weather is crummy, so he's not tempted to be outdoors right now.  Rain! Wind! Cold! 

As I told my longtime pal, Kathy of Homestead Happenings, this whole situation is like a challenge to me.  How long can I keep making meals with what we have? Meals that taste good! I had a win tonight.  We often have waffles and bacon for dinner on nights when a cozy meal is called for.  But we had that last week. Somehow or other, I stumbled onto a recipe for pancakes this afternoon. Normally I'm not much of a pancake fan; they've always tasted too heavy to me. This recipe had rave reviews so I printed it off and gave it a try.  YUM! Simple, simple ingredients, but awesome flavor and texture.  And Dan, who loves pancakes, gave them two thumbs up, too.  Here the link. I halved the recipe and we got ten yummy pancakes, which was perfect for us.  

To backtrack a week or so, I have a couple more things to say about our vacation house.  It was kind of a "smart house."  It had a thingy in many of the rooms that turned out to be a Google version of Alexa.  We drove that poor thing crazy with a myriad of questions such as When's low tide? When does the sun set in Rockaway Beach, Can you play some Ella Fitzgerald? and so on. The best part was when we were cooking.  "Hey Google! Set the timer for ten minutes!" and she would.  Do I want such a thing at home?  Nope, but it was fun for a while!

And here's a picture of the intrepid Keat cleaning off our windows for a better view after a naughty seagull left splatters all over them.  

And those pillars under the house?  It is supposed to be tsunami resistant.  The angle of the photo makes them look a little weird, but they were straight up and down. ♥

Catchin' Up

Well hello there, faithful readers!  We're back home and settling in as we weather this virus thing. I'm a homebody anyway, so staying home is no problem for me, but Dan likes to wander so this is a bit unsettling for him.  He's trying to find ways to keep busy, but even yard work is at a halt because we're unable to use the recycling center or transfer station for leaves, etc.  Right now he's studying up on how to use a camera he's had for years but balked at learning all it can do.  (I should be doing the same with my camera. . .)

We had the most wonderful time at the coast.  The weather could not have been more perfect! Blue skies, fifty plus degrees, and little wind.  We sat out on chairs (me), walked the beach, and some intrepid members of our group even donned swimsuits and braved the waves, if only briefly.  

View from our house

The house we rented was built with the living areas on the second floor, along with a luxurious master suite which Dan and I got to use.  Another master suite was on the first floor along with a nice queen room and a bunk room as well as a lovely big family room.  These, along with the four baths allowed us all to spread out all over the house and never feel cramped.  The kitchen was beautiful and pretty well equipped so we were able to have wonderful meals with not much adaptation.  The house is less than two years old and had windows everywhere giving us gorgeous views from dawn (Dan and Daniel) to sunset.  

It was definitely barefoot weather!

Now that we're home, I resolutely turned my hands to finishing a doll sweater that has challenged me for the last month.  I definitely learned some new skills with this one!  How could one tiny sweater take so much time?  At any rate, I finished it last night and here's Rose modeling it for you all.  She's quite happy with it.

A full view

And a close-up of the pattern

I don't think I'll ever make another one, but I am pleased that it turned out and fits her perfectly.  She thinks it'll make a lovely open cardigan with dresses when it warms up a little.  (Did I mention that it snowed here this week?)

I hope all my readers will take care and, as we are all under the "sheltering at home" order, find time to do things we've wanted to do but didn't have time for. Reading?  Knitting?  Quilting?  Hang in there, friends. As we say at our church, "God's got this!"  ♥

Beach Exile

Clear last summer we, and by we I mean Dan and I and Ann and Eric, decided we needed to spend spring break at the beach. And here is the northwest that usually means the Oregon beach. Over Christmas we picked the house we’d rent and made our reservations. No corona virus then. It turned out that spending a week at the beach is an excellent way to stay sane in these crazy days. As Ann said in the days leading up to our trip, we were “about to commence Operation Bury Our Heads in the Sand.” 

Our trip is winding down and we’ll probably be home by the time most of you read this. We’ve ignored the news, read, walked the beach, rested and enjoyed a relaxing time together. Our only real exposure to the situation was when we stopped at a Fred Meyer in Tillamook and found no bread or buns (last two packages of Kaiser rolls from the bakery worked perfectly for our burgers), got the last jugs of apple juice and milk and noticed the rice section was empty. People were pleasant and the clerks were very helpful. They said people were traveling down the coast until they found what they needed.

I’m writing this on my iPad and have no idea how to add a photo so I’ll sign off for now. Stay safe out there! ❤️

Sunshine and Sweaters

March has arrived and the sun is shining! Love it! I'm actually wearing a shirt rather than a fleece top today and I feel so free.  Spring is definitely on its way and the last lingering piles of snow have disappeared.  Of course, more may come, but still, spring is on its way!

I finished the little sweater I was working on and here's the finished product on its intended wearer:

It turned out just right and I was able to pick up the stitches around the front and neck with no problems. Ditto sewing the pieces together.  And if you don't recognize this little girl, she's Clementine, a Girl for All Time doll.  They are created in England and the various dolls are from different eras in British history.  Clemmie's era is WWII.  I fell in love with her face as I perused doll patterns on the internet.  Every time she was the model, I wanted her.  I finally consulted with Dan and he asked why I hadn't already ordered, so I did.  I call her my Valentine's present.  

Here's a closer look at her sweet face. (Don't you just love how I chopped off the top of her head?  A photographer I'm not.)

I purchased the sweater pattern from Pixie Faire and the designer is Genine Allan of Genniewren Designs.  She is British herself and the pattern includes a wonderful history of wartime clothing in England.  

I am currently knitting another doll sweater for, I think, my Magic Attic Rose.  It's quite an involved pattern and I'm learning tons (in addition to learning how to carefully unknit rows!)  I've decided it's a lesson in patience and skill building.  ♥