We are paving new roads, aren't we? Sure, some people already had the hang of ordering groceries online, but I didn't consider that endeavor until I was forced to consider it, last week. As I get older, I find that following rules is just an easier path to take so I'm staying home. Besides, I worry about the wrath of my soon-to-be 30 year old daughter who is monitoring my daily activities. We laugh but she's not kidding about her insistence that I stay away from people and places - all people and all places, no matter what, so help me God.
My first couple of attempts to order food fell flat like a half baked cake. Three not heavy grocery bags came and each bag had 1 - 2 items in it. Very odd. I ordered something like 30 items and I received 7 items and half of those 7 items were not exactly what I ordered. I needed ground pepper and they brought me peppercorns. I don't have a peppercorn grinder. Not the end of the world; I just put them up in the cupboard and one day, I'll consider a grinder when I can leave my house. I'm nervous about ordering a grinder. I might get an angle grinder, which actually would make Jolynn happy. But I'll wait.
In an effort to stock up on some frozen foods, I requested peas, green beans, lima beans (of course), carrots and I received ZERO. Someone else has a freezer full of frozen vegetables. I requested frozen pot pies. Nope. Not happening. I clicked on frozen lasagne and okay, I did get 2 boxes of lasagne, what I thought would be single serving lasagne. But each box of frozen lasagne was the size of a pizza box with enough lasagne for 14 families. Yes, I exaggerate, but truly, my own family of 7 children back in the day couldn't have finished off this one box. It was frozen so I had to bake the whole thing because I couldn't hacksaw out a small piece for my dinner last night. Just when I resigned myself to the fate of leftover lasagne for the next 3 years, Trish piped up and told me to freeze it in small portions. Brilliant. See, I, too, am being home schooled.
Fig Newtons are apparently not a sought after item during this quarantine. Yay for small favors.
Speaking of quarantine, because we never hear very much about it on every tv channel, every website, every radio program, every newspaper, every electronic highway sign, store windows, emails from every single business and organization and soon to be public megaphone announcements in our neighborhoods, the full blown isolation has now hit the Knight Cancer Center in Portland. I was not allowed to accompany Jolynn to her bone biopsy today. She sailed through the procedure because she has the medical team trained to give her the best sedation possible for the event. I took the opportunity to walk the two pups in a nearby park, round and round and round, avoiding other walkers at all cost and touching NOTHING except the poop bags to pick up after our Bear and Rosie. Jolynn's blood numbers continue to flow strong, beating all odds for recovery of her bone marrow transplant. She is at Day Plus 46 and we can go to a drive through on Day Plus 60....preferably not Italian food for awhile, although that is my favorite cuisine. Her doctor will call her on the phone for their appointment on Friday and hopefully we will learn about the results of blood tests that check MDS (cancer) cells in her blood. Fingers crossed.
Stinky Pinky made us some more delicious soup and we picked it up on our way home from the cancer center today. My dad gave her that nickname 47 years ago. Blessed, I am, to have such an amazing, life long friend in my life and to share a tenacious, loving daughter with her, as well.
At the medical center today, I watched nurse after nurse escort their patients to waiting cars in the pick up area. The overflowing patience of medical staff astounds me trifold in this climate. My own wonderful sister, Steph, is on the front lines of patient care with her outstanding deaf interpreting skills at a hospital back east, risking her own fragile health everyday to go to work and help others to understand their own well-being. Alex, the partner of the daughter that Stinky and I raised, bravely travels the filthy NYC transit systems, daily, to work in a busy metropolitan hospital in the heart of NYC where CoVid 19 is exploding. She valiantly shows up with her cheer and sweetness to be the Social Worker Extraordinaire whom she was meant to be at a time when most people are staying safe in the comfort of their homes. When I think of my beloved Steph, our precious Alex and thousands of others who selflessly bridge the gap between saving lives and infectious menace, it just simply brings tears to my old, brown eyes. Just when I thought I couldn't be more grateful, I am.
My dad used to say "this drives me to drink" and then he'd laugh and pour another whiskey and water. I got his brown eyes but I didn't inherit his compulsion to drink.
Although I do like a good, strong fig newton on occasion.
Sweetness abounds - newtons, family, friends, good people everywhere.
If you know me, you know it's my style to gift you with a song
You're welcome
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Sg5CdItQwo
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Hey. I've heard there are some problems with being able to leave a comment. Yikes.
Sorry - I've tried to fix that issue.
Try again. :)