TINY HOUSE MOVE IN

It's after 10:30 am on Sunday and EVERYONE else is still sleeping!  I really love having an hour of coffee and quiet.  But two hours???

My niece is moving from a rental house with four roommates (who are NOT Covid safe) into her Tiny Home about 30 minutes in the opposite direction.  It will be so fun to carefully add her to our Pod.  She is looking to buy a house with a big back yard closer to where she works (maybe some day, in person!). She can then choose to live in Tiny or rent her out.  The parents of the former owners of the Tiny House are renting the space (and utilities) to her to give her a few more months.  She has been outbid on at least 5 homes!

We loaned her our minivan today so that she may only have to do 3-4 trips.  We will also store her desk in our storage unit until she needs it.  She wouldn't let us help her because of the wicked room mates.  Not that I would have been much help!!

She's very active and outdoorsy (as are my kidults) and after two weeks of outdoor walks or whatever, we can have her inside.  She is going to share some of her sourdough starter and the cousins will be making bread and/or pizza once a week.  Tahlia is vegetarian and tries many ethnic dishes so I hope to be invited over to the Tiny once in a while (not sure my family would even TRY these dishes)

Her eating habits now are very interesting!  When she was little, she had a VERY VERY limited palate.  Macaroni and cheese.  Cheese tortellini.  Cheese sandwiches.  Vanilla yogurt.  And catsup!  My sister would never purchase catsup so for her birthday I would also send her a bottle!  I think that may be her housewarming gift!!!

Although she may decide I'm too dangerous to be around.  I gave her some of our turkey day leftovers ... totally forgetting her nut allergy ... and the best sweet potatoes in the world had pecans!!!

ALMOST AN UNTURKEY DINNER

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving Dinner prepared solely by Jesse!

But with quite a few road blocks along the way.  First, he didn't decide to stay home for Thanksgiving until Monday about noon.  I offered to buy a small Honey Baked ham AND a small Honey Baked Ham turkey breast.  A new pop up Honey Baked Ham station opened a few blocks from us.  Kate went online to order but it was the most convoluted non-workable site ever!  She was so frustrated but finally decided to call the new spot.

The phone number on the website was NOT to the local location but one on the other side of town.  I then said just call the location we have always used and I will drive to pick it up.  That location had permanently closed due to Covid!  Jesse walked to the local pop up to order one of each but was told they do not take reservations.  At that moment, the shop did not have turkey but it would be in later in the afternoon.  He and Kate went on their way to get the other groceries, along with 3 million other people.  And stopped back in to learn there were still no turkeys but they would definitely be in on Tuesday around noon.

Jesse walked back over at 12:30 and there were STILL no turkeys!  So he bought the ham and would check back right before closing to check on the turkey.

STILL NO TURKEY!  He then went to three nearby grocery stores and he got the LAST frozen turkey breast!  He thawed it in cool water while he cooked all day on Wednesday!  Sweet potato casserole with toasted pecans on top.  I usually forgo sweet potatoes as they are usually too sweet for me.  But this casserole was a gift from heaven!  Creamy smooth mashed potatoes (the boys did all the peeling).  Best homemade turkey gravy.  Homemade orange cranberries (also terrific and I usually do not eat that either).  He then made a top secret brine and put everything in the fridge (I cannot believe it was possible).

Kate made homemade cinnamon rolls which she baked on Thanksgiving morning.  She made half a recipe and she still had the boys make three deliveries to neighbors and plenty left over for Friday morning breakfast.

We ended the day playing Chutes and Ladders (with occasional poor sportsmanship), then Operation followed by War using a deck of cards.  Dad had a fire going all day so we all found a comfy spot and watched the Christmas Chronicles II (recommended by my sister).  It was great but now I need to rewatch the first one.  Very entertaining for ALL of us.

All's well that ends well!  Hope your day was tasty and fun!

P.S.  I posted on Honey Baked Ham's Facebook page.  I emailed customer service.  And today I am sending a snail mail.  Not a well managed Covid safe plan at all. 

P.S.S.  My niece is coming over soon to enjoy an outside visit/walk.  She moves to her Tiny Home tomorrow and we hope to gently and safely bring her into our pod!

THANKSGIVING DAY 2020

 

Day Dreaming

Once I changed my perspective, happiness returned.  New Zenni specs!
 

WATCHING TV

Without all my WLLO commitments, I have a LOT of time on my hands.  It's luxurious!  

I check my calendar before going to sleep and SMILE that there is nothing on it.  I spend more time with the littles (until my ears are exhausted) and always learn something new.  Did you know Eleanor Roosevelt did as much good as her husband who was President?  And she was OLDER than me when she died.  (From the First Grade guy).

Now I am changing up our live stream entertainment.  We don't have TV, per se.  Amazon Prime Video and Netflix.  And Hulu. Now I'm trying different services for a week at a time.  First up (for the Holidays), The Hallmark Channel.  Unfortunately it is not "on demand" and you know retired people can't possible plan their day around WHEN a great Christmas movie is on.  It will retire next week.

HBO Max is going all out to get customers!  I signed up for a free week but now get to cancel as it will be included with Amazon Prime.  I love historical period series and BBC crime shows. I cancelled Masterpiece Theater and created a BritBox account.  Again, one week for free. 

Unfortunately, our TV is too old to stream some of these newer selections.  The set wants everything to run through Amazon Fire Stick (which is old) and isn't very cooperative at times.  I've been asking about getting a new TV (I think it's at least 15 years old, probably 20). That will be our pandemic present to ourselves.  So, I'm not really SAVING any money here ... just rearranging it!

FOR THE LOVE OF EATING

One of the best things living with others is sharing the cooking (and dishes).  Jesse and Kate do most of the cooking and they are always trying something new.

Kate made cheese fondue for dinner followed by chocolate fondue!  I forgot to take photos until the platters were almost empty:

The main course was bread, turkey, ham, broccoli, carrots and potatoes

  Dessert was white chocolate and milk chocolate ... with cubes of pound cake, apples, strawberries, bananas and marshmallows.

We no longer have a fondue pot, so she used the crockpot with hot water.  The cheese fondue was in a casserole dish that just fit in.  Chocolates were in two different mason jars in hot water as well.

Fun was had by all ...

We had some leftover rotisserie chicken on a day the parents wanted to get groceries and prescriptions.  I asked if the boys could stay home (I ALWAYS have to ask ... they only ask me if it's an adult-only thing like a class reunion or wedding ... all of which there have been none for many months!).  I made the boys a fancy lunch and asked if they would walk the dog if I did the dishes.  Chicken Pot Pie!  Something the boys had never had (biscuits on top instead of a crust).  I started on the lightly browned mirepoix, added bone broth and then the cut up chicken.  It simmered all day!  When the parents got home, I thickened the stew and made Bisquick biscuits.  Well received by all.

The boys did a deep clean on the dining table, dusted all the living room surfaces then got to play some screen time.  I did a load of laundry, changed my sheets and made my bed then we all snuggled in to play on our computers.  Deacon asked for a relaxing bath so I lit candles, let him choose a bath bomb I keep a supply in my room ... with little toys in the middle), turned the heater on and let him prune in up.  When he was finished, I ran the dishwasher and asked them to play something that didn't use a device.  Legos it was.

Jesse is doing spareribs in the crockpot tonight with coleslaw and homemade french fries.

I better go out and make some brownies for dessert!

COVID19

 An article from the NYT has put me in a somber mood.

Oregon has already edicted a two week "pause" because of rising new cases ...  on social activities, groups no larger than six, restaurant and bars to reduce customers to half, and so on.  Of course our Holidays are going to be very different this year.  I am hopeful that Biden's team will be a big help to all of us.  We are all weary of being stuck at home.

Oregon's Governor has put Portland and surrounding area on a "Covid Pause"  

• Urging all businesses to mandate work from home to the greatest extent possible.

• Pausing long-term care facility visits to protect staff and residents.

• Reducing maximum restaurant capacity to 50 people (including customers and staff) for indoor dining, with a maximum party size of six. Continuing to encourage outdoor dining and take out.

• Reducing other indoor activity maximum capacity to 50 people (for example: gyms, fitness organizations/studios, bowling alleys, ice rinks, indoor sports, pools, museums).

• Limiting social gatherings to your household, or no more than six people if the gathering includes those from outside your household, reducing the frequency of those social gatherings (significantly in a two-week period), and keeping the same six people in your social gathering circle.

“We all must continue to do our part to stop this virus from spreading, particularly limiting our social gatherings and interactions, or we risk further closures and restrictions," Gov. Brown said in an email Monday.

I continue to be surprised by neighbors and acquaintances who are not being careful and get mad when stores ask them to wear a mask.  Crazy upstairs neighbor texted she was bored.  I said yes, this Covid lockdown is very wearisome.  She replied "We r ignoring it"  Ugh.

I stepped down from WLLO volunteer work yesterday.  It's been bothering me for a few months.  Then came the straw that broke the camels back.  It must be me.  My daughter said "Mom? Why are you doing all of this work if it doesn't make you happy?"  Yup.  I wasn't happy working with some of the personalities.  Now!  What to do with all of THAT time??

This year we will need to make the holidays and especially Christmas more cheerful.  I spent my morning doing Christmas shopping online ... personalized ornaments for this family, stocking stuffers, small toys to put in their countdown calendars, helping the boys make their lists.  I will make time to let the boys bake and decorate cookies (as I will assist and clean up!).

We can do this!

BLUE and RED

It's Saturday and things are even more BLUE than Thursday.  It's not really over until the fat lady sings but I declare we are now blue and red.  I know that every last vote will be counted.  Oregon has been doing mail-in voting for over 20 years.  I am a registered Republican and I voted BLUE.  Hopefully I am not stupid red.  I vote how I think, not by party. 

Some dreams for our next four years. 

Be kind.  Be honest.  Be respectful. Use courage.  Everything else will follow! 

Stop with the Twitter stuff every 5 minutes.   I don't think social media is a way to run a government (or anything, for that matter).  Say what you mean and mean what you say.  If you appoint someone to a position, give them at least 6 months to work at it before you fire them.  Honestly, I don't think I could name anyone in any position in the top government with all the switcheroos!  

Make healthcare AFFORDABLE for all citizens.  (Obama care was NOT affordable ... mine, for just me, jumped from $300/mo to $800/mo). Make tangible efforts to ease climate change.  Get children back with their families immediately.  Get deadbeats off the government feed bag and ... sorry, I think our money should go FIRST to American citizens and soldiers before immigrants.  Make English the official language of the USA.  I wouldn't move my family to another country and demand they have English speaking schools.  Should you need any benefits to temporarily help, please become a citizen and then ask.  Churches and civic groups will help you.

The Supreme Court is now red but I think they are all intelligent and compassionate people.  Even if they are lawyers (hee hee).

NO FIRM ELECTION RESULTS

It's Wednesday afternoon and it's leaning towards Blue from my sources.  I bet it will take WEEKS for Donald to accept reality.  So far, no riots in Portland.

Oregon continues to have more cases of Covid than ever before.  I think people are so tired of it, they are just not being cautious.  Except me.  I bought a gallon of hand sanitizer to do our refills.  There are two mini hand sanitizers in each car.  And a container of Clorox Wipes.  

I'll be having Stouffer's microwave turkey dinner ( ... or I might order in the smallest dinner from Whole Foods or wherever)(I just looked online and WOW ... great menu options and even the Vegan for Two dinner sounds delish).  Family is going to Jesse's side of the family but I graciously declined.  I'm kinda glad I have an excuse now ... I RARELY attend (although always invited).  Too much drinking going on.  Then the arguing starts.

One of our WLLO members has taken a turn for the worse.  She had a heart issue and went to the hospital a week ago.  Doctors said a pacemaker would fix her right up (she's 89).  Now she is heading home with Hospice.  WLLO is going through another growing pain.  One of the busiest volunteers is standing down.  She is now doing a lot for her inlaws, including making meals 3 times a week.  But the main reason is she doesn't like the Village restrictions on what she does with some members.  She is head of Transportation and HER rules during Covid is the member sits in the back passenger seat, with mask, windows cracked.  Yet SHE would let members sit in front with her.  When other drivers said no ... our rules say you must sit in back, well just imagine a five year old.  She also loved doing little extra things and drives but didn't run them through the Village software so we can record and use all the Volunteer hours to apply for Grants.

Just heard from the Kidults that Jesse's sister-in-law's family (BIG Vietnamese family) have had several members come down with Covid.  Now Thanksgiving is up in the air.  I just finished making a date to share the Vegan Thanksgiving meal with my favorite (vegetarian) niece who is now back in Portland.  Her four roommates are NOT Covid safe at all.  She spent two months back in Kentucky with her parents because they wanted to start having people fly in, no isolation, and let them in the house. She waited til two weeks had passed from last set of visitors and drove back to Portland ... and now they want to have a big Thanksgiving celebration with friends.  All the while SHE is paying rent.  Poor kid.

Stay tuned!

 

HELLO NOVEMBER