Days of Our Socially Distanced Lives V3

 

Flowers from two weeks ago-salvaged a few.

     In this third installment tracking what a typical weekday and weekend might look like now that I spend at least 95% of my time at home, your boredom might be setting in. Never fear, someone is bound to have a good comment or two to pep us up a bit. 

Friday, September 18th

     I got up around 6:00 and had a good hour  working on yesterdays blog post and returning comments. I even caught up a bit reading a few others. With this new Blogger, I feel like I am missing some alerts to new posts. I showered and dressed befor e having a frustrating 30 minute sof trying to get logged in-still not sure if it was the VPN system or our internet. I was on time for my 8:00 meeting, but didn't get coffee started until it was over. I ran to the store quick for milk, bread, eggs and bananas, plus picked up bus and another of the pre-made Sloppy Joes. (H,G, and Take Out is at $346, balance of $54 to September target)I grabbed coffee while returning emails from the four different shared boxes I have to manage right now, plus my own. Three meetings later, and It was time for lunch. I had veggie burger on one of the buns, topped with cheese and  homemade pickles. I microwave the paties, then cook five minutes a side in  the air fryer. This is the type I buy, from Aldi.

     I ate while returning another round of e-mails, including one from a person at my former employer who was about ready to send me to the bottles! They do great work-I wouldn't have stayed there for 21 years, but the last seven were under a management style of arrogance and self importance. It has become the predominant culture, with an air of "we alone do it for the children". I was not in a mood for dealing with their crap today, and held firm! Feeling vindicated, I took pup for a walk as he was insane after my delivery came. I worked until 4:30 before opening my packages. 

My embroidery supplies came.

Stuffed peppers before topping with more cheese and reheating.

     Both DD1 and I have been down this week, and with the weather so nice. we decided to go for a walk downtown, and stopped for happy hour beverages, outdoors at our families coffee/wine bar, and stop on the rooftop patio of the brewery. There was live music and we safely sat back and listened for a while. I had already made supper on Thursday and I left DH to put in the oven. He ate the leftover cottage pie as an appetizer, but I think he was less keen on the  stuffed peppers than I was. There's two halves left for me for Monday lunch. When we were heading home, a business had put these palates in back, free for the taking. We would have taken one back with us if it would have fit in my trunk, but too wide, even though my seats go back to accommodate length. Really though, it would have sat for ages while one of us figured out what we would have done with it. Great find for someone though. 

     I got home and heard the devastating new that we lost Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I knew the despicable McConnell would suddenly reverse his stance from four years, and the spewing had already started, barely after the sad news was shared. I went to bed pretty upset. 

Saturday, September 19

     I woke up after a restless night and got some laundry done and the kitchen tidied. I took the pup outside and got him fed before dressing. It got down to 40 and was still pretty chilly in the morning, so I dressed warm, and grabbed an extra sweater. I picked up my daughter and we were at the farmers market around 8:45. I ended up not getting anything, trying to use up what we have but my daughter ought some gorgeous green beans.

     We then went and picked apples at a farm outside of town. Due to Covid, I didn't even bring the water to wash and sample one from the field, but just filled our bag. We were ahead of the crowds so could look for apples and even poke around the shed a bit without people too close for comfort. Here's  a sample of the farm and orchard. 

We maximized the bag space!

Look at that sky! Minnesota finest kind of day.

We're not quite ready for pumpkins, but the farm was.

The chickens don't seem bothered by oodles of strangers.

The trees were loaded this year. 

Fruits of our labor for $25 for a peck. 

     We were going to grab a coffee, but the nearest café had a long line and only a small area outside, so did the thrifty thing and went back to my house for coffee on the deck. We  opened the Fab Fit, Fun box as it is more fun to open together while the coffee brewed, and was pleased that all items would be used. I actually knew all but three things ahead of time. 

We'll eat some and turn some into apple crisp.

     We split our big bag of apples and I put mine in the basket I use every fall, my daughter insisted on paying for 1/2 so now I still have $42 to the end of the month-a fortune. I'll bring a few apples tomorrow to church to give my MIL. I cleaned up the old/dead flowers from two weeks ago, salvaging a couple still that had some freshness left. We lingered over our coffee outside for an hour or so before I brought her back to her house as we both had things to get done after a morning of play and she had a guest coming later!. 

What better café than my sunny back yard deck. Price was right and company better.

Back home, I made some  lunch-a hummus, cheese, tomato, and cucumber sandwich, with pickles. I mixed up dressing and added cucumber, tomato and onion for salad for supper. I got more housework done, including mopping the kitchen and entry floors. Then set out to plant the lily, dug up from my friends yard. I hope it comes back in the spring as it is looking a bit sad right now. I gave the plant that I still do not know, the hosta bucket, and the geraniums a good water as well.

Used the last of MIL's pickles-now on to mine.

The salad I will make a piggy out of myself eating.

     

What is this plant???

This should have been planted months ago-yes, I need to pull grass.

     Having been a long and mentally exhausting week, I did not feel guilty at all about laying down and taking a nap. I was refreshed after, folded the laundry from earlier and took pup for his walk getting home about the time DH was pulling in the driveway. I hadn't even thought of supper yet, but settled for Aldi red bag chicken and roasted red potatoes and the salad I  had made  at lunch time. While the chicken and potatoes were crisping up in the air fryer, I took Penny for a short ride around the neighborhood. I'm probably starting to be referred to as crazy basket bike lady. I don't want her feeling neglected. 

      Earlier in the day I had perused my remaining wine and found this bottle of Chardonnay. Plans for the rest of the night will be to have some dinner, find something on one of the streaming services, and kick back and relax. So for the second weekend in a row, I expanded where I have gone, but still very spread out from people. No house parties or inside gatherings for me, but I do want to take advantage of getting out and about  while we can be outside as come winter, it will be back to my own four walls and darkness by 5:00. I hope you are enjoying your weekend, and hope you enjoyed this edition of the Days of Our Socially Distanced Lives.