MOONFACE, SNOW & WEIGHT

 

Since the Pandemic hit, I thought I might have packed on a few pounds. But the truth is I haven’t. This comes as a big surprise to me because the refrigerator has become a very good friend. I’m always rummaging around in there, for something to quell my seemingly endless desire to eat, in lieu of doing something productive. Salty, sweet, savory. It doesn’t matter.  Seems I can never find the right thing to satisfy my hunger. So I just keep stuffing my face. But no weight gain. Imagine that? Crazy right?  However, I must note that  the steroids I take for my health issues have given me a huge MOON FACE. That is more than a little frustrating. Seeing it get bigger and bigger is why I thought I was tipping the scales. Made me want to cry.  Unfortunately, it’s a side effect of the medication I take. So... I shouldn’t complain if it’s otherwise doing it’s job. But I can’t help wishing my old, wrinkled face, without so much bulk along the sides, returned. Maybe one day it will. Fingers crossed.  Have you ever experienced MOON FACE? 

Meanwhile,  more snow is in the forecast here. A total of 14 inches during a 3 day period. YIKES.  Winter is getting old. But since I have nowhere to go.  Let it snow.  Let it snow.

VALENTINES GALORE

 

To all my blog buddies, family and friends

I hope you find joy in today...

ENJOY!

CABIN FEVER , FOOD & FRIGID TEMPS

 

With all the bad weather, and the pandemic bearing down on us. I have been spending more and more time here at home, probably like most of you. I have a million things I should be doing but I’m finding myself not doing much of anything.  Just watching TV, reading books, listening to music and the like. However, the big news is... I’m back in the kitchen cooking again. After years of eating out at restaurants more often than not, the pandemic, and now weather has grounded me. I haven’t eaten out in a restaurant since early in January 2020, over a year ago.  I really MISS it.  At first,  the novelty of not doing it, was kind of interesting. Something NEW to wrap my head around. We experimented with carryout from our favorite places. Long lines, and food that didn’t hold it’s heat by the time it got home, threw a wrench in our dining escapades. Frustrated,  I then opted, at my husband’s suggestion to buy frozen entrees. Not the cheap ones. But the more gourmet and healthy ones. It took gentle persuasion for me to cave to this pressure. But I did. And, at first I was delighted to enjoy a variety of different cuisines, with little if any effort. Unfortunately, the refrigerator is smaller than normal, which meant our freezer is too. Therefore, our inventory evaporated quickly and I found myself going to the grocery store every few days to restock the frozen dinners, at a time when I needed to stay home, to avoid germs and the virus. So, that gradually faded as our food option. For our 'milestone' anniversary, back at the beginning of July last year, my hubby bought lobsters, flown in from the East Coast. It was a major expense and being on Social Security alone, he shouldn’t have splurged. But there was an added bonus. Besides the 2 whole lobsters… part of the deal… was an additional 6 lobster tails. And a dozen soft shell crabs. Something to look forward to. So… I stuck them up in the freezer for future use, taking up valuable real estate, there. Then for the holidays… my mom sent us a box of frozen steaks, chicken, pork, potatoes and apple tarts from Omaha. I took everything out of the boxes, labeled them and put them up in the space now devoid of frozen entrees. The following week, I saw… Buy one, get one FREE… lamb chops, langostinos, mussels and frozen veggies. (usually we do fresh, but they were on sale)  Also there was raspberry sorbet and my hubby’s favorite, cookies & cream ice cream for a bargain too. The freezer was now overstuffed and the door needed coaxing to shut tight. With all the ingredients in place… I rediscovered my culinary roots… cooking up a storm for breakfast and dinner, weeks on end. And my hubby pitched in… with his spontaneous recipes too. It’s been FUN. But, it’s NOW getting old.  Silverware, dishes and cookware need cleaning. Stoves and ovens need scrubbing and quite frankly, after months of following the rules, and avoiding crowds as much as possible during ALL of 2020… I want to go out to dinner for Valentines Day, this year. My hubby has put his foot down and said absolutely not. He got his first dose of the vaccine about 3 weeks ago and goes for his 2^nd dose soon. I’m not eligible yet, for my 'Ouchie from Fauci'. So that’s that. No restaurant. The temps have plummeted. It was 9 degrees during the day, and damn near 3 at night. The ice was so thick on our windshield, we couldn’t melt it. And the driveway… full of more snow than we can shovel. When the roads are bad, we do not drive on them. So, STAYING put is the NEW going out. And I’m just going to have to make PEACE with it. (Even with a year of this, already behind us.)  Let’s hope we’ll be looking in the rearview mirror at this pandemic in 2022. How about you? Are you getting ANTSY? Or have you been coming and going like usual, despite, the pandemic and weather? CABIN FEVER is reeling it’s ugly head for me. And I might be forced by circumstance to EAT that entire container of sorbet before the day is through. But maybe I’ll settle for a cup of hot tea, instead,  and enjoy the view.

Points of Light and Delight

 

Snow seems to be dominating the landscape. It is winter after all. Before the latest storm hit, I went to the store to pick up some things. My leg was feeling better. (from a ruptured Bakers Cyst) The sun was shining and I was happy to be venturing out. But there are new rules in place.  Been told we  should wear two masks and not lollygag when going into places and such. So with that in mind... I dutifully checked them off  on  my to do list and pressed onward. The store was crowded  and nobody seemed to be socially distancing, so I did what I could to avoid people. I filled up my cart, checked out and then headed home. It’s a quick jaunt back to the house. But since I have no working radio, I have to entertain myself  by singing instead. While I love to do that, I can NOT carry a tune. My voice is not pleasant at all. So it’s fortunate nobody else can hear me as I drive along belting out songs from my youth. But it makes me smile, so that’s all that matters. Right? My mundane life is clouded with health issues for both my hubby and I. There are few side trips to anywhere, except doctors and the grocery store. So I do things to create  the best life I can under the circumstances. On my black coat to jazz things up, I wear a 1940’s pink snowflake pin with aurora borealis crystals. It gives my otherwise boring, utilitarian coat a sense of style. On this particular day the sun was very bright and as I drove along, something out of the ordinary happened. It momentarily took my breath away and filled me with a sense of wonder. My van inside was suddenly flooded with a kaleidoscope of colors. Tiny pinpoints of light in pink, green, blue and yellow hues danced on my steering wheel, visor, ceiling, dashboard, door, and front seat. Everywhere was touched by this magical display. I was in awe. It filled me with joy. It was a delightful respite from the mediocrity that usually fills my days. And I was grateful to have this private moment of glee, because of my vintage pin, glistening in the sunlight.  So simple, but so powerful.  Have you ever been touched by something totally unexpected?