Day 48- April 29, 2020

Day 48- April 29, 2020

R. needed to create a roller coaster for her classwork today.  Nope, not kidding.  I love the idea- but she basically decided to "create" one using blankets and coats and other such items, and strew them around the living room.


I happened to be texting with a soccer mom friend of mine, trying to walk her through registering her daughter for "try outs" so that we had the correct numbers for next year.  I should mention currently, there is no try out scheduled- it was supposed to be April 25th, conflict with about half the team's First Communions, and clearly, didn't happen.  This is more so that the club knows how many people to expect, so that they can procure coaches and trainers, and then (sometime when the bans lift), we will hold tryouts to determine which team the girls should be on for the (hopefully happening) fall season.

As we finished signing her daughter up online, I asked how she was dealing, as she has her daughter (same age as E.) but then also has two very young sons.  She said she's given up on cleaning the house, because there is no point. I'm reminded of a meme about shoveling snow when the blizzard is still happening, and text her a photo of the current state of my living room (which involves the couch covered in a mix of purple and pink blankets, a mermaid tail sticking out from over the foosball table, and a precariously placed neon pink and yellow connect four set).

Her response: "believe it or not, that pic made my day.  I don't feel so alone lol"

Ratatouille

That's pretty much all of us these days.  I have a friend whose mother was staying in the apartment above hers (which she also owns and normally would rent out on Air B 'n B) when the shelter in place started, and decided to stay.  Basically, she has herself, her mom, her partner, her dog and her toddler all in the same space- and she's still losing her mind, because nothing is ever done.  She's working full time, has to take the dog on walks, has a live in person there to help (plus a spouse) and still feels like she's floundering.  It seems like no one is immune to the feelings of overwhelmed that seem to keep bubbling to the surface.

It's not easy.  I'm trying to take it one day at a time, to notice the bright spots and embrace them.  The governor is opening state parks and golf courses starting this weekend (why golf courses, I have no idea- that makes little sense to me, but the parks are a great start). Taking it day by day is working to a degree. Face chatting with a friend, I started singing "Always look on the bright side of life" from Monty Python.  We may have completely dissolved into a giggle fit- I think we're a little loopy at this point.  The whole world is a little loopy at this point.

Comfort food (food is becoming a BIG part of every day) was the name of the game for dinner, and I

Finished pizza

created an old fashioned ratatouille, sautéing onions, garlic and olive oil, then adding in cubed eggplant and zucchini.  As those softened, I diced up tomatoes, and topped everything off with spinach and a healthy dose of oregano.  Feeling like this would be a lot better on pizza than just on pasta, I quickly found a recipe, and after letting the dough rise for an hour, I commenced to flipping and spreading it out into a sturdy base on a preheated, oiled cast-iron pan.

There's a satisfaction that comes from making something from start to finish, and I've always felt that way about cooking.  Perhaps that's why I am doing so much of it in quarantine- to be able to know that I can do something to completion, when there is so much up in the air right now.