We're (Still) in this Together

By this time our homes should be in perfect order. Every weed should be pulled and lawns perfectly manicured. By this time we should have called, Facetimed, or Zoomed all of our long lost friends and family. The garage should be cleaned out, the attic organized, our books dusted off and displayed in alphabetical order, our clothes arranged by season and/or colour because ......... we're not going anywhere!!! 

Everyday I wake up with a million things I want to accomplish that day which is totally and completely unrealistic. What's more likely to happen is to wander into a room to innocently retrieve something and suddenly realize that "this can't go on any longer. It must be reorganized and thoroughly cleaned. With bleach." And before I know it I'm on my knees scrubbing something while inhaling toxic fumes. Or I check my email really quick* (wink wink) only to get lost on Facebook or Amazon and before I know it I've ordered wheat berries which should arrive in another month. 

On one of my Instagram tours, I came across a professional organizer and now I am hellbent on creating the perfect walk in pantry complete with matching containers and custom vinyl labels. I've spent hours on The Container Store website and have been walking around with a tape measure for a few days now. I've turned the crazy corner. I'm not going to lie.

This is my current obsession. I can't live like this anymore.

Today is the official first day that it's required in our county to wear a mask into any retail store. I went to Walmart yesterday and thought I'd try it out as sort of a warm up. My mask was lovingly made by a member and it is super cute! Nothing says stay away respiratory virus like chevron fabric. But my hair kept getting tangled in the ties which kept loosening up and falling down my nose. I also am in serious doubt that any mask other than the medical ones you can't get your hands on is going to do a lick of good. So I have to wonder if we're just doing this to make each other feel better. I, for one, do not feel better. As I was waiting in line at Walmart holding on to my mask so it wouldn't fall down, I had a hot flash. Not. Cool. Menopausal women should not be made to wear a mask. We should get a pass. 

Because not everyone's mask is as cute as mine, I'm beginning to feel like I'm surrounded by bandits ready to hold me up at gunpoint.  This is an unsettling feeling. Anyone could go rogue at any minute maybe because they can't find toilet paper when they really need it. 

As far as the hot flashes are concerned I feel like I'm being cooked from the inside out. While I've always considered the perfect temperature inside and out to be a beautiful 72 F, my post menopausal self favors a cooler 69 F. The house is currently set at 74 F for the summer months and that's just not going to be OK. Thankfully my husband has been very supportive of me tinkering with the thermostat. 

The worst is the evenings. Wayne says we sleep in a windstorm. The overhead fan is on high and I've got another fan pointing at me directly on the floor. I've learned a few tricks so far. I keep ice water to sip by the bed for middle of the night flashes. I also have repurposed my hysterectomy pillow (which has a pocket inside to slip a hot/cold pack) as a hot flash pillow. I put a cold pack in there before bed and keep it within reach to grab in the middle of the night and press against my core. It's lovely. My super helpful husband has suggested I bring a frozen water bottle to bed to cuddle up to and then in the morning I can use it for my hot tea. (you know ... because it will be boiling by then)

Anyway. Back to quarantine life. 

A friend of mine recently offered me some sourdough starter. I figured why not if she would also pass along some recipes. I'm sure there's lots of info out there on Pinterest anyway. Bring it on. I'm not going anywhere. 

It was sitting on my counter where I had put it when she brought it over. I started searching for info on what to do with it and where to put it. That's when I realized I just adopted another child I'm going to have to keep alive. According to the internet we have to give it a name. Then we have to feed it regularly. When I go to bake a loaf I pretty much have to stay at home all day to tend to it. This is a lot to take in. At what point do I start baking with it? Do I really need distilled water? Do I have to purchase a kitchen scale? Panic set in and I stuck it in the fridge. That's where it is now. I try not to look it in the eye when I go in there for milk or something but it taunts me. 

To make myself feel better I dusted off an oldie but goodie cookbook Artisan Bread in Just 5 Minutes a Day. My path of baking bread has been a journey. I got on the grind your own wheat train early on in my homeschool career because that what we homeschoolers are supposed to do. I invested in a massive wheat grinder which sounds like an airplane is landing in my kitchen. The result however, is totally worth it. There's nothing like fresh milled wheat. Even the smell makes me swoon with happiness and love. The bread recipe I make yields three loaves and freezes well so the extra work and time makes it more worthwhile.

After that I latched onto the Artisan Bread, etc where you make a batch of dough that yields 4 boules of yummy bread. It really is to die for.  The dough can keep in the fridge for up to two weeks. Near the end of that time the loaf that results is often more "sourdoughy" since it's been sitting there longer and fermenting, I guess. From this same dough I've used it as a pizza crust and even cinnamon rolls. Why did I ever stop doing this? Guess I got distracted. 

So I guess real sourdough is the next frontier. Or my nemesis. Until I work up the nerve, my boule is making a comeback and bakes in the oven as we speak. 

Easter - just the three of us pretending everything is normal

On the homeschool front, poor Hosanna. Homeschoolers don't get snow days and now they don't get pandemic days either. Heck, my kids barely got sick days because I never believed they were really sick unless they had a fever. Then it was all ... to your room you go so you don't breathe on me. Come to think of it, those were their quarantine days! Don't feel too sorry for them. I'd bring up the old TV/VCR combo and they could watch Disney movies all day and eat in bed. They actually looked forward to being sick. No, it's true. Ask them! 

So Zanna soldiers on with the rest of her eighth grade year while I pop in to grade papers, help her with review work, or teach her a lesson on something. It's quite a way to end my homeschool career. Not a whole lot of fanfare for her graduation or my retirement. We probably would have had a party/open house or something to celebrate but I'll have to come up with another way to get some closure. 

Zanna's a super sporty girl but every since basketball was over followed by social distancing time, she's done nothing active. Nothing. On top of this she literally eats a bowl of chips a day for her evening snack. It took 6 weeks for me to catch on to this and realize something has to change. So we gave her daily options. She can either walk with us, run on her own, bike with us while we walk, bike on her own, or play one of those old Wii games that make you move a lot. As incentive (coupled with a moment of insanity) Wayne offered to run with her. I don't know why he didn't anticipate the pain he would experience in the days ahead but ... it was cute while it lasted that one day.

He's also been teaching her to drive just in our neighborhood so don't feel too sorry for her. 

All I have left to say about this is thank goodness for beautiful weather and flowers that grow. If you have to stay home this place ain't too shabby. A Texas spring has lots of practically perfect temperature days and lots of wildflowers. My flowers around the house are perking up too and it's such a treat to bring them in the house to enjoy.