PNewL PNewS 28.3 -- More on "These Times"

                                             PNewL PNewS

Volume 28 Issue 3                  “All the pnews that phits.”                               October 2020

 

Editors Note: I lost track of time…again

    In the Time of the ’Rona & Other Observations Part III

Road Trip!

     Last issue, I mentioned my amazement that everyone seemed to be going to the beach. Well, I finally went too. As one who loves to travel, this shutdown stuff has been challenging in an “oh so privileged” way. I want a change of scenery, but I want to follow the rules. Finally I broke. I bought a small rug from my friend John in DC and suggested I drive up to get it. I incorporated a few stops—a visit with Lynne in Charlottesville, an overnight on the Outer Banks with Betsy and Geoff, and a stop at Marnie and Stephen’s in Greensboro. It all seemed pretty neat and tidy. No long days of driving at least by my standards, and it would be a good opportunity to see how the world is managing “in this time.” Plus I have a van so I could keep pretty separate. The only thing I forgot was that it was hotter than hammered hell.

     (The use of this phrase, which I really like and have no idea when I adopted it or where I picked it up caused me to go on a down-the-rabbit-hole google search only to find that it isn’t really a phrase and/or I adopted and adapted it. The phrase is actually something like “hotter than the hammered hinges of hell” which makes more sense but it is unlikely I will change, so here we are.)

     It was really fun--reallyfun---to visit with people I haven’t seen in a while in new places and to almost feel normal. Thanks to all for being careful and cautious and so welcoming. 

     Charlottesville and Lynne are as lovely as always. She is re-doing a house, which is a project I admire and do not aspire to so it’s super cool to hang out with someone who has that kind of vision. I mean, this is taking out walls kinda work. Nope. Not me. Put a deck on a shed or an outdoor shower in the backyard? Now, those are my kinda projects. Imagining space where there isn’t any? Heebie geebies!

     A brief stop in John’s garden in DC was refreshing. A breath of calm and green in a big city. How fun. And then the Speedway to the Outer Banks, where I have never been, to see cousins Betsy and Geoff, relatively recent transplants from the Great White North. Nice quick visit and intro to this part of the NC coast. Cool! But it was very hot. Contacted Marnie as I headed east to say there was no way I was sleeping anywhere in this heat—I think it was 95 degrees F as I started out and it was only going to get hotter heading inland. Oh my. So we had dinner and a chat and I drove home to the mountains where it was a tiny bit cooler. 

     I am not sure I will ever drive in DC again—every time I have done that I have wound up going in circles around where I needed to be because of either closed-due-to-construction streets or one-way streets going the other way. Signage is, to my pitiful mind, pitiful. (Last time I did it, I didn’t have a computer voice telling me what to do so I thought this time might be better. It wasn’t.) I will not choose to drive from DC to the Outer Banks again either. It is a Speedway I am not used to any more. Any time I make these declarations, I wind up almost immediately needing to do it. We shall see.

     All in all, a success but I still have a problem while travelling grokking that the weather could be an issue.  As far as how the world is managing in this time? I guess it’s doing okay. It looked sort of normal—people are out and about, masks some places not others, folks keeping distance for the most part, idiots still abound.

     I had another quickie road trip, this time with Roger the little old man co-pilot, to Sydney and Mike’s in Indianapolis. I have never been to Indianapolis before and it’s a reasonable 7+ hours away, and they moved away from here and I miss them. This time the weather had gotten a little cold so we were on a different spot on the temperature spectrum. We spent most of the time on their porch, which was surrounded by trees with changing autumn leaves—with a propane heater that took the chill off. It was lovely. They live in a bit of country in the middle of the city. It was a brief visit but was just right for the times—it’s hard to keep up the physical distancing for long—but I got to see some Indy and some family and did not seem to bring any germs to the Hoosier State nor did I pick up anything. These mini attempts at normalcy do press the release valve a bit. Again, thanks for the Hospitality. Why the capped H? No idea but it works for me. 

 

Miscellaneous etc.

• Today has been a challenge already and it isn't even 10. Unexpectedly, the pump guys came out at the same time that I was supposed to be picking up a neighbor at the mechanic and the handyman arrived. It all felt like too much. My coping skills are in the toilet--I wanted to stomp my feet and cry and lash out. I texted Gini, and she wrote back  "Please be gentle, kind and understanding of yourself as you would be toward a good friend. You are doing the best that you can in a crashing world." Thanks. I needed that—you might, too, on occasion. Please feel free to borrow it.

• As a huge library fan and a volunteer in one for 14 years+, it often shocks me when an obvious book for me just passed me by. The Library Bookby Susan Orlean is one of those books. I was captivated to the end. I just finished listening to Stacey Abrams’ Our Time is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair Americaabout voter suppression in general and her campaign in particular, among other things. Why a portion of our population—including Abrams herself--is not super-duper angry all the time, I don’t know. Telling people it is their right and honor to vote and then putting up hurdles in their way? Wrong, so wrong. And this is not ancient history—it’s going on now. Oops sorry. Trying to stay away from that topic! Abrams reads it and has a wonderful voice. And now I am on to Caste: The Origin of our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson. She’s another smart cookie—I read her The Warmth of Other Sunsabout the Great Migration and was amazed at what was left out of my education in US History. This is going to be another challenging one—here I go!

• Have you ever vacuumed a lampshade? Life-changing. Highly recommend.

• The only way for me to keep Roger out of the kitchen is to mess around in the freezer. I don’t know how anyone does it any other way, but there is always stuff falling out of the freezer on to the floor and it scares Roger and sometimes hurts my feet. He thinks it is easier to just stay away. I am now on a new configuration fridge/freezer (thank you Patsy and Ernie) and it still happens. 

• Among the top of The Things That Irritate Me Today list: I have several address books on various devices and programs and none of them seem to speak to each other. Seems it might be easier to go back to paper and pencil.

• Here’s a new one: I have no cursor on the computer screen today. It’s a little weird so I’m going to the grocery store.

• I have a serious problem getting mice out of traps—it’s icky and creeps me out. I am wondering if aspiring to be better at it is worth doing at this time in the world and my life. Thoughts? (Note: I put out a bunch of traps the other night. One is missing. Enough said.)

• Only one Zoom comment this issue: We had a mini college reunion this past weekend and it was surprisingly charming. There were a bunch of people I didn’t know because it spanned many years and a couple itty-bitty colleges. One thing I did say to myself a couple times was—who are all these old people? Hahaha

• I may be one of the only people who is alternating TV bingeing The Great British Banking Showand Blacklist. Anyone?

• I have a knitting injury so am icing down one hand and trying to type with the other. Not very speedy.

 

Cleaning out…Finally

• Up until recently, I have been doing a little clearing of the decks…but slowly. I don’t like this bowl--ya want it? This is not going to get me anywhere fast.

• Then, one day, I addressed my filing. I have been in awe of people who have been cleaning out closets and based on the number of photos I have received in the mail, I think a lot of people have gotten to thatcloset…or drawer or bin. My filing has had issues for a while. At the bottom of the file-able papers is a whole stack of things I am not ready to get rid of but I am not sure where they go. As I was getting to that point in the pile, I decided I would tackle it. (It was about three inches deep.)  There were a bunch of photos and cards and letters (I have a box for that!). There were a lot of articles on black history in WNC, travel and money/political orgs/philanthropy. Some could be recycled, some could be put on the read then recycle and some, well, go back on the pile. I meant to do it all but got tired of it so that will be waiting for me next time.

• Yesterday, I finally got to two closets and I “tossed my (yarn) stash.” I am subscribed to a knitting teacher’s Patreon page and she suggests regularly tossing our stash out into the open and seeing what we’ve lost interest in. Since part of the stash is in the closet, I had to address the whole of that too and since there were some donate-able warm and wooly things in there, I also had to address the coat closet where more donate-able type things reside. I went three hours without noticing the passage of time. It felt epic and productive. I now have piles of stuff that need to be better organized but hopefully some will help someone to keep warmer in the coming months. The stash that needs to go elsewhere will join other people’s stashes, and the rest is reorganized and put away tidily. It was not truly Marie Kondo-ized but while I appreciate her big picture view, she and I probably don’t have a lot in common.

 

 

• I am just about to send this off to the world and have been grappling with how to share some very hard news that is new and hard. My buddy and pal and sister Martha is starting treatment for cancer soon. There, I said it. I'm heartbroken for all of us--because she has to go through this along with everyone who loves her, and with this bleeping pandemic, I don’t feel like there’s anything I can do to help. I would appreciate any positive thoughts you are willing to share with the universe or however it is that you share positive thoughts. Some of you know her and can reach out gently (letters are good and support the USPS), some of you don’t and you can just do that fingers crossed thing. Thanks. That’s probably enough for now.

Onward. Stay safe and sane my friends.

 

“The library is an easy place when you have no place to go and a desire to be invisible.” Susan Orlean

 

PNewL PNewS 28.2 finally

PNewL PNewS

                      Volume 28 Issue 2                  "All the pnews that phits.”                July 2020

Editors Note: I lost track of time.

In the Time of the ’Rona & Other Observations Part II

              It feels like it is time to write the next PNewS. Things bubble up, things you might find entertaining—obviously things I find entertaining—I wouldn’t bother otherwise, but, honestly…has anything changed since the last issue? Well, I have developed the tong idea. My hair has grown another ¾ of an inch, I finished painting the bathroom though there is still some finishing to do…I apparently have time.

Business Opportunity

“Just one word…are you listening? Tongs…there’s a great future in tongs. Think about it. Will you think about it?” Okay, so I stole the quote from The Graduate but to me it rings so true these days and I am sharing it with you in hopes that someone can take the idea and run with it. I have talked with some of my most favorite entrepreneurial types and we have all agreed that we do not work in the medium that are tongs and so it must be suggested to someone who does. Please feel free to share.

I s’pose I should explain what I mean. I think there is a huge opportunity here now that, should we get together, physically distanced, we will want to also distance ourselves from shared food, if we dare to share. This first came to me when, in the beginning (March), Susan was going to a birthday party where there were going to be..I think it was Jelly Bellies, in a large bowl. I loaned Susan these precious sterling silver tongs that I think were probably sugar cube grabbers that my mother gave me back when I entertained and it didn’t look like I was going to be getting married and have showers and wedding presents. (Poor woman—how she wished she’d had children who married…if only to get some payback on all the wedding presents she’d given…but I am getting off track…)

As time went on and we were having some shared items at Take Out Fridays and at Cocktails In Joanna’s Backyard, I thought—it’s all about the appropriate size tongs. And then, what about if we each had our own set…like in a travel case, color specific—a new individual accessory. I LOVE THIS IDEA. Can you tell? Gini has tongs with red silicone at the end in a fun grabby shape. Very cool—that’s the idea—now someone: Go!

Happy Birthday to Roger and Martha

Today is my little sister’s 60^th birthday and Roger’s 12^th*. Happy birthday to them both—accomplishments all around. Two of my favorite beings. Roger celebrated by having many breakfast snacks and eating some old dead chicken (mostly feathers—TMI??) found in the field. Yum! I have not gotten Martha’s report on her day—I suspect it will be different. I sent her a box of goodies–-partly filled with stuff from our past. She’ll think I’m goofy which she knew before. I am so grateful to them both for being in my life and being such loyal friends. *Up until recently I thought Roger was going to be 11. I’m usually pretty good about this sort of thing but when I did the math recently I realized he has been with me for seven years not six and we never really got to celebrate him being 11. We’ll make it up this year and I will cut him some slack for being a little old man.

The Little Things have gotten Smaller:

• When I did the “Whole 30” food choice shake up a few years back, I got pretty good at making mayonnaise. I have made it ever since. It is a wonderful thing to see it emulsify, bloom and come together. Recommend.

• I guess being home and paying closer attention, I am more aware and oddly appreciative of that brief time when all of my underwear has been washed, dried and in the drawer. True.

• I have taken about 40 photos of summer flowers in the fields across the way. They seem to change every day and it makes me happy.

• This is bigger than a little thing but I am over the moon: I inherited a printer from Patsy and Ernie when they downsized. My printer, which is so not old, stopped printing black text. It was explained on a website by a techie that the ink in the large Black cartridge of a Canon printer is a lower grade ink and clogs easily. Not a fan of companies who know but don’t fix or improve. Being able to print in black makes me haphaphappy.

Stuff that may not fit Anywhere Else & Zoom

• I got my first tattoo the day before the world shut down. That’s all. It was kind of a big deal at the time and I forgot to mention it. It’s a penguin taken from a photograph I took on the Falkland Islands. And for those who don’t know and are curious: getting a tattoo is like being scratched with a not so fine pin for an hour (mine is smallish so it took an hour—y’all who have large tattoos, I don’t know how you do it. Not so much because of the pain, but I found it boring.)

• I am fine with Zoom—I find several a day exhausting but a couple can be manageable. I squawk when someone says there’ll be breakout rooms or we need to turn our video on if I hadn’t planned accordingly but for the most part, it’s manageable. Yoga on Zoom: oh yeah. No one knows when I have gone off topic, can’t manage to figure out how to move that limb out of the way or am flattened by a pose. Seeing Osawa family at the Annual Meeting was surprisingly sweet. And I’ve just started attending a handwork circle where everyone is doing different crafty stuff and chatting. These times were made for introverts.

• Speaking of Zoom—the small differences in the kinds of Zoom interest me. I never know if I will have to be let in, or use a password or if I have to mute myself or will automatically be muted. It often feels just a wee bit different.

• And one last Zoom comment: "In this moment" and, "That's SUCH a good question," are overused and annoying.

• Eating oddities continue though I should mention the baking phase is over. I am still eating weird combos like too many pistachios and radishes and lemon wafers. (I have none of those in the kitchen right now, thankfully.)

• I found my scissors in my purse. I know why they were there (moving them from a place they shouldn’t have been to the place they should be but then of course I forgot)—but there was a brief moment when I thought, what the…heck?

• Getting my haircut was not the pure ecstasy I was hoping for. Because I had gotten past the awkward part, I thought I should try something new and longer, in the dead of summer with humidity high. That has presented a bunch of hurdles and new challenges but as I have mentioned, I have the time.

• My idea of dressing up has gone from a clean T-shirt to a button down shirt. I’m making progress I think. I actually remember to put on earrings sometimes.

• My new hobby is trapping flies between the screen and the window. My personal best is five. Then the window has to be kept closed until they die or escape. Perhaps it’s cruel, but they are flies. I now have a minor infestation of the giant dumb black ants. Not sure how to turn that into a game.

• The contacts app on my computer has stopped opening. What’s that about? I’m sending out pretty notes to improve the mail and I can’t get into my address book? Harumph.

• Tater tot waffles. It’s a thing. Google it. Try it before you dismiss it.

• Suddenly my social media is full of friends’ visits to the beach. What’s up with that? I thought we weren’t supposed to go anywhere? I do not remember the last time I slept so many nights in a row at my house. I’m moving to the guest room I am so sick of my bedroom. Yes I am a whiney entitled person. Now I feel better. Thanks.

• I had my annual physical yesterday which is a glorified phrase for a nice chat with the Doc and oh as long as you’re here I will look in your ears, check your blood pressure, and listen to heart and lungs PERIOD. I feel confident I will live forever after that. There’s a new questionnaire I had to answer about my mental state (with the young PA/nurse who liked my tattoo and thought my Black Lives Matter bracelet rocked). I was fine before she asked the questions. On the way home, I thought, Have I had thoughts of suicide? No but now that you mention it…KIDDING.

Taking advantage of Time

• In the beginning of “the time we are in,” I was envious of all the people who were cleaning out closets while I was hunkered down reading or listening to audiobooks and knitting. Slowly I started going through stuff, took old paint to the hazardous waste drop off, took the recycling away, etc. I have sent some things to people who might like or use things, and I’ve got several boxes of miscellany to go to thrift shops etc. though nowhere near the amount of stuff it should be!

• I painted the bathroom. I recommend this sort of project (which I don’t normally). I don’t like to paint. But this was a focus and I needed that. I recognize—and accept—it could/did take longer than I would like. I discovered as I was pulling out painting supplies that a lot of things in my garage are unusable, unidentifiable and/or I have no idea where they came from. I live alone—that’s just weird.

• There are days Roger and I return to bed (his favorite place) during the day and I have decided to be okay with it. Thankfully it has been a gorgeous spring and not a bad though humid summer and I have a faithful dog. When I can take a break from worrying about people less fortunate than me, I can enjoy it. Mostly I am so afraid for so many. Napping is okay every once in a while.

• My pal Gini is moving to town (yay) and wound up buying a house during the pandemic. Being a part of looking for and buying a house when I have little “skin in the game” is great fun. It’s so much easier now with online access to what’s on the market. (Ironically, the house Gini is buying had online photos that turned out to be six years old.) I love looking at houses—being critical and/or appreciative of people’s choices, picking up ideas, paint color combos, opening closets or rather having them opened by a gloved and masked realtor, snooping etc. The hard part is being careful about what comes out of my mouth when asked, “So, what do you think of that house?”

“And then it [bleeping] SNOWS.  (Let us pause and reflect here that while May snow is technically legal in Canada, it seems like a bloody insult when we’ve already got a pandemic and murder hornets. This plot is overwritten.)”

From the Yarn Harlot, one of my knitting gurus, in a blog post

••• Fill out your census. • Make sure you are registered to vote. • 

Sign up for an absentee ballot. •   

Please and thank you. •••

PNewL PNewS 28.1!

PNewL PNewS

             Volume 28 Issue 1            “All the pnews that phits.”                        April 2020

Editors Note: Much of this was written in March. By the time you read this, it’s likely that it will feel like a different time and we may be into a new phase. What I have added since March is dated for my own purposes.

In the Time of the ’Rona & Other Observations

Eating & Drinking

• Early March: I bought 35 cans of bubbly water. March 31—that is not going to be enough. (A lot of the bubbly water was a new brand which it turns out is from Coke. It has some good flavor but I find a couple 8-packs in, I am over it. Just thought I’d share—it’s too much for my delicate palate, I guess!)

• I bought 12 rolls of TP purchased in panic shopping at Trader Joe’s. It was the last package. I should buy it. March 31: I am a single person living with a dog who doesn’t use TP and I have 27 rolls. I am ashamed of myself. Will deliver—within reason—should anyone run out. April 7^th: May keep it just in case. (It took me several readings to realize this is not about eating…really. But it is staying here anyway.)

• My pantry tends to be well stocked but the longer we are invited to stay home the menus are going to get a little weird. (Blueberries and salmon w butter beans? The other night I had salmon and sweet potato pancakes! yum) Last night, I wanted something comforting. (I’d seen a NYT Cooking ad on Facebook for cheesy tomato and white bean bake, which seemed in the right vein but no white beans ready to go.) I started by chopping an onion and I noted I was willing to take the time to chop it more finely than I usually do. Garlic, jars of miscellaneous red sauces that “need to be eaten.” One was chipotle pepper related and the other was a sweet hot Korean sauce I made from a recipe I found online. At this point, I knew I had something pretty tasty but it all needed something to stick to—I was baffled. Chopped up some tofu and threw in some garbanzo beans. It was comforting and good and spicy.

• My Pinterest page has grown—the recipe folders are filling up.

• I am one who has a tendency to eat weird combinations so this is nothing new, but there is the part where I have half a grilled cheese sandwich, some red bell pepper and a handful of pecans for lunch knowing tonight I will have [insert restaurant food here].  Knowing that I am less likely to do that now, the period I spend standing in front of the fridge and sighing has lengthened. 

• Early on, I asked the folks at the liquor store if they’d heard talk of closing them down. They laughed. Job security, essential employees.

• 4/6: I recognize now that the Baking Phase really needs to stop—as I keep saying: this is a marathon not a sprint. I never eat this stuff in normal times. Okay, there might be one thing but not all of them. The Freezer is full of scones and hot cross buns and sweet potato rolls and homemade bread. It’s.Got.To.Stop. 

• 4/20: I have fallen for Samin Nosrat, author of Salt Fat Acid Heat. I had heard her on just about every NPR show around and liked her style but never followed up much. In this time of plenty of time, I paid attention and now I am a follower. Her HomeCooking.show blog is fun and informative. (I love that she is this successful chef with a tiny freezer. I guess in the old days we could shop whenever we wanted? I can’t remember.) I have made her Tahdig twice now. It’s rice of any kind fried til crispy. I was just thinking about how it is comfort food, which I have just discovered. Since I usually think of “comfort food” as something from a simpler time, I find it interesting how easily I have adopted it.

Living with a Dog in the Time of the ’Rona

• Roger hates screen time. He used to just hate the computer—now he is unhappy with the IPad and the phone. It is all okay if we are on the bed.

• In the “we have to find amusement somewhere” category, Roger sometimes comes into the bathroom when I am there and he will turn around and close the door. Then he tries to open it again. He seems to like the closing part but hasn’t figured out the opening part. 

• I sense that Roger knows something is different, it just doesn’t bother him.

• The new game is he goes to my bed or one of his beds and then barks. When I come to ask him to please stop he is happy to see me – he got his way. 

• His battered legs seem to be getting stronger as we take several short walks with rests in between. That’s nice.

• Amend the previous comment: his battered legs have moments of getting stronger and then everything falls apart and I think I will have to get the car to drive him home from across the road. This aging thing sucks. Thankfully he has better doctors than I do and he comes back to the new normal of Senor Limpalong. Just hang in there for a little bit longer little dude.

Me in the Time of the’Rona

• I haven’t even bothered to look at my calendar in a couple days—it’s probably not necessary, everything is crossed out though there are actually a few things I should be aware of—Zoom meetings, deadlines--it’s highly likely I could miss something. (And, oh, I have!)

• April 26^th: I am going through the past month of emails. So many I can delete. So many Zoom meetings I wish I’d been to, so many articles to read and jokes to laugh at and emails I read three weeks ago but which are seemingly brand new on the second read. It's grueling this life of...leisure? Deleted approximately 200 emails in each of my email accounts and added 12 zoom calls to the calendar. Only registered for two.

• Peter’s recent email about how he is managing in this time of isolation spoke to me: “I find I've been singing a lot as a partial remedy for the covid protocols, and I find myself singing these parody songs often. Not to mention I've also been doing some reading on quantum time theory.” Okay, except for the quantum time theory part.

• It’s funny how easily it is to lose track of days and times and when I took my last shower. There is something to be said for routine.

• March: When things started getting concerning—news was dire far away and it was getting closer and we are led by someone I do not trust--I went to a Deep Dark Place. My concern for so many people made me feel like I was carrying the weight of the world. I felt like I needed to fix things, take care of all the people. I knew this wasn’t the case but it felt that way. I finally heard from someone that I was not responsible for everyone. Somehow it took a lot of weight off. 

• One day, I started baking. Then, I reached a new phase in this experience. Everything is so funny, it brings tears to my eyes. Yesterday, I was active. I found stuff I couldn’t find, I mowed, I brushed cobwebs. Today I have done paperwork and need a nap. Can't wait to see what the next phase is. 4/19: I dropped following phases. Went quiet. Wondering how I will learn to converse again. I don’t feel depressed, perhaps a little numb. People are getting stuff done. I am in full on Adult Onset ADD with half-finished projects everywhere.  I’ve planted but not everything, I’ve weeded and cleaned (hell hath frozen over apparently) but only a few places. Not good at completing.

• April 2^nd. This morning, I was listening to Ruth Reichl’s memoir “Save Me the Plums.”  I decided to make “Easy Blueberry Scones” from Bon Appetit, ironically, Reichl’s competition when she led Gourmet. I had bought some of the ingredients before…and they needed to be baked. I do not feel like I have gone back into a Baking Phase. I just hate wasting things like heavy cream. Despite the “easy” part, I struggled a little with the recipe. I dirtied a lot of dishes, wondered what the hell a microplane was (fine grater), and there was another glitch I don’t recall, and right then Ms Reichl started telling the story about what it was like to be heading Gourmet Magazine on 9/11. Wow. Timing. Her family got away safely and then she realized she had all these kitchens and cooks and they could make food for first responders. As I finally got a pretty nice looking pan of scones into the oven, I had tears streaming down my face as I listened to how grateful the recipients were to receive the food. One guy said thank you for reminding me of home. It was chili she said, just chili. And she has made that chili on Thanksgiving ever since. It makes me wonder…you know. What our memories will be. What will we take away. Will we learn anything?

• April 6^th. Today I finally got brave and tried to start the riding motor. It turned over pretty quickly and once I gassed her up and pumped the tires (with the bike pump, Peter!), she did a fine job of the first mow of the season. My neighbor Susie said, doesn’t it feel good to get that done? I said I wished it felt better. I’ll work on that.

• Speaking of the bike pump—it’s one of those things I always have to search for. I need it a couple times a year and then it goes missing in between uses. Fly swatter—same thing. Today I found them both AND I got the mower started. It was a red-letter day. I had said to Sydney yesterday that the days are all kinda the same. I will work on appreciating the differences.

• I fear we will all come out of this with some form off PTSD, or maybe agoraphobia. I hear children on the radio talking about fear. Kinda hard.

Knitting and other Distractions in the Time of the 'Rona

• I finished a sweater in the early days of shutdown and I really love it. It was fast and it is so cozy and warm and of course the weather has shifted and it’s not likely I’ll wear it any time soon but it was very satisfying.

• Next up, I started several projects, almost forgetting that I had started something new already (there are already 20+ projects in bags surrounding my chair). It’s a bit out of control but I don’t really care. I have bought several skeins of yarn from young women independent dyers who are struggling. I can’t fix everything but I can support them. And I buy patterns. Everyone has patterns on sale. I have enough yarn and patterns and other stuff to get me through this and my next lifetime. 

I am now knitting potholders because I can finish them quickly and that will feel good. I also have a couple of the 20+ that are almost done. I can finish those. Bigger projects feel too big.

• Books feel too long—reading articles. Attention span is shortening noticeably.

• I am finding Netflix and YouTube are my close friends. Instagram too. I have been watching Mary Chapin Carpenter on Instagram and after she plays a “Song from Home” she says Stay Mighty so I offer that...

• I am reading a memoir by Madeleine L’Engle—well I am trying. She is smart and writes well. It is a different time. Most nights after reading, I have no idea what she wrote about it, but it is somehow comforting.

• I just finished listening to Nomadland: Surviving America in the 21^stCentury by Jessica Bruder. She follows several folks who moved into vehicles after 2008. It is really interesting (and a good audiobook). I wonder what will happen after this—more nomads on the open road.

• I just loaded the washing machine: one pair of jeans, two pairs of sweatpants and two sweatshirts, three pair of socks and ~10 pairs of underwear.

• The PNewL PNewS is now 28 years old. Not bad!

Well, I have been compiling this for five weeks or so and on occasion wonder if I am finished—

how will I know, what does that mean? Today I decided I should put this out there and start fresh tomorrow. So here goes. I hope this finds you all safe and sane. And I hope you are enjoying a Spring that is as beautiful as the one we are having.

As my Dad used to say, Keep smiling!

Two quotes this time, because, why not?

“I hope the United States of America is not so rich that she can afford to let these wildernesses pass by, or so poor she cannot afford to keep them.”Mardy Murie

"I say simply, ‘Learn how to be useful.’ It’ll take a lot of the mystery out of life.” Harrison Ford

PNewL PNewS Volume 27 Issue 5

PNewL PNewS

Volume 27 Issue 5                 “All the pnews that phits.”                               February 2020

Pork, Cork, Storks & Dorks: Our Travels in Portugal

     I didn’t mean to be traipsing around Portugal in a red-orange coat but I left my black jacket at Heathrow. That and a bit of rain that managed to fall on me through the light fixtures in a posh pousada at 5:30 in the morning are the only negatives on an otherwise close to perfect trip. Oh and a mishap with language and gas vs. diesel but I’m not supposed to talk about that.

     This was a bit of a different trip—travelling with a group of people I know and/or have known earlier in life. The cast of characters included Cousin Bill who I have traveled with before who lives in Hamburg Germany; his sister and, not surprisingly, also my cousin, Diane (Vermont); Bill’s very good friend and now also mine, Denis (Paris), who is a frequent Osawa visitor and who has become known by me as the Dip Master (see previous issue) and is my hero behind the wheel; and me. The nice part of travelling this way is we rented a car and went where we wanted when we wanted to. Time-savings all around. We did have destinations each day and places to sleep. We called it the Reconnaissance Tour, which we mostly said aloud because spelling it is tricky. (Online definition edited to fit our situation: Tour to observe a region to ascertain strategic features.) This way of travel might be familiar to many of you but it was new to me. (Mostly I have travelled by myself or with strangers, or with a friend and a bunch of strangers, either finding the best way to get from Point A to B on my own, or being herded into the transport that was determined to be the best way.) And thankfully this worked just fine—very well, great even!

     Bill and I have been talking about moving to Portugal for over a year, thus the need for this tour. I had never been there which made it essential for me to visit and Bill had not been there enough. He wants some place warmer. I want to be elsewhere in a more in-depth way and as I have said before, there is something really charming about being in a country that is not responsible for a lot of craziness that is going on in the world. Plus the food is great, the people are friendly, many of them speak English and something else I can’t remember right now.

     Over our time driving around, we saw some of the west coast, the southwesternmost point of Europe, the towns of Porto, Evora, Vila Nova de Milfontes, Tavira, Ereceira, and some others we stopped in briefly. After we offloaded the car, we explored Lisbon and its environs via public transport and on foot. Before I went, I asked for suggestions and everyone who had been there had them. After being there a few days, I came to realize it’s hard to screw up in Portugal. Every town seems to have something to offer. Granted we were there during low season and we lucked out with nice weather, but I found travel pretty easy and keeping fed and watered and well taken care of also easy and satisfying.

     So…what’s next? I think a return is in the works. I have scaled back my plans to move permanently but I’m not sure about Bill. We are talking about renting an apartment for a month in the winter. I am not interested in being on the coast with all the surfers and package tourists during high season. (I did not know that Portugal has some of the biggest waves in the world!) Whatever happens, it’s fun to ponder.

P.S. Perhaps there needs to be a bit of explanation of the title of this piece.

• Pork: We ate a fair amount of ham plus some bacon and there may have been some pork belly along the way. I had a tosta mixta/mista almost every day. It’s grilled cheese and ham. And there’s some very tasty bread in them thar parts. And they are cheap. And so am I.

• Cork: Portugal, in case you didn’t know, is where more than 50% of the world’s cork comes from. Driving along, we saw trees that have had their bark removed. It’s a sustainable practice and according to the Internet (so it must be true), the bark/cork can be harvested every nine years. And the trees are protected--you need a permit to cut a cork tree down! You can buy just about anything made of cork, from bookmarks to purses and shoes. Apparently even NASA has used it.

• Storks: White storks live high above the roadside on telephone poles. Their nests are huge and they are pretty big themselves so it was an impressive sight. We stopped several times to say hello and take pictures.

• Dorks: Well, that would be us. (I hope this is not considered to be an offensive term. When I looked it up, the Internet [again] said it’s “a contemptible, socially inept person.” The contemptible part is a bit harsh but I think most tourists are at some point socially inept and I found most of the people we ran into found us perhaps a bit socially inept but charming too.)

Things I am Learning & Miscellaneous Observations

• This silver hair part of my life is doing surprisingly little for me. I expected doors opened, seats offered, luggage lifted into overhead bins, apologies made as people smash into me, but no. The entitled younger folk will have none of that.

• Speaking of hair, I have been having a hard time settling on a haircutter here since Cathy retired over a year ago. As I got ready to leave on this trip, I thought, I am going to have to get my hair cut in Portugal or just be miserable. It wound up being great fun—I will do it again. The woman who cut my hair did not speak English. We communicated through another employee who had some English vocabulary. We smiled and laughed and everyone in the shop was entertained and smiling by the end and she let me know that I need to start using the shampoo that prevents yellowing in my hair because I was looking blond—she knew that word!
• Grazing last night for a snack, I came across Brussels sprouts. Yum. When did they become a snack and yum?

• There are some pretty common symbols representing Portugal in the tourist shops and on logos. It’s not always obvious so I thought I’d give you a quick run down so should you go there, you would be in the know. Roosters are available on everything. Short story is a guy said, “If that guy is innocent this rooster on the grill will come back to life to declare the innocence of a man set to be hanged,” and the rooster came back to life, saving the man’s life. The crow represents the birds that guided sailors through the fog into Lisbon harbor.  Swallows come back every year to the same nest, which I guess is a nice consistent thing in an inconsistent world. Oh and sardines are huge there, just cause. That’s what I learned. (I bought a refrigerator magnet in the shape of a sardine, decorated with swallows, and made of cork. A trifecta?)

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• I don’t remember the specifics but Bill said something in French and Denis said, but that doesn’t mean anything, I thought huh. What does that sound like—a phrase that doesn’t mean anything and I looked up and there was the orange juice container with a banner in English that read, “Travel in this flavor!” and then later, I was at lunch and I looked at my placemat where I was served my first and best tosta mixta--in huge letters it read, “Surprise tastes well!” (Granted this restaurant was called Oh my Tasty!) Okay, I get it.

• Whilst I was out gallivanting, Gini was here holding down the fort and seeing how she liked winter. Little did she know what she was in for! A few days into my time away, Roger fell apart and required a lot of attention. For a while, he was paralyzed and then he had to be carried out to go to the bathroom and through the care of Gini and a team of neighbors and the good Dr. Lisa and acupuncture, he is up and walking (like a drunken sailor). It is to my mind a miracle. I just had to cancel an appointment for my health because of an appointment for Roger, but I’m hoping at some point things will right themselves. Meanwhile, I am ever so grateful to the village of people who kept the faith and got him where he is today.

• In the fall, I joined the Social Justice Book Club that is held at the Leicester Library one month and Firestorm Bookstore, the radical cooperative bookstore, the next. It has been inspiring—each book I’ve read has captivated me. The first few books were on racism (I missed the first couple gatherings for I'm Still Here by Austin Channing Brown but I’ve read it and it’s good—interesting to hear from an African American Christian on Racism, and How to Be Less Stupid About Race: On Racism, White Supremacy, and the Racial Divide by Crystal Marie Fleming is pretty great too—she doesn’t pull any punches. I would love to take a class from her. Then came The 57 Bus (Dashka Slater), a YA book that is the true story about two teenagers. It’s complicated—about gender and race--and SO smart and educational and cool. Highly recommend. We hit on homelessness (Evicted by Matthew Desmond---read it and be oh so grateful) and this month’s book is A Line Becomes a River by Francisco Cantu. I’m most of the way through it and it is heart wrenching—a memoir of a former border patrol agent. I don’t know how anyone does that job. Anyway, the book club is an emotional rollercoaster but so worth it.

• My newest hobby is looking at real estate in real life and online for and with Gini. It’s super fun when it’s not my own where I am going to put my stuff life or money. Houses are getting expensive. Decisions about housing in different areas have new ramifications—moving into a gentrified area or onto former farm land? Um… Moving into an over-50 community? Hmmm. It’s complicated. On the other hand, it’s fun to be along for the ride!

 

“Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.” Gary Snyder

(I read this quote on Instagram from a socially responsible yarn dyer in Australia. She wrote about the fires there, saying that we can’t ever go back to normal—that’s what got us here in the first place. It has made me think…a lot.)

A few pretty Portugal pictures (Porto, the Alentejo Coast and the Pena Palace in Sintra)

 

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