Today turned from all-gray to all-blue and what a joy that is. The temperature has been dropping all day though, and it's going to get down in the low thirties tonight. Still- far from what so much of the country is experiencing.
I drove into town this morning after ingesting my 32 ounces of water and the whole experience was fine and went quickly which did not mean that I didn't have a bit of a panic attack but I survived. The tech was the same lady and she was just as nice this time as she was the last. At this point in my life I do not have a great deal of modesty left but it's better to feel comfortable with the person one is getting such an exam from than not. The anxiety I had was far more about the simple fact of being out in the world than it was about the procedure itself.
Does that make sense?
After it was over I even thought about driving to a thrift store. I mean- I'm pretty safe at this point, I think, and of course I'd wear a mask but I just couldn't handle it. I wanted to get done what I had to get done and get home. Will I ever be able to go out in public again and have it be a pleasant experience? I am starting to wonder. Am I broken? I always used to joke that I'm not agoraphobic, I just love my house and yard. It wasn't really that funny then and it's even less so now.
But I did do a quick Costco run and then Publix which of course took forever. I bought everything from tortillas to socks to strawberries to a meat thermometer. I bought blue-cheese stuffed olives and I bought a gluten-free, dairy-free pizza for the boys who are coming over tomorrow. Jessie's trying to figure out why August has continual stuffed up sinuses and so she's trying a dietary change. I bought asparagus and I bought chicken bosoms (as my Sue used to say). Hell, I bought hot dogs!
There's a story behind that. A very short one. I asked Mr. Moon this morning on my way out the door what he wanted for supper.
"Hot dogs?" he said/asked. We NEVER eat hotdogs but what the hell? I got some of the expensive ones with no nitrates, etc., and I hope they're good. I bought hot dog buns. I bought some of that nasty canned hot dog chili. And on top of all of that, I cut one of my cabbages to make cole slaw.
I hope that I cook many beautiful meals on that stove. My traditional first meal in a new place or on a new stove is a pot of pinto beans and rice with cornbread. I have a bag of pintos in the cabinet at the ready and a jug of buttermilk in the refrigerator to make cornbread.
A new stove is pretty damn exciting! So much deliciousness to be! We’re going for our second jab tomorrow, I’ve been longing for thrift store visits too, really going anywhere to shop would be wonderful. Getting to hug people again will be the very best. Hopefully the variants won’t screw it all up. I’m ready to get rid of this long COVID hair! Enjoy those precious hugs!
ReplyDeleteXoxo
Barbara
Hugs. Hugs and thrift shopping. These are the things I look forward to. And maybe, one day, another trip to Mexico. Oh, I hope!
DeleteI read your posts every day and you are keeping me grounded. Sometimes I wonder how you knew what I was thinking. Haha. Thanks for the (virtual) emotional lift!
ReplyDeleteThank you for those nice words, StrictlyMystic. I appreciate them and am grateful you feel that way!
DeleteI would buy that beautiful cabbage from the grocery, and I would slice up and use those beautiful outer leaves. I took cabbage and noodles from the freezer for dinner tonight. Actually, I took it out last night, to begin defrosting today.
ReplyDeleteOh, I saved those outer leaves! You bet. I hope your noodles and cabbage were delicious.
DeleteOh my goodness, that is the most beautiful cabbage I have ever seen- could be a fashion statement Your garden is a treasure trove.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that all went well in the "down yonder" department.
I went to a thrift store today - I bought a sewing basket and a Swedish linen -I had to go to the post office, I wore two masks- can't wait to get vaccine though they are not anywhere near here yet.
Isn't that a beautiful cabbage? I think I have five more. Each one will be cherished.
DeleteNow see? I want to find a basket and Swedish linen. Yes. I have to go thrift shopping soon.
I hope your vaccines come in soon.
So glad to read good things about your day and what is coming up. That cabbage is beautiful and I know you'll enjoy those boys.
ReplyDeleteThe cole slaw was wonderful and the boys were too!
DeleteA beauteous cabbage! You sure do grow nice things down there in Lloyd. Happy to hear the ultrasound was attended by a trusted technician. Small things mean a lot. Especially these days.
ReplyDeleteAmen on the small things!
Deletethat is a beautiful cabbage. we just finished one my neighbor grew and gave me. still have snow/ice encrusted on everything though about half has melted and I slid on it last night and landed on my butt and heels of my hands going out to the barn to get some containers for water for my daughter to fill and take home so she can stop melting ice and snow to flush their toilet. of course the moccasins I had on had zero traction. no injuries and I'm glad no one was around to see me and I'm not writing it on my blog because the husband reads it and I didn't tell him.
ReplyDeleteyou are not agoraphobic. my daughter-in-law is. she never never leaves her apartment. never.
Was it one of those falls where you wait for a second to see how bad it was? That's how it was after I broke my ribs and I KNEW it was going to be bad. I could still walk but something was definitely wrong. Do you have a huge bruise on your butt? I'm so glad you're okay. You may have missed your bone density scan but I think you got a different sort of test right there.
DeleteI was thinking the same thing especially since I was on concrete. no bruise and not even sore. lucky me especially when I think of those 70+ yr old women whose hips just break walking around.
DeleteHa ha, I had to laugh at the thought of what's behind your stove. When they pulled my old dishwasher out to replace it I kinda wished the ground would swallow me up. But then, just like the lady doing your physical examination, they've seen it all before haven't they!
ReplyDeleteI would imagine they have!
DeleteA new stove IS so exciting and I hope you love everything about it! Lovely cabbage!!... and I was just talking about cabbage with my son yesterday. We were saying how there were foods we would never touch as a kid that now we think are great and cabbage was one of the ones we mentioned! But I have never grown a fresh one in my yard!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are an amazing cook!
It's so much fun to grow things in the garden. I think next year I'll definitely give cauliflower a try.
DeleteI hear you on cringing when an ancient appliance is taken out...it's not a pretty sight.
ReplyDeleteWhat fun to have the new stove, though. It's your art studio, and you'll have a lot to do there.
I like the way you see food as something to be respected and loved and treated with respect. A lot.
Thank you, Boud. I am so lucky to be able to grow food and have food that came from the woods and sea and I think it is easier when that's the case to really respect the vegetables and meats and fishes than it is when you buy them from the store. I wish everyone could know what it's like to eat what you grow and hunt and gather.
DeleteThat is a beautiful cabbage! It's refreshing to even hear you mention the possibility of a thrift store. Maybe we really ARE getting back to normal.
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