How Covid-19 changed things for us

This is probably a moot point for so many people my age. Some are retired and live on farms or in the countryside so they can isolate a bit easier than those who would be in apartments [believe me, I had been thinking a lot about downsizing just last year!].

Grocery shopping habits have changed. No longer is it the every few days run into town to get something, or on a whim decide to eat out. We didn't do that often anyway. 

Now a grocery list is a study of strategy. I make a list and rewrite it in order of the isles in the store. I start by the milk and end by the produce. We have 3 stores in our town. Walmart, Quillians, and Viroqua Food Co-op. Walmart has the best prices on many things we like. The breakfast cereals at the other two stores are up to $2 more per item. 

Viroqua Food Co-op does offer curbside pickup. Otherwise I have to drive 30 miles one way to to a curbside pick up from the LaCrosse Walmart. 45 miles one way to get Quillians pick up. So the choices are limited. 

I spent the summer doing a 'stock up' of dry goods, beans, and non perishable items.
I can call up a lady for fresh eggs and go pick them up.
I can make up an order from the Co-op and pick the foods up. It is more pricey, but the fresh produce quality is so much better than any other store.

I can call and order the mule's Senior Feed for the elder mules. They can process the order over the phone and leave the feed on the dock for me to pick up.

I find myself planning my once a month shopping as if it was a strategic battle. Do I get bulk items at Wally World at 7am? What is on my list? 

I admit that I am cooking differently. I have made home made bread. Not too bad, I can still do it.
I made home made desserts. The cookies are good as long as I stick to chocolate chip cookies. The apple crisp was not too great, not enough apples but the topping was good!
I made home made oven cooked fries. That was actually fun and not as hard as I thought.

I'm going to try some butternut squash soup this week. I have so many squash stored in the basement and I need to eat it.

But really this is just more of reaching back as to how my grandmother cooked and made things. She didn't drive and they made a trip to town in the fall and in the spring. Mom would drive us once a month to town for groceries when we stayed at the cottage in the summer.

I grew up never needing milk as we always had dried milk. [YUCK!!!] Everything was bulk. Flour, sugar, rice, powdered milk, ... 
Most everything was home made. Maple syrup and jelly for example. Meat was purchased or butchered and put in the freezer to last the winter.

Fast food was not a thing.

I recall going down into my grandmother's cellar to get something for her and commenting that she was ready for a World War. I used to privately joke about it.

Funny. She survived the first World War, she survived the 1918 pandemic, she survived the second World War and the Great Depression. She survived food and fuel rationing.
So. Not funny.

I think about that. And now I understand why my Grandparents rarely tossed things and always repurposed items. Why they were so stingy with their money. Why they wore clothes with patches and darned their socks. I understand why they thought eating at a restaurant was a HUGE thing. A show of waste and opulence.

If Grandma Pearl was alive today she would simply say 'Humph,' and carry on. If their meat got low in the freezer, there was always critters in the woods and fish in the lake.

I'm not ready to go there. 
Yet.

But I am working on taking care.

I know there are those that think this Pandemic is no big deal. I am not going to argue that with anyone. I will deal with it my way and listen to my husband's doctors who have said to treat everyone outside of our house as an Infection.

My husband is content. I am a bit stressed and bored, but need to dig deep into my Grandmother's and mom's heritage and deal with it. 
I feel we are in a fairly good place. 
I am not working 12 hr shifts at the plant and driving 60 miles per shift like I used to 3 years ago. I have to stay home. Three years ago my choice was made for me. We made a quick adjustment to living on a lot less.

Our Holidays haven't changed. When Rich's mom could no longer get around, and when Rich stopped driving...we stopped traveling to his daughter's for a get together. One year his daughter and family did come here. Enough said.

There are those who are at work keeping our food supply chain open. These are the folks I am so grateful for. 

There are the nurses and doctors that are providing the best care they can right now. To those people too, you are my heroes. 

And that is where I am going to leave it this morning. I'm going to have a cup of tea and go do chores, wander the woods, and get on with my next project of learning something new to cook or make from what I have at hand.

Be safe and well.

People waved & other things

On Sunday morning I was at the grocery store just after 7am. Our town is not large. The town itself has a population of about 4 thousand.

We have a hospital and clinic, a main street, a Walmart, a regular grocery store, and a Food Co-op.

I thought I'd shop early and not have to deal with crowds. This store does have Senior Shopping. Two weeks ago I did this too and found that it is a perfect time to go. Sunday at 7am. Even better, if it is raining. No one likes to shop early or shop when it is raining.

There were about 3 other customers in the store. 2 wore masks. I wore the one I had done instantly with a bandanna and hair ties. I felt awkward at first and then I got down to business.
The store was well stocked and I got potatoes! And Sweet Potatoes! The lettuce looked as though it had been a bit abused, but I got some anyway.

I thought I'd grab a pizza for one of those nights, a quick supper after working all day cleaning up pasture.

Was I ever surprised!
I purchased two pizzas for 'emergency' suppers when I didn't want to cook.

I filled the back end of my Subaru.

That job was done. I got home and unloaded/washed the items, the car, hands, and did my due diligence in making sure I didn't bring home any nasties.

Then I had coffee with Rich. I looked up our hardware store to see if they had updated their shopping to online. They closed two weeks ago but people can call in and order for pick up. They supply feed and agricultural items too so they are essential in our area.
To my surprise, the site was up and running. So I ordered some Pasture Pro to help combat the invasion of Burdock, a garden fork [our old one broke and the cost of a new handle to fix it was the same as purchasing a new one...since I am not handy at repairs, I got a new fork], and some seed.

The site said that my order would be ready in 3 hrs and 10 minutes later I got a text to pick up. On my drive back into town I saw couples out walking hand in hand, or parents with their children, or people with their dogs, all walking on our sunny nice morning.
Suffice to say also, there was almost no traffic on the road.

Everyone I passed waved. I waved back. Their smiles were real and these were people out enjoying a morning stroll. No one was walking with their heads down staring at their smart phones. It was almost odd in a way.

~~~~~
I went for a hike in the afternoon. I took the .22 that Rich had with a scope to do some target practicing. I love the discipline it takes to shoot a distant target. I did joke about shooting squirrels for supper and we had a long conversation about that. Rich had to shoot squirrels to supplement his family's dinner table. I recall my mother saying the same thing.

See that orange blob? That is the target and it had a piece of black tape in the center. That was what I was aiming for. I settled in at the school desk and took my time. Two shots on the tape, three shots next to the tape on each side. I could do it. However the rifle is too large and heavy for me, even though I am accurate with it.
I took the time to clean and oil it before I put it back in its case. I got out Rich's father's bolt action squirrel rifle and cleaned and oiled that as well. It was something that Rich and I could do together. He directed me [I know how to clean a rifle...but it was important to get him interested in doing something!]
The rifle is a Mosseberg Model B .22.

I looked this model up and it was made from 1930-1932. Apparently these are worth something I guess but usually never found in very good shape. Not so with this little rifle. It is in excellent shape.
It is perfectly sized for a small person and it is open sited, which I like better for a few reasons.

Well.
Wasn't that exciting?

Lastly, I hiked up to the top of the ridge and stopped at the leek patch.

I dug up a bunch of the larger ones to take home and dehydrate.

I washed them in the creek before heading home.

One interesting thing I spotted in the woods!
A green stink bug!
I wished Allison could have been with me, but with Isolation and Social Distancing as the new normal, she and I haven't been able to go 'bugging' at all.

Be well.
Stay safe.

Grocery Shopping. Ewww.

I can say with sincere authority that I dislike greatly...no, dislike immensely, Grocery Shopping.

I think the food I want should just automatically just be dropped into my cabinets when I need it.  

I hate making a list, I always forget it at home.  On those times I don't forget my list, I forget to write something down anyway.  Or I come home and discover that I got all the ingredients for something like chili except one ...

We have two stores in town that we can get groceries. One is called Jubilee Foods and the other is a SuperCenter Walmart.
If I want to drive 45 miles one way, I could have more choices, but I prefer to get what I can in town.

The only saving grace for getting groceries is that sometimes I can take the backroads back home and find something interesting to shoot with a camera.

So off I go to Walmart, the bank, and Jubilee Foods. Another exciting day at the farm.

Oh, reminder for self.  Stop and talk to the new neighbors and let them know that male coyotes have been running up through their woods so that they should keep a close eye on their little dog, Dexter.
Call old neighbors and see if we can get together for a catch up visit.

Okay, enough with lists.  I'm terrible at sticking to them anyway.