Highlight of the day was a walk and lunch with Jack. We got sandwiches and went to Stow Lake. Sat on a log and watched the ducks and the people on the paddle boats. It was interesting to see who was wearing masks and who wasn’t. And sweet to see folks enjoying the lake. There was one boat with a grandpa and two little boys… he was sitting in the back and letting one of the boys row. Looked very Rockwell-esque. There was also a group of folks sitting at a cloth-covered picnic table toasting with wine glasses. Made me think how this weird time has also left space for new rituals and activities… folks getting together for a picnic on a Tuesday afternoon… where once they would have all been slaving away in an office building. Or maybe I was just being romantic. Either way, the best part of it all was just getting to have a visit and a walk around the lake with my boy, talking about nothing and everything.
The other parts of the day were much more prosaic. Shopping to the restaurant supply, Costco, Safeway, Cliff’s Variety Store and back to Costco again for something I missed the first time. The shopping lists are getting ridiculous… today I bought 8 quarts of mayonnaise, 8 pounds of cherry tomatoes, 50 pounds of onions, bell peppers. Zucchini, eggplants, cucumbers, chives, red cabbage, carrots, 15 dozen eggs, 25 pounds of brown sugar, a gallon of Apple Cider Vinegar… and the list goes on.
After a million items of shopping, I went to get a Covid test… not for any health reason, but because my dentist needs to take a bracket off my teeth. They required me to go get a Covid test. I ended up going to the city health one which was at the Student Health Center at SF City College. Willi went too because he is going home to Seattle in a week to go meet his new nephew and they want to make sure that everyone who comes in contact with the new baby is cleared for health. I was prepared for a very painful, invasive experience but the nurse doing the test was gentle and kind and very quick. It was much less stressful than I had expected. But it was still not that fun. 🙂
Finally finished processing all the plums that I harvested from Stephanie’s house a couple of weeks ago. It made about 40 jars of the most gorgeous colored preserves… so pretty and delicious. A pan of brownies, a cake and a couple of apple crumbles rounded up my kitchen duties for the day. Managed to clean the bathroom and vacuum my room too. Which feels like a lot to get done. And makes me feel calmer about gong to bed early tonight.
Just now, Willi was asking me what summer food I was craving. He’s getting excited to go home to Seattle next week and see his family and have some of his home-town summer. For me, I miss lobster rolls at Lambert’s Cove Beach on Friday nights, with my aunt and cousins and Kim. But it’s not the lobster rolls alone that I miss. It’s all of it together. It’s like when I was talking to my brother yesterday and we were saying how it doesn’t even feel like summer because he and his girls are missing their usual summer trip out here. It can’t be summer without the people that we see in summer. 2020, the year without summer… the endless winter-feeling year. I guess some people might be feeling like they are getting more summer than normal…more time to be outdoors, more time to play with your kids. But I still miss the things that are summer to me. Clearly, at the very least, I need to make my Monday swim a regular thing!
Orders for Friday should be placed by Wednesday night/Thursday morning. Friday is also Meals on Heels at Oasis and you can jump on that fun at www.toasttab.com/oasis/v3 Our regular menu is at our website www.marthaavenuefood.com
May you all find your kind of summer feeling this week. That sandy-feet-wind-blown-hair-warm-summer-night feeling. The kind of night that begs for Dairy Queen with a good friend.
Take good care of yourselves. Love your people. Drink lots of water. Hug yourselves for me. Xoxo