I’m taking a shot at “blogging” several days a week, hoping we can continue to build our relationship with our readers. Feedback is welcome.
Wasn’t Saturday great when the reason to stay inside was uninterrupted rain? After shelter-in-place for several weeks it would stand to reason we would be drawn to anger at being forced indoors by nature. I found it a wonderful excuse to stay inside, listen to the rain, read, cook, and tune into one of the great albums of all time, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors. Then I threw in anything from Van Morrison I could find to play. I’d take music by these two if I were about to be stranded on an island.
Speaking of which … go to the website for The Guardian and read about the group of teenagers shipwrecked on an island for over a year back in the 1960s. If you need your faith in mankind restored this story will do it.
Understanding why it felt so good to be quarantined by rain after being kept at home by the pandemic is a matter I will leave to the psychiatrists and psychologists. I, for one, thought it was heavenly.
Being at home all day has caused me to focus on cooking and I came up with a great combination. On Saturday I made Pork and Poblano Tacos with a sour cream and lime sauce. I added some kiwi fruit to it and some cilantro. Sunday morning, I made a black bean bake highlighted by hot spices and topped with cheese.
Sunday night I combined the two recipes from leftovers, and it was Mexican magic.
I plan to offer both recipes in our Friday newsletter in case you want to take a shot at it next weekend.
Sunday’s weather proved perfect for long walks without the sweltering heat that is surely close at hand. There are benefits to all the chaos we are experiencing. We are staying home with loved ones, even though mine is a golden retriever, Nellie, and cooking more, reading more, and have an excuse to binge on television series such as Ozark, one of the best Netflix offerings ever, and of course there is Tiger King. And we are outside walking and being pleasant to the neighbors, who are also walking more than ever.
Nellie is now getting lots of table scraps; why have unnecessary pet discipline when the future is so hazy and confusing?
And there was positive news on the virus front. Texas has 34 out of our 254 counties with no reported cases of the virus. That is the most out of any state in the country.
Let’s look on the bright side and pray we “open” cautiously, smartly and politely. Put on a mask. I’m starting to get frighteningly comfortable in one. Have a great week and I will be back on Wednesday.
– Richard Connor