Day 40 - Governor Newsom imposes new restrictions

XMAS 2020!!!!

Friday. 12/25/20. XMAS!!!

8:30 – 9:00 - I’m up and I go downstairs to take the dog out.  No accidents today – she’s on a roll!  Outside and she goes potty, then back inside for pieces of chicken.  I do the dishes and make coffee then start food prep.

9:00-11:30-Round I:  L. needs the kitchen at 3:00 so I am somewhat pressed for time. I start boiling eggs and noodles for the spaghetti salad.  While that occurs, I make two Cesar salads: one for B’s Xmas dinner [must serve 8 people] and the other for my dinner with L. and R. later tonight [serves 3 people].  I select the best pieces of lettuce for each bowl then store in the refrigerator.

-L. comes downstairs to announce that her friend Mohammad is dropping off a free box of Dunkin Donuts for us – Dunkin is having a sale: buy one, get two free, so Mohammad thought of L. and will be delivering the donuts momentarily.  Much appreciated!

I dice an onion, green pepper, and two tomatoes for the Spaghetti Salad.  The noodles are done, so I drain them in the colander, then combine everything in a large bowl with a bottle of Italian dressing and a bottle of McCormick Salad Supreme spice.  Spaghetti salad is complete and stored in the fridge. I listen to Lisa Woodruff’s series on time, via the Organize 365 podcast. I clean the kitchen.

I’ve got several burners going so I might as well “batch-cook” and make the tilapia I defrosted two days ago.  I coat it in an orange/lemon sauce then cook the fish until it flakes.  I make some white rice as a side to go with it. I’m not sure when we’ll eat this - I may have to freeze it.

11:30 – 2:00: Round II:  I break down three cauliflower heads, scrape the brown spots off, and place all of the sections in a colander for rinsing.  Then, I thinly slice an onion and put everything into the crock pot for the Cheese Cauliflower dish.  I add a new cheese sauce that L. picked up from TJs a few days ago.  Since I’m doing so much food prep, I batch cook and prepare two spinach salads with chicken, green bell peppers, cauliflower, and tomatoes for myself to eat for lunch next week.  I find a chicken breast that I boiled last week and add pieces of that to my salad, then cut the leftovers into small pieces for the dog’s morning treat - this should last the next two weeks. I chop 6 boiled eggs and place in a ziplock bag so they’re ready when I assemble the salad and snack on chicken pieces and corn tortilla chips along the way.

-L. FaceTime(s) with her Dad in South Carolina.  Although several members of the family contracted Covid, there are 19 family members in the house, eating a “Mexican Food Xmas Dinner” together.  None of them are masking or social distancing.  Of note is the fact that my ex’s brother, his wife, and their three little girls flew from California to South Carolina – the wife has Lupus.

My ex reports that his uncle contracted Covid and is currently in the ICU, although he feels much better after Remdesivir was administered; my ex’s aunt died last week. I don’t think I have to say any more – you be the judge. 

2:00-2:30 – L. and I exchange gifts and it was really fun! L. gets me some “merch” from my favorite podcast, True Crime Garage – two T-shirts and several stickers that I immediately place on my Hydroflask and netbook.  Stocking stuffers include lipsticks and two boxes of my favorite pens, which I specifically requested – she also bought me a yoga mat and a special insulated Hydroflask lunch bag.  My ex shipped a leaf blower for my back yard to me.

For L’s gifts, I bought her Victoria Secret bra/underwear sets that she picked out; the Vito Blender start kit; and the Moringa Gift Box from The Body Shop.  3000+ Americans are dying every day, but self-care is a must. I also bought L. some cute tops from Reformation for her birthday, but she decided to unwrap and wear them now.

2:30-3:00 – Round III:  I put all the ingredients for homemade cranberry sauce in a sauce pan and heat to boiling while I clean the kitchen and get it ready for L. when I turn it over to her at 3:00.  Once the cranberry sauce is done, I pour it into a glass container and store in the fridge.

3:00 – 3:30 – I finally sit down and read a Money Diary.

3:30-4:30 – Shower. Lotion. Heavy make-up. Dress and boots.

4:30 – 4:50 - I assemble both salads, adding dressing, croutons, shredded cheese, and the boiled eggs, then load the salad for B.’s dinner in the car.  I store the other salad.

I prepare the bread mix for my bread maker and press ‘Start.’

4:50 – I leave for B.’s house.

5:05 – 6:30 - Arrive and B. has outdone himself!  The house looks amazing and so festive! His daughters and their husbands are there, along with his two teenage grandchildren.  B. cooked a ham and sides – everything tasted great !– and the rest of us brought additional dishes, like my salad, potatoes, baked beans, etc.

Dinner is very good and it’s great seeing everyone.  Unfortunately, there is a new, 70% more viral strain of Covid-19 on the horizon, California is spiking, and we have more Covid cases than any state in the nation – 2 million.  Although the guidelines say no more than 10 people at any one gathering (there are only 8 at B.’s house), that’s an arbitrary number, similar to social distancing being defined as a 6 ft radius from everyone else.  There’s no science behind the 6 foot guideline – that’s an arbitrary number set by the CDC.  In actuality, I’ve read that 10 ft is better, more effective, but ultimately Covid 19 can travel in the air from one side of a church or restaurant to the other side, infecting patrons along the way; it doesn’t seem to matter how far away you are from Patient Zero. 

Everyone who attended B’s dinner works from home and rarely sees anyone – it’s his grandchildren I’m worried about.  Two teenagers who, like all young people, don’t understand the significance of the pandemic because they are the least affected. None of us bothered to mask and it was too cold to open the windows.

6:30 – I leave early to reduce my potential viral load and to meet L. and R. for Xmas dinner at my house.

7:00 – 9:00 – Arrive and I crack a window. L. has designed a beautiful  tablescape for the dining room table.  We start off with her cheese plate, butternut squash soup, and the salad and bread I made.  I suggest we go around the table and talk about how Covid-19 has made each of us grow and/or change as a person.  Of course, L. and R. say that had it not been for Covid, they never would have met/found each other and R. is grateful that the ‘Coleman girls’ are in his life.  It was very nice.

By 8:30, L. and I determine that we have made way too much food, as all of us are stuffed from the cheese board, soup, salad, and bread.  We still have several sides that we haven’t plated!  L. and I start breaking everything down, then retire to the living room for the gift exchange.

9:00-9:30 – L. bought R. two vinyls and other odds and ends that are still en route. R. gave L. two beautiful necklaces.  Sidebar:  I may be forgetting some of the items. R. also gave me a nice bottle of champagne and a Xmas card, with a long message that he personally wrote.  Among other things, he wrote that he hopes I enjoy the prosecco while listening to one of my true crime podcasts.  It was very nice! Lastly, R. bought a toy for the dog and even slept with it last night so his scent would be on it, as the dog happens to loooovvvveee R.  Very thoughtful.

9:30-11:30 – I do some light kitchen duty and then the three of us watch Better Watch Out.  R. has never seen it before, so L. and I had fun, watching his reaction throughout the movie. It’s a “horror-Xmas” movie.

11:30 – 1:30 – I make a plate for R. to take home with him and he leaves. L. and I spend the next two hours breaking everything down, cleaning the kitchen, and putting our new Xmas gifts away.

1:30-2:00 – Night time routine. Bed.  Exhausted, but a great Xmas all the way around!!!  Merry Xmas, 2020!!!