My go-to answer these days when somebody asks how I am my answer (over text, generally, because unless youâre one of roughly 10 people I donât talk to you on the phone) follows this sort of format:
My plants? Thriving
Exercise? Inconsistent
My baking skills? Improving
My mental health? Unstable
It makes me laugh; itâs good way of negotiating how disjointed every part of this can feel. It is true; my plants are ecstatic because they have my attentive eye 24/7. This past week I made eclairs for the first time! They were a little small but all the separate aspects came out perfectly. And brown butter millet madeleines. Days feel starkly different emotionally from one another even though they blend together looking back.
Up until this week my partner and I were falling asleep with a laptop in bad watching TVâsomething I havenât done since I lived in another country where I didnât know anybody. It turns out that every study on it is right, it does make your sleep worse!
There hasnât been a book that has kept my attention since I started social distancing exactly a month ago and so I am thankful for my Christmas present New Yorker subscription.
This week I finally got my paws on some succulent soil and I repotted so many things!! I finally got my aloeâs babies into their own lil pots! My aloe is my oldest living plant (I donât remember how old it is maybe three years) and also repotted my second oldest plant, a jade! From ikea and aldi, respectively.
Before quarantine when I was at home and unemployed by choice I would schedule my days. They were generally: wake up, run, shower, have tea, run errand/see friend, grocery shop (I love to grocery shop) make dinner, hang with partner/get drinks with friend(s), dinner, bed. Going outside and doing something would keep me from a descending funk but last week it fell on me.
My headphone adapter broke which made it harder for me to run and then when I was able to get a new one I couldnât stop thinking about âthe safest thing to do is stay insideâ and a person who, on a recent run of mine, opened her door while coughing in my direction. Similarly, I went to an international grocery where nobody was obeying the âsix feet awayâ rule. I donât really get panic attacks [my anxiety is more of a slow burn] but I really really really really had to focus on my breathing and not assuming I was getting sick.
Anxiety is such a common beast that usually I can beat back by stepping away and acknowledging the reality of a situation but currently the reality of the situation is way more terrifying than I can fathom! There is no stepping away and having the scenario lighten.
That I donât have to worry about food or a home with heat, water and electricity. At the urging of a friend I signed up for Philly Mutual Aid where you can write in what you need or what you can give. If you live in Philadelphia you should do it! And if you live other places look to see if thereâs something similar in your area. I gave some money directly to a person (we texted!) who needed it for groceries and baby supplies and being able to do that for a neighbor really made me feel better. This thing is a beast, a real beast that weâre stuck in but at least we arenât stuck in it alone.
I donât have a job where I can telecommute (at least not yet!) but I still relate to this Daily Show tweet.
Randy Newman wrote a song about social distancing and I love it.
âI think mothers get this more than men do sometimes. Because weâve all been there, at some point, sort of self-quarantining with our newborn babies.â
I made four face masks using this tutorial video which my housemate shared with me! Itâs been easier to use than a scarf which was my previous face covering.
Eyeing this fabric as a decorative hanging for a closet in my bedroom.
Pandemics shape human history.
Sarah Mirk made a comic based on what she was hearing from grocery workers about working during the pandemic.
John Prine playing Angel From Montgomery (the most perfect song!) little more than a year ago.
If you need a funny and sad and quick binge the Netflix show Feel Good is really great, about a queer comedian in recovery living in London. Iâve already watched it in totality twice. Also Insecure and Killing Eve are back, two great shows !! Watch them!!
Articles:
How to get through now according to a Holocaust survivor and a person in recovery from a traumatic brain injury. Sarah Marshall on Ted Bundy, psychopathy and being âborn bad.â Kinfolk still defines the current aesthetic even after coming apart. We may only remember the Lindbergh kidnapping but in Depression-era America a lot of there were a lot of kidnappings. Ta-Nehisi Coates writes about David Carr. Ordering food in New York City. Jenna Worthamâs wellness habits during quarantine. Jill Lepore on the history of loneliness. Travel daydream to Green Gables. Playing Dolly Parton on the school bus. The story of a Beto Calaveraâs name and a community truncated. Jason Isbell on John Prine. Ideas that wonât survive the Coronavirus. Melissa Harris-Perry in conversation with Stacey Abrams.
Food:
Musings of my sourdough.
Last Monday I made a chicken pot pie but the recipe made so many insides that I froze half and ended up with extra pie dough which I turned into the best quiche I have ever made. As background, I sent my partner to the grocery store for (among other things) fennel and he came back with leeks. So I made cooked leeks and garlic, added the end of some sliced deli ham, spinach, eggs milk and(!) gruyere because I still had some from my carmelized onion/olive/gruyere pizza. With the chilled pie dough it was actually perfect.
My friend made me this West African Peanut stew for Christmas and I finally made it for myself this past weekend! Itâs a really great base recipe, using ingredients that, if they arenât directly from your pantry last a long time in the fridge. Itâs cozy and filling.
Ruby Tandoh finds comfort in food in lockdown.
Pennsylvania Liquor stores have been closed for weeks because they are state run and considered non-essential. Certain grocery stores carry wine and there are beer distributors too so itâs not like everyone is resorting to homemade grappa but the only way to get liquor is driving to Jersey or Delaware (not impossible but you do need a car) OR ordering from small batch distilleries which are cool but also $$. I got the American Gin from Bluebird distilling and itâs a good floral gin. My favorite thing to make with it so far has been a gin fizz. I keep the egg yolk and thus, pastry cream for eclairs needed to be made.
This is the recipe I used for the choux pastry but I donât think you need a mixer for it. In my opinion, every part of the eclairs isnât *technically* difficult but requires an attentive maker.
My fear of running out of milk (I need milk for my tea and then use it for little else) means that we have an excess of milk so Iâm trying my hand at 24 hour yogurt in my instant pot at a friendâs suggestion!
I made this Alison Roman creamy farro recipe and it made wayy more than four servings for me but it was very good! Didnât have dill but did have parsley which was tasty.
This gluten-free fried chicken is really really tasty. The spice mix (lime zest, unsweetened coconut, salt and red pepper flakes) would be good on many things other than chicken as well.
This recipe for quick, yeast free, skillet flatbread is very satisfying and made more than I needed. Would probably halve / freeze some if I made it again.
New bathroom mirror
Stay particular,
Margaret
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