Groceries ~ Where's My Charmin

Good evening everyone! Today was grocery delivery day. Yesterday, my friend went to the small fruit and veggie market by the train tracks for lovely veggies, because she and I always have loooong veggie lists.

Today was Trader Joe's.

I am stocked up lavishly with fresh meats, cheese, and veggies...

My fave spring treat, multicolored radishes.

Mo's chicken jerky wraps....

and my pantry is stocked up with plenty of things like pasta, rice, quinoa.

The only fruit I use is  lemons.

Since I have medical issues that make me high risk for the virus/ death, I am blessed to have my wonderful friend who shops for me. I was  hoping that the trips were not too onerous for her, she is normally a young, very healthy, very active business executive and she is not loving being isolated at home. Grocery shopping is her once every ten days outing. But today when she came after her Trader Joe run, she was tense and exhausted and very stressed. I felt so bad. She said, It's awful, it's like the Hunger Games. I won't be going again soon!"

More than an hour wait in line.

And it is cold and windy here. [Would we all feel a bit better if the weather was warmer? I'm shivering here in my hooded down vest as I type. It is COLD.]

Trader Joe's has consistently had the items on my list.They even had paper towels and dish soap!

And some treats, like a grapefruit soy candle she stuck in my bag, or a small box of chocolate macaroons.

No Triscuits though, anywhere. She brought chips instead.

No toilet paper.


Of course no flowers.
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I was somewhat shocked today to read a comment on a British blog: "It appears to be the extremely elderly in our shops who cannot manage the social distancing. And I wonder why they are out anyway." 

How unkind! 

I have someone to shop for me; many many older folks do not have that network of friends, or their friends are also elderly. But they still must mask up and go to the store. Elderly people have to eat too. I think how frightened and shaken my mom would have been and though I miss her each and every day, in a way I am thankful she has passed on and is spared our world now.

I do feel like I impose on friends' kindness, and have been making masks to repay in a small way. Another friend brought a huge case of paper towels, he had gone to Costco. But I investigated online orders and delivery. Amazon is either wildly overpriced or out of stock; last week.  Target had a few necessities, 

but yesterday, nothing. 

And I tried the local big  supermarket chain, Stop and Shop, whose web info I'd clipped from Pennysaver at the crisis's beginning.

So after years of bragging up their home delivery service, their website has this to say:

Oh and why no Charmin? Same reason there is no milk etc etc. Because almost everyone is staying home there has been about a 40% increase in demand for use at home products; while the same products normally sold in bulk to schools, institutions, and other volume users cannot quickly be repackaged for home use [think school cartons of milk, or a hotel chain's massive unwrapped supply of crappy toilet paper. ]

And it seems quality TP is made from farmed American and Canadian wood pulp. In March Trump alienated the Canadians and their prime minister by refusing to share medical items {''you're on your own''] and the big paper mills, like Georgia Pacific couldn't get raw materials. And also P & G plants that make Charmin, Pampers and other paper goods are diverting to make masks. Add in corona virus in their plants and warehouses, social distancing creating delays in their manufacturing systems, and possibly trucking delays, and we have a shortage. 

Next is meat, as again, the virus is shutting down meat processing plants. 

[This info is taken from various sources on the web, including manufacturers' websites. It makes sense to me, even if it provides no fixes. But I cannot totally vouch for internet info's accuracy. I did my best to find answers, sharing my finds.]

Of course we just will endure. And make masks.

Here is dinner:

Looks like all is well, doesn't it. But portions are small [by choice at this point], foods must last.

love and hugs to all. Send me your out and about pics.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....

.

oh and here is a shrink weighing in on why everyone is having bad dreams:  dreams

Baby Pineapples Quilt

Hi friends, another Monday, as April slowly rushes by.

Well this is discouraging - all the photos in my recent blog posts have gone lost on Blogger. I don't know if I should reload them or just let it go. Usually they return but these seem truly lost. I love to do photos for my blog, but they're a lot of work, so that is many hours lost. How annoying.

This weekend was typically springlike---cold and windy, so I got quite a lot done on the Baby Pineapples project. Here are some of the inspiration quilts, though I made my fruits smaller and drew my own pattern.

I made my planned eight blocks:

They go together quickly and are, I think, cute.

This is the layout I had planned.

Lots of grey spacing and wide grey borders with a turquoise frame border, to make a medium sized crib quilt. Small enough to use as a play mat or even hang on a wall, since the child's room is quite large, until she is old enough to use it for naps.

Her crib will become a daybed around age two? but then it also becomes a twin headboard. As I showed the mom the design, she indicated that she wanted a larger quilt that might work on the future twin bed even. This is difficult and confusing, as crib mattresses are very narrow and oddly long at 25" x 51" --a twin quilt would be far too much fabric and unsafe.

We compromised by deciding on this layout,

which will need 18, not 8! blocks, and will be a random size somewhere between crib and twin. Much tighter spacing, narrow or no borders? Use the turq for binding?

Because of course by the time the child can talk clearly she will instead want whatever TV cartoon thing is popular. [Dora the Explorer, My Little Pony, Power Puff Girls? I am out of touch... but I'm sure there will be something she wants instead of Pineapples. (I remember making my son, aged about three, the cutest western, Ralph Lauren-ish, bedding, and he hated it! He just wanted some superhero junk sheets from Walmart!]

The quilt will be more throw size or lap quilt size, so it can be used in the home or as a beach blanket when the little one's taste outgrows it.

Later I'll choose ten more Pineapples and cut all those greens.

The good news is I think it is very pretty in a subtle way. We all love the turquoise ''stop border'' or frame border. The baby's room is palest aquamarine seaglass color, too pale for a stop border, so this picks it up in a slightly punchier way. [sigh] Just a six week lag in fabric orders, as warehouses follow distancing requirements now.

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Out and about: My neighbor finally took down her Christmas wreath and put up her silk sunflower wreath.  She only has two, so we see them for quite a spell each season. I felt a bit hopeful seeing her summery vibe.

Another neighbor put up a lovely herb wreath but they have left their Christmas candles [electric] burning in their windows all winter and spring. So pretty and so comforting when I walk Mo at bedtime in the cold dark night.

And Mo and I saw a robin! The quiet days must have made it come for a visit, if not to nest. I haven't seen a robin here in years---we have few songbirds; conditions are too harsh.

Welcome to new readers/ commenters! I hope you all have good week. Is the stay at home thing becoming more normal feeling or you're getting the house arrest blues? I hope you all are well.

love

lizzy 

gone to the beach...


photos from my friend LK's portfolio, as I'm staying home except for Mo's non-beach walks. The wind has been so strong.

sequin waves, in summer/ happy sigh

ships

PS I hope to do an Out and About post of readers' sights and enjoyments as you all walk during your brief outings. I have great pics [w their permission yet to be requested] from Kel and Penny and new friend Lynda, so if you have some beautiful spring pics to share, pls send to me at lizzzz.d@gmail.com.