So Many Dishes

As someone who had retired well before the pandemic, I think the changes and adaptations I’ve made have been more subtle than for people who had work or school impacted.

I think I’m now more aware of my surroundings and who occupies them. I think (hope) that we all keep more distance between us when we’re in public spaces. I also no longer teach private voice lessons, but I had been thinking about closing my studio, anyway.

I think the biggest impact has been a greater effort to take care of myself. The beginning of COVID brought such a helpless feeling. My reaction was to focus on being as healthy as possible. So Ken and I walked every day. A two mile walk was short one. Often, we walked four to five miles, and we walked every day. That’s when I really began my habit of taking photos of plants and landscapes we saw. And, of course, the horses.

The pandemic is ultimately responsible, too, for this blog, even though I only started it last year. A friend who was always organizing outings to restaurants and events, etc., set up what he called “flash mob dining.” Since we couldn’t go out to eat, he would send an email each week to a large group of friends that set a food theme for the weekend. Then, we would each cook or order takeout that somehow fit the theme, and report on what we did. I remember that the first theme was Italian food, and I cooked shrimp arrabbiata. After several months, I began helping with the newsletter, and, at our friend’s suggestion, began to include recipes. Eventually, as things began to open up, Frank passed it on to me. As time went by and life returned to normal, the group dissolved, but I missed writing, so I started my blog. And the rest is history!