Gardening... to take away the COVID-19 blues

Getting ones hands dirty actually does feel good. Physically satisfying, mentally upbeat kinda good.

I'm running out of photo archiving work just in time for planting season.  I'm guessing we've seen the end of snow and when I embarked on the following projects this week, I ardently hoped not to be met with loss and heartache due to sudden temperature swings again!

Project#1

Planting an orchard and about 27 evergreen trees at my Dyer Rd property.

NOTE: There a many places to buy trees but when you need 40 or so, delivery is a must. On top of that, I am a novice and was looking for a tree farm/nursery that was heavy on the education part of the shopping experience too. I stumbled upon FastGrowingTrees.com in February and have been super impressed with the education, quality of service, ease or ordering and now, delivery too.

Check it out... a FEDEX tree delivery from North Carolina! While the boxes weren't entirely square on arrival, I quickly discovered that the roots/pots were in each end and the middle part of the box was skinny branches and leaves and not really impacted like you'd think after seeing the dents.

Right now my acre of property is just begging for more trees. A sturdy wind-noise-view block starts with planting fast growing trees along the back property line. I chose Green Giant Thuja for their privacy, speed of growth, deer resistance and disease resistance.

The fastest way to dig holes apparently by skid-loader with mini bucket-thing. Thanks, Josh Mitchell!!!

Planting was a 2 day affair. And I had help! It is nothing short of hard work and lets not sugarcoat how it really went:  For weeks I looked forward to the outdoor task, the physical workout, the joy of watching it come together. Then I tortured my muscles, skinned my hands and tweaked my joints to get things planted quickly. I ate Ibuprofen for dinner and still woke up feeling like I'd been hit by a bus.

Long story short... I'm built to sell real estate rather than haul trees and soil, dig clay and rocks. I am so looking forward to getting back to my real (estate) job!

More exciting though, is the beginnings of an orchard.  A dozen or so trees will bear peach, plum, apricot, pear, apple and cherry fruits in just a couple of years, fingers crossed.

I dug these holes myself... 

  

Project #2

A wee raised bed garden at home.  Something to direct love and attention toward as a pandemic rages. And perhaps organic veggies and herbs to add to meals well into 2020 too.

Since Airbnb is canceled until further notice, I turned a guest room into a temporary greenhouse. For the past 1-2 weeks seeds and baby plants have been thriving near sunny windows, behind a locked door. Growing silently in baking dishes and recycled containers as Wrigley tries his darnedest to find a way in.

A baking dish covered in plastic wrap means you almost never have to water it.

Radishes sprouted in just 2 days!

Mark got this strawberry before the cat or the squirrels got wind of it.

Basil... ready to become Caprese salad?

Success! This was as close as Wrigley got to investigating the wee plants.

 

About the raised bed; soon to be renamed The Isolation Farm @ 285 Martin Drive.

I bought this little number on Amazon. It came flat-packed and I followed IKEA-like cartoon directions for assembly. One hour and one screwdriver was all it took. Then 10 bags of high quality garden soil later, it was ready for planting.

It could not have been easier and smells deliciously like cedar!

I'd like to say that I have the patience of a Buddhist monk and diligently "hardened off" the plants by bringing them in and out of the house for several days to acclimatize them. The truth is that one balmy evening, I opened the door, pulled them outside and planted them. The next morning, I checked to see if any had up and died from shock or overnight temps and delightfully (luckily) discovered, they had not. :-) 

The next day, I also planted seeds. Right now the bed contains tomato, zucchini, strawberries and herbs such as dill, oregano, cilantro basil, sage and chives. There are Mesclun lettuce and bush bean seeds planted here and in the "greenhouse" guest room, Swiss chard, radish, parsley, hot peppers and yellow squash are still germinating.

 

I connected a couple of fine sprayers to my my irrigation system already present in the yard so that each morning around 6am the garden is dampened and the plants are ready to face the warm spring sunshine that is Colorado (this week). 

Wrigley the cat, update:

So far, so good. Wriggles has left footprints in the raised garden for sure. But the plants are intact and his penchant for litterbox use over outdoor pooping, is finally paying dividends! 

(Yes, week 7 into the Self Isolation Experiment of 2020 and I can still find things to be grateful for!)

Bread Experimentation @ The Isolation Bakery

5+ weeks into self isolation and I'm  getting a little bored with following the recipe! We all knew it was coming.

Yesterday I went rogue with bread making.  What started out as two plain white boule loaves, ended up a rosemary and olive oil focaccia and a loaf that hid swirls of olive bruschetta!

Sadly for my hips, there was little self control and even less bread left over by nightfall.

Dang it was amazing though. Cheers to a quiet afternoon sipping wine, dipping  warm bread in olive oil, watching "The Hangover"....

COVID-19 Mask Making

We are nothing if not persistent and creative, when it comes to masks these days.

Every outing - grocery, medical or even a walk - now requires a face mask. Whereas a month ago, they were not all that recommended; two weeks ago they were recommended but optional; and a week ago they were optional but pressure was mounting to only appear publicly if wearing one.... Today, we are spending a ridiculous amount of effort trying to improve the effectiveness and comfort of our mask selections. (And complementing others on theirs, everywhere we go!)

Mark and I started out with Buff's. Neck gaiter type things in merino wool or cotton that became too warm and a tad claustrophobic as spring days heated up and our outings became more physical. We tried handkerchief or bandana solution too but realized we needed better coverage. Mark's mom made us beautiful masks that serve us well on short trips, but without tucks or pleats became less comfortable on longer hikes and if pulled in tighter, tended to squash the tip of the nose.

The time had come to put some more effort into a custom fit mask with little room around the edges for air escape and with an elasticated head strap for comfort while moving quickly.

Our friend Kathy was indispensible in providing all the things that mere mortal seamstresses have struggled to lay hands on. The day before our 48 hour snow storm hit, I picked up a baggie of pattern, elastic, liner, pipe-cleaners and polypropylene filter material from her front doorstep.

And then... game on! I stilled my antsy self in front of the TV and followed along with a great little YouTube video - all. day. long.  LOL  Yeah, it too a while. My skills are, at best, rusty.

Social Distancing. Even the cat gets it!

Some of you are familiar with our cat, Wrigley. Others, not so much.
(Want to get to know him? Check out his Facebook page: WrigleyTheCatInBoulder)

He's a feisty, large black cat. He is mostly cuddly or out to entertain, but make no mistake; His claws are always sharp and teeth are ready too. Our sweet Wriggles has zero issues enforcing his boundaries and rules.

What is a bit of a surprise, is that when "shelter in place" became a thing, he apparently tired of our company and we started getting kitty visitors at the house for the first time, this week.

Wrigley maintains a strict 6' social distancing rule at 285 Martin Drive though. Any closer and there is hissing and spitting - but it's a contactless protest and that is what is important, right?!

Oh and 6' includes times when he is inside and a cat comes a calling at the glass door. There are NO exceptions to the 6 foot rule.

Sense and Sensibility in times of COVID-19

You've probably guessed by now that I was a little bit of a "prepper" BEFORE this whole COVID-19 thing went down - long before self-distancing turned into self isolation turned into the current stay at home ordinance.

Supplies for cleaning and baking were always in stock in our house. As were paper towels and toilet paper. I had 3 tiny hand sanitizers for travel purposes and 2 N95 masks to protect me from fumes while painting etc. Our lives would not have been awful if we hadn't been able to buy much at the store in the last couple of weeks either.

That didn't stop us from adding to supplies though and we were quick to buy additional canned and frozen veges, a big bag of flour, more sugar, pasta, rice, potatoes, onions, meat and treats for the cat, a frozen whole chicken for us, plus freezer-type Ziplock bags and reusable plastic storage containers.

In the last week, I have found a few additional things online too - at less well trafficked websites - not even close to the first page of your Google search. I acquired a couple of travel sized/3oz spray hand sanitizers (70% alcohol), UHT milk, two reusable filter masks. All at normal prices and in quantities that are perfect for two people. I refuse to contribute to the hoarding insanity or reward those who are price gouging.

I'm happy to share tips and tricks to make your stay at home more like a vacation than a prison sentence.

Got symptoms and need to leave the house? (Thankfully no... but...)
Personally, this is only the time I'd wear a mask. It would stop me from coughing/breathing germs on others and when I inadvertently touch my face (which we all do) it's a little barrier between dirty hands and direct contact to mouth and nose.

UHT milk. It seems half of the US is unfamiliar with this product. UHT milk is milk that has been heated briefly to a much higher temperature, to kill bacteria. It is packaged appropriately and then doesn't need refrigeration, but is shelf-stable for 6-9 months. If we experience milk delivery or supply issues, having this on standby means no big deal. I will not be leaving the house to go in search of milk. It may not taste exactly like the milk you are accustomed to but it's close and if you are like me, it's absolutely good enough. Much more, natural and less processed than all those nut, soy and oat liquids that call themselves milk, but if that is your thing, you can probably find shelf-stable versions of these too. You can often find UHT milk at office supply stores, FYI. (Or at least, you could.)

What do I think about milk powder? It's pricey and perhaps getting pricier by the day. It will never taste like milk when you drink it or put it on cereal, but Im sure it's a better than nothing for cooking etc.  I do not have any and have no plans to buy any at this point.

On a side note... A few years back I took a camel safari in the Thar Desert in India. We camped on the dunes, slept under the stars and our guide cooked our meals from scratch. Every morning and night, he made us chai over the campfire. We were 3 days in before I saw his "recipe". He had been using baby formula as the milk substitute for campfire chai. Truthfully, it was darn good chai.

The moral of the story is, in a pinch, we use the resources available to us - whether it's price or supply that is the issue, there is often an alternative and our less privileged brothers and sisters all over the world have long been practicing this successfully. As did our grandparents and generations before them, who endured and survived more hardship that we will probably ever experience.

NOTE: I am not suggesting you run out and buy up baby formula!!! Leave it for the babies, please. I'm just saying, in challenging times, we get creative to solve problems. Think outside the box and be grateful for all the alternatives and options we still have. :-)

COVID-19 Hardships and Warming up those Coping Muscles

Mark and I took a talking-hike yesterday.

We were discussing the generation (half generation) of kids that still feel entitled to spring break, frat parties, sharing drink bottles etc.

He said he thought the rationing that took place for years, during WWII taught our grandparents the value of things and how to cope better. Then our parents heard the stories... Then it was a history lesson for us and has since become so far removed, that personal experience is not something most of us can draw from to cope with hardship.

I disagreed. Yes the war was a prolonged period of rationing and limitations to life. But about every 10 years, I think we (humans) experience something that could ask us to exercise that area of our brain/psyche. Something that changes our normal way of life, forces us to reduce our consumption, face hardship head-on etc.

Immigrants and refugees to this day, go through hardships and change their normal way of life, in the hope of coming through stronger and better off... even if only in the next generation.

People all over the world and the USA have poverty stricken lives that mean they struggle with getting a good breakfast before going to work, school or taking care of others.

Natural disasters like fires, floods, hurricanes happen and people lose electricity, clean water, homes and family members in an instant.

All over the country and globe, grief from divorce, miscarriage, death affect humans that are poor and wealthy, diverse in ethnicity and religion, without discrimination.

10+ years ago families lost incomes, homes, cars, vacations, new clothes and the option to consume almost anything in the same way, when the recession hit them close to home.

20+ years ago 9/11 rocked a city, state, country and the world. The fallout kept hurting people. The trauma touched people for years... even those nowhere near the epicenter.

Some people will remember living through the oil crisis, other wars, the less recent stock market meltdowns of the 70's, 80's and more.

Our "coping muscles" have not been well exercised when we have not experienced hardship for a while. But they are still there and lucky for us, we just need to warm them back up again. It hurts for a day or two!

The people that have not lived through something/anything like this either weren't alive 10 years ago or were being (understandably) protected from these fears and hardships by parents. Do they have "coping muscles"? Barely.

The kids that have transitioned from being protected to not being protected as much are the spring-break aged kids - late teens and 20-somethings. This is probably their first foray into adulthood with stress, hardship, forced limitations and dangers that they are being asked to personally navigate and mitigate. They have no experience to draw from, think they know more than they do and their frontal lobes (judgement centers) may not be fully developed yet. The cherry on the cake? They have this "invincible" mindset - that we all had at that age!

It's easy to judge them. And blame them, maybe rightly so, for their part in continuing to spread a virus that is much more detrimental to us than themselves.

It's harder to see life from their point of view. 

This week, my goal is to try and be more gentle and less judgmental. 

The Isolation Bakery @ 285 Martin Drive

285 Martin Drive is the epicenter of many things:

It is our safe place.
The place where Mark and I (and Wrigley) receive mail.
Headquarters of Silver Fern Homes - real estate and property management.
A tiny wildlife paradise - host to squirrels, birds, bees and rabbits among other critters.
And a temp place of rest for many an Airbnb guest - when social distancing isn't a thing.

And now 285 Martin Dr is home to The Isolation Bakery.

Uh-huh. With more time and more flour than I know what to do with, the Isolation Bakery was birthed! Seriously, if Mark and I are going to stay home indefinitely, we are also going to enjoy it!

The Isolation Bakery posts will always include pictures of goodies and treats, warm from the oven.

And feel free to reach out to me in the comment section or by email or phone or whatever, if you want recipes. We are not that isolated, after all!

Traditional Boule Bread

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Lemon Cream Tart

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Hot Cross Buns for Easter!

Plum crumble. Mmmm.

The COVID-19 Isolation Learning Curve - More positive than the Infection Curve!

I know... You are used to seeing adventures, travel pics and all sorts of stuff that doesn't take place INSIDE my home, when I post here.

Brace yourselves! This is a new type of adventure. I'm learning live life to the fullest from my sofa for the foreseeable future.  It has taken a while to tear myself away from 24/7 CoronaNews and social media posts, but holy moly, now that I have, there is brain space to think, to learn and to embrace the new normal.

I'll start by giving thanks to my parents - incredible role models. And state categorically that I am grateful for how I was raised.

Firstly, they taught us cooking from scratch and always had a pantry that was stocked with "the basics" like flour, sugar, onions, potatoes, rice,  pasta tinned tomatoes etc. They made their own jam and chutneys, bottled fruit and froze vegetables. They lead by example. Perhaps never realizing the gift they were bestowing on us. (I'm fairly sure it took me a good 35 years to realize!)

Secondly, we were taught to never spend ALL your money. No matter how much you earned or didn't earn, you spent a little less and kept some aside for when earning was harder or spending jumped up.

My pantry is stocked and the bank account is not in distress. I'm also healthy. Hallelujah!
I know not everyone can say that.

There are plenty of people out there for whom loss of work - or even reduced work - is financial hardship from the get-go. That means when the rest of us went to Costco and bought more than the normal amount of food, preparing to stay home for 2-3 weeks minimum, some didn't have the money to do that. The struggle is real. The challenge to feed and pay rent/mortgage is huge. When schools close and children are sent home, how does one go about working (if job still exists) and maintaining childcare 24/7? What does Corona-fear feel like if you are older, immune-compromised, have underlying conditions? I don't know. I can't wrap my head around any of this, if I'm being honest.

Today I online ordered some coloring books and had them delivered to friends kids. I don't know what else to do and OMG, it feels like a very feeble attempt to help!

Then I realized that rather that feeling guilty for what I have, or for what I cannot do to help, or feeling scared for what might happen in the near future, I need to make a conscious choice to use my time at home more wisely and kindly.

I'm deciding to be grateful and happy and content with this new (temporary) life on my 0.16 acre of Boulder first-world goodness.