I thought today I'd just do a little "here's what we've been doing this week" post as, somehow, we've managed to keep busy and productive (with a little leisure and napping going on too!!!).
We had never completed the window washing begun weeks ago so this week the weather one day was glorious and I heard a little voice saying "today do the windows!"!!!!! As I wrote in an earlier post, it may not be David's first activity choice, but he also likes clean windows and he likes to be busy. So we spent the morning Wednesday cleaning all the windows and screens. Like often happens, we got into a rhythm and it actually went pretty quickly.
After all our work, we needed a little fun so we packed a picnic lunch in our Paris picnic basket and headed for Loose Park. They had closed off the parking lot (we're not really sure why) so we had to drive around the park and find a place on the street to park (us and lots of other people!). Once parked we found a perfect, grassy spot and spread out our wares. We enjoyed a quiet, peaceful lunch watching young families around us (but not close to us!!!), girls laying out taking in the sun (I could warn them they will pay for that in years to come!!!), and lots of walkers/joggers. Everyone was just basking in the warm outdoors while keeping their social distance.
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| It really was a beautiful day for a picnic! |
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| Ready to eat! |
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| Looks like a French lunch! My favorite jambon-buerre (ham and butter) |
After lunch, we packed up our things, put them in the car and walked a little around the park. As you may remember from my earlier post and pics of this park, there are some very pretty areas with bridges, ponds with geese and flowering trees. It was a really nice day combining work and play.
Thursday we had a call with our insurance people to finalize (at last!!!) our Medicare plans. What a journey this has been. I told David we should write a book or set up a small business to advise people what to do about their Medicare if they're planning to live abroad for a period of time retired. This system just isn't set up for people who function outside the box as we did. It's ridiculous!! But, July 1 we will have all our coverage except for Prescriptions (more misinformation to us!!!Arrrggghh!!!). Luckily for us, we have our own personal pharmacist in Paris who is happy to send us what we need, and we don't take that many prescription meds.
When it wasn't my turn to visit with the insurance representative, I decided to whip up these little "Energy Bites" I'd gotten from a food blogger from Kansas City who now lives in Barcelona. There are recipes like this all over and I've just never tried them. So I did. They're really tasty and, with oats, peanut butter and flaxseed, I feel I'm making a healthy choice for a treat!
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| Energy Bites in a little French dish |
Most days we're walking around our little park across the street in the late afternoon. People are very good about the social distancing and it's just so nice to get outside. We also have planted geraniums in our flower boxes...actually, David did that earlier in the week. I don't know how they'll do in this spot but we're going to try. One of our neighbors who we passed on the steps in the back said how she loved seeing them the first time she was going out after they'd been planted. If they die, we'll try a different flower!!
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| It makes me happy whenever we leave out the back |
I know, I know, no shopping except for essentials. Well, flowers are essential for my mental health!!!! I live with someone who sometimes stretches the limits and, according to him, we aren't breaking any rules. I tend to lean a little more legalistic and have the attitude just because others are doing it doesn't make it right. However, I am a willing accomplice to some of these little excursions!!! It's Adam and Eve in reverse!!!!!!!😂😂🍎
Several days this week we did some cemetery trips. Now I know some of you don't understand the way I feel about visiting the cemetery where our parents are buried. I remember going with my parents all those years ago so my mother could put flowers (always artificial) on my grandfather's grave. As Christians, we all knew he wasn't there (as I know our parents aren't there now), but I think it gave her peace and comfort just to be there...as it does me now. Anyway, we took flowers for Easter to Mom and Dad's grave earlier in the week (I'm taking flowers at regular intervals because my mother loved fresh flowers and that's what I take even though I know they don't last long) and today we got flowers at Trader Joe's and put them at David's parents grave.
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| Memories abound... |
Speaking of Trader Joe's, remember the line that was there the last time we were there that I posted?? Well, today the line was wrapped around the corner. The lady behind saw me trying to take a picture and asked if I had an iPhone. I was afraid she was going to be upset I was taking a picture...instead, she told me how to take a panoramic picture with my phone!! You can learn new things even standing in line during "stay at home"!!!!
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| TJ's is on the far right and you can see the line all the way to the left-that's David and the lady we visited with in the middle |
It was nice visiting with her while we slowly made our way into a store that's being very careful about the safety procedures for their staff as well as their customers. I read in Real Simple magazine that six Trader Joe's stores have closed recently because of the virus...New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Wisconsin. I'm grateful our store began to take serious measures early so we can continue to shop there safely.
There are always the mundane chores waiting to be done and changing sheets was on today's agenda . As you know, one of the appliances we have David was not happy about was our washer/dryer combo (which is what we had in Paris and he hated). However, this is a new, large unit and very nice. It even plays a little tune when the load is complete (which I love).
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| Here's our singing washer/dryer! |
The problem is, though it's large, it can wash a larger load than it can dry. So you don't want to overload it. It can easily wash my queen-sized sheets and pillow cases and not be crowded. But drying is a different story, so I play Paris and drape the flat sheet over chairs!! Living in Paris taught me ways of doing things "from a bygone time in the US" that I am able to adapt to our little apartment life here. I like that.
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| Not as good as a clothes line but dries pretty fast |
Easter is Sunday. We've been watching worship online for the past many weeks as many of you probably have too. But it will be so different not having family, friends for an Easter lunch. We sent a little Easter treat to our kids and decided to play Easter Bunny for our young neighbors here. We wanted something simple and easy and here's what we came up with....
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| The Easter Bunny's been at work!! |
...Lindt solid chocolate bunnies and we put little tags on each. David put them at each door early this morning on his way to walk. Several have already been taken in...I hope everyone gets them. We're not really sure if all our neighbors are here...we're not seeing people coming in and out like we used to. Hopefully, it will add a little sunshine to their day.
Tonight is Pizza Night, and we've been going outside our comfort zone and trying new kinds of pizza. Not always successful but it's pizza, how bad can it be???!! David just came in from getting the mail and, yeah, loaded with boxes of various things we've ordered (like a new spring back door mat, a self-tanning starter kit!!, and a new hardback book from one of our favorite authors Cara Black) so it feels like Christmas...at Easter!!!!
Easter blessings to everyone! Our prayer is this dramatic change in our lives will dramatically change our lives in a positive way in the days and years ahead!
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