It’s Monday. And it’s not a holiday. Time to get back to sharing what’s on my mind.
I read something recently, I think it was from the NYT Cooking, and it was describing a recipe as so good it would make you feel like you were eating in a restaurant . . . back in the days when eating in a restaurant was a solace and not anxiety producing. And I realized – that’s IT. That’s why Dale and I have no interest in going out to eat right now. It’s not because we are living in fear or overreacting. It’s because the thing we loved was to sit at the bar and have a drink and relax and eventually get something to eat, too. It was relaxing and fun and sociable. The idea of going to a restaurant and wearing a mask and being sort of . . . trapped . . . at a table just doesn’t appeal to us at all. So we continue to cook at home and get take out and we’re good with it.
One bonus to the change in lifestyle we’ve experienced since the start of the pandemic is we are saving money. Sure, I’m spending more at the grocery store, but we save a lot by not going out to eat because cocktails are spendy. And we aren’t traveling. Normally we would have spent a weekend in Maine this fall, shopping at L.L. Bean and the outlets, eating in restaurants and staying in a hotel. We decided to go with mail order for the stuff we wanted at L.L. Bean and we both now have new matching flannel pants for the upcoming season. Yes, we wear matching lounge wear and not just at Christmas. Go ahead. You can call us dorks.
Early voting has begun in Massachusetts and reports are that record numbers of people are turning out for this. I decided to google how early voting works across America and I was surprised to see just how many states don’t offer it. And just how many states have only in person voting and don’t offer absentee ballots without an excuse. I’ll refrain from going on a diatribe about voter suppression but looking at the states which are working hard to offer lots of options for voting vs those who aren’t . . . well . .. I have my theories.
And that’s what’s on my mind this Monday. Let’s have a good week!
And I suspect your theories are correct! I’ll bet you look terrific in matching flannels!
I, too, suspect your theories are correct. And I think we need a photo of the matching flannel pants. Just sayin. While I wish the pandemic had never arrived, it has certainly provided a way to re-think so many things we used to just do . . . because we always had. Sometimes a shake-up is good. (Silver linings; I’m always looking for silver linings.) XO
Let’s hear it for flannel pants! They are very popular in this household. One can wear them, too, outside of the house, as long as one stays in the car and is properly dressed on the top. (Shhh, don’t tell!)
John has long told me that he enjoys my cooking more than going out to a restaurant, but the ambiance and not having to cook used to be nice. But I’m looking forward to the coziness of fall and winter at home. (I wonder if it would be better if we had matching flannel pants?) I know your theories are correct!
Have you seen those pods at restaurants to keep people distanced? I’m happy to eat at home too. And I am definitely trying more new recipes
We talked about eating out (or rather, the lack thereof) also this weekend. Our conversation revolved around trying to freshen “at home eating” up a bit. And your theories… I’d bet they are spot on!
Well, you & Dale have to be the CUTEST DORKS ever. Hehehe.
I LOVE the idea of matching flannel pants! and staying home and saving money (we are planning a BIG trip to England next summer – fingers crossed we can go!)
Couldn’t agree more, Carole. No restaurant dining (take out a bit), voter suppression rampant. I need to look into some flannel pants! I hope you have a wonderful week.
As much as I would like someone else to do the cooking for a change, I am in no rush to eat at a restaurant until we can do it under normal, non-pandemic circumstances. Too much anxiety!
I suspect I share your theories on voting and who and where early voting/absentee is available. Early voting is only just this election available in Pennsylvania, but it’s early voting via a mail-in ballot (i.e., you can go to a ballot drop-off location and apply and fill in a ballot on the spot). It’s very clear to me precisely why some people are against every effort to make voting as easy as possible, and we need to do something about it!
I can’t decide if the pandemic is helping me to save money or not. Yes, we aren’t going out to eat, but we are spending a ton on groceries and eating fancier/less simplistic meals at home. And no, I’m not buying a skein of yarn twice a week when the knitting group meets at the shop, but I’m buying $100’s of dollars worth of yarn at a time online when I really only need $25 worth of yarn, but gotta spend more to get the free shipping…. And everyone blogging about doing jigsaw puzzles have got me buying a new puzzle once a week when I wasn’t buying any puzzles before…. I am definitely saving money on gas though. Twenty bucks worth of gas is lasting me two months or more now. Can’t complain about that!
re: early voting, surprisingly enough, Georgia allows early voting and mail-in voting with no reason required. On the other hand, our secretaries of state have lots of other maneuvers they are using to manage the voter registration lists….
Love the matching flannel idea. And not dorks.
I miss restaurant dining, too! We do takeout at least once a week, but some things just don’t travel well, and the presentation is not impressive by the time you get it back home.
We did dine at a restaurant once; it was sidewalk seating, spaced well apart, and it was heavenly. But as it gets colder, that’s not going to be an appealing option. We won’t dine indoors at a restaurant.
Yes, cocktails are spendy, so we’re saving money, too!