1. Luna had a good day at the groomer. Dr. Cook had told me back on 02-10 that she might need a little more time to wake up after being sedated and that was true, but she was in good spirits when I brought her home about 4:30. Luna had quite a few mats and so the groomer shaved much of her fur (with my full approval) and I'm really happy that both Luna and Copper got these close cuts and aren't feeling whatever discomfort mats bring. When the cats first emerge from the crate having been shaved, they look odd at first, but I am not only getting used to their current appearance, I'm liking it. I'm very happy for them.
2. I find that now that I've received my second Covid vaccination, I am having to make a conscious effort to change my mindset about my future. I've been determined to accept and do all I can to enjoy all the time I've been spending in the house since last March 13th. I'm very grateful for the electronic wonders of the 21st century that have made communication via Zoom, text messaging, phone calls, and Face Time possible. I've felt connected with friends even though we haven't seen each other much at all. I'm also grateful for the time I spent with friends outside when it was warmer out. I've enjoyed reading so many books, watching good stuff on the Vizio, cooking, and all the other enriching things I've spent my time doing while I've mostly sequestered myself. I'm happy that Christy, Carol, Paul, and I worked out how to get together as safely as possible on Sundays for family dinner.
Now I'm beginning to imagine going out again and drinking craft beer on tap and yakkin' with friends. I've enjoyed all the cooking I've been doing, but I'm looking forward, when I'm ready, to dining out once in a while. I've also begun, after shutting out such thoughts for about a year, to think that possibly a road trip lies ahead some time in 2021. Eugene/Portland. The Oregon Coast. Seattle. Missoula. Maybe even a flight back east some time. At some point, Debbie and I might live under the same roof again.
I'm not letting myself get carried away, but it's fun to imagine the possibility of doing some things I've calmly and without rancor not done over the last year. It's requiring a welcome change in my mindset.
3. I keep sandwich sized Zip lock bags about half filled with ground beef in the freezer. I probably cook with ground beef once every couple of weeks. I enjoy fixing ground beef soup and other meals.
Tonight, I chopped up a half a white onion and put it in the Dutch oven with a packet of ground beef. Once the onion was tender and the ground beef was browned, I added a can of red beans, frozen spinach, and a can of fire roasted tomatoes. While these ingredients warmed up and their flavors blended, I boiled a batch of rotini, drained it, and added it to the onions, ground beef, red beans, spinach, and tomatoes. I decided these ingredients had almost enough flavor without any more seasoning and all I added was some black pepper to this dish when I heaped it into a bowl.
I hadn't planned it this way, but it turned out that this meal filled up most of my comfort food Bingo card. I would have filled up one more square on the card had I added cheese to it. A cornbread crust on top would have filled another Bingo square -- but, I was very happy with this dish as it was.
* The GoFundMe effort to raise money for Ken Lilyblad's memorial service has now reached nearly 75% of its goal of $4000. If you'd like to help out and contribute to this fund, here's where you go can go: https://gofund.me/ed61f871
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