Saturday, March 28, 2020

Self-Isolation Week 3

March 2020 - Toronto ON



Some local news.
Loblaw's, a large grocery chain, has given its workers a $2 an hour increase retroactive to March 8. Walmart Canada and Dollarama have also announced they would do the same.

'Come over to the window': Montrealers sing Leonard Cohen from their balconies led by Martha Wainwright.




How crazy is it? I need to record some of this as we will never believe/remember in the future.
Our building has increased its safety measures this week. No more than two people in an elevator. Assigned someone to clean and then push your floor button.
Extra test of the fire alarm system, aside from the standard monthly one.
Convenience store - sanitize hands first, keep distance and a basket for payment and change.
Snowbirds have been sternly advised to stay in their units upon returning home. The shop will deliver to their unit or the office staff will pick up for them.


I spent some time with a friend in the building, doing some computer training.

John and a friend did senior hour shopping at Loblaw's and Metro.
Then John took her to return an item at Costco and they were allowed to shop before the doors opened.
We are pretty well stocked up now!

Toronto opera singer serenading from her balcony.



As if things can't get any worse. We have spent quite a few winters in Mazatlan and consider it a home away from home.
So we were devastated on Friday to hear about a fire in an RV Park in Mazatlan which totally gutted the park.


Some photos from 2017.
Some murals from the park.





So proud of Prime Minister Trudeau, he is in total control of this pandemic. We were issued an alert on Friday on our phones and TVs directed towards returning travellers warning them to go directly to self-isolation, no stopping at stores and no public transportation from airport/train etc.

He also announced at his daily update a new financial support plan for small medium-sized businesses.

This is where he stands at the daily updates.




We're also a little puzzled by tRump's plan about sending troops to the border. This sums up our reaction.


Since there are no masks to be found we made our own!




WATCHING

Bell, our TV provider, has opened up several of the Pay movie stations.

Wait Until Dark - I first saw this when I was 15 and it terrified me. Was fun to watch again.

The Full Monty - another oldie but goodie. Provided a much needed laugh.
You can watch the full movie on Youtube.





Lost Girls



Trumbo - it has Helen Mirren with the most incredible hats and clothes, what more do you want.
Seriously, a great movie about a time that I didn't know that much about. It has me wanting to read more about it. I also want to read a Hedda Hopper biography.
Just looked, nothing available at our library...


Last Stand good fun to watch

The Kominsky Method



In an effort to do some self-improvement, I watched this play by David Ireland performed at the Royal Court Theatre.
Stephen Rea delivers a spectacular performance in this funny but disturbing story. We had recently seen him in the BBC series The Stranger.
You can watch it in full, on Facebook.






COOKING


John is recording What's Eating America. We watched an episode this week on fast food. A family, claiming they are too busy to cook, go shopping with the host and buy all kinds of packaged prepared food.
 I am horrified as they buy Dunkin Donuts yogurt!!! SERIOUSLY?????


He makes a healthy meal in the same time as they open boxes and cans.70% of Americans eat processed food.


And how soon could this happen??





Breakfast
Grapefruit and bananas, lemon breakfast cake, toast.


Lunch
Scrambled eggs with ham and cheese, salad with hard boiled egg, more salads and fruit, Swedish meatballs (freezer made at New Year's (a lifetime ago!)), perogies with sour cream.




Dinner

Chicken pot pie using Bob's Red Mill pie pastry mix. This mix totally frustrates me. 

Leftover chicken pot pie.

Pork sirloin chops, boiled potatoes and sauteed cabbage. I had never used this cut of port chops, John found them when shopping at Sobey's. I fried them in oil, butter and garlic, then finished them in the oven. I then put the chopped cabbage in the same pan until softened. I also made my best batch of mustard sauce.


Chicken Divan with homemade cream of chicken soup. Broccoli needed to be used up. I also made a herb cheese soda bread, and it turned out really well! Froze half for another time.



Haddock and cauliflower with lemon butter sauce.




Lemon yogurt breakfast cake - added cranberries.
Mango tea cake - because I had a ripe mango. I also added coconut. Love that it makes two loaves, one to freeze.


NEW TO TRY
2 cups chickpea flour 1,5 cups water 0,5 cup olive oil fried onions + herbs, spices, salt







READING




I finished Her One Mistake and The Farm, each very different but good reads.
I got a 7 day loan Machines Like Me but looking at the reviews I have my doubts. Doubts confirmed, did not finish.
Also started I Know Who You Are and enjoying it.


LINKING UP WITH
Beth hosts Weekend Cooking where you can post anything food related.

16 comments:

  1. I love your initial diagram of how to know if you are quarantining properly- so good.. Did you make it - can I repost it?? Also, thanks for taking the time to share all these wonderful song videos..so inspiring... stay safe

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  2. Judee, I found that quarantining chart online somewhere, feel free to use it.

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  3. And my child is bored. too cold to work in garage, by next week it will be too warm...

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  4. Sad about the RV park. I thought that myself about Trumpet sending troops to the border. We know where the really big problem is. Not that there are many now, but anyone returning from overseas, only citizens and permanent residents are allowed to enter, must spend two weeks isolated in hotels etc, under guard. Too many were flouting the self isolation. Only essential travel is allowed to and from Tasmania and access to Aboriginal areas in the north of the country has been restricted too.

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    1. That is a great idea to make them self-isolate under guard, too many flouting it here as well.

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  5. When I am not at my essential job and then I am at home.

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  6. Stay well! And YAYAYAYAYAY for Trudeau -- a model for you know who. LOL. We need to incorporate more escape viewing around here. We keep getting stuck on the news. I'm hoarding my yeast, but I think I'm going to go ahead and bake bread today. We've been trying to avoid shopping but when we go back we're absolutely taking advantage of the "senior hours."

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  7. Lol who on earth would leave Canada for the USA especially now?
    I still can’t get flour..it’s been a month! I almost always cook from scratch but we’ve had to rely on some frozen products in the past few weeks because meat is stripped from the shelves so quickly.

    Wishing you a great reading week and good health.

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  8. I've been spending a lot of time outside in my garden and in my kitchen watching birds in the backyard. We used a grocery delivery service yesterday, and it worked very well.

    All I can do is apologize for America. I'm very glad you have an effective and compassionate leader. Our lieutenant governor (Texas) this week publicly stated that we may need to sacrifice some old people to keep our economy going! Good grief.

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  9. I want to watch Lost Girls, I found the book to be riveting. I'm glad to hear you are safe and healthy.

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  10. I love the photos. That place looks beautiful and relaxing. I LOLed at the Chopped meme. That’s pretty much my life right now. Last night, I ate pepperoni and chick peas because I’m bad a food hoarding, and my grocery store is mostly empty.

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  11. Love the diagram and love the photo of Trudeau giving updates. Im American but I’m not in the 70% group who eats convenience food, nor one who likes Trump. It’s embarrassing.......

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  12. Sorry about your favorite park being destroyed:( Yeah, more people are singing from balconies. Yesterday I read that in New York Italians were serenading the neighborhood loudly from their balconies (at several places, they had the same idea) with Italian songs. Of course some non-Italians wanted them to stop that noise (in not such nice terms)!
    Love that strategy to know if one is socially distancing! What Pooh said to Piglet is cute, but it relates the message:) Thanks you so much Jackie for these interesting tidbits and sharing them with All Seasons:) It all keeps up our spirits:) Have a lovely week, friend!

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  13. I used part of my monthly wrap up to kind of record what is going on because it is so surreal. I had a dog sanwich last week because I didn't have any buns.

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