Well what a week it has been, eh? Just when you think things can't get any more surreal, they do. I am dumbfounded. But enough of that.
Inspired by our daughters Lindsey and Hannah, who were baking bagels together virtually a few weekends ago, I decided to try making some myself. As you can see, they ended up looking more like rolls than bagels, but they were tasty. I wrote notes on the recipe (I used this one) for how to improve them next time. I used a bit 6-grain flour along with the white and added a "harvest mix" of whole grains to the egg washed tops to add a wee bit more nutrition. Batman went out and clipped some chives, (just popping up in the garden) to add along with dried dill to the cream cheese. That made them extra special.
Last Sunday, our VTMQG held our monthly meeting via zoom. Thirty nine members attended! I must confess, it was lovely to see everyone's faces lined up on several pages of the "gallery". It really was lovely. Really.
Last weekend Batman, Hannah and Lindsey used FaceTime to bake Toll House cookies together. Our kitchens in Vermont, Detroit and Bloomfield Hills were all busy with the noise of mixers and banter.
Last weekend Batman, Hannah and Lindsey used FaceTime to bake Toll House cookies together. Our kitchens in Vermont, Detroit and Bloomfield Hills were all busy with the noise of mixers and banter.
On Wednesday, I participated in a free zoom session hosted by The Makerie, a small business in Boulder, Colorado dedicated to creating "modern creative retreats". Heidi Parks guided us through some hand yoga (!) to get us started. Then she demonstrated some stitching techniques and handed things off to Melanie Falick who read from her book, Making a Life:Working by Hand and Discovering the Life You Are Meant to Live. There were women from all over the world gathered on many pages and again, it was wonderful to see so many faces who joined to sew together in a most unusual way!
Lately, all four kids and their spouses/partners have joined us on Sunday mornings for an hour long zoom session. Sometimes we get a glimpse of Maggie, but she is a busy one these days! We do a check in, we chat about the week, we share good resources for understanding the times we are living in. Twice now, we have joined up in the evening to watch the same movie together in real time and comment via text about what's going on. Hilarious!
This afternoon, our quilt guild hosted a "virtual sew in" via zoom and a bunch of us enjoyed a bit of time to chat together over sewing projects that ranged from piecing quilts to hand sewing to organizing sewing space. We talked about notions, techniques, rehabbing vintage machines and where to have our machines serviced in these odd days. It was a delightful distraction.
Anyhow...all of this is to say that life has certainly changed the way we navigate our days (I won't even tell you about Batman's legislative work!!!). This new normal certainly depends on having an electronic device, access to a reliable internet connection and a steady electrical power source, and I feel privileged to have all three. May we work harder as a nation to find ways to make this possible for all of the people who live in these United States of America.
And I still love snail mail, but even that seems to be under fire in these bizarre times!
How are you staying connected to people in you life?
Lately, all four kids and their spouses/partners have joined us on Sunday mornings for an hour long zoom session. Sometimes we get a glimpse of Maggie, but she is a busy one these days! We do a check in, we chat about the week, we share good resources for understanding the times we are living in. Twice now, we have joined up in the evening to watch the same movie together in real time and comment via text about what's going on. Hilarious!
This afternoon, our quilt guild hosted a "virtual sew in" via zoom and a bunch of us enjoyed a bit of time to chat together over sewing projects that ranged from piecing quilts to hand sewing to organizing sewing space. We talked about notions, techniques, rehabbing vintage machines and where to have our machines serviced in these odd days. It was a delightful distraction.
Anyhow...all of this is to say that life has certainly changed the way we navigate our days (I won't even tell you about Batman's legislative work!!!). This new normal certainly depends on having an electronic device, access to a reliable internet connection and a steady electrical power source, and I feel privileged to have all three. May we work harder as a nation to find ways to make this possible for all of the people who live in these United States of America.
And I still love snail mail, but even that seems to be under fire in these bizarre times!
How are you staying connected to people in you life?
Karen, you have the most lovely, peaceful blog. I love visiting with you here. Full of Zen. I am so glad you shared the link to the bagels. I will put that in my 'to try' pile of recipes. These stay-at-home days lend themselves to to me wanting to be putzing around in the kitchen, even though it is just me and Marlee (my furbaby) now. You live in a beautiful place, and you honor that space with the beautiful way you and Batman live your lives there. Thank you. Stay safe.
ReplyDelete