Drink Up!

After being told by health care providers  for the upteenth time that I need to drink more water,  I decided to purchase this 64 oz motivational water bottle.  With it's cheery water level marks, the bottle gives me undivided attention throughout the day. My favorite is "Do it for yourself" at 9 A.M. Of course, why would I think to drink 64 oz of water for anyone else? The 7 A.M. GOOD MORNING in caps strikes me as endearing especially during a pandemic. Clearly, this water bottle is my new best friend.

64 oz motivational water bottle

 As drinking water bores me unless the temperature reaches 80 degrees,   I find it helps to add fruit to the bottle. Not only does the fruit provide flavor, color, and verve, but  I can munch on the edibles at the end of the day.  Frozen raspberries turn the water into a beautiful still life and and  add a nice zing.  Frozen blueberries give it the blues which unfortunately feels like too much.  Oranges and tangerines  reliably  transform the water into a supplemental source of vitamin C.

Best of all, I am happy to report this water bottle works. I never imagined ever being able to consume 64 oz of water daily, but now I do. Bill claims the water bottle must be designed for giants. Yes, it can be awkward to shlep around, but it's cap handle  design allows amazingly sturdy and trustworthy portability.  Why does this water bottle work for me? it makes me feel accountable. I don't want to disappoint its encouraging messages.  One thing I know about myself is that if you tell me something is homework, I do it. It must be the teacher in me.

So drink up, folks.  L'chaim!

"Maggy, carrot"

Being Jewish, I usually find the last two weeks of the year difficult.  I feel disconnected from almost everyone and everything. Christmas music while beautiful gets on my nerves. Most decorations do nothing for me. In short, I become a veritable scrooge. I remind myself that the holiday is cherished world wide and brings happiness and good cheer.. This year in particular, who doesn't need that? As I look back over the week, an unexpected gift did succeed in filling  me with joy. A  little stuffed dog toy in the form of a carrot.  

Bill walks Maggy to Starbucks every day then sits in the park with his coffee. Two sweet little girls Corin, age 3 and Emily age 1 often show up with their nanny/friend Lizzy.  Bill started to carry little baby carrot treats that the kids at the bus stop could give Maggy (pre-Covid) after she shook  paws. The little girls love this trick. They even get to "walk" Maggy  a bit., which makes them feel  grown up .  Corin says "Maggy, carrot" when she sees them. Emily whose mission is to pop carrot after carrot into Maggy's mouth says simply "more." We think this is Emily's only word.  Bill adores these little ones and  has adopted them as"grandchildren". 

Maggy loves her carrot so much that she hid it somewhere in the backyard along with her summer birthday present. Will we ever see it again???  It does not matter I suppose. This precious thoughtful gift symbolizes a special connection that Bill made this year.  And that means everything.

 

 

Fresh Pear Bread

Fresh Pear Bread

Every December, we receive a Harry & David  gift box of pears, cheese, and nuts from a thoughtful family member. This year I felt inspired to bake fresh pear quick bread.  I froze both loaves and plan to share them with friends and family. It does seem like this year our  kitchen counter lacks the usual abundance of holiday sweets and treats, which is a good thing as my rounder Covid body does not need more rounding.  

The holiday cards  continue to arrive with various seasonal greetings but my favorite one so far is Good Riddance 2020.  Now what to do with the nuts and cheese?

 

Latkes

As all holidays this year, Hanukkah felt  very different. Luckily as compensation, my latkes turned out unusually tasty for our crowd of two.  I offered three latkes with a side of apple sauce and sour cream to my neighbor. She offered me gingerbread.  Several people asked about the secret to well made latkes:  After grating the onion and potato, drain the mixture in a covered colander for 10 minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients and fry.  I prefer the classic version of latkes and make them the same way every year.  They can be perceived as a lot of work. Some people don't enjoy the pervasive smell of latkes in the home for  days after. I find the smell comforting. When a rabbi I follow told us she prefers tater tots, I just  laughed. How many tater tots would equal a latke anyway?  Trader Joe's sells frozen latkes which are not bad.  But I will stick to my traditional home made latkes and hope that next year I can feed a crowd.

Behold!

 Behold my new red leather recliner! Isn't it beautiful?  It serves as world headquarters for Say It In French Language School and is super comfy.  I ordered it back in July, and it finally arrived a few weeks ago.  I never envisioned buying a recliner for myself but with the ongoing pandemic keeping me at home,  my envy of Bill's  old faithful recliner grew. Unwilling to share, Bill would give me the stink eye if he ever found me in his special chair. Time to  get my own recliner!  As a bonus, my recliner faces  the window and with enough imagination, one could imagine oneself on vacation as the sun sets among the trees.  What have you done to make yourself more comfortable at home this year?

To Go or Not to Go? That is the Question.

 

Above, Daniel Zawacki, a volunteer for the Hong Kong Holocaust and Tolerance Center, congratulates Eva Schloss, the step sister of Anne Frank, after her  January 2020 talk about surviving  Auschwitz.

Our younger son Daniel still living and working in Hong Kong spent the last couple of months trying to decide if he should come home for the holidays. Things heated up this week as the deadline for deciding approached.  One can leave Hong Kong and one can return, but the return looks like fourteen days of surveyed quarantining in an approved hotel. No options.

Daniel and I went back and forth as we do. The pros, the cons. The risks, the fears. We analyzed the situation from every angle.  We shed a few tears.  Finally, it was the Quarantining that put the nail in the coffin.  Too brutal!

Daniel apologized to me. Regretfully, he would not be coming home this year. I understood completely. To go or not to go is the painful question for all travelers in 2020, and especially painful between mother and son. Hopefully, next year at some point the answer will be a joyful affirmative so that  mother and son will be reunited. Fingers crossed.

Catching Up and Down

Le Jardin du Luxembourg

I left France  with a heavy heart on November 4 after spending two soul numbing days of lockdown in Paris.  At the Hotel du Parc where I  faithfully stay every year, the anxious owner burst into tears overcome with fear about the future of her family's hotel business. I was actually the only guest at the hotel. What a strange and eerie couple of days!  By day, I walked for exercise in the practically deserted Jardin du Luxembourg. By night I wandered the streets unsure of which restaurants even did take out and ending up for the upteenth time at the grocery of the nearest Monoprix.  We needed an "attestation paper" proving that all outdoor excursions met the approved criteria. The atmosphere felt sad and dark, literally dark because the street lamps did not work around the hotel. My imagination flew to a war time Paris under occupation. By the time, I left Paris, I felt  truly sick to my stomach. 

So empty

So beautiful

So elegant

After 24 days at home, I still can't shake that eerie haunted feeling every time I think about Paris. Fortunately, the weeks spent in Monflanquin before lockdown felt light hearted  and fun. I caught up with dear friends, made new ones, and got to experience the seasonal delights of hiking in autumn in France.  It is good now to be back with Bill and Maggy in the United States even as we experience new restrictions.