Mixed

 It doesn't sound exactly like rain falling outside...a little more clicks, not so gentle and calming. They call it mixed precipitation--it's not sleet, or freezing rain--we'll probably have those a little later today. When I was out, there were some small specks of snow mixed in with a good amount of rain--too cold for a raincoat, too wet for a parka. On the ground, there were deep puddles from the rain and the melting snow, but in places there was a texture to the wet, not yet slippery/dangerous, but suggesting of things to come. I'm not going anywhere today. Neither is T. School is cancelled and she will sleep most of the day. The thing she would like to do--drive to another state to see her friends--is not going to happen because no one should be driving today, least of all someone who just got her license a year ago and didn't grow up with snow and ice. Fortunately, she knows it and agrees. Maybe she will go tomorrow, but I think it will probably be sheet ice by then, also not good for driving. I suggested she had plenty of time for cleaning the house...but she is thinking more along the lines of a craft project. Hmm. 

Ray is at work--it's peak season for tax preparers. He walked and the dog and I walked part of the way with him. That's how I know it's not fit for walking either, but safer than driving. The temperature is supposed to fall all day, so it will be colder by the time he comes home. I can't imagine going to the tax office today, but I have known people to do it. 

I may have overdone a bit yesterday, so today will be good for recuperating. A warm bath, a yoga class, maybe some cookies or soup-making. A lot of sitting inside. It's not really cold inside yet. If I plan it right, I can fire up the oven late in the day to keep it that way. Although I have found, it doesn't pay for me to plan to do much late in the day. I tend to lose my energy by then. 

Yesterday was volunteer day. I spent a couple hours, like most Thursdays, at the Beverly Bootstraps food pantry. This is not hard work. I look people up in the computer and have them sign in. I ask if they want laundry detergent or toilet paper and check the boxes if they say yes (unless we don't have any, which happens sometimes). I have my mask on and so do they, mostly. Some people seem to think covering their mouth is enough, or the mask doesn't fit right. If I do get COVID, this will probably be where I got it. Some people are "shopping" for big families or they are single Moms with one child, but there are a good number of older adults, in singles and couples. Sometimes I learn a little of their stories. Perhaps they may have made poor choices earlier in life, but mostly, they have had bad luck. It makes me feel like our society is a failure. People should not have to come begging for food, thanking us profusely, praising God for the food pantry that keeps them alive. Some people are angry--I think that would be me. How did this happen to me? This is not how life was supposed to be...why don't you have the kind of bread I like? Most people are appreciative and happy with the food they get. They can come once a week. There are always fresh potatoes and carrots and apples and many other kinds of produce. There are canned veggies and beans and bags of rice and pasta. They can get meat, but there is not a lot of choice, milk, eggs and cheese. Some people have allergies or picky children. We help when we can. 

I work with Lisa and Terry and Adrianna and Don and Beth and Rich. There is some paid staff, but most are volunteers. We chat among ourselves sometimes when it's not crowded. Only 4 shoppers allowed at a time--for COVID safety. It can seem pretty crowded even so. I am on checkin, Lisa is on check out, Adrianna gives out the meat and other things. The rest are constantly restocking. As donations come in out back, they are weighed and entered into the system. Someone, I'm sure, writes thank-yous and arranges pickups. Someone makes sure there are enough volunteers for all the jobs all the shifts. 

At twelve, I went home and had my lunch, grateful for my home and the food I carelessly choose. I try hard not to ever waste any of it and to plan tasty healthy meals for the three of us. I sometimes wish I were feeding more people and I give away some cookies to neighbors and relatives. One neighbor works in the city at the hospital. She had COVID not long ago, after making it two years. She was not very sick, but not ready to go back to work when she tested negative and they needed her to come in. I shared some food with her. My sister-in-law works with very young children. She finally got it last month. Because she is older (my age) and has asthma, she was able to get monoclonal antibodies. She mainly felt like she had a bad cold. You can imagine she doesn't get paid a lot to work with one- and two-year-olds. And of course they are not vaccinated or masked. And you can't really stay six feet away from them. Are there parents supposed to send them to school when they are coughing and have runny noses? No. Do they? Of course. Otherwise, they can't go to work. 

My next assignment was an interview with a young woman who hopes to attend Middlebury College. As an alumna, I have the opportunity to talk to these young, smart people. It is of course a great pleasure. Most of them have lots of interests and skills (and privilege). They are lucid and creative and caring. This one has already been to France for a month (in 9th grade) and to Beijing (the fall before the pandemic)! I was a little jealous. I wish I could go to that campus again and meet all those energetic young people with their lives ahead of them. The hard part of that job is writing up my conversation and making a recommendation to the Admissions office. They are all outstanding! 

Later in the day, I went to Salem, to the Hawthorne Hotel. We belong to a food coop/CSA. Most of the food is distributed weekly in the summer, but this was an additional February share for those who wanted to opt in. Of course, I did! More potatoes, apples, spinach and so much more. Cheeses! All locally grown or made. I went to help with the setting up and sorting and weighing. Mainly, I greeted people, had them sign in and told them about what was available and how to follow the system. Weigh out 2 pounds of red onions, 1 of shallots, take one butternut squash...I really like it. Pretty interesting to compare the two groups of people picking up food in the morning and the afternoon. So much work in either case. Work that is not done by large organizations, with the costs passed along to the consumers. The local food may cost more sometimes (eggs $7/pound), but we are supporting and helping grow a network of farmers and producers that need consumers. 

I loaded my three boxes of goodies into my car and drove home. It was dark and misty, not my favorite driving conditions, but I did not have far to go. I left the heavy boxes in the car, but took some potatoes out for dinner. Steak, yellow beans, and baked potatoes. Oh, it was good. 

Ray had ended up working until after 6 and Tamara even later. We were all happy to eat, watch a little TV, and go to bed. We saw the Mandalorian and Brooklyn Nine Nine this time. 

One of the things I love about my evenings, especially in winter, is knitting. I mostly knit while I'm watching TV. It keeps me from biting my nails and calms me down. I feel like I'm doing something useful. Sometimes it is pretty rote. Knit a row, purl a row. At the moment, I am working on a project for myself, although I often knit for others. Molli has so many sweaters I've made her she can't really wear them all. This is a striped coat, a long sweater that I think of for fall and spring. It is challenging because I am using the stripe pattern from one project, but the construction method from another. Knitting is something I do for the process not the product. Some of my "products" aren't anything I would wear. Ray has a vest I made him, with many mistakes. He wears it at home, because it is warm. I have gotten a little more creative, using up the ends of yarn to make multi-colored projects: a snake for D., a baby blanket to put away for someone. Part of the fun is choosing something to make and deciding on the colors I will use. When I go to Durham, I will get more yarn to use in future projects. I have many hats, scarves, and mittens, but I will think about making some warmer mittens with heavier yarn next. 

It is also what I like about cooking...I can spend hours looking through cookbooks. Today I will have leftover steak for lunch, with potatoes and vegetables. So I will choose something for dinner that is not beef or potatoes. Maybe chicken or fish with rice. I try to limit pasta to once a week--we would all eat it more often than that, but don't think it's healthy.