Since being off work due to Covid-19, it seems like the days are all the same.
Everyday, I put some thought into this question: What day is this?
Days all run into one. They blend together. Just putting in days until I can go back to work.
Man, if it wasn’t for Survivor on Wednesday nights, I’d have no clue what day of the week it is! Let’s see. I saw Survivor three nights ago, so that tells me in four days Survivor will be on again. Ha ha! Except the Survivor finale is on May 13, 2020, and then what will I do?
Work
I was out of work for awhile and then found a job driving pick up trucks from British Columbia and importing them into Washington. I barely got a few shifts in before the USA and Canada borders were closed to non-essential travel.
That sucks!
Have you tried to find a job these days?
Indeed and Craigslist are places to check job ads, but postings have dropped drastically in the past two months.
Companies with job openings are getting flooded with applications.
The manager of Spud, a grocery home delivery service, was on the news a few weeks ago and said they’d had 10,000 job applications in the past month!
It’s the same story everywhere. So many people out of work and employers are being swamped with job applicants.
I know I’m not alone when I say I’m hopeful there will still be a job for me in a month. Two months? How much longer can I ride this out? I’m hoping my company can weather the downturn in business revenue since the borders closed and are able to bounce back.
A lot of companies aren’t going to reopen their doors. This pandemic has finished them. Some new businesses are wiped out before they barely got started.
I’m hoping on May 20 that Canada will reopen the land border crossings. President Trump wanted to open the land border last month. The problem is Prime Minister Trudeau not wanting to open Canada’s border. Don’t let me get started on that! I just hope we get driving within the month.
Four legs, a head, and a tail
I have two dogs and a horse that need my attention. Usually the mornings are for them. How long that morning lasts depends on whether or not it’s raining! I usually bring my Kindle with me and spend extra time at the farm reading.
Here I am getting Cajun ready for a ride, and then off we go like a herd of turtles! Just thought I’d add that it’s dripping rain off the barn roof. The video quality is not that bad! Ha ha!
Spanish
I’m taking Spanish lessons at Duolingo, where you can learn another language for free. I chose Spanish, because, well, I studied Spanish when I was younger! I learned Spanish in high school and then took Spanish classes at the University of Victoria. Then I spent some time in Madrid and figured out I can not speak Spanish! Or maybe it’s more like I can not understand rapid fire Spanish being spoken to me.
Duolingo put me through a little test first and then dropped me into a lesson plan. I find it mostly easy. It’s like a review of high school Spanish! After a week I got an email saying congratulations you’ve learned 800 new words. Well, no, I disagree. Perhaps I learned five new words. Back in the olden days when I was learning Spanish, computers and cell phones weren’t a thing. Now it’s part of everyday conversation. Computadora. Celular. Easy. Got it!
There’s a female “teacher” who jabbers off something in Spanish and then I have to write what I hear. She’s not easy to understand. Rapid fire Spanish. So I type it how I hear it and it’s almost always wrong. When the man is speaking, at least he’s slower and enunciates his words better.
The lessons are typing in Spanish what I hear, translating a Spanish phrase into English, or an English phrase that I have to write in Spanish.
I don’t know how often it’s going to come up in real life where I need to say in Spanish that Pablo is eating an apple or my sister is a doctor. How about Julia wants to be a waitress? Come on, girl. Have higher aspirations!
When am I going to learn how to say: never hang your underwear on a Spanish balcony?
For a refresher course in Spanish, I can’t beat the price. I spend 20 to 30 minutes a day on lessons to keeps my mind sharp.
So far, there’s nothing in the lesson plan for me to actually speak Spanish. It’s just read, write, listen. Maybe having a conversation will come up later as the lessons progress?
TV
Did I mention TV yet? Ha ha! For me, TV is background noise. Living alone it kind of keeps me company. I’m usually doing something on the computer while the TV is on. Unless I’m watching Survivor! That has my full attention. I stay off the computer on Wednesday until after 9pm so I don’t see a spoiler.
I don’t know that I’m watching any more TV than I used to before the pandemic or spending more time at home. I’m really not turning on the TV during the morning and afternoon.
Gardening
Black thumb here. I’m tending the family heirloom rhubarb in three containers. Two of the containers have scrawny rhubarb. Not sure what that means, other than they were younger offshoot plants from last year, casualties of the transplanting from the ground into pots.
I’ve also started from seeds, zucchini and cucumber. Out of nine zucchini seeds, three have sprouted. Out of six cucumbers, one has poked through the surface.
Baking
I’ve always liked baking. The problem is eating my wares. Most of my baking ends up in the freezer.
That’s the other problem with too much time on my hands. Boredom. Eating out of boredom. I need to keep my weight under control and watch my portions.
Check out these donuts I baked. I call them spice cake donuts only because there’s a bit too much cinnamon in them. But yummy on the chocolate glaze!.
I ate one and saved one to eat the next day. The rest hit the freezer. I’ve eaten one since then. Yay me on willpower!
I tried out this 1932 peanut butter bread from the Five Roses flour cookbook that is recently making a comeback. Five Roses is a Canadian brand of flour.
I’ve cut down on eating bread over the last two years. When I bake bread, I usually do a yeast bread instead of a quick bread, but I decided to give this vintage recipe a shot. This peanut butter bread isn’t too sweet, and not too peanut buttery either.
Though I know the peanut butter is in there because I used crunchy peanut butter and can see the peanuts and crunch down on them when eating a slice. I mostly spread margarine on it and eat. However, I think this bread would do well as a tomato and lettuce sandwich or even a grilled cheese.
Here’s the recipe:
Reading
I’ve always been a big reader. My first reading accomplishment of a “big book” was when I was eight years old. The book was the Hardy Boys It Happened at Midnight. Good going me because the Hardy Boys was marketed for boys aged nine to fourteen.
Being frugal, I keep my eye out for free or cheap Kindle books. I take my Kindle Fire with me to the farm and I’ll sit and read for awhile to spend more time with my horse. And of course my dogs, cause they lie down near me. I also read before I go to sleep. The unfortunate thing is sometimes I really get into a book and it keeps me awake. Sometimes the book is not all that interesting. So why can’t I fall asleep?
And then I’ve been vlogging book reviews!
Cleaning?
Who’s been cleaning like crazy?
Not me!
Many people are going on about how they’re deep cleaning their houses. I’m just not that kind of person. I live alone – no other people spreading germs in my house.
Same deal with my car. I need to clean it. Why can’t I get around to it? Other than a lick and a promise. Life long procrastinator here!
I’m not a clean freak even in normal times. I’m keeping up with daily spritzes in the bathroom and kitchen, because those are areas I’m a part way clean freak on.
The occasional wipe down all fixtures with disinfectant. It’s been about 3 or 4 weeks since I last scrubbed the kitchen floor. Yuck! I need to be more like Nike and just do it!
Instead, I just keep repeating words from the Spanish lessons.
Mañana. Mañana.