Monday, April 18, 2022

Easter Sunday

Easter Dinner


Neighbor S brought me Easter dinner, this afternoon - a type of cabbage slaw/salad,  fried tilapia which her mother made, I believe, rice pilaf, a pastry with spinach (I think) filling, lavash bread, two Easter eggs, and there were cherry tomatoes hidden under the lavash bread that I didn't see until after I took the photo!  Such generous neighbors!   I couldn't finish it all in one sitting; leftovers are in the fridge for another meal (or two).

My daughter left this morning, after her much extended visit home!  I dropped her off at the airport around 10:15 a.m.  There was a bit of a line at the curbside baggage check in, so she decided to go inside to check in and she said there was no line, inside!  She was able to check in her big suitcase without any problem, she said.  The TSA agent was very friendly, she said, and was curious in a friendly way about the jars of curry powder, etc. that she was taking back with her.  She dislikes flying (gets nervous about being in the air), but, the flight itself was smooth, she said, and in any case, it is only one hour long.  She had no trouble collecting her checked in luggage at the other end.  She did have to wait a bit for her friend P to pick her up because there had been a road closure due to an accident, and that caused a delay, but, it was not a long wait.  P had helped her carry her stuff up, including the 2 boxes he had taken up with him for her, earlier, which had been stored in P's garage.  One of those boxes was full of jars of chutney!

She was pleasantly surprised to find that her apartment was in good state for not having been occupied for over a year!  We had been worried that there might be mold growing in the toilet, etc., but, she said there was nothing in the toilet or in the dehumidifier reservoir, no musty smells, nothing spoiled in the fridge, etc. (although she had removed all perishables from the fridge before she left).  She did open the window to air out the place a bit while she put away the frozen food I had sent up with her, and then, she went across the street to the dollar store to buy some groceries for the week.  She said she bought some milk, some salad mixes and a bottle of salad dressing, some bananas and apples, potatoes, mushrooms, and carrots, and a couple of other items.  Her total came to $35 and some cents she said.  She didn't buy eggs, she said, because they were selling for $4.49/doz. and that's more than what I pay for eggs at the grocery store!  She might go to another store, next weekend, to buy eggs and maybe bread.  

Afterwards, she put away her groceries, unpacked some of the other stuff, washed all her bedding including the quilts and remade her bed.  In the middle of all that, her supervisor called to ask for her help with a computer issue!  

After I dropped her off at the airport, I came home and did some laundry, washing all the bedding on daughter's bed.  I remade her bed and put some of the extra blankets and quilts back in the linen closet.  Neighbor T called to ask if daughter left and how I was doing.  Later, friend R called, too.

Later, daughter and I video chatted for a bit and it was just like old times!  LOL.  I think she's finding it a bit strange, being back in her apartment after such a long time.  But, she'll get used to it and Dancer and I will get used to being on our own at this end.   

Today, I am grateful for:

- Daughter had a safe flight back
- Her friend gave her a ride from the airport to her apartment
- The apartment was in good condition after being closed up for over a year
- Neighbor S bringing me Easter dinner
- Modern technology

Today's joyful activity was video chatting with my daughter.

Plans for tomorrow include tidying up the house a bit and more laundry.  I need to get back to actively decluttering, too, since I didn't do much decluttering these past few days. 

How was your Easter Sunday?  What are your plans for Monday?



31 comments:

  1. That's good to know your daughter arrived back safely and all was good in her apartment. That was so thoughtful of your neighbour to bring a delicious meal for you. It's good that you and your daughter are able to chat over the internet, not quite the same as having her at home with you but good you can chat regularly.
    We had a lovely Easter Sunday as the weather was so nice and I cooked us a nice Sunday meal with wine and chocolate of course :)

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    1. Thank you, Eileen; yes, she's safely back in her apartment and all is good! It's cooler and more humid up there than it is down here, and she once had to deal with some mold growing in her bathtub/shower (before we got her a dehumidifier), so we were a bit worried about what she would find when she got back to her apartment. It really brightened my day when my neighbor brought me a meal. It's a blessing to be able to chat online with my daughter.
      I'm glad you had a lovely Easter Sunday, Eileen, with nice weather and a good meal complete with wine and chocolate! I'm sure the Easter Bunny brought Tilly an Easter treat, too. :)

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  2. I'm glad that your daughter had a safe journey and has found her apartment in a better state than expected. Hopefully it won't take her too long to settle back into her routine and pick up the bits of her pre-pandemic life that she wants to take forward with her.

    And you had some yummy treats from S too ... it all looks so good in the photo. It was kind of your friends to call and see how you were doing. I expect it'll take a while to get used to living alone again but at least you were able to video chat with your daughter and check up on each other.

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    1. Thank you, Eileen. We were both relieved her apartment was in a good state! We worried because it tends to be cool and damp, up there.
      It was very kind of S to bring me a meal and for friends to check on me. Today, my sister called to ask how everything is. It felt a bit strange, last night, to know I was alone in the house (apart from Dancer, of course), but, I'll get used to being on my own, again. Being able to video chat in the evening is a real blessing! :)

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  3. I am glad your daughter arrived safely back to her apartment. It was a busy day for her what with traveling and then all she did once she arrived home. The voyeur in me enjoyed hearing what she bought at her Dollar Store lol, so thanks for that update. haha
    How long until she goes back into the office and we can see her weekly food prep again :)
    $4.49 for eggs. Wow. She will definitely get them cheaper.

    I finally realized that Aldi's, in addition to the pickup service charge, charges 10% more on everything you buy. Do your stores do that? I noticed a couple things were higher than the sale price in their flyer but it was random as I don't often buy things that are on sale at Aldi's.
    The other day my husband went in just to get a couple items. It was the first time he had done that in ages. I compared each item as if I was ordering it online and what I suspected was true. It would've been 10% higher if I ordered it as a pickup order.
    The other store I use does not do that. I order their sale items almost exclusively and the prices for pickup are what's in the flyer.

    Such a nice thing for S to do, bringing you some of their Easter dinner. What a nice variety of foods.
    It looks delicious.

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    1. Thank you, Debra. Yes, it was a busy day for her, but, not as busy as it could have been if there had been mold and mildew to deal with!

      Ha, ha, I'm glad you enjoyed reading about her grocery haul. :D I had sent some cooked food and fresh garden produce, too (oranges, lemons, small bags of peapods, broccoli florets, Japanese spinach, and chili peppers), but, she needed a few more things for the week. She said that most items at the dollar store were no longer $1 and most of the shelves with the $1 items were bare! BUT, one of the store clerks had recognized her, mask and all, even after not going into the store since March 2019 and greeted her! LOL. You know you've been a frequent shopper when the store clerks recognize you after a 2 year absence! :D Daughter said she might go to her nearby Trader Joe's, for the eggs, bread, and perhaps a few other things, at the end of the week.

      Oh, how annoying to see that Aldi's charges more on items ordered online! The store I order from, (called Ralph's, which is a Kroger-affiliated store) don't charge extra. There is a line in their receipt which says "fulfillment charge", but, it has always been $0.

      It was so kind and generous of S to share Easter dinner with me. She and her family are such nice people.
      I hope you have a lovely week ahead of you, Debra. I hope the new snow storm that is supposed to move into the northeast doesn't impact you or your spring garden too much!

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    2. Correction - that should be March 2020, not 2019; although, sometimes, it feels like this pandemic has gone on for longer than that!

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  4. I'm glad that your daughter had a safe trip back. I'm sure all of you will adjust to the new, old arrangement, and thank goodness for video chats.

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    1. Thank you, June; yes, we will adjust and get used to how it used to be. :)

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  5. I'm glad your daughter had a safe trip and found her apartment in good condition. How lovely of your neighbor to bring you Easter dinner! I stayed home,and did some sorting of papers. It was a very quiet weekend. I have a busy week ahead, so it was nice to have a couple of slow days. Celie

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    1. Thank you, Celie. Yes, it was lovely of neighbor S to bring me Easter dinner! She and her family are a blessing! I'm glad you had a quiet weekend before a busy week. Hope the April snowstorm that's headed to the midwest and northeast doesn't cause any damage in your area and won't impact you, too much!

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  6. Has it really been over a year that your daughter was living with you - well time flies doesn't it. It's good that she had help with all her goodies from your friend P & that it didn't take long for her to settle back in to her own place. Egg prices are rising here & I think it's because of the Avian flu hitting several egg farmers.

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    1. Yes, time does fly, doesn't it? It was a blessing to have P help my daughter at the other end. It enabled her to take up all the things she wanted to. She had a lot of work-related items to take back with her, including two office computers - the one she brought down with her and the new one they sent late last year to replace the old one! Yes, I expect egg and poultry prices to go up as a result of the Avian flu. Eggs are $3.49 at the grocery store I use, down here, this week (regular price $3.99).

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  7. That looks like a tasty feast for Easter day! Nice you've had some calls. No doubt the house will feel quiet for a while now, but such a bonus that circumstances meant you and daughter could have so many months together when originally it was only going to be a short visit. How many wonderful memories you have been able to make! How often did daughter usually visit, pre-COVID? Any idea when she might next be able to make the trip? (If it were me, I'd be back as soon as the oranges needed replenishing! Hehehe.)

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    1. It was a lovey meal and I had some of the leftovers for my brunch, today.
      The house does feel very quiet, but, I am glad we were able to spend the last year together! That's the longest we've been together since 2014, when she went up to Berkeley to grad school. She used to visit me about 3 or 4 times for the year (when I was undergoing chemo, she flew down every time I had to go for a treatment; at one point, it was weekly!) We are not sure when her next visit will be. There are a few oranges left on the tree, but, once they are gone, there won't be any oranges until next year! Maybe she'll come down at the end of June to enjoy some peaches. :)

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  8. That is amazing food.

    I'm glad that your daughter had a good flight. It's good that she has you and a safe place to come back to. I hope things are easy for you in the next few days.

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    1. It was delicious food! So far, today, I've had Armenian food for brunch (leftovers from the Easter meal) and will probably have Sri Lankan food for dinner! :D

      Thank you, Lyssa. Yes, she has a safe place to come home to. :) I plan to put the house back to rights this week and there are a couple of medical appointments, as well. I'll be busy! :)

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  9. I'm glad that your daughter arrived safely and found the apartment in good shape. It must have felt strange to her to be back there after such a long time away. How thoughtful of your neighbour to bring over the lovely food. You kept busy, too, when you got back.
    We have been enjoying the visit from our family and DS has been helping with cooking, he prides himself on his mashed potatoes, and this morning he made pancakes for us, which we had with sausages and maple syrup, of course. The "guys" are out working in the yard together and we three women are having a quiet half hour.

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    1. Thank you, Bushlady; yes, she said it felt weird to be back in her apartment after being away for so long! :D
      It was very kind of S to bring me a share of their Easter meal. I enjoyed some of the leftovers for my brunch, today.
      I'm so glad that you are enjoying a visit from your son and family! Pancakes with sausages and pure maple syrup sounds delicious! :)

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  10. Pleased everything went smoothly for your daughter, both of you will feel strange for a bit. I imagine that Dancer will miss her too as he wont have another slave to fuss over him! Lovely friend to have shared their meal, it looks yummy. We have had glorious weather this Easter, managed to get my winter vegetable plants in, now to keep the neighbourhood cats out of the beds!!

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    1. Thank you, Sharon. It does feel strange to be on our own, again, after this year plus of being together. Dancer is definitely missing having daughter around! He walked around the house and checked her room to see if she was there, last night. Poor kitty.
      It was very kind of S to share her family's Easter meal with me. The food was delicious as always.
      Glad you are enjoying some good weather and have been able to plant your winter vegetables. What are you growing this year? I have had to put chicken wire around my vegetable planting beds to keep the cats out! I've read that sticking plastic forks with their tines pointing up around the plants also help, but, haven't tried that!

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    2. Carrots, beetroot, kale, broccoli, bokchoi, silverbeet and spinach, herbs- coriander, rocket and parsley. Caught my neighbours cat Theo lying between the kale plants sunbathing, at least he was careful and didnt flatten them. lol. The forks sound great but you would need a lot!

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    3. Those all sound good! Did you plant seedlings? I planted some carrot seeds and nothing happened! The beetroot I planted were seedlings and they are still growing - haven't harvested any, yet. Too funny about Theo being careful not to flatten out your kale plants! Yes, I guess you'd need to buy several packets of forks!

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  11. I am grateful you had the time together that you had. Maybe at some point in time your daughter can relocate there or you can do the relocating! I am missing our out of town sons terribly right now, but Son1 and family will be here in June. Not sure when Son3 will come here, but we are going there in May, so I will get to see them.

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    1. Thank you, Anne; it was one of the positives to come from this pandemic! Yes, eventually, the plan is for her to relocate (I've threatened to relocate, myself!), but, we don't know yet when that will take place. I'm glad you are planning to visit Son3 in May and Son1 and family will visit you in June. Something nice to look forward to. :)

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  12. Lovely Easter dinner. Glad that your daughter made it back safely. Must seem quite quiet without her. Hopefully you will see her again soon!

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    1. The meal was delicious and I had some of the leftovers today. Thank you, Sharon; yes, she made it back safely and the house does feel very quiet without her.

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  13. So glad to hear that your daughter got home safe and sound and there were no issues at the airport or with the apt. It's going to be strange for both of you for a few days, and then you're right, you'll both get used to being on your own again. Eventually you both can plan another visit. It's nice that you can video chat and good that she's in the same state and not in a different country. I'm sure that gives you peace of mind. Denise

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    1. Thank you, Denise. Yes, her journey back took place without any problems! She's cleaning her apartment, this week (already did the bathroom and fridge), but, we were both relieved that there were no big issues for her to deal with on the first day back! Yes, we are getting used to being on our own, again. If she was in another state, I probably would have sold up and moved there! LOL. Then, again, my mother and I survived being in different countries and in different states at various times so, it's a matter of getting used to these things, isn't it? :)

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  14. I'm glad your daughter arrived home safe and sound and that you've been able to video chat with her already :)
    Have you already planned when she will be back for another (slightly shorter) visit? X

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    1. Thank you, Jules; yes, her journey back was smooth and she had no issues getting to her apartment. We are back on schedule with our daily video chats! No, we haven't planned her next visit home - I don't think it will happen anytime soon! But, we'll enjoy it when it does take place! :D

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