The Countdown Begins

The countdown to my daughter's leaving has begun!  This will be her last week at home before she returns to the Bay Area.

Yesterday (Sunday), we went to the store to pick up the carry-on suitcase she ordered, along with a couple of household items I wanted (a roll of duct tape and a package of permanent markers for labeling items).  Pick up was curbside, so we didn't have to go inside the store.

Then, we drove to our favorite Thai food place to pick up the food we had ordered to go - chicken Thai green curry, the seafood special, and beef fried rice (which we requested without tomato).  We also picked up an order of shrimp panang curry (served over steamed rice) to take to friend R; we had invited her to have lunch with us, but, she declined due to Covid precautions, so we took her lunch to her!  She was very happy to come down from her apartment to the car to pick up her lunch and several 3-ring binders I had kept aside to give her.  After we dropped off her lunch, we came home and enjoyed our lunch:

Sunday Lunch: Thai Food

We bought extra, on purpose, to enjoy over the next few days. 

After lunch, we decided to order some "patties" (pastries that are similar to empanadas) and vatalappan (a pudding made with coconut milk, jaggery, and eggs, also spelled watalappan) from one of the Sri Lankan restaurants.  I called them and they said they were closing at 5:00 p.m. since it was Sunday.  It was almost 4:30 p.m. when I called and I wasn't sure if I could get there before they closed.  "No problem," I was told, "if you can get here before 6:00 p.m., we will stay open for pick up".  So, we placed the order and we got there by 5:05 p.m.!  LOL.  We were lucky as it was a Sunday evening and traffic was fairly light.  They had our order almost ready, the last of the patties (I ordered ones with a fish filling) were just being taking out of the deep fryer when we got there!  The place is run by a husband and wife team and we were the only customers in the restaurant at the time.  

Fish Patties

Vatalappan (forgot to take a photo before we ate!)

By the way, this month's eating out budget has been completely blown!  I am blessed that I can do this from time to time.  

Then, since we were just 3 or 4 blocks away from the Sri Lankan store, we decided to make an unscheduled stop, there, too!  Without preordering anything for curbside pickup!  It was the first time since the pandemic started, that I went inside a store (masked, of course) without any prior reason for going in (such as getting vaccinated)!  It was my first in-person grocery shopping trip!  It is a small store.  There was one other customer there when we went in, plus the cashier (and another store clerk in a back room, as I noticed, later), all of us wearing masks.  While we were there, another customer came in, without a mask, disregarding the store's posted masking requirements, but, she was in the store for only a short time.

Daughter and I took our time finding various items we wanted to buy.  We called friend R to ask if she needed anything and she was very reluctant to say what she wanted because she knows I won't let her pay me back, but, eventually, she mentioned a few items and I bought those items, too.  

The unmasked customer went ahead of us to pay for her items and then daughter and I put our overflowing shopping baskets on the counter.  It was then that I noticed the other customer standing a bit to the side (but, without any shopping items with him); I wasn't sure if he was waiting to ask the store clerk a question or what, but, I asked him if he wanted to go ahead of me but, he declined (apparently, his basket of shopping was near the cashier's counter, on the other side).  He looked to be of Sri Lankan descent, but, I spoke to him in English and he replied in English with an Australian accent.  He asked me what I was going to make and I replied, "Love cake" and he told me that he, too, was buying the ingredients to make love cake, for the first time, using his paternal grandmother's recipe.  I wished him luck because you need a bit of luck when you make this particular cake for the first time.  Then, I paid for my groceries and left.

  

Sri Lankan Store Haul

Cookies/biscuits, my favorite tea bags, snacks, bottles of rose essence and almond essence, a 4 lb. bag of red lentils, jaggery, palm sugar, seeni sambol mix, chili sauce, packets of cinnamon sticks, coriander seeds, and cashews, and, not shown, slices of frozen seer fish, packets of frozen green chili parathas, dates, and golden raisins.  This is the one store where I buy what I want without worrying about the prices (although, the red lentils, at $1.49/lb., were cheaper than at the supermarket, where I pay $2.29/lb. and it is not always available).   I spent most of this month's grocery budget on this trip (the total came to $153.58), but, I am not going to worry about it!  A trip to the Sri Lankan store is a treat! LOL.  Some of the items I bought are for my daughter to take back with her and some are for friend R.  

We dropped off friend R's groceries and came home to have patties with our tea, followed by vatalappan!  LOL.

Later, my daughter did a trial packing to try out her new carry-on suitcase, which is a bit smaller than her old carry-on suitcase, which she didn't bring down with her.  Her work files (actual paper files, not computer files), took up over half of the suitcase, leaving her very little room to pack her essential clothing items that she needs to take back with her and almost no room for the Sri Lankan treats, other than a jar of curry powder!  She'll gain just a little more space once she vacuum seals her clothes, but, still, we were both disappointed as she would have to leave behind all the food items I wanted to send up with her.  

After some discussion, it was decided that she would take her big suitcase, after all, and it can go as checked baggage.  That would not be a problem.  How she would manage the big suitcase (as well as her heavy backpack) in the subway and the bus she would have to take to get from the airport to her apartment was another matter.  She thought she would be able to manage it; I wasn't so sure.  Finally, I asked her to text her friend P to ask if P could pick her up from the airport (he lives in another city that is about 26 miles from the airport) and drive her to her apartment (located in yet another city, about 10 miles or so from the airport).  Not only did P agree to pick her up at that end, he asked her if she needed a ride to the airport at this end, saying he could ask his parents to take her if the airport would be too crowded an area for me to drive her!  He really is a kind and considerate friend (they've been friends since 4th grade).  

We debated whether to return the carry-on suitcase, but, decided to keep it for me to use as an emergency case as it will be easy to pull instead of carrying.     

After snacking on leftovers for dinner, I ran the dishwasher.  Aunt C called and we chatted a bit and afterwards, I chatted with friend R.

Today (Monday), I did the usual Monday cleaning - dusted the living room and dining area, cut fresh flowers (more roses) for the vases, put away the washed dishes, cleaned the fridge, etc., and, later, took the trash cans to the curb.  I scheduled a blood test for next week in preparation for my upcoming doctor's appointment, spoke with Aunt C, again and cousin R, video chatted with Aunt S, who is my step-father's younger sister who is 92 (she had sent me a message that their oldest sister passed away just a few days short of her 99th birthday), and, later in the evening, watched the first half of Fiddler on the Roof with my daughter (one of the videos I have in my collection).  We had assorted leftovers for meals, but, I took out some chicken to thaw because my daughter has requested my chicken curry for dinner one day this week, before she leaves.  We also ordered a couple of items, including more kitty litter, to be delivered before she leaves so she can stack the containers within easy reach for me as they are now too heavy for me to carry.  

I am grateful for:

- Daughter's friend P will pick her up from the airport and take her to her apartment
- Being able to treat ourselves to Thai food and Sri Lankan treats
- Having a Sri Lankan store and restaurant within 20 miles of us
- The store being fully stocked
- A safe drive there and back

Joyful activities have included enjoying treats and favorite meals and watching a video with daughter.

Sunday's Decluttering:

6 x 3-ring binders

Monday's Decluttering:

4 plastic cases that video games came in
1 plastic zippered case that bed linen came in

Plans for tomorrow (Tuesday) include tidying up the family room, organizing the kitchen cabinets, and maybe putting gas to the car.

How was your day?  What are your plans for Tuesday?