Month: March 2020

Day 11, Tuesday March 24: Malthusianism at Breakfast

Leave it to hubby Scientist Steve to raise the topic of Malthus’ theory during brunch. Had I heard of it/him, he asked. Somehow, I pulled from my hat that it might have something to do with the earth recalibrating itself through disease and pestilence. I was on the right track. In 1798, Reverend Thomas Robert Malthus set forth his theories on over-population and food supply in An Essay on the Principle of Population. Malthus believed that population growth was exponential, whereas food supply linear. Food shortages would occur after great population growth, until war, disease or famine reduced the population to a level that the food supply could sustain. 

Steve and I speculated whether the earth could be seeking, via a worldwide plague, to improve balance between natural resources and the population. It actually gave me some comfort to think that this could be part of a ‘bigger picture’ to set the planet back on a sustainable path.

Madonna, reporting from her bathtub, has called the Coronavirus “the great equalizer.” A reminder that we’re all in this together. If Malthus was on the right track, the earth plays no favorites.

Scientific American Article on Malthus

Forbes Article on Malthus

Day 10, Monday March 23: There’s Beauty in Every Season

The scene outside my window this morning was surreal, albeit beautiful. I took a few photos, and then realized that they appeared to be in black and white but were in fact color (see below). Here in Michigan, we’ve reached that time of year where spring is fighting to gain a foothold, but winter is doing what it can to maintain its ground. I admit, the sight of snow clinging to the trees still takes my breath away for its stark beauty.

Outside on my morning walk, I took in the peaceful quiet, marked by the sound of birds calling out in start of their day. And so, I was reminded of the yin and yang of life on earth. There is beauty in every season: literally and figuratively. This is a hard time for many people, I don’t deny, but I’m also trying to relish the bonuses. Time spent in solitude and reflection, slowing down, and savoring small joys.

Take a moment in your day to express gratitude for whatever good may be coming from these strange times. Let’s also say a blessing for those who are suffering medically, socially or financially.

Day 9, March 22: Success is in the routine

My husband and I are celebrating our 23^rd wedding anniversary today. Yay us! Instead of the trip to Florida we’d planned, a fancy dinner out, or our favorite getaway spot Traverse City, MI, we’ll be here at home. It seems quite fitting, though. A life, and marriage as a part of that, is made in what we do on a routine basis. I found this quote that captures the idea well.

So, today we’ll do the things we’ve done for 23^rd years, and we’ll throw a little spice in the mix as well. We had coffee together and then took a beautiful hike at Lillian Anderson Arboretum. Later today, we’ve a date to dance in the living room, enjoy happy hour, and have an amazing dinner of filet mignon, salad, and pasta with capers and parmesan (grocery was out of potatoes!). To top it off, a pear galette is in the works. Can’t wait.

And of course, we’ll be kind and considerate to each other; I will micro-manage the cooking of grits, but will be forgiven.

Celebrate something soon in your life. Tweak your daily routine and you’ll change your life.

Day 8, Saturday March 21:

I’d like to start out on a somber note today. Please first take a moment to honor and recognize those who are seriously ill and those who are putting their lives a risk to take care of patients and communities. I urge you all to treat this as serious, if you haven’t already. For much of the country, the precautions have felt like overkill because it’s been mostly invisible. But just look to Washington, California, or New York if you want to see what can happen (and is happening). Or worse, Italy and Spain who are 1-2 weeks ahead of us in this pandemic. Those of us in the center of the country should take heed to what is happening on the coasts and realize that extreme measures are needed to minimize the impact. California, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts all ordered its residents to stay at home, and New Jersey ordered the same just minutes ago. Please, listen to these directives. That’s the only way to combat this virus. Take a look at the guidelines from the White House: 15 Days to Slow the Spread. If you’re under 60, please also know that 40% of those sick enough to be in the hospital for coronavirus are between 20-54 years of age; younger folks are not immune to the dangers of this virus.

Here are a few links to interesting news pieces, including graphs comparing US with Italy, and best-case/worst-case modeling for what to expect. Let’s all hope for the best-case but plan for the worst-case.

Vox article with chart comparing US vs. Italy Coronavirus

New York Times a logarithmic graph of the same data

New York Times Opinion piece providing best case/worst case per various experts

Now for the fun stuff! It’s Saturday, so something fitting for the weekend: Homemade pizza? I used some of my sourdough to make a crust. Even without sourdough, crust is pretty easy, especially with a food processor. Here’s one from William Sonoma: Pizza Crust Using Food Processor. Or, here’s a recipe that doesn’t call for yeast: Pizza dough without yeast. Send me your pizza pics!

Day 7, Friday March 20: Reach out to friends

Hard to believe that just last Friday, I was playing in a tennis tournament. Today, I was supposed to be in Florida spending some quality time visiting friends Vicki and Ken. Instead, I’m home in isolation baking, cooking, writing, ordering groceries for pickup in grocery parking lot, and trying to practice a lot of self-care. That’s my ‘whine’ for the day, and I’m ready to move on. I hope you are too. Let’s look forward not back.

Now’s a good time to reach out to friends, relatives, neighbors (but not within 6 feet, please)! I’m not the best at keeping in touch (my friends love me in spite of this), but I’m going to try and start! Reach out to friends and family near and far. Use the phone, message, email, facetime, or Zoom.

Last night, my niece Elizabeth was kind enough to Facetime me so I could visit a bit with her and her family in Louisiana. Today, I made a few phone calls and sent some texts. I’ll try to keep this up in the days to come.

Delicious dinner made by Steve tonight, making use of the bean sprouts I started on Monday: Pad Thai with some frozen shrimp, rice noodles, lots of veggies, and a huge heap of fresh mung bean sprouts. Yum! Here’s the recipe he uses as a blueprint: Pad Thai. Don’t be intimidated though, there are a lot of more simple ones out there and you can make substitutions, too.

And, if you want to start some bean sprouts, they’re really easy and will be great to have on hand in week(s) to come. Good project for the kids too! This looks similar to the bean sprout kit I use: Bean sprout in a plastic take-out box; or, here are directions for in a jar: Sprouts in a Jar.

Day 6 March 19: Perfect a skill

Yes, reading and watching Netflix is great fun, as is walking in the woods and a little baking. But by Day 6 I realized I needed some focus. I have plenty of things I could be doing but am feeling somewhat apathetic about many of them. First in line to clean out the bathroom cabinets? Not me, friend. What I could do today though is work on my craft. In a former life I was a professional bassoonist. In my current life, I play for fun and personal rewards. This still translates into needing to work at it. Plus, sitting down and practicing can have some meditative benefits. Long tones are a form of breath work. Don’t try to figure this one out….its an inside thing only wind players will understand.

What’s your skill or craft? If it can’t be done during a coronavirus ‘staycation,’ maybe its time to learn something new. Got a guitar around the house? There’s never been a better time to start playing it. Paints or crayons? Break them out and create some art. Only your phone? Work on your photography skills. Great Courses is advertising discounts today on their top courses online. Share your ideas, please!

PS:

If you’ve no idea what a bassoon looks like, here’s a cover shot of my husband with his guitar and me with my bassoon from Encore Magazine, 2010.

And, here’s the local orchestra I perform with and our 2019/2020 concert season: Kalamazoo Philharmonia.

Day 5, March 18, 2020: Old Timey

Want to feel good? Trust me on this and do something old timey. I imagine there’s some science here somewhere, but in short, it takes our mind, body and spirit back to times we associate with home, hearth, and haven. Today, I made sourdough bread. I’d originally started my sourdough starter back in the fall and made bread for a few months. On Monday, I pulled my sourdough starter out of hibernation and today I made bread. Does it look and taste like my favorite local bakery’s? No. Was it warm, fresh, and good and made me feel a sense of accomplishment and success? Absolutely.

My starter is taken from Daniel Leader’s Bread Alone cookbook, but there are lots of recipes and videos online if you want to try your hand at it. My bread recipe is taken from the same cookbook, but I’ve incorporated some of the recipes and directions I’ve read online. He also has this recipe for Tourte de Meule available online, which is from his newer bread making cookbook, Living Bread.

Of course, your “old timey” endeavor doesn’t have to be bread, but it does have to take some effort. How about knitting, crocheting, sewing, gardening, planting a new seedling, Any of these would fit the bill, especially if it’s not something you routinely do.

Day 4, March 17, 2020: Celebrate Something

Celebrated St. Patrick’s Day by making Simple Scones with almonds. It’s my go-to scone recipe and you can substitute yogurt for the sour cream. Ok, not the MOST Irish of activities, but boy did we enjoy them. Equally as good were The Lucky Irishman cocktails we enjoyed for our at home happy hour. Unfortunately, no Jameson in house so used his American cousin … Jim Beam. 

My moment of realization came when I took a selfie to send to friends in Florida. Hubby in his tall green hat and me in my  green-flowered tiara like headband. It was a nice gesture and they enjoyed hearing from us, but did I look pathetic! No makeup, no lipstick, my hair all a mess. So bad, there’s no way I’m going to post it here. Got to do something there, my friend, seriously!

Where am I going with this post? It’s nice to mark something special when every day seems weirdly like the day before. A friend aptly pointed out that we’re living Groundhog Day, just like Bill Murray. But back to celebrations….I’m hearing from tennis friends who are celebrating birthdays in their households and are doing a fabulous job of making the day special, even when the circumstances don’t allow for normal celebratory activities. Back to simple times, yes? Birthday cake and family.

What to watch tonight? I read a NY Times article with recommendations on what to stream,  and settled on Giri/Haji (translation is Duty/Shame) on Netflix. Excellent! British series that debuted on Netflix January 2020. Partially in English and partially in Japanese with subtitles. Great acting, script, with a lot of action and human drama. We were riveted then and still are. 

Call out to my nephew Nathan on what would have been his 40^th birthday. Thinking of you Nathan!