Trading places

In twenty days and counting, I will be officially retired. To celebrate this milestone, Daniel and I have traded places. He has unretired and is now a rural mail carrier. As usual, timing is everything, and this is not the best time to start on the rural route. Snow, icy roads, obstructed vision, and a new car with steering on the right (not correct) side have made this a challenge he probably didn’t anticipate his first week on the job. Be assured, he is strong, stubborn and a hard worker, so I’m sure everyone will receive their mail.

Unfortunately for Daniel (and me), I’ve been cooking dinner. Again, timing has not been on our side. Last Wednesday, before the storm and after my tennis game, I ran to the grocery store to do some speed shopping and stock up. Of course, the combination of whirlwind shopping and my propensity for compulsive buying was not a good combination.

I wanted to be sure and buy some fish, so I threw a package of “fresh” salmon into the cart. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as fresh as the box led me to believe, and when I opened it that evening, it didn’t pass the smell test and went into the garbage.

I did stock up on bagels and bread, my two staples, and, of course, fruit. Our fruit basket looks like we have an orchard in our backyard. I am confident there will be no scurvy in the future.

I also tried to buy some things that I considered foolproof to prepare, which was hubris on my part. Lately, nothing is foolproof when I cook. On Daniel’s first day on the route, I used my go-to recipe for chicken pot pies. I’m not sure what happened, but the filling was too liquid. Daniel came home, looked at the filling mixture, and said, “Boil water; we’ll have it over pasta.” Barely edible and not to be repeated.

I bought lamb shanks to braise, but forgot to buy carrots, which required braving a sub-zero walk to the Waitsburg grocery store. Another speed shopping excursion, and of course, I forgot I needed potatoes. I went back the next day.

Feeling the agony of kitchen humiliation, I decided to try and build my confidence with a package of brownie mix. Add oil, water, and eggs. How hard could that be? Thankfully, it was not difficult, though Daniel made some suggestions for improvement. I thought about making a suggestion but decided to buy a ready-made dessert next time.

Today, I roasted a turkey breast, which looks good, but the taste test is still to come. At a minimum, it can be sliced for turkey sandwiches. We have plenty of mayonnaise in the house, but a freezing walk to the shop for tomatoes and lettuce may be in my future.

The count to date is three walks in sub-zero weather for groceries and at least fifteen walks a day with Mugsy, who stands, shivers, and won’t move. I know his bladder must be bursting, but even withholding treats has not encouraged him to lift his leg. However, I’ve become very expert at getting in and out of my boots and coat, trying to get him to go outside.

There is some good news to report: so far, there are no frozen pipes. The heat is cranked up, and our water is not weeping but running from every faucet in the house. Every 30 minutes, I check all water sources to ensure they’re still working. So far, so good.

I’m looking forward to Spring.