Out of Quarantine!

We have completed our two week quarantine required here at Vantage Point after we visited family in Buffalo in June.  I"m glad I was gone for two weeks there rather than the originally planned 4 days.  The quarantine would have been brutal without having a longer time with granddaughter.

Counting down the days now until our move to New Hampshire on July 15th!  Lots of little tasks to do to prepare for packers on the 14th and then movers on the 15th.

Here's a funny someone sent me.

Postscript - While in quarantine I did a lot of reading.  I just updated my sidebar listing.  Looking for something good to read look at #s 37, 38 & 40.  Others were so so.

From the Files

I was reminded on Wednesday of a vacation Dan and I took in 2014 as I was walking around Lake Kittamaqundi here in Columbia.  It was Senior Fitness Day and our Fitness director had organized social distant activities for us one of which was the walk.

In 2014 Dan and I did a walking vacation through the Cotswolds in England.  Our luggage was transported from inn to inn and we walked.  We averaged 8-10 miles a day, stopping along the way to visit towns, churches, and pubs.  We had marvelous weather - no rain.  

I have written about this trip many times. Just go to the label "Cotswolds" in the sidebar and you'll come up with some of those posts.  Here's the first one that described our first walking day.

But in remembering the trip let me post some random photos here today.

It's good to have memories during this time of no travel.

Some More to Make You Laugh

A friend does a great job collecting funnies and emails them out.  Here are a few of her gems.

Pandemic Baking

I've joined the pandemic baking club.  Last week it was oatmeal almond chocolate chunk cookies, most of which I gave to two friends who were celebrating birthdays.  The rest we polished off pretty fast.  And sorry, no photos taken, but if you want the recipe I'll share it another time.

Yesterday I made oatmeal scones with almond and cranberries.  Notice a pattern?  Yes, we prefer almond extract to vanilla and its combination with oatmeal is perfect.

We each had one warm from the oven slathered with butter, served on the balcony with a cup of Larkin's Special Blend tea.  

The rest went in the freezer to be thawed one at a time in the microwave so they will be warm when eaten.

Here's the recipe I found on Pinterest and modified. It came from Joy of Cooking originally, but my edition didn't include it maybe because its 40 years old or more.

Oatmeal Almond Cranberry Scones

preheat oven 450º

Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Stir together in mixing bowl:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Add:

1 1/4 cups oats (not Quick oats)

1/2 cup dried cranberries (I didn't have raisins but cranberries were better anyway)

In separate bowl mix:

1 egg

10 tablespoons butter melted (mine was hot from microwave so egg started to cook!)

1/3 cup milk (I used skim)

1/2 teaspoon almond extract (may have been a bit more!)

Add wet to dry mixture stirring just until moistened.  Transfer to floured surface to shape into a circle about 3/4 inch thick and 8 inches in diameter.  Cut into wedges and transfer to baking sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly brown.

Enjoy!

Larkin's Special Blend tea can be found here at the Larkin Tea Company.

These are my first ever scones from scratch.  The others I've made from mixes.  These were so easy and so fast to make and so delicious.  Why did I wait so long?

More Humor from the Plague Months

I'm the editor of the newsletter here at Vantage Point.  Residents send me submissions and I decide what to include.  These were some I received  from Vickie and Marilyn, prolific contributors.

A Must Read

For those concerned about how they might catch Covid-19 here's a very informative article by someone who knows of what they write.

The Risks - Know Them - Avoid Them

For the near future, what I take from this is no in person gatherings of any length like church services, restaurant meals, parties, family gatherings from far and wide.  For those contemplating returning to work in the office, not a good idea.

I have to wonder what will happen when we move at the end of July?  I woke this morning realizing there was no way we could make the drive in one day since we won't depart here until after the truck is loaded with our things.  We have to arrive at the rental office for the keys when it's open.  I think we will have an overnight in a hotel half way there.  There are several we have used in the past when we've left late but I think we'd avoid any in Connecticut and opt for PA at the NY line.

We also want to make a trip to Buffalo at the end of June.  Daughter and family have purchased a new home and we have some things to give them plus we want to see it.  I mentioned to Dan yesterday that if we do that we may face a two week quarantine once we return here to Vantage Point.  And that's a real quarantine - no leaving apartment at all for that time.  Restrictions for retirement communities are definitely stricter.

65 days to the move!

So you may be asking, what's with the roses?

On Saturday we took a quick trip to Whole Foods for much needed supplies: milk, lettuce, coffee, and tea.  While waiting on the marked spots at the proper social distance, the line to the check out took us passed a display of roses.  I told Dan I wanted to buy myself some roses for Mother's Day.  So I did.

These are lovely but yesterday I got to thinking how did these roses grow with such long stems?  I've never seen a rose plant do that.  Today I noticed that some of these buds will likely never open.  The buds will bend and droop as so many of these long stemmed roses do. Take a look back at the photos and you'll see what I mean.

Then look at the bud above and how many petals are in there that will never see the light of day.

My daughter asked who sent the roses and I told her.  She was going to order some flowers for me but didn't know if they'd be delivered.  They would have.  There were mountains of flowers in the vestibule of our lobby yesterday afternoon.

Social Distancing

Trend today on blogs is to show social distancing.  Here's a photo my daughter took and posted on her instagram account.

Even the play figures know how to social distance.

Children are learning the protocols well.

BIG NEWS

We are moving!

Ever since daughter Sarah moved away from here last summer I have raised the issue of moving closer to either one of the two daughters.

With the forced isolation of the pandemic that distance has become greater.  Dan came around to feeling as I did and we made the decision.

We considered the two states: New York and New Hampshire and the latter won out as being friendlier for retirees.

We've given our 90 days notice to Vantage Point and will be moving to an apartment at the end of July in Lebanon, NH close to daughter Emily and family who lives 20 minutes south of there.

It's a one year lease as we decide whether to purchase a house or return to living in a retirement community but with NH as our new home state.

This list is long of what we have to do before July 31st but no downsizing to speak of so that's a relief.

It's amazing to think we've done this all online: finding an apartment, touring apartment, leasing apartment, and even getting a moving estimate by providing a video of our rooms.

Scene above is from our balcony yesterday on a rare blue sky day.  Other photos are of a peony blooming across the street in the garden of a church.  The peony had the fragrance of a rose.

I'll keep you posted on the unraveling of our life here in Maryland.  We've been here since 1974 and have lived in 5 different places.  Moving, not unfamiliar to us, but New Hampshire will be a new adventure. Fortunately we have been traveling to that area since 1999 when we took Emily to Dartmouth to start her freshman year. She never came back to Maryland and has made her life there.  Sarah also attended Dartmouth, but she was our world traveler who came back, made a home in the Washington area for a time but now Buffalo is home. 

We have been making the trip up to NH for 21 years! It will be good to go there to stay.

Thursday Already!

Last day of April. Will May be any better?

Wednesday we had a nice day to go out into the woods.  Didn't pass any other walkers the entire time we were out.  This was a good thing because walking closer to home on the paved paths are lots of others with the same intent to get fresh air. One gets a crowded uncomfortable feeling and social distancing is not happening.  We gave up that day but yesterday was good.

A few photos only because got the low battery message and turned off the phone.

This is the patch of woods we've walked in now three times.  The parking lot is closed but there's parking on the road.

Redbuds are done and dogwood have taken on the show.

Jack in the Pulpit were prolific.

We wore rain jackets because the weather map showed showers moving through.  It got too warm to have them on in the sun.

Skunk cabbage looks like tobacco growing now.

Last photo: another Jack in the pulpit.

*****

Last Sunday I finished this puzzle.  9 pieces missing from it and one piece from another puzzle. No more puzzles for a while.  I've done all the interesting ones in the cabinet drawers in the lobby.