A Ride to Old Town Alexandria

It was an odd morning. My husband had to get blood drawn so the usual walk schedule was interrupted. Since it was boiling hot the option was to take a ride to Old Town Alexandria. Since we walk every day we could afford to skip it this once. So we drove off down the George Washington memorial parkway along the Potomac River, passing by DC, and on to Mount Vernon, then turned around and checked out Alexandria. It’s been quite a while since we were last there. We miss the couple of restaurants we frequented and decided against pick up because it’s such a hassle to disinfect all the containers. Everything looks worn down and empty - the weeds are winning by overtaking the streets - but the hydrangea trees are in full bloom. The charming architecture remains. King Street is blocked off by the waterfront area so the restaurants can put out a few tables for diners. There weren’t a lot of takers in the 90 degree heat. There looked to be a wedding ceremony or at least a photographer getting engagement or wedding photos in front of the Carlyle house. Most people are wearing masks. The town square was eerily quiet except for the water fountain flowing. This atmosphere is starting to take its toll on a lot of people in a lot of different ways. Nothing looks the same and probably never will again. 

Star Pack Home Ultimate Silicone Turner

The black spatula got fried on the gas range. It blended in to the black background stove top and that was it. So I thought a non black spatula might help avoid that mess in the future. I looked around a bit and found a great looking turquoise utensil, but when it arrived it was much larger that I thought. My husband has been using it, but was complaining that it was too large for most of the things he uses it for. So I went back to the drawing board and found another one that was just about three inches wide and also turquoise from Star Pack Home. It seemed to be a better size and it also worked better for the task at hand. He makes a great omelette. My husband does most of the cooking - without recipes for the most part. So when he says he needs a kitchen tool I don’t hesitate to get it. It’s not that often. So now we have two new spatulas that hopefully will last a while. It’s the small things that matter these days. Christmas in July! 

Vida Face Masks

They were one of the first face masks that we ordered. Vida masks were two layer, cotton, adjustable straps, and came with a filter. We got two - a black one for my husband and a green one for me. Since we walk every morning and wear a mask every time we leave the house, we now have an assortment of Caraa, Denali, surgical blue, and KN95 masks. The activity dictates the type of mask we wear. KN95’s are worn for doctor visits or car appointments; surgical masks in the common areas of our condo; cloth masks with filters for morning walks. After the walk the masks go in a paper bag until washing them in bulk every two weeks. In order to stretch the wash days out, we got four more Vida masks and they arrived yesterday. My husband likes the most neutral colors, so he got the navy and the green/gray; mine are red and pink. These masks fit nicely in that they have a wire for nose adjustment, and fit snugly on the face. I think we are going to be stuck wearing masks for quite some time and thought cloth/filter was better than disposables. The filters last approximately 20 hours. It would be nice if everyone felt the way we did about being safe. In the end you are pretty much on your own anyway so best be prepared. We don’t have much of a choice at our age. 

Butterflies and Coneflowers

The gardens on Capitol Hill were always filled with butterflies this time of the year. The flowers by the Smithsonian Castle always seemed to attract them the most. Our little patio garden also had its share of them. Not many butterflies make it up to the higher level of our condo in northern Virginia even though we have some balcony flower baskets. But luckily we have a park just a couple of blocks away where a lot of cone flowers bloom. On one of the mornings we passed by the flowers m there were two competing butterflies - a yellow and a blue. They didn’t seem to mind our observing them. I’ve had the luck of coaxing butterflies on to my finger and it is a sight to see. They are very pretty, but even more so when you zoom in to see the wing design up close. It’s such a beautiful painting that would be hard to replicate. Nature continues to thrive in these weird times. Thank goodness we are still able to enjoy it. 

Finger Injury from Balcony Door

I know a lot about finger injuries. Every finger and thumb on my left hand was either broken by a football, smashed in a car door, or literally torn up in a snow blower. It is so painful it’s hard to describe. Obviously the snowblower accident required surgery - a pin and stitches and broken bones with months of physical therapy. We have a very heavy balcony door that is not hanging straight. It requires a good amount of effort to open and close it because it “sticks” on two metal pieces. It just so happens that contractors will be here this afternoon to adjust it as part of a new house warranty work, along with a couple other things. Just this week I was telling my husband to be sure to close the door by the handle using your left hand. Wouldn’t you know yesterday his right index finger was caught in the door. Out came the ice and orders to sit still with his arm elevated for at least twenty minutes. I found my old finger splints, tape, gauze and band aids as I wasn’t sure about the extent of the injury. I’m not good at looking at injuries anymore even though I’m a registered nurse. I liked taking care of patients that were already bandages up, so that ruled out the emergency room. My husband, being a surgeon, always downplays the magnitude of his injuries which luckily have been few and far in between. In the end he’s only wearing a bandaid. I know I would have been taking at least some aspirin and guarding the finger with a splint. His pain tolerance must be unbelievable. I only hope it doesn’t cause any problems down the line. That darn door! 

El Tio Delivery and Tortilla Coast Closed

When we lived on Capitol Hill we frequented Tortilla Coast. It was a great Mexican restaurant hardly a block away from our house and was always packed. Sadly, it closed this month after so many years. We drove by it last week and it was indeed empty. I passed by it going to and coming home from work for ten years. Since moving to northern Virginia last year we haven’t found anything quite the same. Once in a while we still like to have Mexican food. My husband makes great fajitas, but it’s not the same. We noticed El Tio in the neighborhood - my husband said he wouldn’t ever dine there but was willing to try delivery. So we finally tried it yesterday and we weren’t disappointed. We ordered vegetable soup (instead of chicken tortilla soup), fish tacos, shredded chicken burrito, and a shrimp appetizer. Of course it arrived with chips and salsa and sides of beans and rice. The delivery was right on time and left at the door. We usually order enough for at least two meals to make it worth the effort of unpacking everything. But before we got the dinner we made strawberry margaritas from our Cayman Jack supply, frozen strawberries and a few ice cubes in the blender. After four tries at this it was probably the best effort. All in all we were very happy with the dinner. Hopefully the restaurant will survive this mess.