Too Many Bananas

I am supposed to eat bananas to keep my potassium level up. Being on blood pressure pills and diuretics for most of my life contributes to the potasssium issue. So I’ve been eating bananas just about every evening for as long as I can remember. Ten days ago my husband and I both tested positive for Covid after four years of being extremely careful. It just doesn’t seem fair to get it now just as we were finally feeling normal about going out and living our lives. Last week we didn’t have the energy or inclination to go to Giant for groceries, so we decided to go back to the pick up option. It wouldn’t be a good idea to walk around the grocery store anyway. It’s so great to still have this option and used this - and the delivery option - many times during the pandemic. The problem was is that I inadvertently ordered five BUNCHES of bananas rather than one bunch that had 5-6 bananas. We didn’t realize it until we unpacked the bags. Thank goodness bananas are cheap! I asked our neighbor if she and her husband liked bananas and she masked up and I stuck my hand through the door with two banana bunches in a bag. That left us with theee bunches. So every day I’ve been having a banana with tea in the early afternoon, but there are still so many left. We are not banana bread makers and we don’t have the ingredients. That just goes to show you that you need to read the fine print. We are so fortunate to have these types of services available. Next time I will be extra careful! 

Dunkin Donut Coffee Refund at Giant

We rarely, if ever, return anything after it is purchased. Yesterday we did our usual grocery shopping at the neighborhood Giant. We always cash in our rewards and also look for on line coupons. When we got to the coffee section my husband usually picks whatever is on sale. So he picked up a large bag of Dunkin Donut coffee thinking it was $5.99. When we got home I always check the receipt to see the overall cost of things. I was surprised to see that the Dunkin Donuts coffee was actually $11.99 - not $5.99. But what made it more confounding was that it was decaffeinated. Neither one of us would drink that in the morning. If it was regular coffee we would have just kept it. But we knew we wouldn’t ever use it - except for a rare evening decaf after dinner if we had guests. And that hasn’t happened in over three years. So we decided to see if we could return it for a refund. And, we forgot to pick up a melon earlier in the day so the return trip would service two purposes. We arrived at the customer service counter with the receipt and the product. The guy was smiling and said we didn’t even need a receipt. He made the refund without a fuss and credited it back to our card. Then we went and picked up a melon and my husband found an Opal apple he wanted to try. I don’t mind doing self check out but haven’t figured out how to process products without scan codes. The lines were kinda long but one of the cashiers who usually looks out for us opened a register to check us out. So it pretty much was an even exchange. I suppose it helps to go to the same place for things and be nice to everyone we see. At least we see it that way. 

Giant Grocery Digital Coupon Savings

During the height of the pandemic we used to order groceries on line and have them delivered to the door. So we used the Giant app to order and schedule the pick up, but also used bonus points that accumulated over time. Now we get emails with coupon savings shown. But I never paid much attention to it thinking that they could only be used for on line ordering. I was wrong. So I investigated how to “clip the coupons” and have the savings placed on our Giant card. All it is is just click on “clip the coupon” and it automatically gets connected to our card and the savings are auto calculated. Since I hadn’t used the option for quite a while, we had a $6.00 points redemption available. Not only that there were three $3.00 off bakery, produce, meat and fish if you spent ten dollars. So I was interested in seeing how this all worked when we went to the grocery store today. Along with a buy one get one free coffee deal we ended up with twenty-nine dollars in savings - something we haven’t seen in a very long time. Since we didn’t use the meat and fish coupon it will be available until July 7. Now I need to diligently check the coupons every week and be sure to clip the items we know we will use but also look out for items we might need in the future. Now I know why my mom was always talking about the buy one get one free. In this current environment it’s foolish not to take advantage of any discount. 

Covid Second Booster at Giant

We both feel like we have been hit by a truck - my husband worse than me. Yesterday we decided to get the second Covid booster vaccine. The reason is simple - we are both over 60, we got our first booster at the end of September, we still have Christmas presents to deliver to central Virginia, and having been in health care all of our careers it was an appropriate thing to do. My husband has received Moderna four times, and I have gotten Pfizer. The last two doses we got at Giant - the first two were at the Virginia Hospital Center for him and the Virginia Community Center for me. We didn’t know how busy the pharmacy would be at Giant, but the wait wasn’t bad because they already had our paperwork from the last time and we had grocery shopping to do anyway. We brought our vaccine cards in. There wasn’t any space left on the front so they had to document the dose on the back. The first thing we noticed was the sore arm. My husband then got the itches around the injection site. But last night was really uncomfortable for both of us. We couldn’t sleep. He had chills and a temp, muscle aches, a little nausea and a racing heart. I had a racing heart and just didn’t feel right. Our walk this morning was cut in half because we are a bit tired! I don’t remember having any of these symptoms the first three times. There must be something about the timing of these boosters. All we care is that they are effective. It would be dreadful to feel worse than this if it could be helped. Now let’s hope the infection rate stays low enough to finally deliver those Christmas presents. 

Flu Shot Time of Year

It’s that time of year again. We have been getting flu shots every year for as long as we can remember. I had to have them for working in health care for thirty years. And when I worked at the Library of Congress, they were offered at work. So it was very convenient. Before we moved to northern Virginia from Capitol Hill we would get my husband’s flu shot at CVS, then Safeway, then Giant. Now we both get them at Giant now that we are both retired. Since both of us are due for booster covid vaccines, we thought it might be better to get the flu vaccine first. And that’s what we did today. We usually go grocery shopping on Thursday, and depending on how long the line was at the pharmacy would dictate if we would get the flu shot today. It was not busy, so we filled in the three page paper work, got a number, did some shopping, saw our number pop up, went back to the pharmacy line that was now getting a bit congested, and headed to the area where the shots were administered. I opted for my right arm today because I like to sleep on my left side. We asked if we needed to make appointments for covid boosters and she said no. She offered to give us the paperwork to fill in before we came in again and we took it. I asked if there was a better time to come - she said earlier in the morning. We know that Pfizer approved boosters for me, but Moderna hasn’t commented yet in my husband’s case. But she said people are coming in regardless. So we will fill in the paperwork and return soon. I think you can get both vaccines at once but I’d rather wait. I’m sure the covid vaccine will eventually be mixed with the flu vaccine and hopefully things may start to resume some normalcy. I’m not holding my breath but am sure wishing it happens sooner than later. Just imagine not having to pay a dime for this convenience. 

Walk in the Park, Foggy Glasses, and Giant Pick Up

After it snowed last week we tried to walk in the park but didn’t stay very long. I’d rather not break my neck on the ice or slip in the mud. This morning it was so much better, but the mud remained. So we stayed on the more habitable paths. What was curious were tiny little snowbird creatures that someone fashioned. I’m sure there were more but I happened to notice only two. One had a beak and a little hat. There is usually some article of lost clothing. This time was a pair of blue gloves stuck in the branches. I wonder if anyone really ever finds their lost gloves or hats again? Of course there are always dog walkers. Every time I see a pooch I am reminded of our beautiful Borzoi Tatiana and the painting I still need to get done for someone before the end of the week. I’m getting really tired of foggy glasses. It makes it very difficult to focus on taking photos, but also it’s very difficult just to see. While we were out walking we got our email notice that the groceries were ready for curbside pick up at Giant. So the morning was full of activity and there is still the bed making and wash to do. It’s the never ending cycle of staying at home these last nine months. You’d never know it was Christmas week. 

Giant Grocery Curbside Pickup

Grocery shopping for us has changed. I never liked grocery shopping anyway. Since March we have been ordering on line to have our groceries delivered to our door rather than go inside a store. Primarily we use the neighbors Giant, but have also tried Instacart. What I like about ordering through the store is that store employees are processing the order rather than any individual who does the shopping which can be hit and miss. This month we decided to try curbside pick up starting with Safeway, last week Harris Teeter, and yesterday Giant. Each place has its positives and negatives. Harris Teeter had covered parking, my favorite angel food cake, and an app that you can request special items and make comments about specificities on items, but paper bags are used where we prefer plastic to reuse. Safeway has outdoor spaces marked, plastic bags, our favorite bread, but once you complete your order you can’t update it if you forgot something. Giant allows you to update your order, is only three blocks away, has outdoor spaces with signage that says no tipping, and paper bags. We had a snafu with Harris Teeter which delayed pickup for 45 minutes, but the attention we got was extremely professional from Simone to fix it. It’s also the furthest location from us. Safeway was straight forward without any problems. Giant gave us a case of water bottles that we didn’t order and didn’t have cucumbers, but the process was fine. All in all, picking up groceries works quite well and gives us an opportunity to get out of the house aside from our morning walks. It’s nice to know we have so many options. A new Wegman’s will be opening next month. After it’s been open for a while we might give it a try it. It’s rare to get everything on the list from any of the stores, but for the most part it works quite well. 

Flu Shot at Giant Pharmacy

We haven’t been to the grocery store since March 13. We went at midnight and haven’t returned. Since then we have been getting our groceries delivered instead. We primarily use Giant because we shopped there every week. But some things can’t be found at Giant so we have also used Instacart for Fresh Market, Wegman’s, and Harris Teeter. But we needed a flu shot and have gotten them at Giant before, along with the shingles shots. So we finally decided it was time to go back to the store even though I wasn’t too keen on the idea. The pharmacy closes at ten PM, so we got there at nine. No one was in line so we were processed quickly, even though it looked like they weren’t too sure they could do it. Once done, we ran through the store getting angel food cake - an item I simply can’t find anymore - six bottles of Diseno Malbec (our Total Wine Store is out of stock), apples, lettuce, eggs, bananas, potatoes and tomatoes. It was weird driving at night for the first time in six months. We still had to clean everything off when we got home which always makes grocery shopping so much longer. The store had a few customers - one not wearing a mask. All in all it went well, but I don’t want to go back again any time soon. We are in the “at risk” age group and I don’t want to undo all the good after months of hibernation as long as I can help it. The next appointment is with the eye doctor and I’m not looking forward to it. 

Giant Flower Bouquet

It’s been a while. We usually got flowers at the grocery store back in the days before March. We have some petunias growing in the balcony planters, but they’re not much good for vases. We have a console table in the dining room with a large vase in the center, a small table vase, and a wall vase. We order groceries from Giant primarily, and they finally now have an option to purchase flowers. So I thought I would give it a try. I selected the primarily pink bunch, rather than the multicolor or roses. They arrived yesterday with the boatload of groceries. There were carnations, daisies, roses, one large daisy type and another I don’t know the name. After spraying all the groceries down - it takes forever to unpack things and then disinfect afterwards - I unpacked the flowers and arranged them in the two vases. They look really nice with the bamboo plants, babies breath, and sticks that remain staples. It’s the little things that make the house feel like home. Since we really don’t go anywhere anymore it really lifts the spirits a bit. Some days are better than others. 

Giant Peapod App and Special Requests

I never liked going to the grocery store and I don’t really miss it - except for certain items that are not available on the app that I know are in the store. We have been having our groceries delivered since March. We like Peapod because it is essentially managed by Giant employees vs Instacart where any random person can be doing the shopping. However, Instacart gives you an opportunity to virtually shop along with the person as they go through the aisles. Substitutes can be made as well as special requests. Peapod essentially just does the shopping at the defined time, then sends you what was substituted without a back and forth. Not all items have a substitution - like chives. So I emailed Giant to see if they might be able to add a couple of items to the options - angel food cake and a small bunch of cut flowers. They responded by saying they will send the request to the next level where decisions are made to add options to the menu. When I looked at the app today I noticed that they will be introducing a new website/app that might address my problems. It looks like they will be adding a whole range of new products as well as make it more interactive - like if you want hard vs soft peaches. So that will help a lot. I’m looking forward to seeing it because we have come to rely on grocery delivery. It’s kind of like opening gifts on Christmas to see what all is in the package. What I really dislike though is the scrubbing down of everything that comes in the door. It’s becoming more of a routine. But I don’t have to like it - whether the food was delivered or if we did it ourselves.