In the Mood for a Steak

Since my husband’s diet is somewhat restricted due to a medical condition, it’s been an adjustment trying to figure out what he can and cannot eat. No more tomatoes, wine, chocolate, and a lot of other things he craves. So when he said he had a taste for a steak, we took our morning walk to the neighborhood Giant to find one but we were disappointed with the selection. We rarely eat red meat and the last steak we had was over a year ago for a special occasion. So today after our morning walk we took a ride out to Amazon Fresh in Fairfax. My husband wanted to see what Amazon Fresh was all about. When we lived on Capitol Hill there was a Whole Foods in Yards Park - a few blocks away. I never cared for Whole Foods and this place looked just like While Foods. So we ended up getting bananas, pears, French bread, and two reasonably good looking tenderloin steaks. We really wanted a filet and a New York strip, but they didn’t have that either. When we got to the checkout - we don’t have the scan option to just walk in and walk out - our Apple Card couldn’t be used. I couldn’t tap with it or insert it. It just wouldn’t be read. So we needed to use another card that would be accepted. It looks like Amazon just doesn’t like anything Apple. I hope it was worth the trip as we are trying to decide if we should try to air fry or broil the steaks. I guess we will figure that out later on today. I don’t think we will ever go back, but it was worth the ride to see what it was all about. 

Cherry Blossoms at the Tidal Basin

The last three weeks have been terrible for the cherry blossom visitors. It’s been extraordinarily cold and very wet! We weren’t able to get out as much as we usually do because both my husband and I tested positive for Covid for the first time in four years. But one day we just got in the car and drove in to town and tooled around the tidal basin. It was like a parking lot but at least we got to see the blossoms before they all blew away. And driving very slow allowed me an opportunity to use long exposure and get some interesting images. We still need to return at least one more time before they haul Stumpy away - the little cherry tree that could! Stumpy is deteriorating because the water from the tidal basin overflows and submerges the trunks of the trees and they are literally rotting. But in spite of it all stumpy continues to bloom and has become a hero in the area. This is the last weekend for the cherry blossom festival. Too bad it’s still so cold, windy, and cloudy. But we have been fortunate enough to see the splendor of it all since we moved to Capitol Hill seventeen years ago. And every time we visit it’s just as beautiful. 

Tulips at the Capitol

Since we were stuck at home for the last theee weeks due to Covid - for the first time in four years - and the lousy monsoon weather, we finally had a chance to drive in to town yesterday. Since we missed a walk around all of the cherry blossoms at the tidal basin I was hoping to at least have an opportunity to see the tulips. We were at least lucky enough to see the magnolias at the castle before we got sick. This is our favorite time of year to see all of the beautiful flowers and trees that are in full bloom. So we parked in our old neighborhood on Capitol Hill - it was ridiculously packed with buses, cars and tourists. Then we headed over to the Capitol building. And there they were - the red, yellow and orange tulip color scheme - on the walkway leading to the visitor center and all around the two fountains right in front of the east entrance. It’s really difficult to photograph red tulips for whatever reason, but I tried my best and took several, hoping one of them might work for the photo challenge this week. These are the times that I wished we still lived on Capitol Hill. Even though street parking was always a headache we could at least do our morning walks without having to think about it. Every time we go in to town my husband laments that we don’t still live there anymore. Then I remind him of all of the inconveniences. He always forgets about those. 

No More Tomatoes

It’s a sad day. My husband absolutely loves tomatoes. He used to have a Virgin Bloody Mary with celery every time we went out for brunch. We use tomatoes in all of our cooking. And of course they always were a part of his salad. Now he has a very odd medical condition that dictates that he stay away from anything that causes an acid reaction. That means wine, citrus, chocolate, spices - but most importantly - no more tomatoes. Obviously this limits the type of things we always ate together - like spaghetti. We have resorted to Alfredo sauce, or pesto. It’s just not the same. He can’t put any red sauce on his pizza. I love Alfredo, but I have a cholesterol problem. Once in a while is okay, but it’s not good for my well being. That’s ridiculous. Yesterday he was making chicken soup. He always added spicy tomatoes. This time he didn’t. It was more of a vegetable chicken soup with garbanzo beans, spinach and potatoes. It tasted good enough, but it didn’t look the same. Luckily for him he can still eat all the sugar he wants - so cookies and candy are still in the mix. Supposedly white chocolate is okay, but he doesn’t want to risk it. It’s really lousy that we have to change how we used to do things. That’s happening much more than I’d like. We hardly ever go out to restaurants anymore. Now even what we eat at home has changed. I don’t like anything about it.

Forehead Thermometer

It’s never good to be sick. We escaped catching Covid 19 for four years - until we tested positive three weeks ago. Luckily we are almost back to our “normal” state and activities. But the first few days were quite uncomfortable because we didn’t know what to expect. And being in the older age group it was even more scary even though we just got a booster eight days before. Nevertheless it’s good to have gadgets around to monitor vital signs. Luckily I have an Apple Watch that I put on my husband to check his oxygen levels, ekg, and heart rate. And a blood pressure cuff to check that. But because my husband has a blocked nose on good days, it is very hard to get a temperature reading even with the fastest digital thermometer. So I finally ordered a forehead touchless infrared thermometer. It arrived soon enough to be able to use during our hibernation. As easy as it is to use, it just didn’t seem to be quite accurate. So I compared the results using both devices and determined that the touchless thermometer was about 0.5 LOWER than the digital device. Anyway, it’s so much easier to gauge his temperature now. It’s just too hard to hold your breath otherwise. 

Smithsonian Castle Garden Magnolias

It feels like a century ago. It was a week or so before we tested positive for Covid for the first time. Spring is such a beautiful time of year here and the magnolias at the Smithsonian Castle are the first to bloom. The display is magnificent. So way back on March 13 we drove in to town for the express purpose of visiting the magnolias. It was a bit cloudy, but that usually makes for better photos. We parked by the Air and Space Museum - that finally has a new front entrance built after what seems like years under renovation. Then we walked over to the gardens and weren’t disappointed even though it seemed like the blooms were more sparse than usual. The tulips were also just starting to show buds and unfortunately we haven’t been able to get back to see the splendor of it all because we didn’t feel well for over two weeks, and now the monsoons have set in and it’s not good travel weather. The cherry blossom festival lasts until this weekend so the crowds are still around until then and then into the summer months. I rather liked having the city or myself over the last four years.  Hopefully we will be able to explore our favorite places soon enough. We do miss our weekly drives in to town - for so many reasons. 

52Frames Minimalist Weekly Photo Challenge

Last week my husband and I were still in recovery mode after testing positive for Covid over two weeks ago. We were just starting to resume our morning walk schedule in the neighborhood park starting with a half mile, then a mile, and finally at the end of the week getting back to two miles. So we weren’t in the mood to drive in to town for the 52Frames photo challenge. That left me with trying to get creative for the subject “minimalism.”  I had been drinking a hot tea every afternoon to up my water intake and it struck me that I should do something with the teacup. So I spent a bit of time just taking photos from above the teacup - with the teabag - on the glass top dining room table and on the kitchen peninsula. After editing the cup out of the background and creating a plain background I thought I was done. But later in the week I decided to make more of an effort. Since the background was so plain the idea to add some water vapor/smoke might bring it alive. So I painted that in the composite image. It still didn’t do much. Then I played around with the background color. A much darker color was used that matched the color of the teabag and the teacup finally came to life. Both my husband and I liked the contrast more than the original milk toast. The cup was also moved to the left and enlarged so you could see the bubbles and the teabag texture. Sometimes you need to put something away and look at it again later. It definitely helped this time.