Susan Branch Booked for Lunch Zoom

 I thought I better blog my experience at the Susan Branch Booked for Lunch zoom meeting in August before the Susan Branch zoom meeting in September! 

The zoom meeting was facilitated by the Duxbury Senior Center who partners monthly with the Duxbury Free Library, both in Massachusetts, to invite an author to speak in person at their facility. Those who participate can pick up a lunch at a nearby caterer to bring along. 

Due to the pandemic, the Booked for Lunch event with Susan Branch shifted to a zoom meeting! This meant I could participate from Ohio! I quickly became one of the first 1200 to register. The event was so popular, it was repeated a second day. My only disappointment was that I could not pick up a boxed lunch at the caterer. 

I served a quick lunch to my four grandchildren, youngest daughter and husband and shooed them out the door to the play yard for sixty minutes.  Earlier I had prepared my own special lunch treats, grabbed some jewelry (since this is my first dinner with anyone outside my house since February), my grandmother's hat, my mother's tea plate set and got ready to log on! 

Cucumber Sandwiches on buttered bread, Rosemary Chicken Salad in pastry cups, Ham and Swiss on party rye. Fudge Brownies, Lemon Loaf and Mixed Berry Mini Muffins.

My gramma's hat, My new Harney & Sons Iced Tea Pitcher with Wild Orchid Teas (Toledo), "Ginger, Orange, Peach White Tea, and my mother's tea cup snack set.

It's her! Susan Branch, my favorite author! I have met her in person twice. This was almost as good. Savories and sweets on the left, tea on the right.

This is how Susan writes her books, all hand lettered with drawings and photos - just like the journal you would keep if you were that talented, too!

Susan walked us through her trip to the English Countryside, starting on the cruise over the Atlantic to get there. It was like listening to a friend, hearing some of the same stories (because I have read and reread her books) and learning some new tidbits. And all the other girl friends participated, too, using the small chat window at the bottom. It was like an intimate, gigantic party with twelve hundred of your best friends!

And because you can't do all that baking and sandwich making just for yourself, I made carryout boxes for my nearest next door neighbors and dropped them off on their porches! 

I am super excited for this month's tea party for a few reasons. First, it really is a tea party! Susan is encouraging us to have our tea and tea cups ready for the zoom tea party. Second, it is a Christmas party - Susan has just published a new book about her Christmases as a child in the late 1950's in California with her large family!  I might even have to bake some Christmas cookies to go with my tea. Third, it is the weekend of my birthday and I am planning my own birthday party to go with it. I even have decorations for my own self!  I will share those details in the tea party post. 

The details for this months tea, sponsored by Titcomb's Bookstore in East Sandwich, Massachusetts, are available here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/virtual-tea-with-susan-branch-tickets-115414109709

Storybook Walks, Also Known As "How We Spend Our Summer Vacation"

 It has been a long summer inside the picket fence. We have had our grandchildren since the parents went back to work in late April/May. We had big plans for the summer since we had purchased season passes for the crew to a nearby amusement park. The passes also included a water park.  We live close enough to travel every day if we wanted.

We bought the passes at the end of the season last year and already got our money's worth! Preschool did not begin until after school had started so we would take the younger kids over about 9:30 a.m. and have a late breakfast in the picnic area in the fall. We would spend the rest of the morning, until about 1 pm,  bouncing around all the rides in kiddie land.  My youngest daughter was still on maternity leave and they even had a little house for babies with rocking chairs for nursing moms as well as changing tables.

Then our world turned upside down with the virus. I really struggle to find activities, besides playing in the yard in the 90 degree heat, that are close enough we don't have to use public restrooms and secluded enough we aren't running into other families. 

About two years ago (or maybe last summer, all time seems to run together now) our local library paired with a local service organization and then our local recreation department to create a storybook walk for children. It really is state of the art with very sturdy, protected stands for pages of the book and a boardwalk through the shaded trees. Along with the story, the bottom of each page has an activity (skipping, clapping, etc) to do on your way to the next page. This is a huge hit with the aged 1 to 7 year old group.

We took a "coffee break" at a position socially distant from the picnic area. 

We recently discovered that the county library system is also offering some storybook walks. This one is in outside a small community, behind a volunteer fire station. The only drawback is lack of shade, so we try to go early in the morning. 

The stands are more rustic and the pages are just inside page protectors, but we enjoy figuring out the words to the story! 

And there were benches under a tree over by the soybean field. 

Next we went to another small community south of our town. 

This one turned out to be along the driveway for the church, just a brief little walk.  They still enjoyed the trip and the story. 

We made up some activities to do between the stations

And we were able to sit under the entrance to the church to enjoy a picnic in the shade. 

We still have one more county library storybook walk to find. It is located in another farm community at a reservoir. Tomorrow we are going on a breakfast picnic to a park in our town with four of the cousins. 

All seven will be here on Wednesday where we will move to yet another village just west of us for a storytime in the park - socially distant on our own blankets. We will then hurry home because I am registered for the Booked for Lunch with Susan Branch! The actual luncheon with the author was booked for Boston, but the facility is closed to visitors. Susan herself will be in  her living room on Martha's Vineyard. I will be at my dining room table. The only sad thing is that I am unable to drive to Boston and pick up a boxed lunch at the caterer and drive home in time for the zoom meeting. And I am turning off my microphone since the background noise of the seven children aged seven and under will certainly make it fun for others. 

Wednesday is actually my day off from childcare. I guess we see how that worked out. Meanwhile, here is one of my favorite pictures. My youngest grandchild has picked a favorite. Since he couldn't see grampa if grampa pushed his stroller, we had to compromise with hand holding. 

Iced Tea in My New Pitcher

Arm Update: At 148 days I was officially released by both my orthopedist and physical therapist. I am still doing PT on my own for about 45 minutes a day, but the improvement is amazing. The real game changer was when my doctor prescribed trigger point microcurrent stimulation (like acupuncture with electricity instead of needles). I was totally sure that it was hocus pocus, especially since all I heard was buzzing and I felt absolutely nothing. But I was wrong. I can raise my arm to do the physical therapy which makes life easier and the pain has decreased to a dull ache. After the second session I was able to sleep for eleven hours straight. My therapist did a total of six sessions and I feel like a new woman. 

It's a warm, humid summer in Northern Ohio and dreams of iced tea run through my brain.  I had an elaborate way to keep my supply going and it was a little challenging with one arm.  I would heat 8 cups of water to boiling in my microwave, measure adequate teaspoons of loose tea into strainers, retrieve water (this was the tricky part), submerge the strainers, brew the tea and pour it into a collection of 16 ounce glass bottles with lids  I have accumulated over the years (think Snapple).  It would take 3 go rounds with the water, strainers and bottles to fill them all and I would be good for a few days.  My family called it "making mom's moonshine". 

Then, because the internet knows more about you than you do yourself, this advertisement from the Harney and  Sons Fine Teas popped up.  And once you click on it once, it just keeps a poppin'. 

Well, since all I can really do in this heat, sheltered at home, is play on the internet and spend money, I finally pulled the trigger. I was pretty excited when it arrived!

The reviews made it sound easy and it was. You measure about 7 teaspoons of loose tea (or two large iced tea bags) and place in the glass pitcher. Add 3 cups of boiling water and let the tea steep. I think the directions say 5 minutes, but I leave it at least 10 minutes. I am using up all my various loose teas in the backs of my cupboards. This one is "pecan tart" which I received as a gift. 

The stopper/lid has a built in strainer! The hardest choice to make with the purchase was the color of the top. I chose the aqua.  The lid is not dishwasher safe.

Fill the pitcher with cold water. And don't judge the snowflake tablecloth. 

And place in the refrigerator. The pitcher is as tall as a gallon of milk, so you will need to find a place to squeeze it in. 

The strainer works perfectly and the tea is so clear.  I did realize that my aqua lid matches the Dollar Tree glasses I bought in February when I did my early pandemic shopping, so after this they will be my new iced tea glasses. EWWW - trust me - what looks like insects are actually the tea leaves. This was the only photo I have. 

I received no compensation from Harney and Sons; it was a total fluke I saw the ad pop up. Two sample teas were included with the pitcher, but I haven't tried them yet. I also added a sampler in a really cool tea box to qualify for free shipping and I haven't opened that yet because I haven't decided if it will be a gift or I will just keep it for myself! 

Actually I am considering another pitcher so that I don't run out of tea while the glass pitcher is in the dishwasher.  I think this pitcher would make a marvelous gift, too. 

Once A Month Blog Post: July

I am totally in awe of all of you that post weekly or even daily. 

Arm Update: Last evaluation was 80% mobility. That was enough for me. I am over it. I thought I was resigning from Physical Therapy. My doctor had written orders for my newest complication, tennis elbow from too much therapy, so I thought they would throw in some exercises. Instead, I am now doing a few weeks of electric current therapy at acupuncture points. Or in others words, shocking the nerves in my arm and elbow with electric current.  I don't want to speak too loudly, but I have had two sessions and I think my pain level is much better. I have two more weeks to go.

Meanwhile, we celebrated my youngest grandson's first birthday with a small, 
socially distanced minimal family outdoor picnic. 

Socially appropriate individually servings of picnic food. 

I usually take ALL TEN of my grandchildren (well, nine up to now) for a week in the summer for Gramma Mimi's Cousin Camp. Between a global pandemic and a broken humerous, plans for this year have changed. My out-of-town grandchildren are remaining safely out-of-town. I do childcare for 2 of my local grandchildren, part time childcare for 2 more local grandchildren and 3 more grandchildren's mom is taking an online class. So all seven of the youngest came for a day camp the first of July. We are calling it Gramma Mimi's America Camp. 

Some of the campers. Usually I go all out, matching t-shirts, themed activities, themed food. Lots of field trips. Well, that can't happen. 

I think the humidity and 100 degree temperatures got this one. I had bought what I thought were bubble wands for camp last year. I got them out this year and they were water shooters. 
This kept the sunscreened campers busy for hours. 

And lots of time in the shade or on the porch with popsicles.

After two weeks to recuperate, we tried it again with

 Gramma Mimi's Cooking School!

The Chefs!  Too hot to be outside, we started with frosting cupcakes that I baked the night before.  Each chef had their own frosting in a cup and their own utensils. I think you can see why. 

Next we made yeast bread dough in ziplock bags and formed them into loaves.  
You mix the dough by squeezing.

While the dough rose, we baked some cut out cookies

 (that I had in the freezer). 

They cooled while we ate lunch, then we frosted the cookies and ate them while we put our loaves of bread in the oven.  While the bread was baking, we colored some spaghetti noodles I had cooked the day before. 

It worked pretty slick! Just add 1 tablespoon of water and a few drops of food coloring, 
seal and shake! 

Everyone got to pick a color! We made rainbow pasta!

We put together spaghetti pies with tomato sauce and meatballs, covered with cheese and baked so they could take dinner home to their parents. 

Junior Chefs eating lunch because they can't cook while I have a camera in my hand. 

So- what else have I been doing?

Well, I edit our local genealogy group's newsletter and wrote a 12 page issue about the 1918 Spanish Flu Epidemic in our county.  I only covered from October 1, 1918 to November 1, 1918 so I know what the fall issue will be. . .  Thank goodness (a) that I have use of two arms for much easier typing than the spring issue (b) access to two different newspaper archives on line so I don't have to leave my house for research. 

We have also been participating in Virtual Vacation Bible School. 

It is a whole new world, folks. 

It seems like I retired to become a home school teacher.  

Luckily it means I get to keep them with me a little longer. 

 And we practiced wearing masks for class on Thursday in case we get to attend school this year. 

Well, I guess that is it for July.  Maybe I will come up with something else from my living room for another post this month or maybe I will have to wait until August.