Food has become more casual. There seems to be less desire to spend as much time preparing meals. I guess my enthusiasm has diminished. One upside however is that I am making more bread than usual and sharing it with family and friends. I have made bread for years, the traditional way, a bowl to mix the ingredients in and kneading and shaping by hand. No mixer or bread machine. I started years ago after reading an article on stress and how bread making was recommended to women in Britain in WWII as a way to reduce stress during the blitz. It is a good stress reliever, especially the kneading and punching of the dough. The end result is rewarding and there is nothing better than fresh bread out of the oven. I have even got grandkids over to help on occasion. They love to punch the air bubbles out and shape it into loafs and often saying “take this Covid!” as they pound the dough. Good therapy with a good result.
September 16, 2021
The pandemic has not shifted my political views. I am a public health professional, and have developed my political framework around what is beneficial for the common good. As a result, I started the pandemic as a strong left leaning democrat and I continue to stay that way. It is so incredibly frustrating to watch leaders make decisions about our health and safety while completely ignoring data and trusted professionals. I cannot comprehend how someone would support a political party that had demonstrated such a high level of disregard for human life.
November 9, 2020