MUSINGS ON GROCERY SHOPPING

 As I write this morning, it continues to snow. We don’t mind too much, except that Mike’s toes don’t like it when it’s cold. And it’s not easy to meet the Fitbit challenge of 250 steps per hour when I can’t step outside. But on a positive note, Mike says he can’t wait to get his Jeep Cherokee Trail Hawk out and drive it in snow mode. No, we won’t go far.

Mike and I have discussed that we don’t know how much longer we’ll be able to navigate the in-person retail world. It used to be a simple matter of putting items in the cart, checking out with a store employee, and handing over the money, but the process is becoming more complicated. Self-check stands are more evident than ever before, and if you’re buying just a few items, the store rather insistently encourages you to use them. It's a system that is not without problems.

Walmart has something called “Scan and Go,” which I don’t understand – and don’t particularly want to. And by the way, the last time we shopped there, the associate explained that they are moving to plastic sacks made of recycled material for which the customer must pay five cents per bag.

“We brought our own bags,” said Mike.

“Perfect!” said the associate with a smile.

“This is the way they’re forcing us to bring our own bags,” commented Mike.

Albertsons still has signs encouraging the shopper to bring his own recyclable bags, but early in the pandemic, we carried our bags into the store only to be told that the employees could not touch our bags.

“I don’t want your plastic sacks,” said Mike, “so I will bag our groceries.”

“Fine,” said the cashier. But I was put off because everything I touch in the store has been touched by their employees, and I don’t trust that their hands are cleaner than mine.

Albertsons and Walmart both have pick-up services, where the customer orders and pays online and then simply picks up his order at the store. I have a friend who loves this service. She just drives to the designated pick-up area and an employee loads her car with her groceries.

Albertsons has been my “go-to” grocery store since we moved to Clarkston years ago. I have been with them through a number of different shopping systems, promotions, and corporate change-overs. When they instigated their “Just for U” program, I stepped up to it, registering my phone number and selecting digital coupons that give me deeper discounts on things I buy. But I have observed that many shoppers don’t participate in that system, which is understandable given the location of the store and the underprivileged base that it serves.

But now they’ve taken their digital “Just for U” program to a new level that further screens out the needy. They propose to move to a “membership” format wherein the customer will pay for his “Just for U” benefits. There will still be some discounts at the free level, but if you want deeper discounts, you will have to pay for them. I am NOT impressed, and I said so, pointing out that Walmart is just a block away, and if they’re going to charge me to be a customer, I can afford to drive to Winco!

The best part about this Albertsons store is that it’s right next door to JoAnn’s Fabrics, but trust me, I shop JoAnn’s without going to Albertsons. KW

 

MAPLE TREE TAKEDOWN -- FINISHED!

Tree ready to be felled

Mike approached a tree service to take the two remaining limbs off the maple tree. Those limbs leaned towards the neighbor's house, and it seemed prudent to have a professional remove those. The worker came to assess the job, and from what I heard, I thought that he and Mike weren’t quite having a meeting of the minds, but it didn’t matter. They agreed on the price, and the work would get done.

Mike at corner of shed; workman at tree

The workman returned Monday after lunch. I wasn’t surprised when he hooked a cable from the tree to his pickup and cut down the tree, limbs and all. He wasn’t here long. He knew what he was doing and he did it, and we were relieved that it was done.

Maple tree as it's falling

Mike

Monday morning, Mike pruned some limbs off the purple ash and took those trimmings to the landfill. In the afternoon, after the maple tree was felled, we again tossed branches and limbs into the pickup and made another trip to the landfill. We also stacked limbs to be cut and split, but that can wait. We (especially Mike) worked hard. 

 

Maple wood ready to be cut and split

So, that’s that for now. What next? Not sure. It’s cold and the forecast is for continued cold – and colder – over the weekend. KW

 

TAKING OUT THE MAPLE TREE

Nov. 11 -- and maple has yet to drop leaves

Mike likes to fix things when they fail. Not me. I have noted in my years of marriage – and even before – that fixed things don’t stay fixed. As much as I believe in “reduce-reuse-recycle,” I still maintain that attempting to fix things that weren’t meant to be fixed can be a waste of time and money. Fixed things are subject to breaking again. Sometimes we have to turn to that other “re” – “replace.”

The beginning of the end

So, when the leaf blower quit working, I said, “Just replace it." I tried to appeal to his sense of value. "You deserve one that works,” I said. But it seemed to Mike that even though we’d had it several years, he hadn't used it all that much. So, he tried to fix it – making calls, ordering parts, spending time on it – and in the end it wouldn’t start.

Then it occurred to us – if the tree was gone, we wouldn’t have leaves, and we wouldn’t need a leaf blower!! For various reasons, the subject of removing the maple tree has come up from time to time in the 15+ years since Mike planted it. And while he said he would miss sitting under it in the summer, we agreed that it’s overgrown and leaf removal is a lot of work – at least two big pick-up loads of leaves each November. I also think that it’s not a pretty tree. In autumn, the leaves take their own sweet time turning from green to yellow, while a smaller volunteer maple sitting nearby is a gorgeous red. Why not take out the older maple and allow the little guy a chance?

As it now stands

At first, I thought we would have it professionally removed, but that was never Mike’s plan. Once the decision to remove was made, he couldn’t wait to start the process. And though it went unspoken, I immediately realized that I would be “first assistant.” “Ask Clint to help,” I suggested.

“I’m not going to waste Clint’s time with what I can do myself,” said Mike. And of course, there is that. As seniors, we want to do what we can do for ourselves for as long as we can, and we don’t want to bother the youngsters who have their own lives.

A growing pile of maple firewood

So – yeah – I went out and helped. I threw branches into the pick-up and tugged on limbs by means of a rope while Mike sawed. And Friday, Clint came over and helped when more skill was required – someone who could actually control the pick-up; someone with enough spatial acumen to advise Mike – and Clint has that gift.

The next step is to rent a manlift in order to take down the higher limbs. KW

GET OUR VACCINATIONS -- CHECK

It was a given that Mike and I would comply with the recommendation to be vaccinated against Covid-19, even though I have misgivings. It’s not that I’m afraid of the vaccine or being vaccinated. Somehow I just don’t trust that this series of vaccines is the answer. Oh well.

Even though I’m well within the 65+ age group, I was fine with waiting my turn, but daughter Hallie suggested Mike and I should pursue vaccination as soon as possible. She would not be eligible right away, she said, and she would like to be able to see us. So, last week we registered at the local hospital, and at that time they still had no information as to when the vaccine would be available or when we would be scheduled.

Then on Monday, a friend told Mike that a local corporation, SEL (Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories), was scheduling vaccinations on Wednesday (Feb. 3), so Mike signed us up. They said they were administering the Pfizer vaccine, and we would receive appointments for the second shot in three weeks.

I was skeptical. Why would we get a vaccine at SEL instead of a clinic or pharmacy? And why did we hear about it through word of mouth?

Well, long story short, Mike signed us up, and we were both immunized today at SEL. The event was well-organized, and it was a surprisingly pleasant experience. We were told that SEL had the room and the personnel, so they volunteered to administer the vaccine. We were provided appointments for the next shot in three weeks. KW

FINISHED PROJECTS

My dolls, Shirley Anne and Molly, model recently finished outfits for Hazel, my great-grandniece's doll.

 

 

 

In these photos, Shirley Anne is dressed in a beautiful blue stretch knit party dress, while Molly wears a heart-themed sweater made from a pair of knee socks.

 

The dress pattern had been on my “to do” list for several years. I had wanted to make the longer, tiered gown but didn’t have enough fabric. Other issues cropped up as I worked with this stretchy knit. The Velcro closure was so horrible that I actually threw the dress in the trash. However, the next day I retrieved it, carefully ripped the Velcro off, stabilized the back, and then re-applied the Velcro.

I have finally learned – if only I remember – that an iron-on stabilizer on the back edge works wonders in keeping the fabric from stretching out of shape.

And that brings me to making doll sweaters from very stretchy socks. Stabilizing the back pieces makes finishing the opening so much easier. I'm especially proud of the "black hearts" sweater because I was able to apply the ruffles from the socks to the bottom edge of the sweater.

In January, I finished three “sweaters from socks” –

 

. . . this glittering black and gold holiday number . . .

. . . and the two Valentine-themed sweaters. I actually remembered to take a “before” picture so that you can see the process.

 

“What’s wrong with these socks,” asked Mike, as he watched me lay out the pattern.

 

“Nothing,” say I; “I bought them because they make such cute doll sweaters.” 

 

And I paid homage to the era with a mask.

 

 

 

And now the dress and sweaters are ready to  be shipped to Hazel. KW

SNOW CAKE 1910 -- SECOND (AND THIRD) TRIES

An almost full moon

I remember my mother saying that the first cake mixes weren’t very good. She continued to make her cakes from scratch even after mixes were available. Then one day she went to a meeting where the hostess served a delicious cake made from a mix. “I will never bake a cake from scratch again,” Mother vowed. 

Having overbaked my first “Snow Cake” from Grandma Ina’s recipe, I decided to try again. Here’s the recipe again, this time with my revisions:

 

 

Kathy’s Snow Cake (based on Ina’s 1910 recipe)

1 ½ cups sugar, divided

½ cup shortening (Crisco)

5 egg whites [I used ½ cup of purchased egg whites.]

1 cup cream (half and half)

2 ½ cups flour

3 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

Cream shortening with 1 ¼ cups sugar until light a fluffy. Add half and half and vanilla; mix well. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt; then add to shortening mixture. Beat egg whites with ¼ cup sugar. Fold into batter. Pour into prepared 9x13 pan. Let stand for 10 minutes. Bake at 350 for 28 minutes.

You will note that I substituted Crisco shortening for the butter. I thought butter was out of place in a white cake, but farm wives probably had butter on hand rather than shortening.

I thought the combination of lemon and vanilla in the original recipe was strange. Does it mean lemon extract or lemon juice? One method of souring a cup of milk is to put a teaspoon of lemon juice in it, but the recipe specifically calls for sweet milk. I have no way of knowing what was meant, so I just left out the lemon juice.

We keep skim milk (0% milkfat) on hand, and I reasoned that Ina would have used rich cow’s milk, so I substituted half and half for the milk. I creamed the shortening with 1 1/4 cups of sugar, and added the additional ¼ cup as I beat the egg whites.

With Trial #2, I used a 7x11 baking dish and baked 40 minutes at 350, beginning with 30 minutes. Again, the cake was overbaked around the edges while underbaked in the middle. I reasoned that the pan was still too small for the batter.

With Trial #3, I used a 9x13 Pyrex baking dish and baked the cake for 28 minutes at 350. Perfect! Delicious! Or to use Aunt Lynn’s word – “Excellent.”

But -- would I say it’s better than a white cake from a mix? To be honest, no. I did it for the fun of baking a cake from scratch using my grandmother’s recipe, but it was not as moist and flavorful as from a mix -- and a lot more work. And speaking of work, just think of Ina and Aunt Lynn making that cake without electric appliances. I mixed the cake with a heart full of gratitude for my kitchen appliances. KW

SNOW CAKE, 1910

Well, it’s the winter. We’re still staying close to home. Nothing much is happening. I pursue quiet indoor activities.

I think a lot can be learned from an old recipe box. As we cleared out the family home in 1991, I was surprised when my sisters weren’t at all interested in the many old recipe boxes we found. They let me have them without dispute. Today, I would say, “Score!!!!”

I guess my aunt, Myrtle Dobson (Aunt Lynn, as she liked to be called) must have agreed with me because while she was living at the farmhouse to care for Grandma Ina, she organized Ina’s recipe box. Occasionally I see her handwriting as well as Ina’s.

And this brings me to the recipe for “Snow Cake,” dated 1910, which I found in Grandma Ina’s recipe box. The card is soiled and obviously used. Perhaps it was even a favorite because at the bottom of the card, Aunt Lynn has written, “Excellent.” Intrigued, I decided to try that recipe.

Snow Cake, 1910

1 ½ cups sugar

½ cup butter

5 egg whites [I used ½ cup of purchased egg whites.]

1 cup sweet milk

2 ½ cups flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp each lemon & vanilla [lemon extract?]

Cream butter and sugar. Add milk and flavoring; beat well. Next add flour with baking powder; beat well. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Put in pan and let stand 10 minutes. Bake. Excellent

I confess that I added ¼ teaspoon salt. I baked the cake at 350 in a prepared 8x8 glass pan for 30 minutes. It wasn’t done, and that’s when I began to hear my mother instructing me. “When it isn’t done, you must add time in small increments because you can easily overbake it.”

“Yes-yes-yes,” I say impatiently, knowing she isn’t really there – or is she? I knew she would have stood at the oven door watching that cake to be sure it didn’t over-bake. Patience was her virtue, not necessarily mine. 

Initially, I tried adding three minutes, then five, then another three, etc., realizing that I was behaving rather recklessly. In the end, the cake was over-baked – dry around the edges. Sigh.

But Mike said it was good, so I will try again. I’ll tweak the recipe and let you know how it goes. KW