Around the Island

Richard’s Almanac: Staying inside

It has really been a week like no other that I have experienced.

I have only left the house to walk my daughter’s family dog. I have not been to a store or the Post Office or any of those places on my usual Island morning routine. I’m fortunate that my daughter lives so close and she and her husband can do the grocery shopping for me. I make the list and they go to the IGA.

I’ve been concentrating on the painting project I mentioned last week. It’s almost completed. And I think it looks pretty good. Although I do have some extra cleanup to do. In addition to the usual unavoidable drops of paint that an amateur always leaves, the dog wandered upstairs and I didn’t see a problem with that. The paint on the walls had already dried. I forgot that the roller tray was still on the floor. Yes, she walked through it and then across the floor.

So now I have very cute paw prints that must be removed. I tried wiping them right after the incident but they were already dry. Some paint. I figure I’ll use some steel wool and then wax the wood to remove the scratches.

I am saving the crown molding installation until everything settles down and I can get some help. So that will wait. But the room so far looks great and will clean up very nicely.

And speaking of cleaning … I don’t think my living room rug has ever been vacuumed so much. I tend to occupy my down time by doing cleaning. I have not tackled the refrigerator yet, but that will be next.

I also have been thinking about food a great deal and have been getting by with staples like chicken and pork chops and burgers.

I was ready to make a fat bacon cheeseburger on Saturday when the idea struck me to make a meatloaf. I have eaten plenty of meatloaf over the years, and even though I am not a freshman when it comes to being in the kitchen, I’ve never made a meatloaf.

I had a pound of chopped meat in the fridge and decided it was like making one large loaf-like meatball. So that’s what I did using egg, milk, parsley, thyme, onions and unflavored breadcrumbs. I also added some Worcestershire sauce and ketchup. Stuck it in the oven for about an hour. It was delicious. And I have leftovers for sandwiches.

I’ve found that the streaming meetings of the town officials have been reassuring during this troubled time. If you haven’t seen the live streaming, go to the government access channel on TV to see the recordings.