Snicker-Doodles

Tomorrow our county exits quarantine after 11 weeks. I figured this was a good time to take stock. I worked from home for 3 (4?) of those weeks and worked at the hospital or clinic for the rest. There still aren't that many patients, and neither Dear Husband nor I is ready to eat at a restaurant or even to take a walk without a face mask. We've spent so long disciplining ourselves (and others, in our minds) that I wonder what kind of culture shock it will be when the stay-at-home orders lift and we stumble outside in the heat of summer. Since we returned from our Spring Break trip to Los Angeles and Santa Monica--perhaps with mild cases of COVID-19?--the following things have happened:

Goods baked:
Raspberry scones
Chocolate chip cookies
Snickerdoodles
Blackberry oatmeal coffee cake
Peanut butter banana bread
Chocolate chip banana bread
Mixed berry pie x2
Cherry pie
Strawberry pie x3

I baked the snickerdoodles according to a recipe from family friend S.H., my Brownie Troop leader. It was a gift at my bridal shower in 2005, at the very end of the era of recipes written down on paper or cut out of newspapers or magazines. Nowadays you can search the internet for any combination of ingredients you want (or have on hand), but there's something heartwarmingly personal about a note at the end about liking soft "snicks" better than crunchy ones.

1. Mix 1 cup shortening, 1 1/2 cups of sugar, and 2 eggs.
2. Separately blend 2 3/4 cups flour, 2 tsp cream of tartar (purchased especially for this occasion), 1 tsp of baking soda, and 1/2 tsp of salt.
3. Mix everything together.
4. Roll into 1" balls, and then roll on a plate with 2 tbsp sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon.
5. Place 2" apart on an ungreased sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes at 375 F.

"They puff, then flatten. (Makes 6 doz.)," she wrote. They certainly do puff, but my idea of 1" must have been generous, because I only got 48 cookies!

Settlers of Catan: Created a character for myself, grew wheat, mined ore, and traded brick up to Level 20! I am now a Master of Catan. I was "Lord of Catan" among my friends here when quarantine started, but I forfeited my kingdom by choosing to stay home and nurse the rest of my illness instead of defending my title when the rest of them gathered for one last round before stay-at-home orders went into effect. We plan to renew the conquest tomorrow during our graduation celebration, now that the county is entering the Green Zone.


Movies watched:
Contagion (2011)
War Games (1983)
Cast Away (2000)
Jaws (1975)
Dial M for Murder (1954)
The Shining (1980)
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018)
Knives Out (2019)
Godzilla (1954)
Snakes on a Plane (2006)
The Towering Inferno (1974)

The very last weekend I had a 24-hour shift (last ever!) that obliterated the weekend. A friend form church H.G. who enjoys theater invited us to a Zoom "staging" of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice over two days. Unfortunately, we only got to watch the first half, because by the time we could get back to it, Pittsburgh Public Theater had taken down the recording of the live feed in preparation for the next week's offering. I'm trying to temper my disappointment by remembering that they will put the money we donated for "tickets" toward keeping their lights on and actors employed until we have passed into whatever comes after the Green Zone, when live performances will again be allowed.

Until then, stay safe. What hobbies or skills did you find during your quarantine? And how much longer will you have to stay at home?